Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Death of High Fidelity

[Rick Lindsay (rolindsay]

Thank you Mike.

Yea, I'm a little bored at work today.

rick


--- On Mon, 3/2/09, Mike Fleischer <themightytoe [at] gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Mike Fleischer <themightytoe [at] gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Death of High Fidelity
> To: "Rick Lindsay" <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>
> Cc: "The FerrariList" <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 3:10 PM
> Well stated.
> 
> + What makes a vacuum tube superior to a transistor?
> 
> That is dependant on application, for an Audio amplifier it
> is less prone to resitive noise, and has a more linear gain
> similar to a FET.  Those merits do not overcome the
> drawbacks of cost and heat generally.
> 
> + What makes discrete transistors superior to integrated
> circuits?
> 
> Ah well some would argue (correctly) that the IC's can
> suffer cross channel interference and even the best
> differential amp does not have infinite common mode
> rejection.  That said, IC's are cheaper and thermal
> effects are uniform compared to discrete transistors...
> 
> + Why does my Sony digital camera take better pictures than
> the
>  thousands of dollars of Nikon SLR stuff I have in the
> closet?
> 
> Simpler controls?  SLR's are generally pretty good and
> Sony makes crap cameras.  Cannon are the only ones who put
> serious research $$$ into their digital cameras. 
> + And why can about any modern sports car smoke my 308GTB?
> 
> (putting on the nomex for this one...)  because its a
> Ferrari and despite spectacular good looks and amazing
> sounds at WOT, they are about as smartly built and
> engineered as a South Carolina Beauty pagent contestant (who
> shares similar looks and well you know...
> 
> Oh darn those were rethorical questions weren't they...
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> Rick Lindsay wrote:
> >    One must also consider what 'true'
> high-fidelity reproduction of a 'synthesized musical
> instrument' might mean.  Ponder that please...
> > 
> >    I would argue that high-end audiophiles are no
> different from high-end exotic car owners and high-end
> camera owners.  We're in love with the technology, more
> so than the end result.  Ask yourself this;
> > 
> > + What makes a vacuum tube superior to a transistor?
> > 
> > + What makes discrete transistors superior to
> integrated circuits?
> > 
> > + Why does my Sony digital camera take better pictures
> than the
> >   thousands of dollars of Nikon SLR stuff I have in
> the closet?
> > 
> > + And why can about any modern sports car smoke my
> 308GTB?
> > 
> > Then ask yourself;
> > 
> > + What is it about the warm glow of tube-type
> equipment that is so
> >   appealing?  Is hum better than hiss?
> > 
> > + Why are chips good for computers but not for audio? 
> (This was the
> >   big argument when I was young.)
> > 
> > + Why do I still covet my Nikons, even though a
> computer designed and   manufactured lens is oodles better?
> > 
> > + And why do I cling to my VERY-old-tech 308GTB when
> there are so many
> >   other, better-driving cars available for less money?
> > 
> >    Right!  It's not about the performance. 
> It's about the soul of these
> > objects.  I like soul.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > rick
> > 
> > -- On Mon, 3/2/09, Michael James
> <cavallino_rapante [at] yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 
> >   
> >> From: Michael James
> <cavallino_rapante [at] yahoo.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Death of High Fidelity
> >> To: "Rick Lindsay"
> <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>
> >> Cc: "The FerrariList"
> <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> >> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 1:51 PM
> >> High fidelity is 'around', although I
> would claim
> >> that the pool of ears capable of appreciating the
> sounds
> >> generated by equipment that costs about as much as
> a new
> >> Mercedes is much, much smaller than ever. 
> Convenience
> >> rules, and lest we forget that the music that
> matters most
> >> to today's listeners was NOT generated or
> recorded on
> >> equipment that is as sophisticated as the modern
> >> Audiophile's setup - so what, exactly, is the
> need for
> >> ultra-fidelity audio reconstruction of a sound
> file that
> >> started life as a digitally preserved, low-fi
> recording? You're throwing big-money away trying to
> create a
> >> soundstage or recover audio data that was never
> there to
> >> begin with.   Don't get me wrong, I love the
> aesthetics of
> >> tube-powered amplifiers, especially the ones for
> ipod and
> >> digital sources, but most folks of my generation
> grew up on
> >> cassettes/CDs and cannot 'hear' the
> difference in
> >> sound reproduction that would justify the $$$$$$$$
> >> investment for such equipment.  I'd like to,
> but
> >> my ears must be shot from the loud concerts and
> the
> >> constant headphone play cranked to 11.   M 
> >> --- On Mon, 3/2/09, Rick Lindsay
> >> <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com> wrote:
> >> 
> >> 
> >> From: Rick Lindsay <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Death of High Fidelity
> >> To: "Michael"
> <Cavallino_Rapante [at] yahoo.com>
> >> Cc: "The FerrariList"
> >> <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> >> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 1:53 PM
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Funny how some common threads run through our
> List.  I
> >> mixed music for years, including all the dynamic
> >> adjustments, effects, EQ and levels.  I started
> this
> >> so-called career in the analog era of the
> 70's.  We
> >> (Colored Rain, Showboat, The Breeding Bunch, Exile
> (called
> >> The Exiles at that time) were making music while
> everyone
> >> else was doing whatever 'disco' is.  On
> breaks I
> >> would play reel-to-reel (and later cassette) tapes
> but
> >> instead of routing them directly into the mixer, I
> put the
> >> signals through a dbx (brand) compressor - set to
> >> 'expansion'.  That way, the dynamics of
> the
> >> pre-recorded music was expanded and sounded more
> >> 'live'.  I found that when I ran the music
> >> straight, folks just talked and sipped their
> drinks.  When
> >> I ran the tapes through the expander, they danced!
>  The
> >> music sounded more 'live'.  
> >> Further to this thread.  My wife always asks,
> "Why
> >> are the commercials so loud?" to which I
> reply, because
> >> they're highly compressed.  They're in
> your face
> >> because they want you to hear them when you're
> up
> >> talking a pee.  "Billy Mays here
> with..." or
> >> "...you'll be saying ShamWow!"
> >> 
> >> That mixing stuff was a lifetime ago.  Today, I
> listen to
> >> tunes in my car, going home from work - and when
> NPR gets so
> >> far left that reality suffers.  
> >> That's about as good as it gets for me.
> >> 
> >> rick
> >> --- On Mon, 3/2/09, Scott Saidel
> >> <Ferrarisimo [at] comcast.net> wrote:
> >> 
> >>     
> >>> From: Scott Saidel
> <Ferrarisimo [at] comcast.net>
> >>> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Death of High Fidelity
> >>> To: "rolindsay"
> <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>
> >>> Cc: "The FerrariList"
> >>>       
> >> <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> >>     
> >>> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 12:34 PM
> >>> Sad but true - when we are working in the new
> studio
> >>> (www.hellaphantrecords.com ) we initially
> listen and set levels listening through
> >>> decent  monitors, but we usually do the final
> mixdown using
> >>> standard iPod  headphones, since most people
> are going to be
> >>>       
> >> listening to
> >>     
> >>> it that  way.  It makes a huge difference in
> how you set the
> >>> compression levels  and how you set-up the
> spatiality of the soundstage.
> >>> 
> >>> For my own "at home" listening, I am
> >>>       
> >> sticking to
> >>     
> >>> the old-school rig  for the most part (and
> listening to unremastered
> >>>       
> >> original
> >>     
> >>> CD  recordings) -
> >>> 
> >>> Cinepro PowerPro 20 power conditioner
> >>> Cary CD 303/200 CD Player
> >>> Outlaw ICBM Crossover
> >>> Cary CAD-805c Amplifiers (open ended triode
> tubes)
> >>> MIT TubeTerminator Speaker Cables
> >>> MIT Output Terminator Interconnects
> >>> Miller and Kreisel S100B satellites
> >>> Miller and Kreisel MK125ii sub-woofer
> >>> 
> >>> Apple iBook G4 / Seagate 1tb harddrive /
> AirPort
> >>>       
> >> Express /
> >>     
> >>> Intech  optical digital to AC3 converter
> >>> 
> >>> I recently connected the old laptop as a
> iTunes
> >>>       
> >> server.  I
> >>     
> >>> use the  laptop as a selection device and use
> a new AirPort
> >>>       
> >> Express
> >>     
> >>> to feed a  direct, optical, digital signal off
> my network (where
> >>>       
> >> I
> >>     
> >>> have 18,000 /  265 Mb of music on iTunes -
> mostly in Apple Lossless
> >>> format) into the  digital input for the Cary
> CD player and use it's
> >>>       
> >> D/A
> >>     
> >>> decoder.
> >>> 
> >>> I can also access the music on the iTunes
> harddrive
> >>>       
> >> from my
> >>     
> >>> everyday  Macbook and stream it to the rig in
> the Studio /
> >>>       
> >> Theatre
> >>     
> >>> (Sony ES  E9000ES Preamplifier / N9000ES
> Amplifier) and the
> >>>       
> >> stereo in
> >>     
> >>> my bedroom  (1967 Fisher Receiver - all tube
> front and back end),
> >>> although in the  bedroom I had to
> "settle" for the stereo
> >>>       
> >> analog
> >>     
> >>> output from the  AirPort Express
> >>> 
> >>> No noticeable loss in sound quality vs. direct
> >>>       
> >> playback
> >>     
> >>> from a CD.    Although, before I had the
> dedicated computer, I would
> >>> occasionally  lose the data stream and get
> "drop-outs" in
> >>>       
> >> the
> >>     
> >>> playback when I was  playing iTunes and
> working on the computer at the same
> >>> time.
> >>> 
> >>> I am in the process of backing up my existing
> CD
> >>>       
> >> collection
> >>     
> >>> to DVDs  and selling off the original CDs
> while they still have
> >>>       
> >> some
> >>     
> >>> value.  At  least, the stuff that is not
> exceptional or rare.
> >>> 
> >>> Scottie
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> On Mar 2, 2009, at 1:00 PM, Fellippe Galletta
> wrote:
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>>       
> >>
> http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity/
> >>     
> >>> If I could spend 5 minutes with Obama, I'd
> ask him
> >>>       
> >> to
> >>     
> >>> CHANGE this.
> >>> 
> >>> :)
> >>> 
> >>> FG
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>>       
> >>
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