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Audio Empire Audio Empire is offline
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Default Hi Rez digital vs. LP

On Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:02:34 -0700, Scott wrote
(in article ):

On Apr 29, 1:26pm, Audio Empire wrote:
On Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:49:16 -0700, Scott wrote
(in article ):

On Apr 27, 2:46pm, Audio Empire wrote:
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:35:56 -0700, Scott wrote
(in article ):



OK, the only two Mercury Classic Records releases that I've ever
heard are the "Firebird" and a Classic Records test pressing of the
remastering of a few cuts from the Mercury LP "Hi-Fi a la Espanola"
with Frederick Fennel and the Eastman Rochester Pops Orchestra
(Mercury SR- 90144). While the "Espanola" record does sound great,
it does not have the impact that the Firebird" has in my estimation.
I do have several Lewis Leyton recorded RCAs on Classic Records
single-sided 45 RPM series, and again, they sound great (better than
the SACDs BMG released a few years ago, and better than the original
Red-Seal LPs) , but they don't have the impact of the "Firebird".
That's why I called it "an anomaly".


OK but that certainly could be a function of the source material. But
what has not been an anomaly IME is the superior sound of these 45 rpm
audiophile reissues when compared to their counterparts.



Granted. They all sound so good that if ALL LPs had sounded as good, IME,
there would have been no reason for CD!


If one DOESN'T ignor those "blind tests", then one would have to
conclude that the Classic Records single-sided 45 RPM release of
that title sounds BETTER than the master tape. But if Bernie
Grundman used NO mastering moves, how do we account for the
serendipitously spectacular sound on that particular release?


Euphonic colorations. I don't remeber if it was Doug Sax or Stan
Ricker but years ago one of them claimed that the LPs he mastered
consistantly sounded better than the signal fed to the cutting lathe.
A classic case of "better" and "more accurate" being at odds with each
other.


In many cases, I'll take the euphonic colorations over accuracy. We're going
for an effect here. That effect is of real musicians playing in real space.
If euphonic colorations in recordings helps to achieve that goal, then I'm
all for them.

Now, having said that, I also assert that using todays tools, it is possible
to make accurate recordings that also have all of the attributes that we
associate with euphonic colorations in recordings made 50-55 years ago.