Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hound.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!hound!rfg From: rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: zen and the art...stardate 850530.10 - analog uber alles? Message-ID: <1200@hound.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Jun-85 22:46:25 EDT Article-I.D.: hound.1200 Posted: Tue Jun 4 22:46:25 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 03:21:10 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 28 References: <1257@houxm.UUCP> <361@petrus.UUCP> <7730@ucbvax.ARPA> [] I'm afraid someone has a wholly erroneous idea about analog distortion when claiming CD's might be more linear frequency-wise but good old analog beats digital on distortion. Take a look at test reports of cartridges and tape decks. Look at the plots of, say, intermodulation distortion vs recorded velocity for cartridges. Look at where the curves go at velocities. Look at THD vs level for tape decks (reel-to-reel or cassettes). In either case it is rare to find the curves dropping much lower than 1 percent distortion. Maybe 1/2 percent in a very super duper model. This compared to the .0000000001 percent you hear amp hypers touting. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Well, it didn't used to as that was all there was. But now look at distortion figures for CD players. When listeners say that CD's have an almost unnatural clarity you can begin to see why. The only way you had to hear audio with distortion levels this low before was to attend a live performance or hear a performance live over FM radio that was tape recorded. This clarity makes new demands on the whole recording chain that were not so before. No wonder recordists have to rethink there methods. We can hear lots of garbage that was masked before. Now this can have the effect of making something sound bad we thought was ok before. But this is made up for by how much better it sounds when everything is right. -- "It's the thought, if any, that counts!" Dick Grantges hound!rfg