I am still shocked/amazed at how dynamic and colorful many of my recordings sound (CD and LP) with upgrades in cartridge/SUT and DAC/transport in 2022. My former Benz Ruby 3 didn't match well with SUTs and I lost dynamics. The Zesto Allesso and a cheaper Dynavector 20X2 L is a perfect match. My extreme DAC and modest cost upgraded transport makes so many 1980s CDs come alive as good as analog. My own engineered recordings are sufficiently good to publish now that I hear them back at such a high level. I agree with 85% average, 10% great and 5% stinkers as far as recording quality although some eras/engineering were usually great (e.g Bob Fine/Mercury) or mediocre (late 1970s Decca/EMI/DGG). With 42,500 records and CDs, I have my share of sonic clunkers (but oh, those great 50's & 60's jazz and classical recordings).
Isn't it really about quality of recording?
Are most of us just chasing our tails?
I mean you listen to a variety of recordings and some sound a lot better than others. Your system has limited impact on how good recordings can be. I am awestruck how some music sounds and clearly my system has nothing to do with it, it all occurred when the music was produced.
We talk about soundstage and imaging and I am not sure all the effort and money put toward a better system can really do that much for most of what we listen to because the quality is lesser than other recordings.
You can walk into a room and hear something that really sounds good and you say wow what an amazing System you have but no!!! It's the recording dummy not the system most of the time. Things don't sound so good it's probably the recording.
The dealers don't wanna talk about Recording quality no one seems to want to talk about it and why is this? Because there's no money to be made here that's why.
Showing 3 responses by fleschler
@ghdprentice I have 7,000 CDs. At least 1,000 are Romophones, Marston and Biddulph. Unavailable for streaming. The alternatives are buying LP versions or the 78s themselves (if possible, $1millions in cost and then there is the playback speed/stylus issues). I also have ethnic CDs, private recordings by me and others which cannot be licensed for public play, etc. About 40% of my CDs are available for streaming So, I'm never giving up my CDs (or rare 78s). Most of my 28,000 LPs are not streamed and most original tapes are just gone with no ownership or out of existence (remember the Universal fire as well). |
@ghdprentice I have 27,500 LPs (about 2,000 duplicate operas) mix of classical, jazz, vocal, opera, ethnic, etc. I also have 7,000 78s. I am 66, collecting since 3. I live in Los Angeles area and have had many great stores to purchase from, some collections, some donations and still some good stores although the price of good LPs has inflated whereas CD prices have deflated. I've never been to Arizona but have purchased 100s of records at record stores in Las Vegas, NYC and throughout CA in the past. |