Jitendrabhai just might have a vinyl copy of Bill Haley and the Comets. I picked up from him long back the album that contains Rock Around The Clock. Later too I saw another copy with him.
True Audiophile
- Thread starter arunlouie
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Jitendrabhai just might have a vinyl copy of Bill Haley and the Comets. I picked up from him long back the album that contains Rock Around The Clock. Later too I saw another copy with him.
Yes, once the music enters a microphone, some serious manipulation takes place. That is why a singer never sounds the same on a microphone as in real life. But since there is no direct compression we still hear things which is impossible to replicate at home with recorded music.
Just to present an example, I have a Tracy Chapman "Crossroads" LP in three different formats:
1. A general vanilla flavor LP with 4 songs on each side at 33 RPM
2. A special edition with 2 songs on each side at 45 RPM
3. A Singles edition with only 1 song on each side at 45 RPM
The singles edition is so dynamic and lively, it almost mirrors the experience of listening to a Master Tape. That LP is all about life. One feels sad knowing how much music we lose to compression:sad:
I do have "Rock around the clock" bought from ebay. The CD is compilation and remastering by steve hoffman.
Listening to music late in the night at outskirts of the city in amphitheatre would be great.
An interesting article here: http://www.vertexaq.com/images/stories/pdfs/ka paper - feb 2011 v 1.3 vertex only.pdf
This is an attempt by the alliance of Vertex AQ, British measurement specialist Acuity, and cable specialist Nordost to create/formulate advanced techniques to measure differences among audio components.
This is an attempt by the alliance of Vertex AQ, British measurement specialist Acuity, and cable specialist Nordost to create/formulate advanced techniques to measure differences among audio components.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Sometimes, when I visit this thread, I find that I don't get back to any regular forum for ages! Either links given, or ideas googled, lead to to extended surfing, just learning about sound, both analogue and digital
Some Scientific Data on Isolation, Power, and CablesSometimes, when I visit this thread, I find that I don't get back to any regular forum for ages! Either links given, or ideas googled, lead to to extended surfing, just learning about sound, both analogue and digital
I respect these people who did research. I also respect Audiophiles who have tried various power cords and their individual perception. But that measurement was done by RAF radar and communication equip. contractors sponsored by audiophile power cable co. Nothing wrong in that but if it takes that much of highly sensitive instruments to measure the difference my rusted (not golden) ears will have tough time to distinguish it. Or am I missing something ?
Regards
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Well, I don't know --- and as mentioned a couple of posts back, I don't "believe" in expensive power cables (any longer ...I bought one once!).
The research link in post 304 challenges my lack of belief. Challenge is good! I barely looked at the numbers on the graphs yet, but I suspect that the practical difference may not be much.
I only took a quick look, but the general methodology seems to be heading the right way. An informal and unmeasured, but similar test is described by Ethan Winer, for people who wonder if their sound cards are good enough. Something like: listen to a CD on a stand-alone player; connect the same machine through your sound card; if it sounds much the same, your sound card is fine!
The research link in post 304 challenges my lack of belief. Challenge is good! I barely looked at the numbers on the graphs yet, but I suspect that the practical difference may not be much.
I only took a quick look, but the general methodology seems to be heading the right way. An informal and unmeasured, but similar test is described by Ethan Winer, for people who wonder if their sound cards are good enough. Something like: listen to a CD on a stand-alone player; connect the same machine through your sound card; if it sounds much the same, your sound card is fine!
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Well, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to find the usual sorts of opposing views, given by the usual sorts of people, with the usual assortment of technical/non-technical experience, on that link. Guys arguing the toss --- just like we do here
I gave it a page or two, and then decided to head back to this conversation.
I was playing myself some tones on the headphones yesterday evening. I was surprised to find that one of my ears can still detect 20,000Hz, although I do have to turn it up somewhat. It made me wonder, though, when people talk about 20-20,000 (and the max frequency range of digital CD) not being sufficient, if they have stopped to check out just how high 20,000Hz actually is!
But then, there is an argument that goes like this: why does an orchestra need so many violins? If we take one away, surely it would make no noticeable difference?
I gave it a page or two, and then decided to head back to this conversation.
I was playing myself some tones on the headphones yesterday evening. I was surprised to find that one of my ears can still detect 20,000Hz, although I do have to turn it up somewhat. It made me wonder, though, when people talk about 20-20,000 (and the max frequency range of digital CD) not being sufficient, if they have stopped to check out just how high 20,000Hz actually is!
But then, there is an argument that goes like this: why does an orchestra need so many violins? If we take one away, surely it would make no noticeable difference?
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Alas, the fact that I can hear a tone through the headphones does not translate into being able to understand speech against a background noise, or, sometimes these days, even knowing that my wife is speaking to me from the other end of the room!
But I believe I shall be able to enjoy music for a while yet.
But I believe I shall be able to enjoy music for a while yet.
paritosh
Active Member
Common Thad sir... please stop talking about the hearing strength being deteriorating with age.... is it true???? Does it happen to everyone???? You are scaring the guts out of me. I am genuinely concerned. Shall I not be able to enjoy the sweetness of those heavenly chimes as much as I get older?!?!?! It's really cruel phenomenon..... or may be God's own way to convey the message that "thow shalt listen to your favourite music loudly!!!!"
Another genuine query is.... how exactly can one recognise the frequency of the music being played? I mean, how can you sort (or hear apart) say a 100 from 500 from 1k from 5k from 10k from 15k from 20k???? Please please please do reply my question....
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Another genuine query is.... how exactly can one recognise the frequency of the music being played? I mean, how can you sort (or hear apart) say a 100 from 500 from 1k from 5k from 10k from 15k from 20k???? Please please please do reply my question....
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
iaudio
Well-Known Member
paritosh, you can test tones of various frequencies, and play them and see if you can hear them. For me at moderate volumes cant really hear much above 16khz through iems/headphones.
square_wave
Well-Known Member
If this is so simple, why is there so much of difference in sound between transports ? In my personal experience, the difference in performance between transports in normal cd / dvd players / pc and a good transport is extremely large.
As promised, here is the CD Anti-Static box that I had mentioned some time earlier in this thread. Prices mentioned are in SGD.
SFC SK-EX & SK-CD electrostatic excluders @ X Audio
SFC SK-EX & SK-CD electrostatic excluders @ X Audio
Not enough...and not totally correct IMO
Setting up a good hifi can start with something like 50k, which most middle class Indians can afford. But most people see value in buying a 100k LCD TV than a 50k audio setup.
I would any day prefer to drive a Alto and spend 500k on a audio setup than driving a Honda City and spending 100k on audio.
I can go on and on with examples..all I want to say is, in the end it is nothing but a mindset. This mindset is directly related to the passion one has for high quality music reproduction. In its truest sense it is not suppose to be a materialistic hobby, but rather a passion to achieve that extreme level of communication with music, Art it is !
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Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
To some extent, yes, it does happen to everyone. The younger you are, the higher the frequencies you can hear.
Did you know that some some housing estates in UK use youngster repellant noise to stop kids and teengers hanging around and engaging in "anti-social" behaviour. A loud hi-frequency tone is played, which annoys the hell out of the youngsters, but is inaudible to the vast majority of people much past twenty.
What we can do is to take good care of our ears. This means not pumping up the volume knob, especially with headphones or ear buds, using ear protectors, if we have to work in a noisy industrial environment, and not taking out unprotected ears to some of those rock concerts that you come out of not being able to hear the world around you for a while. Unless you are unfortunate enough to be near something like a bomb exploding, none of those experiences may make a noticeable difference at the time, but some small damage may have been done, which all adds up, and contributes to the ongoing age related frequency loss. It is forty years too late for me to take those lessons on board, and I probably broke every single rule.
Mind you, I never could hear voices over background noise, eg, at a party --- but I can remember being able to hear mosquitoes in the room, whereas now I can only hear them three inches away from my ear. A common symptom of hf hearing loss is misunderstanding people, because it is hard to tell p, b, d, t, sounds apart. Some Indian languages (eg Malayalam, and I thnk Hindi has the same sounds) has g amd k sounds where the difference is so subtle that I am utterly unable to hear any difference. I had to bail out of a Learn-Malayalam CD, nearly ten years ago, because k, k, k, and k, was all just k to me
Whether it is God or the audiologist telling you: it is a good lesson!
Sound engineers can: it is their job to know which knob to tweak to bring out or push back any particular influence, or how to affect the general sonic character of a piece. They use other effects, of course, but bright, warm, bassy, or shrill, piercing or boomy is largely a matter of how they adjust those equaliser knobs. I've been trying to learn a little about this recently. Here is a useful interactive chart that shows you where each instrument is on the "scale" of things. Mouseover gives additional information.
Maybe it's a quiet forum, but the only interest shown on the linked thread is the seller bumping it a couple of times.
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paritosh
Active Member
Tanks for the advice and guidence, sir. Btw, I looked at the link provided by you. Couldn't use well on my cellphone, but looks very very useful. I also, somehow managed to download a test sound, but how, I'll need to check when I see the page on my laptop. Thanks foe the reply. This is the quality I like about this forum. A nube like me gets a heartening response from veterans like you. Keep it going, sir.
Paritosh
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Paritosh
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
I'm not really a 'veteran,' paritosh (nor a "sir" ) in any other way than calendar years --- and I'm almost certainly not the oldest one here. But you are right in what a good forum is about. Even those of us that have wide disagreements can throw stuff about and see what comes of it. A good argument can be a great learning experience!
You can search the internet and find sweeping tones that you can use to test your hearing, or you can use some software in which you can generate your own. The other day, I was using Audacity. If you ever want to do any basic recording, or transferring tape or vinyl to digital, it is both capable and free, and, like other packages of its kind, has the capability to do miscellaneous things too --- like generating tones.
) in any other way than calendar years --- and I'm almost certainly not the oldest one here. But you are right in what a good forum is about. Even those of us that have wide disagreements can throw stuff about and see what comes of it. A good argument can be a great learning experience!You can search the internet and find sweeping tones that you can use to test your hearing, or you can use some software in which you can generate your own. The other day, I was using Audacity. If you ever want to do any basic recording, or transferring tape or vinyl to digital, it is both capable and free, and, like other packages of its kind, has the capability to do miscellaneous things too --- like generating tones.
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