> > Sounds like the argument I remember about why monaural is better than > stereo, why vinyl LPs are better than CDs, or how about this, why mechanical > cameras are better than electronic.
Hmm. I'm not really interested in this argument re: IS--personally IS doesn't interest me in fast lenses except for the big teles, and I don't feel any need for it in my 28-70L, but that doesn't mean others can't have valid reasons to find it useful. However, mono is often better than stereo in some instances, for example in almost any recording of popular music made before about 1968, when engineers and producers finally began to brake away from the hard left/hard right separation of instruments and voices (and some performers, such as the Beatles, put a lot more effort in their mono mixes than the stereo mixes), although a firm date is impossible to set because many late mono issues were simply the two-channel mix "folded" into mono. But seek out original-issue LPs by the Beatles, Stones, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix, and many others including a great many jazz musicians and you'll find the mono versions command a higher price than do the stereo except in cases where the stereo version has a notable scarcity value--and this is primarily because mono often sounds significantly better than early stereo. Of course, stereo done well is usually superior to mono--the implementation is as important (or more so) than the technology. And on a quality playback system most LPs in good condition--especially early pressings--will sound better than their CD equivalents. I have a $700 CD player and it's not even competitive with my turntable/arm/cartridge setup. Forget about the technology--listen to the *sound.* Now if digital music delivery had been properly implemented instead of being rushed to market in a premature state things might be different, and by all accounts SACD gives a glimpse of what might be possible with digital, but 16/44 "Red Book" CD is a sonic and musical disaster. :-) fcc * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
