[LAU] Pro Audio? OT rant.

[Florian Paul Schmidt]

On 12/28/2012 03:21 AM, Chris Bannister wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 25, 2012 at 02:41:54PM +0100, Florian Paul Schmidt wrote:
>> Actually I worded that second point rather badly. The point was that
>> the vinyl cutting process (including special/professional mastering)
>> will introduce many more audible artefacts than the 44.1khz/16bit
>> downsampling export for a CD. Vinyl is an audibly inferior medium to
>> a good digital chain.
> Really?

Actually I forgot to introduce one variable into the picture: The cost. 
Sure, it maybe is possible to rival a good digital playback chain with a 
super expensive analogue setup. Set a fixed price at which you compare 
the systems, then do your double blind tests. Double blind tests with 
audiophiles have been done quite often, especially after the 
introduction of CDs. I'm not aware of many that have been done in the 
recent past. Does anyone have references? Those might be interesting. 
There were some for different (lossy) digital formats with sometimes 
surprising results.. Let's not rely on anecdotal evidence (your and my 
experiences) but let's look at the data. :D

>> P.S.: I still like my vinyl collection of records. The haptics. The
>> nostalgia. The big pictures on the covers.. The handling of a pair
>> of Technics MK1210 and a good mixer is still awesome for mixes,
>> etc..
> I'm sorry, but if you judge a stereo system by the flashing lights and
> the number of knobs and dials available, then we sit on different sides
> of the fence. I believe in listening to music as the artist intended
> it. Don't get me wrong, there are heaps of crap vinyl recordings out
> there, that's for sure.

Here you maybe deliberately misunderstood me. That was exactly the point 
I was making. Sometimes other factors play a much bigger role than the 
actual faithfulness of the reproduction. For many people this is true 
and I admit that when DJ'ing it's true for me, too (though I much prefer 
listening to good recordings over my nearfield monitors through a good 
quality DA). For some people not going with the trend (being a rebel 
against the evil digital) gives them enough satisfaction that they 
ignore the merits of a technology. Then there's the factor of emotional 
and economic investment into a solution. Admitting being wrong means 
admitting that one has invested tons into an inferior solution. This 
often reminds me of the sad story about doctors not desinfecting (or 
washing) their hands before treating women in labor. After the discovery 
of the effectiveness of desinfection of the hands to prevent death for 
the child and the woman it took another full generation of doctors 
before it became common place.. [1] The human mind is capable of 
tricking itself into believing all kinds of stuff for all kinds of 
reasons, even in the face of contradicting evidence. And this is the 
exact vibe I get from most so-called audiophiles that I encountered in 
my life.

One last point to illustrate my stance, since there was a distinct vibe 
of ad-hominem attack and rethorics in your last paragraph: When I listen 
to a Charlie Parker recording from the 40s or 50s I don't give a rat's 
ass about the audio quality. I'm listening to the notes, to the 
interplay between the musicians and I'm just glad that SOME recording is 
available of these great musicians. Sure, I would prefer a better 
recording, but as a musician myself but the music shines through even a 
modest reproduction. For myself I tried to find a sweet spot in my audio 
reproduction system, where the costs allow me to thoroughly enjoy the 
music of the artists I like to listen to. This sweet spot is with a 
digital chain.. I'm not interested in spending tens of thousands of 
dollars to reproduce the movement of every single air molecule in the 
studio that music was recorded. Some people are and before they spend 
the amount of money they do on their equipment I'm just arguing that 
they should take the time to evaluate the different solutions with 
honesty before getting invested in a solution for the wrong reasons..

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_reaction_to_Ignaz_Semmelweis

Have fun,
Flo

-- 
Florian Paul Schmidt
http://fps.io