DH shocks wife with SACDs - Audiophiles note

Leah Frances

DH and I set up some of his growing collection of audio equipment tonight. Normally, I'm tone deafer than an old man who would say he was 'DEEF'.

Then DH tells me he's going to play an "SACD" that costs on average $20 and up to and including $45

- Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms 20th Ann edition (in the $20 range).
And I'll be darned - It sounded... AMAZING. No kidding. Here's a recording I have listened to dozens and dozens of times and I would have SWORN on a stack of NEC 2008s that it was a different/better/awesomer recording. Really, Amazing.

So, idiot consumers have, yet again, chosen a crappy format (MP3/MP4s) over what is now an extinct format. And now I have to not be angry when he buys yet another $45 CD.

Crap. I sound like one of those LP freaks. But I will say, if there is anyone out there who still likes listening to music, check this out.

__________________
If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

DIYtestdummy

<---Needs to check this out - feels modern music is too overly digitized and lacks the "love."

__________________
"Aw! Why does everything that only happens to stupid people happens to me?" - Homer J. Simpson

cellophane

I'm still partial to my vinyl collection... it however is not very portable.

Leah Frances

OK - suckers (and I mean that in a playful-non-insulting way) I'm too young (even though I turn 34 tomorrow) to have owned any vinyl. I had some tape cassettes, but I'm pretty sure no one ever claims they sounded good.

__________________
If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

johnnyboy

DVD-Audio/SACDs are large uncompressed files, 24-bit, 192khz I believe. Way too big to be "portable" especially around 10 years ago when they came out. Even today, still too big.

People like Mp3s because you can fit a gazillion of them on an IPOD.

When storage becomes REALLY advanced, higher quality audio will follow.

Besides, most of the crap today would only sound WORSE with higher resolution

nap

what do you mean you are too young? They still make them and they still make turntables. You just don't want a turntable that was previously owned by anybody that has a name that starts with DJ.

chrisn

HAPPY B_DAY!
Being somewhat( OK a lot) older,I have an extensive vinyl collection that I have slowly been burning one at a time to cd's.It is still going to take a year or better to do.

sdsester

Too many years ago my high school music department put out an album on vinyl. I date myself just mentioning this since many schools don't even have music and arts departments anymore. And I agree they shouldn't. Why give kids a well rounded exploratory education when all you have to do is teach them to take tests (or pay someone to take them for you in the case of a certain recent former US pres who thankfully forgot where he left the keys to an expensive fighter jet). I am glad to see PE programs go too and always vote down bond issues that would provide for them. If you cannot play varsity football, or cheerlead for the sport? Stay out of the way. Get off the field.

Anyhow, the music department at my now antique high school was all encompassing. If you wanted to be part of playing with music there was someplace for you. The girls glee club was made up of young women absolutely tone and pitch deaf but willing to sing from their hearts anyhow. They were not allowed into the real choir but were given a performance slot at all concerts parents had to endure.

The album I mentioned has a gut wrenching rendition of "Born Free" sung by the Girls Glee Club that is classic but only works in analog form. I have taken it into my audio editing software and pulled all the snap, crackle and pop out of it. I guess I could convert it to MP3 or whatever but it would not be the same. The vinyl has been moved so many times and stored so improperly over the years that there is something about just watching the arm with the diamond cartridge float over it that brings back memories.

It is the only vinyl I still own personally although I did buy a really nice USB connection, speed/strobe adjustable turntable to help others convert old albums a few years ago.

Damned kids these days! How can we expect them to be growing up normal without experiencing full size album covers!?

Leah Frances

This is so cute.

__________________
If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

Scuba_Dave

You haven't lived until you have experienced 8-tracks !!
If you have never heard a song fade out in the middle of the song then fade back in as it switched to the next track you don't know what you are missing !!

cellophane

i'm a few years younger than you and i have about 1000 records sitting in my basement at the moment. to be fair though - my name used to start with DJ i however took care of my equipment and my records. the technics 1200 series are just about indestructible.

the major labels are starting to issues vinyl LP's again, most come with some format of digital audio (cd, download, usb drive) so you can drop the songs onto an mp3 player and rock out at places other than your home. personally i like flipping through cd's or lp's to find music. it reminds me what i have and i tend to listen to a lot more variety than when i just open up foobar and load up the same thing i listened to yesterday.

sdsester

Happy birthday by the way! Actually chrome cobalt tapes sounded fine in my little autos. Windows were open on the trucks so who knows. I seem to remember they were alright and if not? The heavy metal in them, not just recorded on them, lasted a long time.

Cassette tapes, as you 34yo youngsters cannot remember, lasted longer than any other media storage device in my lifetime so far. But, as Dave suggests...

8 track is the technology time forgot and we should have stuck with. The cartridges were hardy. You could use an 8 track tape cartridge to pound a piece of chicken breast or veal flat for dinner. Wipe it off, stick it in the home player/recorder and your were good to go.

Try that with your little Ipod or MP3 players!

Itsdanf

Wow, that brings back memories! And 8-tracks actually had much better sound quality than cassettes (except for the change-overs, that is). Thanks for dredging up some pleasent memories in my humble brain, Dave.

Happy B-Day, Leah!

Dan