Very good post:-) Jitter is supposedly a problem with CDs, I've never heard it per sé. I've just upgraded my DAC from a DPA Little Bit II, to a DPA 1 Series 3 unit (more accurate sound, more detail, bigger soundstage, higher and deeper as well). Both units have the ability to connect a CD transport that has been "deltraned" or modified to slave the signal between the transport and clock with a master clock signal (well, that's about the best that I can describe the process).
Initially, and for a good number of years, I used my Esoteric P-500 CD transport (Esoteric is Teac's high end brand, taking a lot of what they learned from their Tascam units). This unit was not deltraned. The laser started mucking up around 4 years ago and I stopped using it, due to financial restraints of not being able to justify to get it repaired. I've been using a cheap Pioneer DVD player as my CD transport for the past 3 or so years (kindly donated by my best mate), but will be getting the Esoteric unit repaired.
I've been lucky enough to actually find the guy who used to do all of the repairs for DPA (they went bust in 98), and he's going to provide me with the parts for deltraning the transport, and instructions on how to do so. So, I'll be able to test this jitter component, and how much it does actually affect CDs. This repair guy is an older guy, and seems pretty truthful, and his opinion is that it makes a HUGE difference, like day & night.
I'll be interested if it does make a difference, cos then all of the CD and DVD players that populate the modern home are suffering from it as well more than likely, and obviously sound degradation is occuring.
It's no different to the old days when you had your midi system turntables, cheap, plastic crap. Lots of wow and flutter, poor mechanical isolation of the motor, suspension on the turntable was atrocious, the tonearm was plastic and coloured (sound wise) and not very rigid, the cartridge was a cheap and nasty ceramic one, with a crappy styli. These sorts of people would handle vinyl carelessly, buy poorly produced and pressed LPs/recordings, and then sit there and bitch and complain at how bad LPs sounded. That's like taking a VW to a grand prix and complaining that it can't beat the McLarens and Ferraris!!! Sheer idiocy.
It's true that badly designed styli will damage a record groove, at least over a period of time, so these idiots were not only not listening to the full potential of their LPs, but damaging it as they played...
Unlike many in that era, I actually took the time to learn more about hi fi and turntables, and to spend the money on decent kit and decent pressings/recordings. And voila, nice sounding music.
Dave
PS I use a SystemDek IIX900 (wanted the 11XE 900AP model, but it'd been discontinued) with a Rega RB300 tonearm, and a Lyra Clavis cartridge. The turntable and tonearm are mid end stuff, the cartridge is a high end one, worth a few grand new.
My 2.2c (inc. GST) worth - B&0 were never considered to make great turntables I'm afraid. Neither back then, nor now.
Most of the cartridges that came with a lot of cheaper turntables were ceramic ones, usually very high output but very poor quality, with simple conical or eliptical styli and poorly manufactured cantilevers. Better quality gear was moving magnet, hi end stuff was moving coil. Moving coil usually produces the best sound quality from my experience, although MM is surely capable of some great sounds.
Both of these turntables are cheap, mass production items, whilst I haven't heard either of them, I guarantee that they'll sound damn well awful. To those that have heard a top end turntable setup, you'll appreciate what I mean, and how good vinyl can sound. Then you have to try and find decent vinyl, most vinyl these days is made from poor quality vinyl, low weight, and poor pressings, worse, they're not using virgin vinyl. I have a few high quality LPs, and they do make a difference.
Well, I'll disagree - my turntable/cartridge/tonearm setup easily exceeds a dynamic range of 50db as you so put it. Again, if you listen to real, live music, and then CDs and vinyl, you'll find in nearly every instance (at least from my experience) that vinyl is closer to the reality of it all. Sure, CDs have more (and lower) bass, larger dynamic range, less hiss, etc, but there's more to the sound quality than those simple factors alone. As to highs, I have quite good highs on my system thanks, plenty of details in both soundstage, high frequencies etc. No issues here at this end.
I'll disagree with your comment that digital is better - if it was, why is nature, by design, analogue? Music is analogue - real music. If CD is so perfect, why did we seen HDCD, DVD-A and SACD introduced? And they were introduced to make CDs sound better.
I'm not saying CD is bad, it isn't. For most fidelity scenarios, it's perfectly fine. I do think that it lacks the subtlety and finesse of a good vinyl front end, but I guess that some people would say I can't hear and that I'm biased cos I was brought up on vinyl. I rember doing some blind tests on LP vs CD years ago, and in nearly every instance, the listening picked LP as the more enjoyable format.
Probably a good idea - my advice, you can pick up high quality 2nd hand Nakamichi tape decks off EBay for vastly cheaper than their MSRP prices when they were 'modern'. Blank tapes themselves are hard to find, if not impossible to find these days. If you get a Nakamichi, you'll want to try and find and buy Metal tapes (type IV), as they offer the best s/n and sound quality, as well as letting you get high enough recording levels to push the hiss down to reasonable levels - my Nakamichi (CR-5) hits +10db on TDK Metal tapes, pretty much negating the need to use Dolby B/C noise reduction systems, which both colour the sound imho. Dolby S is no better;-) Make sure to go for the Nakamichis which have 3 'discrete' heads (play/record/erase), rather than 2 heads (play+record/erase), they're generally much higher quality heads.
As to turntables, most of the turntables out there today are mega expensive hi end stuff, look on Ebay or Audiogon again for cheaper 2nd hand gear. A Rega 3 will be fine in most instances, especially if coupled with a Rega RB300 tonearm (rather than the cheaper RB250 unit which just doesn't sound as good imho). Other brands that I'd recommend to look out for a Project, SystemDek and Pink Triangle. I'm not a fan of Linn Sondek or Roksan gear, but to each their own.
Dynamic range limitations? Baloney. My setup doesn't lack dynamic range at all. It isn't the 120db range that CD presents, but it doesn't need to be. Funny, LPs were fine for many, many years, and no complaints of limited 'dynamic range'. Then CD came along and 'dynamic range' was one of the key selling points (as well as 'perfect audio', admittedly by Technics if I remember correctly). LPs were deliberately killed by RIAA and resellers for a variety of reasons, convenience, increased profits, supposedly better sound quality etc - and I suspect that the RIAA has visions of the future and DRM even back in the early 90s.
I don't want Linux to support DRM - period. I didn't vote for DRM, I didn't ask for DRM, it violates my rights as a user. The "industry" is trying to FORCE DRM onto me, without any choice. I want that choice, and I want to say no to DRM, and Linux doesn't apper to be moving to support it. Of course, we all know that Linus has no problems with DRM, and the Linux kernel will probably embrace DRM (if it doesn't already) in the future. The day that happens, I'll give GNU Hurd a whirl, since I know that it will *never* support such illegal methods of consumer slavery.
People can say no to DRM, and if we don't stand up to it en masse, then we're our own worst enemy and deserve everything that we get as consumers.
Most of the problems with vinyl were due to mass production - this led to cheap 'n' nasty turntables, with the tonearm not having the right downforce, the cartridge being a cheap ceramic cartridge with a huge stylii that damaged the groove. Wow and rumble were directly the cause of again, poor manufacturing, cheap motors, with poor tolerances. You can't blame that on vinyl, that's directly the fault of the cheap manufacturers, and the cheap consumers, pandering to their wallet.
Drop a CD, spill stuff on it, scratch it. It'll muck up in a lot of cases. Sure, the CRCC error correction does help a fair bit, interpolating the missing music, but still...Cds aren't that more robust than LPs were.
In the end, turntables are highly mechanical units, and that means precision engineering. CD players are mostly electronics, you can (mostly) get away with shabbgy mechanical parts and manufacturing.
CDs are cheaper to manufacturer, and to the average person offer better fidelity. Note that I say average person. If you're prepared to spend even a few hundred bucks, you can get a much better sound out of vinyl.
True, Microsoft would prefer that you used their software over other commercial offerings, but their FUD isn't the same. You don't see Microsoft spreading anti Apple FUD like they do against Linux with their 'get the facts' campaign, do you? Microsoft hates the fundamental design methods and distribution methods, and freedom that GPL'd software brings. Period. You can live in your dark and damp world and ignore these truths if you want.
As to business interfering with governmental decisions, it might be the way that the system works, but it doen't mean its right, and it most certainly doesn't mean that it can't be changed, and the balance of power tipped back where it should be - with the people. And it has everything to do with software and freedom. Ever heard of patents? Copyrights? Both of them are intertwined with software, both of them limit freedoms. Both of them were lobbied by big business, hence their introduction, and extension. Do you even understand why copyright was originally introduced? What its purpose was? Why it is so twisted now that it almost makes copyright irrelevant in regards to contributing to society? Probably not.
I disagree on the fidelity and scratchproofing comments, but agree on everything else. I remember seeing some of the first CD burners way back in 1996 or so - this unit was like 5 grand at the time (I was auditioning my DPA Little Bit II DAC at the time).
Ah good point, I misunderstood you. I don't have ten times as many LPs as CDs, mainly cos I'm youngish (nearly 38) and by the time I started working and had spare money to buy music, LPs were on their way out. What sort of setup do you have (out of curiousity)? I've got a SystemDek IIx + Rega RB300 tonearm + Lyra Clavis cartridge. When I have some spare cash, and I'm lucky enough to find one, I'll hunt down a Pink Triangle Anniversary (also tempted on a Michell Gyrodec unit). The Rega will go for a SME IV tonearm and the cartridge will stay the same.
Dave
PS My Nakamichi tape deck (CR-5) makes pretty damn good recordings, not totally perfect, but damn well close!
I do think the record companies are that smart. I do agree with your other points though, well said - they're all spot on. I had this same argument with a friend on Sunday night - why do I have to pay the full price for a CD that I already own the LP for? I mean, I've already paid my royalty costs to use the recording (royalties are based on the recording). The CD is simply the same recording but in a different medium, so shouldn't I just have to pay the manufacturing costs, rather than the whole price again? I wonder why no government has cottoned onto this. Retail outlets initially loved CDs as well, as they were smaller and easier to stock in the same place (thus allowing for a larger retail markup profit).
I do disagree on the digital being perfect though. Music (and sound) is analogue. That's what nature intended it to be. Digital still doesn't sound completely right, nor natural, at least to my ears. It's amazing at how many people have taken the 'digital is perfect' line hook, line and sinker, but dislike modern moves and their digital SFX, because it looks 'fake'. The problem with LPs was that it took an expensive setup, and quality recordings, on quality virgin vinyl (not the recycled shit that was mainstream by the time of the 80s) in order to sound its best. Most people weren't prepared to spend this sort of money, and CDs are portable, which is admittedly, a major plus. The other thing plus for CDs is ease of use/convenience, mostly cos people are too lazy to get up and change a record over, something that doesn't take an awful lot of time.
I know what HDCD is, and what can and cannot be done with it - hi fi is an [expensive] hobby of mine. Thanks for posting though, others probably don't know anything about HDCD. HDCD does make a difference, softening the digital gleen (I'm a vinyl fan, 'nuff said) - at least from what I've heard. I don't own a HDCD enabled player, and I definitely don't have any HDCD discs!
Up until recently, I've relied on a DPA Little Bit II DAC for handling the digital signals (and a Esoteric P-500 CD transport for spinning the discs themselves), but I've just managed ot pick up a 2nd hand DPA PDM 1 Series 3 DAC for a reasonably price, and both DACs well and truly suit my CD playback needs. CD is capable of fine results, given the right gear, and to be honest, it makes formats like HDCD, DVD-A and SACD moot, at least to my eyes. I'm not even considering formats like blue ray etc. If the studios discontinue manufacturing normal DVD videos, or jack the price up, I'll simply just stop buying any of it (and pirate it as a protest).
Good post. Technically, these enhanced CDs do not conform with the redbook standard, and thus cannot be legally called CDs. The average person does not know what redbook is, nor that it is illegal for record labels to label these types of CDs as 'compact discs'. DVD-A has never taken off in Australia, HDCD the same, and SACD has only received a lukewarm welcome.
I firmly believe that the demise of the Vinyl LP was orchestrated by the recording industry, in order to get consumers used to 'digital technology', and then down the track be able to control what those said consumers can do with things like DRM. I mean, it was impossible for record labels to stop you from copying compact cassettes and LPs, and this is purely because they're analogue in nature. Now that digital has been foistered onto us, we can be controlled. This is what has really led to the DRM explosion.
Unfortunately, if governments were actually here to protect our, the voters rights and interests, DRM would have been made illegal a long time ago. I most certainly would introduce this law in Australia if I had the senate majority and power, the US be damned.
You are quite correct in buying CDs from non RIAA labels (there's a website for this, can't remember it). It's a pity that the artists (well some of them are artists lol) have to suffer and have their income deprived. I can't understand why artists don't start pooling their resources together, creating an artist's record label - that is for the artists (and gives back the sales to the artist, less manufacturing costs etc). This is doable, other than with political and financial sabotage by the RIAA happening (and this would be highly visible to any court of law).
Has anyone ever asked themselves why the RIAA has it's own legislation where it can Ddos/dos suspected pirates Internet connections? If anyone else did this, it's a computer crime. Why is it that the RIAA has it's own legislation marking them as being exempt from US monopoly laws? Why is it that the RIAA has firmly pushed for the extension of copyrights (I can tell you why this is)?
Why is it that such a high percentage of the population doesn't realise any of this, let alone remotely think about it? A friend once told me that the right to breed should be directly linked to your IQ - in order to keep the species intelligent. I'm finding that I'm starting to agree with him...
It's that simple. Educate friends and family and loved ones on the tactics that are employed by the powers that be to various pieces of hardware and software.
Just think - if 90% of the population boycotted music CDs and DVDs for an extended period of time, the RIAA and MPAA and others would get a very clear message that what they are doing is just simply not on. The hard bit is educating people to realise that they can make a difference, but that they have to show their view and their hand.
Richard's ideals are far different to yours. He believes that everyone and everyone should be able to use Free Software, without fear of harrassment. He believes that software patents are blatantly illegal, and bad for business. He believes that supporting proprietary formats is bad, or that taking the community's hard work, and modifying it outside of the terms of agreement of the GPL is bad, and worse, illegal (and it is). If you don't like the terms of GPL software, get your hands off it. Simple.
Good on him for his beliefs, and good on him for standing his ground for so long in the face of personal attacks such as above. I for one totally agree with Richard's views and beliefs, and will always support the FSF.
Big corporate entities like Microsoft don't want you to use FSF software, because then they lose:
1. Money 2. Control
and they don't like this. Other big business (RIAA, MPAA) like Microsoft a lot, because it does their bidding (which happens to be against the rights and interests of the population I might add). The FSF does not endorse the tactics that the RIAA & MPAA use to control the populace, and therefore our software is untainted. Richard, in my humble opinion, rightly questions the validity of software patents - statistical evidence clearly shows that they hamper competition and development (sorry, can't remember the report, but it was in regards to the health of the database software industry in mainland US, as part of the EU trust vs Microsoft saga).
If you don't like Richard's viewpoints, fine, but many view his views as spot on, and laud them because they care for the community, not the minority corporate interests.
Ask yourself this question (and this is particularly pertinent to the US government) - why does corporpate interest have so much influence over government decisions, especially when corporations are not individuals and have no legal right to vote?
Insane people? To many, LPs (quality pressings), when kept in very good condition, and used with high quality turntable/tonearm/cartridge/phono amp combinations offer better sound quality than anything digital has so far offered. Note that I said sound quality, not convenience. I'm not saying CD is bad, and I'm not saying that every vinyl album, or piece of turntable kit is good, or capable of delivering outstanding sound and music, but it can be done. I don't call this insane. I listen to both vinyl and CDs on my system, and I'm happy with both genres, although I personally find vinyl more relaxing to listen to. CD (depending on the recording), can sound grating over a period of time.
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Very good post :-) Jitter is supposedly a problem with CDs, I've never heard it per sé. I've just upgraded my DAC from a DPA Little Bit II, to a DPA 1 Series 3 unit (more accurate sound, more detail, bigger soundstage, higher and deeper as well). Both units have the ability to connect a CD transport that has been "deltraned" or modified to slave the signal between the transport and clock with a master clock signal (well, that's about the best that I can describe the process).
:-)
Initially, and for a good number of years, I used my Esoteric P-500 CD transport (Esoteric is Teac's high end brand, taking a lot of what they learned from their Tascam units). This unit was not deltraned. The laser started mucking up around 4 years ago and I stopped using it, due to financial restraints of not being able to justify to get it repaired. I've been using a cheap Pioneer DVD player as my CD transport for the past 3 or so years (kindly donated by my best mate), but will be getting the Esoteric unit repaired.
I've been lucky enough to actually find the guy who used to do all of the repairs for DPA (they went bust in 98), and he's going to provide me with the parts for deltraning the transport, and instructions on how to do so. So, I'll be able to test this jitter component, and how much it does actually affect CDs. This repair guy is an older guy, and seems pretty truthful, and his opinion is that it makes a HUGE difference, like day & night.
I'll be interested if it does make a difference, cos then all of the CD and DVD players that populate the modern home are suffering from it as well more than likely, and obviously sound degradation is occuring.
Anyways, thanks for the good post
Cheers,
Dave
It's no different to the old days when you had your midi system turntables, cheap, plastic crap. Lots of wow and flutter, poor mechanical isolation of the motor, suspension on the turntable was atrocious, the tonearm was plastic and coloured (sound wise) and not very rigid, the cartridge was a cheap and nasty ceramic one, with a crappy styli. These sorts of people would handle vinyl carelessly, buy poorly produced and pressed LPs/recordings, and then sit there and bitch and complain at how bad LPs sounded. That's like taking a VW to a grand prix and complaining that it can't beat the McLarens and Ferraris!!! Sheer idiocy.
It's true that badly designed styli will damage a record groove, at least over a period of time, so these idiots were not only not listening to the full potential of their LPs, but damaging it as they played...
Unlike many in that era, I actually took the time to learn more about hi fi and turntables, and to spend the money on decent kit and decent pressings/recordings. And voila, nice sounding music.
Dave
PS I use a SystemDek IIX900 (wanted the 11XE 900AP model, but it'd been discontinued) with a Rega RB300 tonearm, and a Lyra Clavis cartridge. The turntable and tonearm are mid end stuff, the cartridge is a high end one, worth a few grand new.
Good stuff. Most people are too lazy to appreciate this aspect of listening to music. Thanks for the link to your blog as well, will check it out.
Dave
My 2.2c (inc. GST) worth - B&0 were never considered to make great turntables I'm afraid. Neither back then, nor now.
Most of the cartridges that came with a lot of cheaper turntables were ceramic ones, usually very high output but very poor quality, with simple conical or eliptical styli and poorly manufactured cantilevers. Better quality gear was moving magnet, hi end stuff was moving coil. Moving coil usually produces the best sound quality from my experience, although MM is surely capable of some great sounds.
Both of these turntables are cheap, mass production items, whilst I haven't heard either of them, I guarantee that they'll sound damn well awful. To those that have heard a top end turntable setup, you'll appreciate what I mean, and how good vinyl can sound. Then you have to try and find decent vinyl, most vinyl these days is made from poor quality vinyl, low weight, and poor pressings, worse, they're not using virgin vinyl. I have a few high quality LPs, and they do make a difference.
Dave
Well, I'll disagree - my turntable/cartridge/tonearm setup easily exceeds a dynamic range of 50db as you so put it. Again, if you listen to real, live music, and then CDs and vinyl, you'll find in nearly every instance (at least from my experience) that vinyl is closer to the reality of it all. Sure, CDs have more (and lower) bass, larger dynamic range, less hiss, etc, but there's more to the sound quality than those simple factors alone. As to highs, I have quite good highs on my system thanks, plenty of details in both soundstage, high frequencies etc. No issues here at this end.
Dave
I'll disagree with your comment that digital is better - if it was, why is nature, by design, analogue? Music is analogue - real music. If CD is so perfect, why did we seen HDCD, DVD-A and SACD introduced? And they were introduced to make CDs sound better.
I'm not saying CD is bad, it isn't. For most fidelity scenarios, it's perfectly fine. I do think that it lacks the subtlety and finesse of a good vinyl front end, but I guess that some people would say I can't hear and that I'm biased cos I was brought up on vinyl. I rember doing some blind tests on LP vs CD years ago, and in nearly every instance, the listening picked LP as the more enjoyable format.
Dave
Probably a good idea - my advice, you can pick up high quality 2nd hand Nakamichi tape decks off EBay for vastly cheaper than their MSRP prices when they were 'modern'. Blank tapes themselves are hard to find, if not impossible to find these days. If you get a Nakamichi, you'll want to try and find and buy Metal tapes (type IV), as they offer the best s/n and sound quality, as well as letting you get high enough recording levels to push the hiss down to reasonable levels - my Nakamichi (CR-5) hits +10db on TDK Metal tapes, pretty much negating the need to use Dolby B/C noise reduction systems, which both colour the sound imho. Dolby S is no better ;-) Make sure to go for the Nakamichis which have 3 'discrete' heads (play/record/erase), rather than 2 heads (play+record/erase), they're generally much higher quality heads.
As to turntables, most of the turntables out there today are mega expensive hi end stuff, look on Ebay or Audiogon again for cheaper 2nd hand gear. A Rega 3 will be fine in most instances, especially if coupled with a Rega RB300 tonearm (rather than the cheaper RB250 unit which just doesn't sound as good imho). Other brands that I'd recommend to look out for a Project, SystemDek and Pink Triangle. I'm not a fan of Linn Sondek or Roksan gear, but to each their own.
Dave
Dynamic range limitations? Baloney. My setup doesn't lack dynamic range at all. It isn't the 120db range that CD presents, but it doesn't need to be. Funny, LPs were fine for many, many years, and no complaints of limited 'dynamic range'. Then CD came along and 'dynamic range' was one of the key selling points (as well as 'perfect audio', admittedly by Technics if I remember correctly). LPs were deliberately killed by RIAA and resellers for a variety of reasons, convenience, increased profits, supposedly better sound quality etc - and I suspect that the RIAA has visions of the future and DRM even back in the early 90s.
Dave
I don't want Linux to support DRM - period. I didn't vote for DRM, I didn't ask for DRM, it violates my rights as a user. The "industry" is trying to FORCE DRM onto me, without any choice. I want that choice, and I want to say no to DRM, and Linux doesn't apper to be moving to support it. Of course, we all know that Linus has no problems with DRM, and the Linux kernel will probably embrace DRM (if it doesn't already) in the future. The day that happens, I'll give GNU Hurd a whirl, since I know that it will *never* support such illegal methods of consumer slavery.
People can say no to DRM, and if we don't stand up to it en masse, then we're our own worst enemy and deserve everything that we get as consumers.
Dave
Most of the problems with vinyl were due to mass production - this led to cheap 'n' nasty turntables, with the tonearm not having the right downforce, the cartridge being a cheap ceramic cartridge with a huge stylii that damaged the groove. Wow and rumble were directly the cause of again, poor manufacturing, cheap motors, with poor tolerances. You can't blame that on vinyl, that's directly the fault of the cheap manufacturers, and the cheap consumers, pandering to their wallet.
Drop a CD, spill stuff on it, scratch it. It'll muck up in a lot of cases. Sure, the CRCC error correction does help a fair bit, interpolating the missing music, but still...Cds aren't that more robust than LPs were.
In the end, turntables are highly mechanical units, and that means precision engineering. CD players are mostly electronics, you can (mostly) get away with shabbgy mechanical parts and manufacturing.
CDs are cheaper to manufacturer, and to the average person offer better fidelity. Note that I say average person. If you're prepared to spend even a few hundred bucks, you can get a much better sound out of vinyl.
Dave
True, Microsoft would prefer that you used their software over other commercial offerings, but their FUD isn't the same. You don't see Microsoft spreading anti Apple FUD like they do against Linux with their 'get the facts' campaign, do you? Microsoft hates the fundamental design methods and distribution methods, and freedom that GPL'd software brings. Period. You can live in your dark and damp world and ignore these truths if you want.
As to business interfering with governmental decisions, it might be the way that the system works, but it doen't mean its right, and it most certainly doesn't mean that it can't be changed, and the balance of power tipped back where it should be - with the people. And it has everything to do with software and freedom. Ever heard of patents? Copyrights? Both of them are intertwined with software, both of them limit freedoms. Both of them were lobbied by big business, hence their introduction, and extension. Do you even understand why copyright was originally introduced? What its purpose was? Why it is so twisted now that it almost makes copyright irrelevant in regards to contributing to society? Probably not.
Dave
I disagree on the fidelity and scratchproofing comments, but agree on everything else. I remember seeing some of the first CD burners way back in 1996 or so - this unit was like 5 grand at the time (I was auditioning my DPA Little Bit II DAC at the time).
Dave
Good stuff! Thank you!
Cheers,
Dave
Ah good point, I misunderstood you. I don't have ten times as many LPs as CDs, mainly cos I'm youngish (nearly 38) and by the time I started working and had spare money to buy music, LPs were on their way out. What sort of setup do you have (out of curiousity)? I've got a SystemDek IIx + Rega RB300 tonearm + Lyra Clavis cartridge. When I have some spare cash, and I'm lucky enough to find one, I'll hunt down a Pink Triangle Anniversary (also tempted on a Michell Gyrodec unit). The Rega will go for a SME IV tonearm and the cartridge will stay the same.
Dave
PS My Nakamichi tape deck (CR-5) makes pretty damn good recordings, not totally perfect, but damn well close!
I do think the record companies are that smart. I do agree with your other points though, well said - they're all spot on. I had this same argument with a friend on Sunday night - why do I have to pay the full price for a CD that I already own the LP for? I mean, I've already paid my royalty costs to use the recording (royalties are based on the recording). The CD is simply the same recording but in a different medium, so shouldn't I just have to pay the manufacturing costs, rather than the whole price again? I wonder why no government has cottoned onto this. Retail outlets initially loved CDs as well, as they were smaller and easier to stock in the same place (thus allowing for a larger retail markup profit).
:-)
I do disagree on the digital being perfect though. Music (and sound) is analogue. That's what nature intended it to be. Digital still doesn't sound completely right, nor natural, at least to my ears. It's amazing at how many people have taken the 'digital is perfect' line hook, line and sinker, but dislike modern moves and their digital SFX, because it looks 'fake'. The problem with LPs was that it took an expensive setup, and quality recordings, on quality virgin vinyl (not the recycled shit that was mainstream by the time of the 80s) in order to sound its best. Most people weren't prepared to spend this sort of money, and CDs are portable, which is admittedly, a major plus. The other thing plus for CDs is ease of use/convenience, mostly cos people are too lazy to get up and change a record over, something that doesn't take an awful lot of time.
Just call me old fashioned
Dave
I know what HDCD is, and what can and cannot be done with it - hi fi is an [expensive] hobby of mine. Thanks for posting though, others probably don't know anything about HDCD. HDCD does make a difference, softening the digital gleen (I'm a vinyl fan, 'nuff said) - at least from what I've heard. I don't own a HDCD enabled player, and I definitely don't have any HDCD discs!
Up until recently, I've relied on a DPA Little Bit II DAC for handling the digital signals (and a Esoteric P-500 CD transport for spinning the discs themselves), but I've just managed ot pick up a 2nd hand DPA PDM 1 Series 3 DAC for a reasonably price, and both DACs well and truly suit my CD playback needs. CD is capable of fine results, given the right gear, and to be honest, it makes formats like HDCD, DVD-A and SACD moot, at least to my eyes. I'm not even considering formats like blue ray etc. If the studios discontinue manufacturing normal DVD videos, or jack the price up, I'll simply just stop buying any of it (and pirate it as a protest).
Dave
Yeah, you're right. We're damned...just as well I have a good sized vinyl collection :-)
Dave
Good post. Technically, these enhanced CDs do not conform with the redbook standard, and thus cannot be legally called CDs. The average person does not know what redbook is, nor that it is illegal for record labels to label these types of CDs as 'compact discs'. DVD-A has never taken off in Australia, HDCD the same, and SACD has only received a lukewarm welcome.
I firmly believe that the demise of the Vinyl LP was orchestrated by the recording industry, in order to get consumers used to 'digital technology', and then down the track be able to control what those said consumers can do with things like DRM. I mean, it was impossible for record labels to stop you from copying compact cassettes and LPs, and this is purely because they're analogue in nature. Now that digital has been foistered onto us, we can be controlled. This is what has really led to the DRM explosion.
Unfortunately, if governments were actually here to protect our, the voters rights and interests, DRM would have been made illegal a long time ago. I most certainly would introduce this law in Australia if I had the senate majority and power, the US be damned.
You are quite correct in buying CDs from non RIAA labels (there's a website for this, can't remember it). It's a pity that the artists (well some of them are artists lol) have to suffer and have their income deprived. I can't understand why artists don't start pooling their resources together, creating an artist's record label - that is for the artists (and gives back the sales to the artist, less manufacturing costs etc). This is doable, other than with political and financial sabotage by the RIAA happening (and this would be highly visible to any court of law).
Has anyone ever asked themselves why the RIAA has it's own legislation where it can Ddos/dos suspected pirates Internet connections? If anyone else did this, it's a computer crime. Why is it that the RIAA has it's own legislation marking them as being exempt from US monopoly laws? Why is it that the RIAA has firmly pushed for the extension of copyrights (I can tell you why this is)?
Why is it that such a high percentage of the population doesn't realise any of this, let alone remotely think about it? A friend once told me that the right to breed should be directly linked to your IQ - in order to keep the species intelligent. I'm finding that I'm starting to agree with him...
Dave
It's that simple. Educate friends and family and loved ones on the tactics that are employed by the powers that be to various pieces of hardware and software.
Just think - if 90% of the population boycotted music CDs and DVDs for an extended period of time, the RIAA and MPAA and others would get a very clear message that what they are doing is just simply not on. The hard bit is educating people to realise that they can make a difference, but that they have to show their view and their hand.
Dave
Richard's ideals are far different to yours. He believes that everyone and everyone should be able to use Free Software, without fear of harrassment. He believes that software patents are blatantly illegal, and bad for business. He believes that supporting proprietary formats is bad, or that taking the community's hard work, and modifying it outside of the terms of agreement of the GPL is bad, and worse, illegal (and it is). If you don't like the terms of GPL software, get your hands off it. Simple.
Good on him for his beliefs, and good on him for standing his ground for so long in the face of personal attacks such as above. I for one totally agree with Richard's views and beliefs, and will always support the FSF.
Big corporate entities like Microsoft don't want you to use FSF software, because then they lose:
1. Money
2. Control
and they don't like this. Other big business (RIAA, MPAA) like Microsoft a lot, because it does their bidding (which happens to be against the rights and interests of the population I might add). The FSF does not endorse the tactics that the RIAA & MPAA use to control the populace, and therefore our software is untainted. Richard, in my humble opinion, rightly questions the validity of software patents - statistical evidence clearly shows that they hamper competition and development (sorry, can't remember the report, but it was in regards to the health of the database software industry in mainland US, as part of the EU trust vs Microsoft saga).
If you don't like Richard's viewpoints, fine, but many view his views as spot on, and laud them because they care for the community, not the minority corporate interests.
Ask yourself this question (and this is particularly pertinent to the US government) - why does corporpate interest have so much influence over government decisions, especially when corporations are not individuals and have no legal right to vote?
Dave
Insane people? To many, LPs (quality pressings), when kept in very good condition, and used with high quality turntable/tonearm/cartridge/phono amp combinations offer better sound quality than anything digital has so far offered. Note that I said sound quality, not convenience. I'm not saying CD is bad, and I'm not saying that every vinyl album, or piece of turntable kit is good, or capable of delivering outstanding sound and music, but it can be done. I don't call this insane. I listen to both vinyl and CDs on my system, and I'm happy with both genres, although I personally find vinyl more relaxing to listen to. CD (depending on the recording), can sound grating over a period of time.
Dave