Posted on 05/11/2010 11:04:04 AM PDT by newgeezer
At the ripe age of 28, Jon Zimmer is sort of an old fogey. That is, he is obsessive about the sound quality of his music. ... But iPods and compressed computer files ... are “sucking the life out of music,” he says.
The last decade has brought an explosion in dazzling technological advances ... that have transformed the fan’s experience. There are improvements in the quality of media everywhere — except in music.
In many ways, the quality of what people hear — how well the playback reflects the original sound— has taken a step back. ...
In one way, the music business has been the victim of its own technological success: the ease of loading songs onto a computer or an iPod has meant that a generation of fans has happily traded fidelity for portability and convenience. This is the obstacle the industry faces in any effort to create higher-quality — and more expensive — ways of listening.
“If people are interested in getting a better sound, there are many ways to do it,” Mr. Zimmer said. “But many people don’t even know that they might be interested.”
Take Thomas Pinales, a 22-year-old from Spanish Harlem and a fan of some of today’s most popular artists... Mr. Pinales listens to his music stored on his Apple iPod through a pair of earbuds, and while he wouldn’t mind upgrading, he is not convinced that it would be worth the cost.
“My ears aren’t fine tuned,” he said. “I don’t know if I could really tell the difference.”
The change in sound quality is as much cultural as technological. For decades, starting around the 1950s, high-end stereos were a status symbol. A high-quality system was something to show off, much like a new flat-screen TV today. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I was more than happy to move from vinyl to CDs but, as the kid said, digital compression sucks the life out of music.
And that's why so-called "HD Radio™" is a crock. Aside from the absence of background hiss, there's nothing "HD" about it. Thanks to lossy digital compression, everything on HD Radio—and satellite radio and typical MP3s—has an unmistakable, "underwater" sound.
I guess MP3s and iPods have taken the place of the 8-track tapes of the '70s. Those sounded awful, compared to vinyl albums (on good equipment). But, 8-tracks were portable and people who didn't really listen to music didn't care as much about sound quality. So, maybe "the quality of what people hear" hasn't really "taken a step back" after all. Instead, it's stayed pretty much the same. Most folks just want to hear the songs, while the audiophiles want high fidelity.
That's a sentence that couldn't possibly be any more wrong.
Would more bits be much of an improvement in listening to artists like that?
MP3’s work o.k. in the truck or on the boat, where the background noise would drown out the silence. I had a friend stop by yesterday and blew him away with the sound off a 10 and 1/2 inch reel-to-reel playing through a 224 dbx unit.
MP3 files sound like Phil Spector’s wall of sound. Midrange with lots of compression.
I recently replaced my 12 y.o. Bose Wave Radio with a new one. I was amazed by the sound quality. I could hear tiny details that I never heard before on the old Bose. It’s unreal how “real” it sounds.
Not giving up my three turntables or reel2reels (21 at last count) ;) Analog rules digital well it has a place in my system but so does cassette and I refuse to surrender my Akai CR 81D eight track recorder. Love listening to LPs...MFSL/UHQR, Sheffield, M&K Realtime, etc.,
OK, I’m going to unpack my JVC turntable when I get home.
What do you have an 8 track RtoR for? Did you have a recording studio?
I have Bose headphones for my iPod... they are very nice for what they are.
I have been thinking about upgrading my Airstream trailer with a Bose stereo and 4 speakers. I am near deaf in my right ear and my left is fading. Do you really think there would be enough improvement to make it worth the $$$, Bose is certainly proud of it’s products. ;>)
I would definitely suggest you go with the Bose. It’s like hearing all kinds of little things that you previously could only hear with headphones, it’s like having “virtual” headphones. Wonderful little tiny sounds you’ve been missing.
I too have some hearing loss (retired R&R musician) and I am finally enjoying listening to music again.
Good luck!
Thats nice. of course just the use of a turntable isnt a given that you getting optimal sound reproduction that will best an excellent CD based system. Every part in chain contributes to the final audible output. And everybody has different tastes and discernment as to what they prefer.
My AMT-1A’s have been kickin’ a** for almost 40 years now. Freegards!
Too many years in the artillery. It would take a heck of a sound system for me to hear the difference between MP3s and real music.
In any case MP3s are more portable, and I’m mostly listening to books on CD, anyways.
Thanks for your input. I lost me hearing on the gun range, riding Harley’s and....... Rock & Roll. :>)
I’ll start shopping.
No you misunderstood. That Akai is a 8-track cartridge recorder. One of the most desirable models in fact they still sell for good price on ebay. Only the quad surround sound model is more popular in the Akai range of eight tracks. Quad 8track tapes whata concept. I never bought into quadraphonic sound myself tho...plain ol stereo works for me.
Go to the Bose website. They’re wonderful to deal with.
And you’re very welcome.
I’m already there... LOL
Cool. Let me know how you like it.
~</:o)
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