Is this guy for real?

[rockitman]

So why be in pain over PCM copy of a tape versus a second copy?

Amir...another generation of a reel to reel tape is still analog...a PCM copy requires an A/D conversation, as such fidelity is lost...especially fine spatial queues that don't come through on the digital copy. ..but that's a conversation for another thread and quite frankly the subject has been beaten to death.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

OK, tables are turned on this one . I can't listen to XM radio. The compression artifacts are so strong that it sounds like someone constantly scratching nails on a blackboard to me. Shame because I like the content but the artifacts are overwhelming. Not quite the same with MP3 but I encode in VBR WMA whenever I can (with peaks well into hundreds of kbits/sec) and can tell the difference with lower fidelity lossy compression although clearly not as bothersome as in the home.

Maybe some of this is a function of noise level and performance in said car. My wife has a new MDX. I will have to go and listen there to see how it ranks as I suspect you are talking about a Honda product there, yes?

I've only listened to sports radio in the car for 20+ years, with rare exception. so that is AM or XM.

the rare moments I listen to music in the car I just don't worry about it that much. the Honda radio-sound systems are not bad, a step below the Acura sound systems. if I wanted to go to the trouble of dealing with CD's it would sound lots better. but my 'sports radio' focus simply makes it a non issue.

when my wife and I are traveling she likes the 50's and 60's pop XM channels and Fox News; so again, i'm simply not stressing about sound quality.

So why be in pain over PCM copy of a tape versus a second copy?

I likely spend as much time listening in my room (30-40+ hours a week) as anyone still employed on this forum. and for me; listening to the best possible version of music when i'm in my room is and always has been important. I've really focused on having SOTA levels of playback for every format. so this whole subject is near and dear to me.

so I get my 'High Fidelity' itch scratched completely there. other music in my life I don't stress over too much.

and i'm always switching demos and learned long ago to not have much stuff (like CD's) to worry about.

 

[esldude]

OK, tables are turned on this one . I can't listen to XM radio. The compression artifacts are so strong that it sounds like someone constantly scratching nails on a blackboard to me. Shame because I like the content but the artifacts are overwhelming. Not quite the same with MP3 but I encode in VBR WMA whenever I can (with peaks well into hundreds of kbits/sec) and can tell the difference with lower fidelity lossy compression although clearly not as bothersome as in the home.

Maybe some of this is a function of noise level and performance in said car. My wife has a new MDX. I will have to go and listen there to see how it ranks as I suspect you are talking about a Honda product there, yes?


So why be in pain over PCM copy of a tape versus a second copy?

I am with you on this Amir. Haven't investigated what XM does, but I don't find it enjoyable even in a noisy car. I just want it turned off. Cassette tape in the same situation is enjoyable despite not being of high fidelity.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I am with you on this Amir. Haven't investigated what XM does, but I don't find it enjoyable even in a noisy car. I just want it turned off.

I will agree that Jazz and Classical are unlistenable on XM. but rock/pop is not so bad occasionally.

 

[rockitman]

I will agree that Jazz and Classical are unlistenable on XM. but rock/pop is not so bad occasionally.

I have no issue listening to XM deep tracks or XM Classic Vinyl. Good enough in a noisy car and better than FM radio.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I have no issue listening to XM deep tracks or XM Classic Vinyl. Good enough in a noisy car and better than FM radio.

agree on Deep Tracks and Classic Vinyl. I also like 'The Coffee Shop' quite a bit and they have some exclusive recordings i'd love to get CD's for but cannot.

FM car listening can be quite good sounding; but here in the State of Washington with all the hills and mountains the level of FM reception is terrible so it's not an option unless you live and travel in the right locations. I can rarely listen to one whole cut on FM before it gets hashy.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

I cannot listen to XM/Sirius at all, ever, it irritates the **** out of me on all levels, makes me agitated.

To bad because I enjoy Jim Ladd and miss his banter and sets.

 

[rockitman]

agree on Deep Tracks and Classic Vinyl. I also like 'The Coffee Shop' quite a bit and they have some exclusive recordings i'd love to get CD's for but cannot.

FM car listening can be quite good sounding; but here in the State of Washington with all the hills and mountains the level of FM reception is terrible so it's not an option unless you live and travel in the right locations. I can rarely listen to one whole cut on FM before it gets hashy.

I also listen to news and finance channels....they sound great for what they are....talk...lol

 

[esldude]

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4508

Mark Waldrep, topic of this thread, has a guest blog about preserving master tapes and considerations of transfer to digital that he put up today.

 

[rockitman]

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4508

Mark Waldrep, topic of this thread, has a guest blog about preserving master tapes and considerations of transfer to digital that he put up today.

No arguing with him on that point. Use the best quality tape transport/pre possible for playback of the tape before making a digital dub. One also needs the finest A/D for that conversion to get a close as possible to the tape's sound quality.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4508

Mark Waldrep, topic of this thread, has a guest blog about preserving master tapes and considerations of transfer to digital that he put up today.

it's not entirely clear from the way his blog is written, but it's possible he is simply copying or paraphrasing from Fred Thal, the guy who refurbished one of my Studer A-820's.

the way it's written it appears that Mark is claiming expertise on this process, but it may actually be Fred's words we are reading....and Mark is not intending to claim that.

I know Fred well and this sounds like Fred.

 

[esldude]

it's not entirely clear from the way his blog is written, but it's possible he is simply copying or paraphrasing from Fred Thal, the guy who refurbished one of my Studer A-820's.

the way it's written it appears that Mark is claiming expertise on this process, but it may actually be Fred's words we are reading....and Mark is not intending to claim that.

I know Fred well and this sounds like Fred.

Says at the top of the blog, this is a guest piece by Fred Thal. Mark is not claiming these are his words nor his expertise. A post the previous day was also by Fred Thal.

"This is the second part of a discussion of the importance of getting the best analog to digital transfer as possible from the tapes in the label’s archives. It was written by Fred Thal, managing director of ATAE."

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Says at the top of the blog, this is a guest piece by Fred Thal. Mark is not claiming these are his words nor his expertise. A post the previous day was also by Fred Thal.

"This is the second part of a discussion of the importance of getting the best analog to digital transfer as possible from the tapes in the label’s archives. It was written by Fred Thal, managing director of ATAE."

I missed that. thanks.

the confusion comes from "By Mark Waldrip", then talking about a guest piece by Fred Thal, but no quotation marks or breaks where the piece begins.

 

[Andre Marc]

I missed that. thanks.

the confusion comes from "By Mark Waldrip", then talking about a guest piece by Fred Thal, but no quotation marks or breaks where the piece begins.

Same here.

 

[Andre Marc]

Says at the top of the blog, this is a guest piece by Fred Thal. Mark is not claiming these are his words nor his expertise. A post the previous day was also by Fred Thal.

"This is the second part of a discussion of the importance of getting the best analog to digital transfer as possible from the tapes in the label’s archives. It was written by Fred Thal, managing director of ATAE."

By MW has gone on record as saying that tape is not SOTA, that I am sure of.

 

[rockitman]

By MW has gone on record as saying that tape is not SOTA, that I am sure of.

Kind of hard to imagine when you consider how many decades of music has been recorded on tape....the best way to hear them is on tape, then vinyl, then digital...imho.

 

[Andre Marc]

Kind of hard to imagine when you consider how many decades of music has been recorded on tape....the best way to hear them is on tape, then vinyl, then digital...imho.

To be clear, Waldrep talks about tape as a recording medium. He strongly believes, along with Barry Diament, and others that 192 kHz recording with a SOTA ADC is virtually indistinguishable from a mic feed. I worked in recording studios during the days of tape, and I do love tape.

I actually think the best results are a hybrid of digital and tape.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

To be clear, Waldrep talks about tape as a recording medium. He strongly believes, along with Barry Diament, and others that 192 kHz recording with a SOTA ADC is virtually indistinguishable from a mic feed. I worked in recording studios during the days of tape, and I do love tape.

I actually think the best results are a hybrid of digital and tape.

everyone is certainly entitled to have their own opinion. and the 'mic feed' comment is misguided. you can loop a mic feed thru an analog panel and not tell the difference either. hearing something accurate to the source is way different than something 'complete' to the source on playback. digital always misses something in the translation. analog maybe adds something. turns out our ears and all our senses much prefer complete to accurate.

I know what happens when I play all the formats for visitors. and it happens exactly the same way every time. and has for years.

it happened with the Tres Amigos.

of course; I don't have a business based on a particular format.

I am not inferring any intentional miss truths. only very little motivation to investigate further to find the truth. OTOH us audiophiles just follow our ears.

 

[Andre Marc]

everyone is certainly entitled to have their own opinion. and the 'mic feed' comment is misguided. you can loop a mic feed thru an analog panel and not tell the difference either. hearing something accurate to the source is way different than something 'complete' to the source on playback. digital always misses something in the translation.

I know what happens when I play all the formats for visitors. and it happens exactly the same way every time. and has for years.

it happened with the Tres Amigos.

of course; I don't have a business based on a particular format.

I am not inferring any intentional miss truths. only very little motivation to investigate further to find the truth. OTOH us audiophiles just follow our ears.

But again..we are talking about native RECORDING formats, not playback formats.

There are camps that will profess their love for high end digital servers, turntables, and tape machines. I don't see the point, I am format agnostic.

But if you listen to music recorded from the around 2000 on, 95% of was recorded on DAW's.

So delivering those recordings on LP or tape is exactly what Neil Young said they were..fashion statements.

I am willing to bet you agree..analog recordings will sound best on an LP or tape. Digital recordings will sound best as master files on a server.

 

[rbbert]

By MW has gone on record as saying that tape is not SOTA, that I am sure of.

As I posted earlier in this thread, MW says analog tape is not "hi-res"; by implication one might infer that tape isn't SOTA, but I'm pretty sure that's not how he phrases it. If anyone cares