Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: notesfiles Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!wjh12!genrad!decvax!decwrl!amd!dual!zehntel!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpfcla!rmd From: rmd@hpfcla.UUCP (rmd) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: re: West of Oz CD Message-ID: <13100013@hpfcla.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Oct-84 16:38:00 EDT Article-I.D.: hpfcla.13100013 Posted: Fri Oct 12 16:38:00 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Oct-84 06:40:56 EDT References: <3872@decwrl.UUCP> Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Fort Collins, CO Lines: 39 Nf-ID: #R:decwrl:-387200:hpfcla:13100013:000:2081 Nf-From: hpfcla!rmd Oct 14 12:38:00 1984 The tests which Tony Lauck ran Using a Sony PCM adapter to record Sheffield LP's were very interesting to me. This is something I had always wanted to do myself to rebut anti-digital arguments. Being pro-digital, I am not surprised at his results which indicated that a digital recording of an LP sounds very much like the LP. Tony was still bothered by the fact the LPs do sound different and he couldn't understand why Bert White in Audio didn't hear the same differences he did. I believe that these things are largely explained by some fairly obvious and common attributes analog systems. First, it is the nature of digital processes to be repeatable in the common objective measures of frequency response, speed accuracy, distortion, etc. Some people argue that digital systems vary subjectively and that may or may not be true. However, no one that I know of questions the consistency of frequency response, etc. On the other hand, it is the nature of analog systems NOT to be repeatable. It would be possible to acheive greater repeatability by spending more money in the design and manufacture of equipment, but most "high-end" manufacturers design for subjective rather than objective performance. There are in fact large (relative to digital) variations in the objective performance of turntable/arm/cartridge/head-amp/preamp combinations. There are also large variations in the equipment used to record and cut LP's. Frequency response variations can easily exceed 5db when 1db is clearly detectable. Longterm playback speed can vary over a 1-2% range. While many would claim that these variances are not important, they are certainly important for CD-LP comparisons. As far as I can tell, most CD-LP comparisons are done with no good data about the objective performance of the analog chain involved. Without such data, there is no reason to assume that differences are due to any reasons other than the obvious ones. Rick Dow hpfcla!rmd