"Spin The Black Circle" as Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam sang!
Beyond the sound of things, and into the soul of things.
Beyond the sound of things, and into the soul of things.
Hi-res audio blows MP3s and AAC files out of the water. Essential data is lost when you listen to music via MP3 files because of the lossy compression that makes these files smaller. High-Resolution Audio can replicate the whole range of sound that the artist created when recording the content. Sony understands the importance of preserving the originality of music, which is why we’ve developed Hi-Res Audio products that allow audiophiles (like you) to listen to music in the best sound quality.
I listened to a file that I had downloaded in WAV which is a higher resolution than FLAC; this was Santana "Abraxas", an LP I bought in 1970, and since that time, have worn out many copies; to say I know every note on that LP is an understatement.
When I compared that file to my pristine LP, it was first in the lineup. As I listened, "It just doesn't get any better than this," I thought.
Now it was time for the LP; as the wax spun, I was floored on the first note; it was so definitive; after that keyboard intro, Santana's guitar just hung in the air, followed by the banging notes on the keyboard again, and then those unforgettable chimes; "Singing Winds and Crying Beasts" is the most perfect instrumental ever; IMO.
While the Hi-Res sounded good, the LP in my room felt good; I was flooded with all the memories I had experienced with this music playing in the background. Does anyone remember "Black Lights"; they made ladies legs glow in the dark when they wore certain kinds of stockings, what a scintillating sight.
So many colorful memories of my misspent youth passed before me as I listened, if only I could misspend them again. That's what the LP did for me; it regenerated my soul with it's soul; LP's have life, digital is the sound after it has been stripped of it's life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn50ipwWarg
Can you relate to the "Soul" of things?
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But Geoff, we know that there IS something wrong with CDs, as well as with the playback machines that go with them. Haven't the issues with RBCD been hashed over ad infinitum? (If that's what you refer to when you use the term "CD".) High rez CDs of various types are certainly better than RBCD, if and only if the hi-rez technology was used during the recording process, which in itself suggests that the problems with RBCD that we can easily identify using science may also apply during the listening experience. I used to listen to CDs if we were having a party or if I wanted to sit and read with music in the background. Now I don't even do that. LPs all the way. R2R tape is also superb, if I could afford the entry price and wanted to fiddle with it. |
lewm6,686 posts01-27-2019 10:44amBut Geoff, we know that there IS something wrong with CDs, as well as with the playback machines that go with them. Haven’t the issues with RBCD been hashed over ad infinitum? (If that’s what you refer to when you use the term "CD".) High rez CDs of various types are certainly better than RBCD, if and only if the hi-rez technology was used during the recording process, which in itself suggests that the problems with RBCD that we can easily identify using science may also apply during the listening experience. >>>>What I’ve been preaching the past few days on some other related threads is that problems with CD player constrain the CD from sounding like it should. Since I am one of the first to hear what CDs sound like when scattered laser light - including the invisible infrared portion which comprises most of it - is prevented from getting into the photodetector you’ll have to take my word for it. Obviously that’s not the only problem with CD players. And I’m taking about ANY digital player, SACD, DVD, BLU RAY and any variant of REDBOOK CD. CD players cannot cope very well with out of round CDs, scattered laser light, static electrical charge, magnetic fields, vibration caused by the transport mechanism or seismic vibration. I’m sure I’m forgetting others. |
Lewm, I have been into R2R since the 70's, and loved every minute. I have a Technics RS 1500 2 track that's reliable and easy to work on. It's highly recommended and not too expensive. I've thought of buying one used, then have the seller send it to be refurbished, discuss with those people how much would it take to make it like new, and go from there. An LP recorded on a 2 track reel will sound even better on playback. If you have ever wanted R2R, now is the time; that's because blank tape is available. |
Every medium has it’s own shortcomings. While tape has provided us with the bulk of our music recordings, that medium’s shortcomings are made crystal clear (no pun intended ;-) when compared to a direct-to-disk LP. Doug Sax made "safety copy" tape recordings from the same mixing desk console feed simultaneously with his d-2-d LP’s for his Sheffield Labs label releases, and the contrast is startling. As is the sound of those discs! I’ve never heard a tape recording with the immediacy, presence, transparency, and dynamics as a d-2-d LP played on a superior table/arm/cartridge. But recording direct-to-disk is completely impractical for general use; an entire LP side has to be performed live, start to finish. A musician plays a bum note? A singer goes flat, or misphrases? Too bad. No "punching in", no overdubs, no remixing, no nuthin’! |
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