Arny Krueger wrote:
"Pooh Bear" wrote
in message
Arny Krueger wrote:

"Harry Lavo" wrote in message

"Jenn" wrote in message
...
I've heard good analogue tapes (two of the 50s and 60s
original Mercury master tapes, for example) but never
in a home audio setting. I'd like to try to borrow a
good Revox or similar and hear an excellent analogue
master tape and see if I perceive the timbre issue to
be similar to LP. That would help to determine if what
I like about LP sound is due to colorations inherent to
LPs.

Well assuming you could get the appropriate and
calibrated Dolby A setup, I think you'd be blown away by
how analogue tape takes that "LP sound" and raises it to
six no-trump.

Agreed. The only thing better is CD.

CD can't *improve* on an analogue master.

Agreed. However it can improve on the system that I was specifically
commenting on, which is a "appropriate and calibrated Dolby A setup"


Early CDs were often dreadful due to technical
limitations of the then-available equipment and methods
used.

At one point early in the introduction of the CD I owned every CD title that
was sold by any retail outlet in the midwest US - all 16! They were a mixed
bag - some were dreadful and some are still among the best-sounding
recordings I've ever heard. That tells me that the best then-available
equipment and methods were entirely adequate, if they were properly used.
IOW, it was all about the human factor, not any limitations of the basic
technology, even as implemented at that time.

Through a quirk of fate, I recently acquired an operational CDP-101, the
first CD player sold widely at retail in the US, that I still occasionally
use. AFAIK it is 100% origional. It sounds no different from the
best-sounding modern players including my SACD/DVD player. It even does a
credible job of playing CD-Rs.

At the time of the introduction of the CD, Denon had been doing digital
recording for about 10 years, and Telarc had had been doing the same for 5
years. Mainstream labels had been using digital recorders to master
commercial releases that were initially released on LPs for about 4 years.
The technology had been around long enough and used often enough to be
relatively mature and sound good, if properly used.
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Arny saysabout the first cdplayer ever made:
It sounds no different from the
best-sounding modern players including my SACD/DVD player. It even does a
credible job of playing CD-Rs.
I also happen to own the CDP 101, retired on its laurels, in the
loft.
I also have a new Pioneer heavily modified by my guru friend.
You just confirmed everything I guessed about your taste (are you
acquainted with that non-technical word?) in music.
Otherwise you're an esteemable and knowledgable engineer,
Ludovic Mirabel
Ludovic M..