The death of high fidelity

[shane]

Discovered by ed on Audio Talk.

If this is what computers do for hifi, then thanks, but no thanks...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto..._high_fidelity

[Filterlab]

No, that's what MP3 does for hi-fi, computers can do better than a lot of other media types, trust me.

[Marco]

What a great link, Shane! Thanks for that. I've saved it for future reference

I totally agree with everything that's said in the article - MP3 is total shit; there's no other word for it, but like Rob says, not all computer audio is like that.

There is definitely some good aspects about it, like streaming lossless files via a high quality media server and DAC. I've heard this and it has the potential to better ANY CD player and get as close to vinyl as possible. Music delivered that way captures the emotional impact of analogue.

However, I agree entirely with the article in that the *recording quality* of most albums produced these days is absolutely shocking for the reasons specified, and confirms what I was writing on the forum recently about this subject.

Anyone who thinks that there's nothing wrong with recording quality these days should have a listen to CDs marked "AAD" from the 80s and compare the recording quality against most produced today. I promise you'll get a shock! I've demonstrated this effect to teenage members of my wife's family and they can't believe how different discs sound when they've been mastered on analogue up until the final stage, and when I play them well recorded vinyl, especially stuff from the 50s and 60s, they just sit there gob-smacked!

So are the youth of today undiscerning music lovers who value solely 'quantity before quality'? Not in my experience. The problem is they don't often get access to decent systems to hear their music played unless their parents are into hi-fi and have set-ups with a good quality CDP and T/T, or they've embraced what I call the performance side of computer audio, i.e. the streaming of lossless files as described above. But when shown how good their tunes can sound away from plastic iPods and MP3 players they're usually highly receptive and readily appreciate the difference.

For me, though, the pathos of the article as expressed by the leading musicians quoted, in terms of what digital misses with music, is poignant and succinctly summarised in the last section:

To an average listener, a wide dynamic range creates a sense of spaciousness and makes it easier to pick out individual instruments — as you can hear on recent albums such as Dylan's Modern Times and Norah Jones' Not Too Late. "When people have the courage and the vision to do a record that way, it sets them apart," says Joe Boyd, who produced albums by Richard Thompson and R.E.M.'s Fables of the Reconstruction. "It sounds warm, it sounds three-dimensional, it sounds different. Analog sound to me is more emotionally affecting."

Hear, hear!

That's the ‘magic’ vinyl has over any digital medium, and something which our ex-friends Ashley and JC would have argued against until the cows came home!

Marco.

[Marco]

I've borrowed this comment from a chap on the WD forum, where I'm currently involved in a discussion about the Denon DL-103 cartridge - but somehow we got to mentioning MP3 players, etc:

Unlike the modern high end, sharp, teeth grinding forensic detail delivery the Ipod is voiced to sound "nice" it is a safe balance and can sound quite pleasant with a high enough bit rate. Strangely though they always sound vile with the supplied earbuds.

The compresion systems lose the deep bass and decent high frequency extension, and then it relies on the average partially deaf human ear not noticing musical information being thrown out when louder notes mask quieter instruments. It is all very clever but it is not a high fidelity of reproduction. At best at a low bitrate it can be voiced to sound nice. Lossless audio really can be very good.

I 100% agree with this summary, and will comment more later! This is how I would expect ADM9s to sound with an iPod at the helm.

Marco.

[Steve Toy]

Ashley's idea of musical nirvana (with the excuses for noise outside) was something flat, 2D and truncated. But then that is the Accurate Truth, the Whole Truth and anything more is distortion-borne embellishment.

[Marco]

It's ok Steve we can all pop in and see Ashley and JC at the next hi-fi show where AVI are exhibiting. I'll be making a point of it. I'm dying to say "hello" and hear how wonderful ADM9s are, as I'm sure are many people from other forums

With that, though, we should refrain from mentioning the terrible duo as they have no right of reply.

Marco.

[leo]

I've borrowed this comment from a chap on the WD forum, where I'm currently involved in a discussion about the Denon DL-103 cartridge - but somehow we got to mentioning MP3 players, etc:



I 100% agree with this summary, and will comment more later! This is how I would expect ADM9s to sound with an iPod at the helm.

Marco.

That sums up well what I heard at the Bristol show, problem for them is that not all of us are deaf old farts

[Marco]

Too true, mate. I don't think they were using an iPod, though.

Marco

[leo]

Too true, mate. I don't think they were using an iPod, though.

Marco

It was a laptop, going by the sound quality it sounded like MP3 to my ears

[Marco]

LOL. It'll have been one of their beloved Mac Books...

Was it really *that* bad, Leo?

Marco.