tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post2506731678983003171..comments2024-03-29T05:47:10.437-07:00Comments on <em>Archimago's Musings</em>: SUMMER MUSINGS: On the dreaded "Digital Glare" in audio, and conversely, exaggerated analogue evangelism.Archimagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-44544518401716788942022-12-24T13:31:40.698-08:002022-12-24T13:31:40.698-08:00Since I made the above comment, I have replaced th...Since I made the above comment, I have replaced the Denon cart with a Hana ML, which has improved my analogue sound significantly. But I do admit that you have to throw 2-3 times the money at the analogue chain, in order to make it sound as good as, or better than the digital chain. My table, tonearm, phono interconnects and phono preamp is around 4k USD, and whether it is due to low order Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-89312982476537635732021-12-16T04:40:21.522-08:002021-12-16T04:40:21.522-08:00Hear hear :)Hear hear :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-55808265636258104312021-12-15T13:14:19.636-08:002021-12-15T13:14:19.636-08:00I was never a fan of Fremer, or other "gurus&...I was never a fan of Fremer, or other "gurus" riding their high horses. No two people are alike, as are no two preferences, and claiming that one format "is better" than another is plain stupid IMO. Also, I doubt it if there are 2 identical systems in identical rooms anywhere on the planet, so how can an educated person state something so wrong?<br /><br />With careful Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-30873362473893566592021-09-15T09:53:35.521-07:002021-09-15T09:53:35.521-07:00I remember many years ago reading somewhere that s...I remember many years ago reading somewhere that some of the early 80's CD masters were created not from the original masters, but from tape copies intended for vinyl mastering, hence, with a compensated eq for the inerent losses of the lacquer cutting lathes.<br />Also, even in the analogue domain, 30 IPS recording was all the rage by the 80s, and these machines had (i) a much better B77https://www.blogger.com/profile/14452514654523498352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-37492325450280662112021-09-14T01:23:40.855-07:002021-09-14T01:23:40.855-07:00I wonder if the perception that CDs have glare als...I wonder if the perception that CDs have glare also originates from the fact that all digital formats stand a better chance at storing and replicating the high end compared to analog equivalents. You touched on this with the comment about preferring the imperfections of vinyl, but considering that fancy audio formats get sold as THE WAY IT'S MEANT TO BE HEARD, it would amuse me if the thing vesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14032028702885909150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-9004974422769815852021-09-10T21:45:43.633-07:002021-09-10T21:45:43.633-07:00BTW: If anyone knows of an actual research "s...BTW: If anyone knows of an actual research "study" looking at the topic of human perception and "fatigue", I'd love to know how this can be scientifically/empirically defined and measured...<br />Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-24596036406803969122021-09-10T21:43:25.452-07:002021-09-10T21:43:25.452-07:00Hi Unknown,
Yeah, good question and one I haven...Hi <em>Unknown</em>,<br />Yeah, good question and one I haven't seen answered well. I suspect there are a number of answers depending on what music and which hardware a person is using. I typically think of 2 major factors:<br /><br /><strong>1. Excessive "brightness":</strong><br /> - forgetting to de-emphasize the playback<br /> - poor mastering, EQ unnatural<br /> - poorArchimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-3548250982140917472021-09-10T21:16:22.476-07:002021-09-10T21:16:22.476-07:00Hi The RA,
I'll have a listen to Bop later ton...Hi <em>The RA</em>,<br />I'll have a listen to <em>Bop</em> later tonight on Apple Music. I just had a look at the WiKi page and it says:<br /><em>"The album was the first digitally recorded major-label album in popular music. Bop Till You Drop was recorded on a digital 32-track machine built by 3M."</em><br /><br />Cool. Nice little audiophile trivia I didn't know about! One ofArchimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-37556164695247693312021-09-04T13:39:03.327-07:002021-09-04T13:39:03.327-07:00One of the first CD's I've ever bought was...One of the first CD's I've ever bought was Ry Cooder's Bop Till You Drop, which is one of the first digitally recorded pop albums. The CD sounds fabulous, the only thing missing appears to be deep bass. I've never had an issue with the sound of CD's, to me they typically sound a lot better than their LP equivalents. <br /><br />As to Neil Young, I'm a fan of his music but The Reluctant Audiophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856603092789746704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-75877423938743523442021-09-03T23:32:53.275-07:002021-09-03T23:32:53.275-07:00Oh man Tim,
Just had a look at "Life Metal&qu...Oh man <em>Tim</em>,<br />Just had a look at "Life Metal" - CD DR2!<br /><br />Wondering did the LP use a more dynamic master?Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-71171920689969909522021-09-03T17:12:35.476-07:002021-09-03T17:12:35.476-07:00Hi Charles,
That's good that he's pointing...Hi <em>Charles</em>,<br />That's good that he's pointing to the concerns around build quality. That totally sucks at these kinds of nonsense prices for playback technology of such inherently limited quality! Not only should it not easily break, but the styli should really be made of unobtanium at this price point as well. ;-)<br /><br />Whether those who buy this stuff would ever happen Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-47325881542077016152021-09-03T16:50:58.993-07:002021-09-03T16:50:58.993-07:00Thanks for the suggestion on the Sunn O))), Tim.
...Thanks for the suggestion on the Sunn O))), <em>Tim</em>.<br /><br />Yeah, I'd probably need to get myself mentally ready for the genre :-).<br /><br />As for <em>The Trinity Session</em>, no question that there's a lot to like on that album. It's open, expansive, "airy", etc. I just find that the vocal EQ is a bit too sharp, sibilant on some of the tracks - like "Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-11816859542464335232021-09-03T16:42:10.418-07:002021-09-03T16:42:10.418-07:00Wow.
Thanks for the quote there man. I think my e...Wow.<br /><br />Thanks for the quote there man. I think my eyes glazed over when I saw how many pounds this and how many pounds that... and just went on to the next paragraph.<br /><br />It's so ridiculous just to basically spin a piece of something like 130-180g plastic at 33.3rpm precisely and without too much vibration. Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-11126458479878003482021-09-01T09:36:24.118-07:002021-09-01T09:36:24.118-07:00Yes, with “The new, multistep drive system begins ...Yes, with “The new, multistep drive system begins with a sensor that communicates platter speed to the micro-processor. The desired rotation frequency is synthesized by a "Direct Digital Synthesizer" (DDS) with reference to a crystal oscillator. Each motor phase is driven by its own 50W power amplifier” and <br />“On the bottom of the stack is a 15¾", 80lb platter made of AudioSceptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171552819065521350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-36138288267182260252021-08-31T22:35:56.825-07:002021-08-31T22:35:56.825-07:00Framer has at least been drawing attention recentl...Framer has at least been drawing attention recently to the shocking production quality of some of these $10k hand-made cartridges, showing pictures of styli sitting skew to the cantilever. Of course, he doesn’t name names, but this just suggests that such poor quality control is endemic to these products. Anyone considering buying a ‘high-end’ cartridge is probably not going to be reading your Charles Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657251150380437112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-22789342640575763032021-08-31T21:11:25.048-07:002021-08-31T21:11:25.048-07:00Great stuff! First, I think you're right that ...Great stuff! First, I think you're right that the issues on early CDs come partly straight from the musicians. Consider "Brothers in Arms" - the title track and "The Man's Too Strong" have no sharp edges to my ears and I've used them as examples of tracks that you can turn up to frightening, crushing volumes and still have happy ears.<br /><br />I was pretty Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02509044056955394983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-81351678072110727912021-08-31T14:15:25.219-07:002021-08-31T14:15:25.219-07:00Thanks for the complex, nuanced comment Vaal!
Gre...Thanks for the complex, nuanced comment <em>Vaal</em>!<br /><br />Great that you've gotten back to the vinyl system and have been meticulous in your upgrades and selection of LPs.<br /><br />I certainly believe that there is a <em>rewarding</em> experience that we feel when we pick up a pristine LP and can be "blown away" at the experience of how a technology like that can still Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-75111087346943984392021-08-31T08:54:35.127-07:002021-08-31T08:54:35.127-07:00Hey AudioSceptic,
I saw that review yesterday on t...Hey <em>AudioSceptic</em>,<br />I saw that review yesterday on the TechDAS Air Force Zero turntable. I dunno what to say initially other than "that's a lot of money to put into something that can only extract so much quality out of spinning pieces of plastic".<br /><br />If we have a look at the speed test, we see the truth of the time domain performance. Compare that to my old Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-76894689674670021162021-08-31T08:28:04.057-07:002021-08-31T08:28:04.057-07:00Hey Vaal,
We could go with the unholy trinity of s...Hey <em>Vaal</em>,<br />We could go with the unholy trinity of supposed digital ills:<br /><em> - midrange glare<br /> - digital noise<br /> - "blurring" jitter</em><br /><br />Never mind if anyone can prove these things! Just follow Neil Young and Michael Fremer's ears. ;-)Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-73835236367572471952021-08-31T08:16:02.845-07:002021-08-31T08:16:02.845-07:00Hey Blogue,
Thanks for examples of other digital a...Hey <em>Blogue</em>,<br />Thanks for examples of other digital albums. I've certainly found the first Tracy Chapman album from 1988 a wonderful companion on many a road trips and plane flights! And yup, it certainly sounds excellent without whatever "glare" some people claim.<br /><br />Yeah, certainly if I were in audio production, 32/192 would be just great to get the highest Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-55387200360912942482021-08-30T18:02:16.089-07:002021-08-30T18:02:16.089-07:00I agree with the general thrust of this article. ...I agree with the general thrust of this article. The b.s. technical tropes trotted out by vinyl evangelists need to be countered with real understanding of the technical qualities of each medium.<br /><br />So why would an audiophile actually also enjoy, or even often prefer, the sound of records on his system?<br /><br />I started adding vinyl to my collection again several years ago because, Vaalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14896147903257500224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-74670271944307736092021-08-30T18:01:39.807-07:002021-08-30T18:01:39.807-07:00Ha! My audiophile buddy and I have long joked abo...Ha! My audiophile buddy and I have long joked about the audiophile trope of "glare." Though we usually refer to "midrange glare." So when one of us gets some new piece of equipment the other often asks "Did it solve your midrange glare?" Or if one is in a bad mood the inquiry is made "Midrange glare, again?" :-)Vaalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14896147903257500224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-8520991794741552042021-08-30T06:38:49.517-07:002021-08-30T06:38:49.517-07:00Every now and then I read about some insanely pric...Every now and then I read about some insanely priced turntable and think, who can be buying these things? We now have one that costs $450k. Yes, nearly half a million! https://www.stereophile.com/content/techdas-air-force-zero-turntableAudioSceptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171552819065521350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-8078246640993095342021-08-29T18:32:40.843-07:002021-08-29T18:32:40.843-07:00Listen to the first Tracy Chapman, entirely record...Listen to the first Tracy Chapman, entirely recorded on Digital Multitracks (Mitsubishi gear).<br />Track as Mountain'o'Things is quite vivid and very precise, the percussion track per Paulinho da Costa is very well recorded with many little details.<br /><br />Neil Young- Freedom it's also a full digital recording.<br />Crime in the City, is an another good exemple of digital Blogue à parthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17651305500712464065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-63017827017658893982021-08-29T10:19:24.209-07:002021-08-29T10:19:24.209-07:00Hey there Phil,
Yup lots of great stuff out in &qu...Hey there <em>Phil</em>,<br />Yup lots of great stuff out in "Alberty" ;-).<br /><br />For sure, subjectively we can change the sound with manipulations of various sorts including "lossy" copies. That's cool of course.<br /><br />Just hope audiophiles will be insightful enough to make sure not to get to the point of insisting that lower-res formats like LPs are "best&Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.com