[LAU] Pro Audio? OT rant.

Chris Bannister cbannister at slingshot.co.nz
Fri Dec 28 14:50:31 UTC 2012


On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 11:30:57AM +0100, Florian Paul Schmidt wrote:
> 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.

Interesting way to look at it.
See:
http://lists.linuxaudio.org/pipermail/linux-audio-user/2012-December/088905.html
first paragraph of my post.

> >>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

Sorry, it wasn't deliberate, but I see I did jump to conclusions when
you mentioned " ... Technics MK1210 and a good mixer ...". I now see you
were referring to DJ'ing.

> point I was making. Sometimes other factors play a much bigger role
> than the actual faithfulness of the reproduction. 

I am referring to the faithfulness of the reproduction, when
comparing analogue to digital. On paper, an analogue signal is an exact
reproduction whereas a digital signal is, by its very nature, an
approximation of the original, even if it is very close.

> 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.

Of course, you buy wisely. If you purchase separate components, this
makes upgrading easier later on.

> 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..

Couldn't agree more. Of course, "the sweet spot" can vary from
individual to individual. Also upgrading, for example say speaker cable,
can improve the sound of your music collection that much more.

-- 
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people
who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the 
oppressing." --- Malcolm X


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