We are doomed
- Thread starter barkerd
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gkimeng
Forum Mod, ClassicSpeakerPages.net
I think those of you who worry about the demise of good sound are just forgetting the countless numbers of cheap Soundesign and Lloyds all-in-one stereos that stripped the high notes off millions of LPs all through the vintage audio years until they weren't good for anything but making cub scout project candy dishes. The quality gear we all wax nostalgic about today was always a relatively small part of the consumer home entertainment business.
capt.chaos
Super Member
We may be doomed but we can't give up hope. Years ago when I was a teenager my grandfather also said we are doomed. Young people today do not know what music is. They have been brainwashed into thinking noise is music. Young people today wouldn't know good sound if it bit them in the ass. The Who, those guys don't sing they scream. Now Nat King Cole, thats a guy that can sing. Now that I am middle age and he is gone, I listen to the vast music collection he left me. Not because I am sentimental, but because today I actually appreciate and enjoy the music. Now I have a teenage daughter who is listening to Taylor Swift on a MP3 player and thinks its great. Unlike my grandfather I still hold out some hope that in the distant future she will drop the needle on a Julie London lp because she too enjoys it.
They care about sound quality, but mostly on movies... THX and etc will draw kids in a heart beat. You cannot see anything on the tiny screen the movie houses have now, but you sure can hear. When I was a young teen, I had a panasonic mono cassette player that I wore a Chicago II cassette out in. I thought it sounded good. I have acutally over the years purchased that album on 8 track, cassette, vinyl, and cd. I always hated the way the 8 track faded out on "Now More Than Ever" for the track change, I think it was about 22 seconds left in the song. Part of what kids do not understand is louder is not better. But then again, I had a killer DYI sound system in my 68 Polara that you could hear from 500 yards away. But you heard the whole spectrum, not just the thud thud thud of an over driven bass speaker.
Why can't she just like Taylor Swift? Maybe some day she'll download a 24/96 Taylor Swift album and really appreciate the sound without having the same taste in music as you.
Tapehead47
Addicted Member
Sound quality in music vs. movie sound....
I think MTV, where if you ain't beautiful, you ain't got no talent, has a lot to do with the dumbing down of America. Seems like it's more important to LOOK good than PLAY good. And the Bean Counters jumped on that wave and are riding it today. They couldn't care less about talent. To them real talent is how many gazillion bucks could be milked out of a band.
Look at the popularity of Brittney Spears, Nsync, Justing Beaver, Katie Perry, and so on. It's all about appearance and style. No talent needed...
I think MTV, where if you ain't beautiful, you ain't got no talent, has a lot to do with the dumbing down of America. Seems like it's more important to LOOK good than PLAY good. And the Bean Counters jumped on that wave and are riding it today. They couldn't care less about talent. To them real talent is how many gazillion bucks could be milked out of a band.
Look at the popularity of Brittney Spears, Nsync, Justing Beaver, Katie Perry, and so on. It's all about appearance and style. No talent needed...
Tapehead47
Addicted Member
Not modern, necessarily, but pop schtuff and how it's fed to the masses. Doesn't make them bad people, just not very inquisitive and probably insecure. They're just kids after all. They probably purchase more music than most folks. A huge target of industry.
Hey, I liked pop music when I was young. But I also liked Blues and Jazz and Classical. I still try new things today (in my 60s) but try to focus on genres I like.
capt.chaos
Super Member
You are right. It would be ok if she downloaded a high quality Taylor Swift album. Or even cooler if she drop a needle on a Taylor Swift vinyl lp. I am not saying we should like the same music. My point is that we should not think the future is doomed to low quality music. But hopefully kids today as they mature so will their appreciation for better sounding music. Right now like a lot of other kids she thinks MP3's sound good. I offered to buy her a CD player and a turntable but she did not want that old stuff she just wanted an iPod docking station. I still have hope that she and others from her generation will seek better quality music in the future even if it is on a flash drive.
dodog
Addicted Member
What's wrong with an MP3? Have you actually ever done a DBX test with a high-level bitrate MP3 (say 190 kbps or higher) vs. a lossless format? Can you prove, beyond chance, that YOU can actually hear a difference? Have you two sat down and discussed bitrates and the tradeoffs between sound quality and size? Have you two tried using Apple Lossless or installing Rockbox and using FLAC?
capt.chaos
Super Member
MP3 is great when I am exercising with my iPod on. But sounds awful when played over my home system. I have played mp3 files through my DAC and it sounded flat and not very dynamic. To be honest it sounded like crap compared to my lp's, sacd's or even cd's.
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1TUFSS
Thread Killer
That's more of a problem with today's production methods (hello, loudness war!) than anything else. Yes, if you're used to vinyl's characteristics, everything is guaranteed to sound flat, but on paper, even 320k MP3 - or, better yet, FLAC - leaves any and all old formats for dead. Yes, it's nothing like watching vinyl spin or a reel to reel, but hey, that's the beauty of perception. Do as you please - everyone has different ears - but convincing others is a different story.
I have kids aged 22, 20 and 16. Their taste in music has been influenced by mine, but not completely. They each developed their own and ultimately fed it back to me. If not for them I may never have heard of Cake, Streetlight Manifesto or The Mars Volta. Not obscure, but not getting a lot of mainstream attention either.
As to the delivery method, they all have an appreciation for good systems. The difference is they don't insist on it. They like their music for the music. They don't care if it is through ear buds or via the aux input on my pre amp.
The phenomenon that strikes me with the younger folk is the absence of the shared experience of music. Growing up, we sat in a room and all listened to the same song. Heck, we still do it at SMAC meets. Amongst the young, now everyone has their own playlist and player. To me that kind of kills the social aspect of the listening experience.
So yeah, we're doomed....it all ends this December baby.
As to the delivery method, they all have an appreciation for good systems. The difference is they don't insist on it. They like their music for the music. They don't care if it is through ear buds or via the aux input on my pre amp.
The phenomenon that strikes me with the younger folk is the absence of the shared experience of music. Growing up, we sat in a room and all listened to the same song. Heck, we still do it at SMAC meets. Amongst the young, now everyone has their own playlist and player. To me that kind of kills the social aspect of the listening experience.
So yeah, we're doomed....it all ends this December baby.
I'm 63 years old and been with this hobby over 40 years and I think MP3s sound good.
The other day I wanted to hear "Killer Joe" by the Rocky Fellers and downloaded it from Amazon and I'm completely satisfied with the sound. Maybe the old 45 would sound better but it's long gone. And I'm sure it sounds better now from MP3 over my hi-fi than the 45 sounded on my GE portable record player 50 years or so ago.
One thing I'm sure of: hearing music on MP3 is better than not hearing it on a supposedly better format.
ponderwilu
Bond ... James Bond.
We're doomed. Recently my family coaxed me into DJing a huge birthday party with about 60 twenty-thirtysomethings in attendence. Played my best classic rock on my vintage gear pumping thru stacked KLH 17's that rocked the semi large venue all night.
Nobody wondered over to see what I was using except a few of the grandchildren and then only to steal the mic.
IMHO "kids" today are more into quantity than quality.
yeah ... we're doomed.:sigh::sigh::sigh:
Nobody wondered over to see what I was using except a few of the grandchildren and then only to steal the mic.
IMHO "kids" today are more into quantity than quality.
yeah ... we're doomed.:sigh::sigh::sigh:
qft!
Because they weren't into classic rock? Its classic to you, not them.
No offense but I honestly think this forum has some of the LEAST musically inquisitive people I've ever come across, anywhere. This place is stuck in a time warp. Its like you all had a great time at one point in your lives and just can't seem to understand that its possible to have a great time, in ANOTHER time in your lives.