The "great" sound of reel to reel explained

At the dawn of digital photography entering the consumer market I thought the comment by a Fuji executive that in its refinement sheer number of pixels and resulting benefits in terms of image definition and detail are just one factor in determining the overall QUALITY of a photograph.

As a record it certainly can approach reality likewise the evolution of sound recording since the C19 has approached the original sound more closely but what you actually hear is defined by previous experience, subjective expectations and cultural factors as well as the condition and age of one's own ears! There is no such thing ultimately as "reality".

Digital has evolved in a primitive way, inimical to technicians with a strong musical background and training, mainly based on chip development allowing precisely the sort of pixel overkill devoid of real sound quality that characterises most classical music releases to my ears. At the end of the day one has to be guided by what one hears and to me there is a sort of hybrid "pop" sound that is pleasant enough due to the injection of artificial warmth, that can be either played through in-ear buds, mini bluetooth "speakers", TV/AV systems, or straightforward music systems. And of course relentless volume levelling with little sound stage.

If you can hear some "hiss" on a digital recording you are half way towards a genuinely rewarding listening experience!

Very interesting read but too much generalization . Like the thing with the power cable voltage drop. I don't think it is true in case of regulated B+ and filament heating and even without regulation 2V drop wouldn't be audible.

the reason a power cord can have this effect is simple. If there is a 2 volt drop in a power cord, the filaments of the tubes will run cooler and the B+ will be reduced. Since this is a voltage, the result is we get less voltage output out of the amp. Less voltage=less power.

From an end consumer point of view digital carriers and playback devices have overwhelming convenience which squashes all considerations of the best" sound quality. When you think about the sheer vulnerability and wear and tear on a reel to reel with the constantly spinning capstan, cogs, gears clutch pads, perishing plastic gears, numerous belts and motors, not to forget the heads, condition, alignment etc. Machines etc deally are optimised for different grades or even brands of Magnetic tape. Within that field there were at least two formats of pre-recorded tape produced and older machines were not compatible with four track stereo tapes commercially available. It's really a nightmare.

On the other hand, there must always be a strong and religious following in professional recording studios for magnetic tape and analogue electronics  - even with valves - starting with the great man crop hones like the Neumann/MGM modified and extending right through to the final master tape.  At the end of the day the stereo LP is and will forever be the most practical and maintainable/convenient system for anyone wanting to enjoy music in the home as reel to reel is too limited and temperamental. I think the same goes for high end music cassettes which also have, despite their other sonic limitations, a similar warmth and mid range depth to tape. You can see how Decca in the 60s and 70s tried to emulate that tape sound in their famous wide band and early narrow band LPs with exaggerated bass effects.

I've got this completely refurbished pristine Philips NN4414  (c.1975) and I can't get a really pristine FM radio signal on live concert broadcasts (which arguably should be the highest quality audio availableas DAB is restricted) which would test its capabilities. Doesn't seem much point recording from a digital source.