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In Reply to: CDR comparisons of turntables -- is Fremer using an appropriate approach? posted by chris e. on April 17, 2007 at 03:20:47:
and it was remarkable.At a Stereophile show, I walked in ad sat at the back. The most incredible recording of Roy Orbison was playing. I asked if the turntable was playing then looked over and saw the LaLuce platter spinning but the arm was raised. I said to my friend "I bet it's a CDR from the Rockport." It sounded like the Rockport had been described. I did not know Fremer was in the room. Moments later he got up from the front row, collected his Rockport CDR and left.
Follow Ups:
...of one of his rockport cd-r's, and it *is* amazing.while the cd-r comparison may not be perfect, it is a great way to understand differences between setups. we all know that switching up analog front-ends take a while, and during that time our memory of what really happened may fade. the cd-r preserves the experience and then allows one who is so inclined to do a/b comparisons any time they wish.
will it sound exactly like vinyl? not quite (though close). will the cdp be a factor? of course.
will all the analog sources face the same treatment during both recording and playback? absolutely.
that if the change is so subtle as to be forgotten whether there is a difference or not then why even bother with the change.If I had a CDR and was troubleshooting an issue I would use the CDR approach. If you working out an issue I guess this makes sense but changing out the entire rig? For a change so subtle as to be not noticed except through such tiny investigation?
Are we talking about the return ratio on what large amount of $$$? If the difference is that small then what is the 'worth' of that difference. To the extreme devotion to perfection I lose my case, and I know that. But for me, a real world user, I would rather see bigger changes that are 'noticeable.'
...is that there is a large difference between a system that gets it 98% right and 99% right. that is where the magic is -- in that last level of detail. it's the difference between me thinking, "hey, this sounds great" and *feeling* emotionally connected to the music.of course, costs can rise exponentially and the value of that is completely subjective. is it worth it? only an individual can answer that for him/herself.
for what it's worth, i have often found that most people perceive "different" as "better" (initially). these kinds of changes come on strong, but they are not necessarily supplying long-term satisfaction. as i've moved "up" in audio pursuits, most changes have been subtle, but they are quite significant in long-term refinement.
the one point your argument misses is how to handle comparisons made over a long-term period.
one can agree with you and, say, study analog source A...then in a matter of hours (or the next day) replace it with source B. however, what happens when you want to compare source N with source A? what if 6 months or 2 years has elapsed?
you are assuming that one is always comparing to the item immediately prior. it gets more complex when you add more than 2 components in the mix and increase the time.
also, while i would never "review" a component by CDR, i *would* find something like the following valuable:
if some mythical person owned every company's flagship cartridge and offered to play a few tracks from several records with each cartridge on the same arm/table and record all cartridges onto on CDR, then i could get a *relative* sense of the differences between the cartridges.would this indicate exactly how a cartridge would perform on a different table/arm/room/etc? no. but it might help understand the differences before making an investment.
if some mythical person owned every company's flagship cartridge and
offered to play a few tracks from several records with each cartridge on
the same arm/table and record all cartridges onto on CDR, then i could get
a *relative* sense of the differences between the cartridges.I agree with you and that would be a valuable comparison. So would we all chip in? ;-) There should be a cartridge 'institution' like the RIAA. a dotORG. The table should be one single table and arm for all time, as you indicate. I think I know just the person we can hire to do all the burning.
...fremer did send his CDR of the rockport around for free for a while, which was cool.at one point, i made a cd where i recorded an original & reissue of a 1950s jazz album and sent that around. i mixed up the tracks and didn't tell folks which was which until later.
I'm using a friend's Tascam CDR lately, but for a different reason. I used to make cassette tapes to give to friends, not dubs of LPs, but compilations from various sources. LP, CD. tape, etc.I suppose that a CDR can help with evaluation of equipment--but I have a different goal, which is to share music with people I love. I give 'em to friends. I worked for three radio stations and eight record stores, and putting songs together is something I was learning to do........
Radio stations, mainly, don't work that way anymore. And I suppose that a CDR can help an individual choose among a number of pieces of equipment. But I don't see you commenting about audio gear. I look at your posts on account of the software you have to share. I'll take more records over a better system, anyday. Don't even know--or care about--your system, but your records, yeow!
i just think that the equipment is secondary. when i'm not focusing on the music, there's something wrong. i guess i'm just happy that my system got to a point where it disappeared.you should post more of your records, too! sounds like you probably have some great selections. i love getting inspiration of new things to try, or a nudge to play something i haven't thought about in a while.
sharing CDRs is a *very* cool thing! i've made a few CDRs for folks who wanted music that was not available on CD -- and just for kicks i made 2 versions using different cartridges. these were not 'audiophiles', but they could hear a difference.
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