SACD Listen to this.....

[Tim Miskimon]

Thanks Tim...... I ONLY use MP3's as a last resort! Then only with a finger in one ear! I still cant understand why you don't see (or hear) the HUGE advantage of DSD.......

It is "The BEST"

Oh I've mentioned several times here how I thought DSD was very good sounding and even asked if SAW would ever support it but I found out the program would need to be rewritten to support it.
I guess if it were easy programs like SAW, Sonar, & Nuendo would already support it.
Sometimes the best format doesn't always win as such was the case with Beta vs VHS.
Many people feel DSD sounds closer to good analog which might be why I like it - I've always liked 2 inch analog.

That said - the more I work with digital - the more I'm finding ways to make it sound closer to an analog recording by using tubes & discreet transistor stuff on the front end.
It's just easier with analog because the old machines have "the sound" without doing anything - digital makes you work harder to keep it warm & big.
Digital can get thin & cheap sounding really quick if you do too much in the box processing.
I don't know if DSD is the answer but it seems to be a little closer to the things I like about analog.
But as far as MP3 files are concerned - I'd rather listen to a cassette tape that was recorded on a Nacamechi (sp?) or Denon deck.

[Tim Miskimon]

[QUOTE=mghtx] But you get a $100 Ipod and you can load it up.

...with hundreds & thousands of crappy sounding recordings...
Actually I don't own an IPOD but I've been considering buying one because I was told that with the newer ones with more memory you can load wav files on the unit. That's more to my liking. I'd rather have an IPOD loaded with a few dozen wav files than a few thousand MP3 files.

[mghtx]

...with hundreds & thousands of crappy sounding recordings...

It's crappy sounding to me and you but remember that kids and young adults today have only known digital. They never knew analog. We have that reference, they don't.

[Pedro Itriago]

It's crappy sounding to me and you but remember that kids and young adults today have only known digital. They never knew analog. We have that reference, they don't.

I really don't think this is an argument. I grew up (up to 8 years of age) listening to cassette tapes ran on custom built decks & lp's on crummy all-purpose turntables. The crummiest digital system sound way better than those analogs and it's much easier & faster to get a good sounding piece via digital than via analog.

I also don't get the "economics" argument to favor the Ipod phenomenon. Bear with me:

- 60 gb ipod: around 350 smackaroos
- portable cd/mp3 player: from 22 bucks up. 60 gb in cd's (wich is nothing more than a 100 cd spindle or less if you use the 700mb ones): again, from 20 bucks up

So, where's the economics between 40 bucks & 350?, I'll buy snob and conformism faster than economics anytime on this subject. And don't give me that new video ipod "is super cool and convenient" argument (the one on 350 was the photo ipod, not the video), I'll never watch a video on such a "big" screen. If you want all this stuff, why not just get a pocket pc with a few 1 gb sd sticks? you have all that the ipod has plus more.

[MMP]

Here in the US the Ipod is certainly a status symbol with the teenage crowd.

MP3s are not all created equal, just like wave files, it makes me laugh when people use them for quality arguments. These formats are simply data containers, and a wave can be 8bit with an 11k sample rate, so not always higher quality than a given MP3.

MP3 format is all about easily transporting a huge library in a very small package. And, for some uses like in my car, I am happy to be able to carry many hours of entertainment in a small package, instead of hundreds of CDs. Also, the librarian functions built into the players are quite powerful for finding what you want to listen to.

I encode MP3s at 320kps variable and that is an acceptable fidelity for me in that environment.

As devices get smaller with more storage space on them, we can choose to fill them with higher quality audio if we want.

Regards,

MM

[Pedro Itriago]

Here in the US the Ipod is certainly a status symbol with the teenage crowd.

This I understand and it's the real reason why they're as popular as the walkman was back then

And, for some uses like in my car, I am happy to be able to carry many hours of entertainment in a small package, instead of hundreds of CDs. Also, the librarian functions built into the players are quite powerful for finding what you want to listen to.

An economic alternative for this would be an in-dash dvd player with cd/mp3 capabilities (you can find them as low as 90 bucks with 5.1 output), that way you just need 7 dual layer or 13 single layer blank dvd's to have the same data storage as an ipod plus the ability to put airplane size lcd screens on your car.

[mghtx]

- 60 gb ipod: around 350 smackaroos
- portable cd/mp3 player: from 22 bucks up. 60 gb in cd's (wich is nothing more than a 100 cd spindle or less if you use the 700mb ones): again, from 20 bucks up

Here in west TX there are pawn shops on every corner and Ipods are a dime a dozen. There is a college here in town and a lot of these kids dump them off for some quick cash.

It's one thing to spend $20 on an Ipod and another to spend $100's on a new-format player and still have to buy the media for that player. The average kid is happy listening to that stupid hip-hop/pop stuff on a portable player or boom box.

[spiritman]

OK. OK, please reread my 1st post. I don't care that "the world" doesn't have a clue about sound quality. WE SHOULD!!!

Please at least rent or borrow a SACD player THEN comment here.......

[MMP]

Well, I don't even want to carry that many disks around in my car...I'm just lazy I guess!

I actually carry a Palm Lifedrive (also overpriced) around anyhow, and that is my MP3 player in the car, and my contact manager, calendar, GPS, wireless email reader, voice recorder, blah, blah, blah. I am addicted to gadgets.

But, if I was really cool, I would have a Blackberry!...the adult status symbol in the US.

Regards,

MM

An economic alternative for this would be an in-dash dvd player with cd/mp3 capabilities (you can find them as low as 90 bucks with 5.1 output), that way you just need 7 dual layer or 13 single layer blank dvd's to have the same data storage as an ipod plus the ability to put airplane size lcd screens on your car.

[MMP]

I heard the SACD version of "Kind of Blue" and it sounded great. I am all for high quality audio, but not at any cost.

This reminds me of one of my complaints about the recording industry.

We are always told how we don't own the CDs & LPs we buy, just a license to the content, yet when the format changed from LP to CD, they made huge profits reselling people licenses they already owned, with no credit whatsoever.

I refuse to re-purchase these licenses a third time, as the SACD catalogue mostly is of classic recordings I already own. Also, I believe the format will be gone within five years anyway, as all content delivery becomes virtual, with no physical media of any type.

I am also not going out and buying new production equipment to support a doomed format (IMO).

So, yes, keep the audio pristine & beautiful, but don't expect me to keep buying the same license over & over again.

Regards,

MM



[quote=spiritman]OK. OK, please reread my 1st post. I don't care that "the world" doesn't have a clue about sound quality. WE SHOULD!!!
quote]