[Jukebox-list] Audio question

[David Breneman]

--- Ron Rich <ronnnrich at yahoo.com> wrote:

>   The discussion of the Ipod has prompted some questions in my
> mind--
>   I have been told that a GOOD vinyl pressing (along with a good
> reproduction system) is able to re-produce many more "harmonics"
> then any "digital" method, as digital just "samples", and vinyl
> "has it all in there". Any opinions here??

Hi, Ron -

This is something I alluded to earlier before reading your
message.  It's the "infinite resolution" claim for LPs.
A property engineered CD can resolve past 20 kHz, well past
most people's ability to hear.  So, one would have to
presume that the harmonics under discussion extend beyond
that frequency.  If I check the frequency response of a
typical high-quality (not not audiophool) pickup, the
Stanton 680EV3, it claims a frequency response of 20 Hz to
18 kHz.  Well, it falls a little short.  While it is
*possible* to make and play LPs that exceed 20 kHz
frequency response, I dare anyone fo find such a record
on the market, along with a pickup, amplifier and speaker
set that can do it justice, for less than the cost of a
luxury automobile.  They just aren't beimg made.  Another
supposed shortcoming of CDs is that at they reach the limit
of their resolution, they become unable to distinguish
between sine waves, square waves and sawtooth waves.  Well,
yeah, but try cutting a square wave into an LP groove and
see how far you get.  Everything eventually end up as a
sine wave as you reach the limit of resolution of any
medium because that's the easier waveform to render.  So
oll these claims for the superiority of vinyl over CDs is
just so much snake oil.


>   Is there any subjective method to determine what is really best
> in music reproduction? --or is it a matter of "hype", and what you
> have been led to believe, by sales persons interested only in
> selling one product over another???

I tend to trust the specs.  People who talk about turntables
being "airy yet assertive" or speaker cables beeing "bright and
woody" are just full of it.


David Breneman         david_breneman at yahoo.com


       
____________________________________________________________________________________
Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting