It's been very quiet around here lately, so either this is going to be one more
boring post or stir some controversy. I suppose that MD could stand for
"Miracle that it Died".
Having owned an MD recorder almost since their introduction in the US and
having even sold MD on the Net for a brief period, I find the superiority of
the MD compared to the CD to be several hundred percent.
But aside from things like bad timing, improper marketing etc., one fact will
always haunt the MD. In a word COMPRESSION. Hard core Hi Fi enthusiasts will
never accept the MD as having sound quality as good as a CD.
It has gotten to the point where I even have my doubts. This simple fact is
that in my case I really don't know. I made all of my MDs from CDs. Digital
copies, but still compressed by ATRAC.
I don't listen to MDs on my best equipment. I have either listened to them in
the car using an AUX jack (in those cars who's receiver has one-eg Aiwa brand)
or using a cassette converter, through a mini system (either using the built in
MD changer or a Sony 510 deck) or head phones.
I don't think that the fact that there have been 5 or 6 different versions of
ATRAC has inspired trust. And the premature release of the MD in a not ready
for prime time "version one" certain hasn't helped.
Using version 4 (either Sony or Sharp's) as a reference point, I think that the
sound of an MD will be better than a Cassette and even better than vinyl that
has been played several times. I've owned some pretty high end turntables and
cartridges in my days, but even right out of the sleeve for the first time,
there were clicks and pops on the record.
Also anyone claiming that records sound "better" than a CD (or even an MD) had
better define what they mean by the word better. They may sound better to that
individual but there is on way that they can sound better using conventional
terms.
First of all the recording industry sets a roll off on vinyl. Second, the
signal to noise ration of vinyl is much less than a CD or MD. And the dynamic
range of the CD and MD blows records away.
Larry
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