Yes, I actually read his post.
LPs versus CDs
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Yes, I actually read his post.
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
I used to argue it in the '70's. :yes:
I've NEVER been a fan of tubes, mainly because of the price point. When I sold this stuff in the 70's I firmly believed a good class A tube amp sounded better than anything the masses were buying, but I also believed that with most people who actually had to consider a real budget, and the concept of the system was only as strong as it's weakest link, and the weakest link was usually the speakers followed by the cartridge. Tube stuff was for the audio wankers or those with relatively unlimited budgets. I tried to steer customers into "good" solid state stuff and then focused on the speakers, followed by the turntable/cartridge.
But don't get me wrong. Tube stuff sounds great and is really cool. I love this site: http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/ I actually have a pair of the 12TRXB's in this picture: http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/
Thing is, for most people, tubes just are not worth the money - with the exception of guitar amps. But they are a danged fun hobby and have their own unique sound - if it is what one is looking for. And if you are on an unlimited budget, this is sweet: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/11/55000_tube_amp_pumps_out_a_ser.html
I'll need five for surround...
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
BTW, I very intentionally used the word "virtually" in my original post! :thmbsp:
BrassTeacher
Uncurable Tweaker
both channels. It inverts polarity. Some people call it phase, but whatever the name, it inverts the signal on both channels. So, switching positive for negative on the speaker "corrects" it as far as most CD players are concerned.
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
No offense, but that is simply not true. I have an ear for phase and used to walk into stereo departments of "low fidelity" stereo stores and immediately realize some stereo salesman had hooked up speakers out of phase. I'd quickly reverse the wires on one speaker, sometimes while they were protesting, and explain afterwards what I was doing. I would then help them to understand how to hear it. Reduced bass is only part of it. Heck, I even created an active surround sound synthesizer for my car stereo back in the early 70's by messing with phase. It worked pretty well.
Now, if you mean there may be a SLIGHT phase mismatch, that is something else entirely. The phase is not reversed, however.
gogofast
Addicted Member
hahahahahahhahah!
...i dont get it....what exactly are your referring needle & groove to?:scratch2:
melofelo
Addicted Member
here's my argument for vinyl...
700 + records purchased since acquiring my first hi-fi system in 1985
1 cd purchased since acquiring my first cd player in 1994
until music is mastered to sound realistic...i refuse to pay for anything that gives me a migraine after 10 minutes..
700 + records purchased since acquiring my first hi-fi system in 1985
1 cd purchased since acquiring my first cd player in 1994
until music is mastered to sound realistic...i refuse to pay for anything that gives me a migraine after 10 minutes..
goanlisten
Active Member
My reasons for liking vinyl records:
1. They are cheaper at the thrift stores.
2. The Ticks and Pops tickle the tiny hair in my ear canals.
3. I can read the label on the record as it spins and exercise my eyeballs at the same time.
4. Easier to recycle.
5. It took 60+ years to perfect the vinyl mastering techniques and who knows 40 yrs from now CD's might sound just as good.
1. They are cheaper at the thrift stores.
2. The Ticks and Pops tickle the tiny hair in my ear canals.
3. I can read the label on the record as it spins and exercise my eyeballs at the same time.
4. Easier to recycle.
5. It took 60+ years to perfect the vinyl mastering techniques and who knows 40 yrs from now CD's might sound just as good.
analog fan
Active Member
That might be my favorite answer so far.
whoaru99
Epic Member
Picking up on one speaker running in reverse polarity is pretty easy. However, as long as both speakers are wired the same, one would probably never know the difference either way.
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
I don't know what you mean by that second sentence. What I was talking about was where I would walk into a store and none of the sounds seemed to come from a particular point between the speakers and when I reversed the wires everything had it's place. Afterwards, I (and often the salesperson working the floor) would trace the wires and discover that at either the amp or speakers, they had been wired out of phase. Often it would be a lesson in speaker phasing (especially if the salespeople were younger guys). I'd switch to mono and have them stick their head between the speakers and reverse the phase. It became pretty obvious to all of them how to easily determine if the speakers were in phase. Of course the easiest way is to just put the two speakers next to each other and pick the wiring that gives the most bass. That one is audibly noticeable to even the most sonically challenged.
Then there is the good ol' Dahlquist "phase array" thingie that has been picked up by lots of companies since then. I see a lot of it from those $10,000+ speaker systems at places like Difinitive audio. It really DOES clean up the sound when the separate drivers are in phase.
BTW, I used to do this all the time when I went to Costco. I have better things to do these days...
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
That picture in your sig is absolutely beautiful!You can see them spin...
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
It's how the big black CD's work...hahahahahahhahah!
...i dont get it....what exactly are your referring needle & groove to?:scratch2:
I agree. Plus to start a thread that says one is better than the other without stating that it is an opinion just invites flaming.
I'm a believer in the potential of DSP technology. Once in the digital domain sound can be processed-enhanced-colored to personal taste. Will it make a solid state amp sound like a tube? Maybe not. Could a good processor add color to a recording to make rock and roll sound good on an ultra accurate playback system? I think that is possible. We won't know until modern component manufacturers start getting more creative with their product offerings. And that, in a nutshell, is why I listen to vintage equipment and why I love vinyl.
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
I paid for the full half hour argument, and I prefer it fresh!:yes:
andy
Super Member
I was in a Bose store a few years ago and they had one of the 301s out of phase. No amount of arguing would get them to admit it was even a possibility that their factory installers could have made a mistake. I also used to own a cheap DVD recorder that had one of the channels out of phase! I had to cut a splice some circuit board traces to fix it.
The original post was about absolute phase (ie, the cones of both speakers move in when they should move out). I can't say that I've ever heard a difference. It's also hard to say what the correct phase is because a recording has gone through so many steps that could invert it before it gets to the speakers.
I prefer CDs for the same reason many people hate them. There's no tweaking to do. Just put it in the player and it sounds as good as it can. I don't have to worry about the condition of the stylus, the tracking weight, cartridge alignment, direct drive vs belt drive, do I want the better mids of cartridge X, or the better treble of cartridge Y,... I like knowing that every time I play a song it sounds exactly the same.
That being said, I have several turntables, and quite a few records. I'm usually amazed at how good they sound considering how they work. I'd still rather have the CD most of the time.
I like to think of MP3s are being similar to Dolby noise reduction. Dolby takes an analog signal, does some processing (encoding) when you record to an analog tape with limited fidelity. On playback, the signal is decoded resulting in a higher quality signal than the tape would be capable of on its own.
With MP3 you take a digital signal, process it and record it to a very low fidelity digital medium (can you imagine how bad 320 kbit PCM would sound?). On playback you take the signal, decode it, and end up with something much higher quality than the medium (320 kbit digital) is capable of on its own.
thisOne
Listen...
Thanks, It's the result of my wife throwing me out of the living room.
...You can imagine why (this is not the decor she had in mind up there...
) Actually, we can probably search and find a thread on nearly any discussion on any audio related topic here. Does this mean that AK is now just a historical database where some of us should just search for answers, instead discussing them afresh?
What's enlighting in this thread is that it's managed to get to nearly 80 posts without derailing and getting closed, due to its "controversial" discussion topic. :thmbsp:
Let's celebrate that...
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