Interesting article !

[madmac]

http://www.stereophile.com/content/too-good-be-true#2djQfAbXzV8dqiHO.97

Great article from Stereophile

Sound off folks !! Does/ did older gear sound better to you?

[Alaric]

I think my ears were better. I've always maintained that good gear still sounds like good gear years later. I wish I still had my first "real" stereo. I think the Nakamichi cassette deck and Yamaha turntable would hold up well today. The table and cartridge set me back $1200 in 1983 dollars , the Nakamichi even more. My speakers , A/D/S L1530s would definitely sound good today That set up convinced my very skeptical mother that there were actual musicians in rock bands. When I bought her a Barbara Streisand album and put it on her jaw hit the floor. While she would never have spent what I did , she agreed that I got my money's worth.

I think music production has changed a lot , and maybe engineering philosophy has had to change because of it. Sure , we get hi res and "lossless" (no such thing) digital files , but so much over compressed and processed crap is being foisted off as music on an unsuspecting generation who thinks iPhones are high fidelity. There is a story about Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath when they were recording their first album. The engineer kept playing with the distortion. Finally Tony blew up and told him "I'LL make the music. You just record it!" or something like that. Jimmy Page liked his guitars to sound "rude" by his description , and ended up handling production himself. Through my daughter I've heard some Miley Cyrus songs , and they sounded awful. I found a couple songs she did with her father's band , one acoustic , and you would never know she was responsible for that dreck that sounds like boiling cats.

[madmac]

" we get hi res and "lossless" (no such thing) digital files "


Correct......no such thing with any recording technology........including analog. Once a voice or instrument goes into a microphone, it's no longer 'real' but only a representation of 'what was' sadly !

[Alaric]

Digital is worse. Now all the digi-fans are going to emerge and convince me that "sampling" doesn't really mean some of the music has been thrown away. And , yes , I've heard very good digitally recorded/produced/played back examples. And I still prefer very good tape or vinyl. Of course , I also like tubes. Digital can sound very realistic , but for me , analog sounds real

[Face]

What's laughable is that a lot of newer vinyl is sourced from digital.

[Heli-Tim]

I play my 1960 Les paul through a 60's Marshall JCM half stack (Tube amp), and it beats any solid state combo I've ever heard hands down. At first I was extremely hesitant, but due to availability and budget, I am looking into a digital "hifi" setup. My records will have to play through a separate system which I intended to build down the road.

[Alaric]

What's laughable is that a lot of newer vinyl is sourced from digital.

Yup. That's why I specified analog. Jack White is the only one I know who releases vinyl with the CDs , and uses master tapes. I love my SACD player , and after a few crisis , most of my music is stored on my computer. As much as I'd rather listen to vinyl I'm all digital at the moment. I'm even considering an outboard DAC for my music files. I feel like Kim Philby. LOL

[madmac]

This article was posted on Facebook the other day by Stereophile and I replied on it that even though I love HiFi and love listening to my sound system, some of the best musical moments have happened to me while lying on a beach listening to a cheap transistor radio ! Go figure !

[Face]

Yup. That's why I specified analog. Jack White is the only one I know who releases vinyl with the CDs , and uses master tapes. I love my SACD player , and after a few crisis , most of my music is stored on my computer. As much as I'd rather listen to vinyl I'm all digital at the moment. I'm even considering an outboard DAC for my music files. I feel like Kim Philby. LOL

I believe that the Foo Fighters may have a release or two that is completely analog as well.

[MarkR]

What's laughable is that a lot of newer vinyl is sourced from digital.

My experience is that digital recording sounds better played on an analog front end than a digital one of the same value.

[Alaric]

Vinyl seems to be popular enough still to be a mixed blessing. A few bucks to be made by sending the same digitized , over compressed detritus to a record cutting machine instead of a CD burner. Some fringe group will buy it and throw it on a garage sale Pioneer or JVC turntable , sitting around drinking low rent , red neck swill for beer and congratulating themselves for being cool. God bless 'em for helping save the format for now. If drinking PBR would support the vinyl industry I'd choke a few down myself. LOL It's not like I never drank (drink) cheap beer!