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I'm getting so tired of hearing this kind of description of sonic quality on the topic of high def. Sorry but I've been simply stunned listening to vinyl, CDs and even lo-res through headphones or cheap power PC speakers.
I don't believe SACD or high def playback is capable of providing much in the way of rewards beyond what we can get with Redbook. Yea sure DSD and higher resolution is probably a great thing when it comes to making an original recording or master but when it comes to playback whats the reasoning that Redbook can't be just as good?
When I hear these kinds of jaw dropping exhaltations I immediately conclude something is out of kilter in the comparisons. In fact I doubt there was ever a comparison in the first place and if there was it was someones memory of how a recording sounded on some half assed vinyl system (or even on an FM radio) and how it sounds now in high def form played back on a decent quality high fidelity system.
My reference - most decent recordings sound simply stunning on vinyl or CDs on my pretty much middle of the road but very good audio systems. Allman Brothers and Steely Dan can sound "simply stunning" on good mid fi systems (equipment like NAD and Polk).
My I'm thinking audiophiles never really had a reason to bother with this great music before but now it's on high def it captures their attention and wah lah the as expected "simply stunning" comments flow forth!
Follow Ups:
better is better. i for one DO recognize and feel the difference with higher rez recording. it will take a lot to surpass the high rez of analog and hence-LP playback.
with LP and sacd/dvda, there is more of an organic reproduction that can be realized with the more relaxed and satisfying presentation than what is possible with rbcd.
the very highest frequencies are where the cues of ambience live and the completing structure of overtones.
as for feeling like its real, all one has to do is stop listening to the reproduction process and focus on the music. so many great performances can be brought back to animation and re-enjoyed just as photos and video captures convey the essence of what took place.
when listening to cd, there is never the complete inner relaxation that comes with analog. there is just some subliminal tension with redbook.
dont get me wrong, i enjoy my CDs and get much enjoyment from them but the same music played back from vinyl just has more "there" there. you can settle in just a little bit more.
...regards...tr
in stereo reproduction the most important differentiating "component" is YOU. You are responsible for imagining the stunning reproduction of a recorded event that is created from two somewhat correlated voltaged signals that were created (most likely) from events that occured at different moments in time by the recording engineer or producer.
Some people (like me) are easy sells - my brain is wired to easily imagine a performance from somewhat mediocre equipment - though headphones won't do it for me. Other people, like my musician/wife can't do it at all! When she listens to my system she hears music reproduced - but her mind doesn't imagine it as real.
Most audiophiles are in between. Of course, some audio enthusiast could care less, they want to hear the musical details - timber, intonations... I call those folks "technical listeners" and they have a completely different approach to this hobby.
Three most important things in Audio reproduction: Keep the noise levels low, the power high and the room diffuse.
"You are responsible for imagining the stunning reproduction of a recorded event that is created from two somewhat correlated voltaged signals that were created (most likely) from events that occured at different moments in time by the recording engineer or producer."
I have no use for these concoctions. I consider them to be fabrications, not recordings. As to proper stereo recordings, especially those made with a Blumlein pair, very little "imagination" is required for stunning reproduction, just a well setup decent system.
I avoid listening to the genres of music that suffer from overproduction. I am not terribly concerned, because most music in these genres was originally created for commercial reasons and has little artistic merit.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
An you of course are welcome to do as you please.... (1) Even with a simple minimalist live recording the waveform of the presurevaiations reaching the ear in your reproduced environment would be unrecognizable in comparison to the waveform of pressure variations at a live concert - so you are still "imagining". And (2) IMO you are missing countless opportunities of imaging wonderful performance and artistic renderings - Miles and Brubek, Natalie and Nat, Jazz at the Pawnshop, Hot August Night, Philidelphia SO playing Mendelson, and I could go on and on.
Three most important things in Audio reproduction: Keep the noise levels low, the power high and the room diffuse.
IME the better my speakers got the fewer(!) 'bad' recordings I seemed to have.
May be a lot of those 'bad' recordings just happen to show up the short comings of lesser speakers more than other recordings.
PS: This is not withstanding the Loudness Wars. Crushed stuff with no dynamic range is just awful regardless.
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