[Audio Empire]

On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:45:52 -0700, Robert Peirce wrote
(in article ):

In article ,
"Arny Krueger" wrote:

I have just begun to convert some LPs to 192/24 digital files using
PureVinyl and a TC Impact Twin.

What a cornucopia of highly audible software and hardware EFX processors!

My first thought is that you must really dislike the sound of vinyl to feel
the need for signal-massaging power on the scale encouraged by these
products.

Marketing-wise these products seem to be tearing themselves apart. One part
hypes super-accurate processing with zillions of bits and samples, and
another part is designed to bend sound like a pretzel.

I think, perhaps, you are missing my point. I am not using any of the
many "features" on the Impact Twin, just its DAC capability. I use the
mic input directly from the TT output, convert to digital and store in a
file on my computer. It is much like using a pre-amp with all the tone
controls deactivated.

I use PureVinyl to create the file and to edit the tracks and track
names. It does nothing to what is in the file itself once it is
created. I use PureMusic to play it back with RIAA equalization done in
software. There might be some argument about whether that is better or
worse than doing it in hardware. I don't really want to start that
discussion because I don't know.

Software implementation of the RIAA EQ *SHOULD* be better than hardware
implementation because it can be more accurate to the ideal RIAA curve.
However, this depends a lot on who the wrote the software, how many data
points they used, and how accurate that the programmer felt was "accurate
enough". OTOH, the records that one is playing were made with a recording
RIAA curve that WAS almost assuredly implemented in hardware and any hardware
RIAA filter is going to only be as accurate as the nearest standard
components values to the calculated ideal. In other words, if the calculated
value for a certain resistor in the filter comes out to 45, 634 Ohms, and the
nearest standard resistor value is 47,000 Ohms +/- 10%, then there will be
that much error in the finished filter.

As far as I know, playing an LP, without saving the output to a file, is
neither unique nor exceptional. It is just something you can do. My
point was that playing the LP directly and playing the file produced
from playing the LP sounded the same when using the same device. My
feeling was that might not happen if you used different, unequal,
devices for one versus the other.

Whether I hate or love LPs is irrelevant. I probably have about the
same number of LPs as I have CDs and I have a lot of both. In my
experience, both media can produce wonderful and terrible reproductions.
However, I am planning to move to a much smaller space and there are
advantages to getting everything into a computer based music server.

You are right about the quality differences between CD and LP being often
down to the execution of the individual release. That's sort of the point
here. And I understand your desire to move all your LPs to computer files -
I'd hate to have to do it for 2500 LPs though 8^)