Would anyone consider tubes in their digital gear?

mep

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http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/223165/legally-download-able-binaural-recordings-links

http://www.binauralairwaves.com/

Tim, I am afraid there is not much out there, as Mark always likes to point out. However, there is an awareness growing, and I can hope that the under thirty crowd might embrace the technology, as they have all grown up on headphones and few listen to plain old stereo. They might begin to embrace the technology, and there are also hrtf programs and what not that try to simulate binaural. True binaural is a dummy head with mikes inside each ear, and then from each mike it goes to an amp and to your headphone, short, sweet, and sounds best with absolute accurate electronics.....binaural is extremely accurate as a recording process and the ear will not accept the kinds of "preference distortions" plain old two channel stereo engenders.

I think it helps folks to understand that the deficiences of plain old stereo are just what they are and that modification of the stereo effect is not all that bad given the weakness of stereo. No one I know of in our club who has heard binaural thinks the same way of plain old stereo any longer.



Tom
Tom-I do enjoy tweaking you with regards to your beloved binaural recordings-if only because you feel the constant need to tell us how bad stereo is. I happen to love stereo. It has stood the test of time and if everyone was as unhappy as you are with stereo, it would have died out a long time ago. If listening to a binaural recording can make you this unhappy with stereo, I sure don’t want to hear it.
 

mep

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Good question Tom-why haven't I lstened to binaural recordings before? The answer is because I have never had one to listen to. I have never seen a binaural recording. And thus my wisecrack about Elvis sightings being more common than binaural recording sightings. And another thing, I hate listening to headphones. I have never enjoyed the experience. I always want to listen to my stereo system and not a pair of cans. Some people are forced to listen to cans because of their domestic situation. For those that are forced to listen to cans, I do hope that you love them for your sake. I don't have to go down that road.

And another thing about being an advocate. I give up on advocating anything to do with audio. I have folded up my revival tent and burned it. Ditto for my preacher soapbox. I will not spend one minute of my time trying to convince anyone that they should like something I like. I personally have a stake in all 2 channel formats both digital and analog. I know which one I prefer and I also know there are legions on the other side. It's all good.
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Binaural is the " Whats Best " for headphone listening IMO.

I suspect that binaural recordings, and an excellent pair of cans, might just be "What's Best" for live recordings, period. But I don't really know because there is so little of it out there, and most of what is out there is a demo of the wonder of binaural recordings, not a recording creating a great live listening experience.

Tim
 

mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Tim-Good points all and that is why you shouldn't get your hair on fire because no one understands how great binaural recordings are and how "flawed" stereo is. It's hard to pine over a format that never took off in the market place (at least for me). Stereo works at creating the illusion it was designed to create. A week or so ago Tom appeared to be very agitated because he seemed to think that we all didn't understand how flawed stereo is and how great binaural recordings are. It doesn't matter if binaural recordings are great if you can't buy any. The great body of recorded music is mainly available in stereo. And sure, there are lots of mono recordings available for those that love mono. What body of recordings exist on a binaural format that you can buy? Pretty much zip nada. It doesn't matter how great something is if you can't buy it.

And Tom, I wouldn't sit on a picket fence waiting for a binaural revival. You might feel like Linus sitting in the pumpkin patch waiting for the great pumpkin to pay you a visit.
 

Phelonious Ponk

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It doesn't matter if binaural recordings are great if you can't buy any.

This is pretty close to my feelings about audiophile recordings. There are more of them than binaural recordings, but not that many more I care about. I occasionally peruse the audiophile labels and sites and seldom find anything of interest that is not a re-master of some older recording that is already quite good on vinyl or redbook. For the most part, I'd rather hear 'Round About Midnight, redbook, in mono.

Tim
 

Phelonious Ponk

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I don't expect a binaural revival, that might be just the ticket the audio world needs, and that is too far sighted for most to understand. It is the new "old" format that this headphone generation needs, but the music industry will not turn to it. I am not holding my breath, I may be dumb but I am not stupid....the music industry is stupid for missing the binaural boat. Binaural is the format for headphones, period.

Those who hear binaural are amazed. And I am talking folks in their fifties with decent systems who never knew what headphones needed to get that sound out of the middle of their heads.

I believe in binaural but my feet are firmly planted in the reality of today. I am stuck with mostly stereo listening, but every once in a while I allow for the absolute pleasure of listening to something binaural. Hell, even the binaural MP3 recordings I have of the Milwaukee symphony sound great.

Tom

I currently have Bruce Cockburn in the middle of my head. He's quite comfortable there. :)

Tim
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Jun 30, 2010
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Yeah, you get used to it!

Tom

We get used to many things. We get used to the illusions of mono, stereo, surround. We get used to the distortions of analog and digital. We get so used to them that we convince ourselves that what we're used to is what is "right," and having human minds that tend to rate and rank and compartmentalize, we tend to declare the things we are not used to "wrong."

Tim
 

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