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In Reply to: Re: CDR comparisons of turntables -- is Fremer using an appropriate approach? posted by anumber1 on April 17, 2007 at 05:26:06:
> I don't think CDR recordings capture the "soul" of the device very well.You are probably quite correct! I don't think the Masterlink was ever designed to capture the "soul" of anything. It is designed to capture electrical signals with utmost accuracy and it seems to copy musical waveforms in a way that is audibly transparent to the original.
Follow Ups:
...it seems to copy musical waveforms in a way that is audibly transparent to the original.His original review from 2002 is available at SP's website. More recently, he commented on a BPT modified unit in the February 2006 issue. He made compilations from both the stock and modified units and compared them. Fremer prefered the recording from the modified unit. He then sent the compilations to another owner and mastering engineer, Peter McGrath for comment. Without knowing which was which, McGrath correctly identified the recording sourced from the modified unit as sounding "warmer, less edgy, more analog-like."
It seems that transparency can be improved upon.
Mine is as transparent as can be. If you don't hear the slightest difference between the recording and the source, then transparency can not be improved upon.It is quite possible that the BPT modified unit was intended to sound "warm" rather than accurate.
of replacing all the electrolytic caps with more linear ones, adding polystyrene bypass caps to the digital power supply, shielding the interior and wiring with copper foil and ERS cloth, adding a separate power supply for the analog section, replacing circuit board mounted jacks with chassis mounted WBTs, etc. :)
You seem to be inferring that all the mods would make for an accurate sound rather than a warm sound. Based on your description of the mods, I would tend to agree. However, that means you have to disregard the review claiming a "warm" sound as an erroneous review.Take your pick. All I know is that my Masterlink is extremely accurate.
In my experience, the use of more linear capacitors, separation of power supplies for digital and analog sections (as also found in my GamuT CD-1) and the addition of multiple anti-RFI strategies to an audio component results in a less bright, less edgy, smoother sound. I would consider that more faithful.Live music never sounds "clinical" to me.
That I don't think it would be ethical for a reviewer to judge a piece of equipment from a CDR recording.Another point to be made is that a turntable needs to be judged on it's interaction with the room it is playing in and how it deals with the acoustic vibrations contained in that room, something that cannot be done while playing a CDR recorded from a deck that is physically somewhere else.
Thanks again for the CDRs you gave me a few years ago. I learned a lot.
--
Al G
Born To Tinker!
anything else is double talk. drunken gibberish, actually.But, to each his own. ;-)
At 10:15 am on a Tuesday morning I am somewhat sober and trying not to speak in gibberish but...I don't see how a reviewer could possibly review a piece of equipment by only hearing a recording of the gear! That 'aint right!
Lemme pop a couple of vicodin and have a shot of Ezra Brooks and I'll get back to ya!
--
Al G
Born To Tinker!
I could kind of see how a reviewer could do that. I could also see how he would lose control of the car trying to tie his shoe while going 80 mph over the Commodore Barry bridge.How many Vicodin do you have? Mom did teach you to share didn't she?
Henry
We'll make a party out of it.
> That I don't think it would be ethical for a reviewer to judge a piece of equipment from a CDR recording.That's interesting! I'm not sure exactly how ethics come into play here since the only way to judge any piece of audio equipment is with a recording of some type.
> Another point to be made is that a turntable needs to be judged on it's interaction with the room it is
> playing in and how it deals with the acoustic vibrations contained in that room, something that cannot
> be done while playing a CDR recorded from a deck that is physically somewhere else.It really depends on how you make the recording. If you record with speakers off then you don't capture the room interaction, but if you record with speakers on, you capture any acoustic feedback that occurs.
On the other hand, I think there might be advantages to removing the room from the equation, especially for a review. No one has the same room; therefore, do I want to know how my turntable sounds in someone elses room? Or, do I simply want to know how the turntable sounds on its own merrits?
Quite frankly, I do not like acoustic feedback and because of that, I listen to vinyl via CD-R recordings almost exclusively. However, to each his own!
> Thanks again for the CDRs you gave me a few years ago. I learned a lot.
You're entirely welcome!
"That's interesting! I'm not sure exactly how ethics come into play here since the only way to judge any piece of audio equipment is with a recording of some type." . . . played on that table of course!Not with a recording of a recording, however.
Henry
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