topoxforddoc,
"I can testify to that, having archived many 15IPS master tapes in my collection in a straight zero level transfer with a professional Prism Sound A2D converter. The digital file sounds pretty much indistinguishable."
Wow, is digital really that close to capturing original studio sound quality? Can you do level transfers for those tapes that were intended for vinyl?
Do you think this would also be the case for 30IPS recordings? A lot of questions I know, but the closest I ever got to play with something like a Studer was to walk past one parked outside the studio where I did some voluntary work.
"The problem is that many modern digital files are not just transferred, but remastered from the tape, and are often made worse. This is particularly true if compression is added after the transfer to make the sound "better" on a phone, rather than on an audio system."
Yes, and it’s these remastering alterations that usually cause the headaches for some of us audiophiles.
There seem to be an awful lot of problems preventing what was recorded (on tape destined for vinyl) to make its way to digital with the same end result. In a perfect world a CD/download would be (could be?) an identical copy of the original vinyl release without any of its issues.
Yet this seems to be beyond the efforts (or most likely wishes = $$) of all those involved.
A good case in point, amongst far too many to mention, has been the failure to deliver a copy of the classic The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society album that would make us forget all previous releases.
Or maybe I’m getting all this remastering business confused by assuming it’s intended for those in pursuit of a better sound.
Obviously, despite what they may suggest, it isn’t is it?
