Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site boulder.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!nbires!boulder!heuring From: heuring@boulder.UUCP (Vincent Heuring) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: A-B Tests Message-ID: <361@boulder.UUCP> Date: Fri, 10-May-85 17:06:01 EDT Article-I.D.: boulder.361 Posted: Fri May 10 17:06:01 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 13-May-85 00:53:45 EDT References: Reply-To: heuring@boulder.UUCP (Vincent Heuring) Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder Lines: 43 I've been following the traffic dealing with A-B tests, CD vs analog, etc. as well as reading the high-end and mainstream audio mags. While I have always been a fan of J. Gordon Holt's Stereophile as the best of the golden ear mags (-: he usually agrees with me :-) it amuses me that Audio is the first to include regular reviews conducted by reviewers who not only use A-B testing, but quote the degree of statistical significance of the results. Ever notice how the gear in polished walnut cases often gets described as rich, smooth, warm, while gear in black anodized Al sounds harsh, lacking in warmth, and has a hard, glassy high end. Sigh. Let's face it, folks, we are at a watershed period in hifi. Less and less are we going to be concerned with frequency response, distortion, and other flaws in the *reproduction* of recorded sound. Forget what Doug Sax and the others say who listen with their wallets, or who were trained in analog audio and can't hack digital (Carver ?). That digital signal is going to creep it's way forward and backward in the signal path; back to the a-d converter in the mike, forward clear to the dac imbedded IN THE OUTPUT TRANSDUCER (right, folks, the digital signal path will extend clear to the speakers.) Then we will be able to forget our psycho-acoustic concerns about mike cable hum, crummy mixdowns, aging master tapes, virgin pressings, off-center holes, clicks, pops, skips, flutter, wow, hum, freq resp, distortion, control noise, shot noise, ofc wire, etc etc etc . Then maybe we can concentrate on appreciating the music. Our concerns about the reproduction equipment will center on things like room equalization (how about a small lapel mike which dynamically optimizes the listening environment). Then the arguments between the traditionalists and the modernists might center around questions like whether it is better to reproduce the music exactly as recorded, shape it to the listening environment, or strip it all the way back to its anechoic state and restore ambience as desired. Perhaps some day many compositions will be available in their anechoic form only, and the golden ears will be selling filter coefficients and reverb information. I for one look forward to the day when the only noise I hear when listening to my recordings is the rustling of scores. Vince Heuring "..ya don't need a weatherman ta know which way the wind blows.."