Nando1970 wrote: > in my book vinyl is interesting just because it is often the only source > of superior mastering. >
I'll begin by confessing that I haven't joined the small wave of those buying current vinyl releases, so the bulk of my LP experience is with material released in the 1980s and before, but I'd question whether the current vinyl releases are "superior", or just "different". The LP has an interesting set of technical limitations which affect what can be done. The needed RIAA curve has a 40 dB swing in the 20 Hz to 20 KHz frequency range. Both volume (which directly affects S/N ratio) and bass are trade-offs against the time available per side. These have to be carefully managed to keep the record playable for the average turntable. If vinyl has any "superiority", it may well be due to the technical limitations keeping the engineer/producers from doing what they'd otherwise be inclined to do. I've got no problem with LPs, though I've digitized my collection. About a third of my music library comes from the 2,000 LP and open reel conversions that I've done over the past 10 years. Some of the LPs were wonderful recordings that sound great. Others were not so good, and that was due to the original recording, not a bad mastering or poor pressing. Pretty much the same is true of the material from CD. Some of the recordings are absolutely stunning, some are terrible, and a whole bunch are mediocre. However, I'd hazard a guess that most recordings sound pretty much like the artists and producers want them to sound. Unfortunately, there are some very fashionable trends in the music industry that aren't particularly musical. This is especially true for pop/rock material. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ mlsstl's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9598 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98421 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
