On 10/1/2010 5:56 AM Arny Krueger spake thus:
"~misfit~" wrote in message
...
My first post here, please be gentle....
I just saw one of my old favourite CDs (and an excellent yardstick
for judging stereos or speakers) in a 'specials' bin. It's Rickie
Lee Jones' eponymous album from 1979.
I'm in New Zealand and my copy, which I bought in about 1980 and
gets listened to at least weekly, was manufactured by Warner Music
Australia. This copy that I just bought (even though my original is
still in perfect condition I like it enough to buy a second copy)
is made in Germany by Record Services GmbH, Alsdorf.
I was just wondering, is there likely to be any difference in
quality / sound between them? (My main system is limping while the
main speaker's mids are getting re-coned and my back-up speakers
are fine for HT but not for critical audio reviewing.)
The answer to your question is something that you can determine for
yourself with just an ordinary computer.
Just download EAC or CDEX (freeware), and convert the CDs to digital
files. Both products include digital file comparison utilities that
will tell you whether or not they are identically the same.
Well, maybe.
While the two discs should be *virtually* identical, it's likely they
won't be *absolutely* identical--in other words, a byte-by-byte
comparison of the two files will probably fail.
I'm no expert on CD audio, but I know enough about the process to know
that since CD-DA has a higher error tolerance than data CDs (CD-ROM,
etc.)--a lower level of error detection and correction--it's possible
for errors to make it through the drive into the bitstream. Small
errors, but errors nonetheless.
Still, Arny's right; the two files should be, let's say, something like
99.9% identical. Thus demolishing many myths about audible differences
between CDs due to pressing locations, etc.
--
The fashion in killing has an insouciant, flirty style this spring,
with the flaunting of well-defined muscle, wrapped in flags.
- Comment from an article on Antiwar.com (
http://antiwar.com)