[wellylug] Transferring LP's to CD's

[Jonathan Harker]

On Wednesday, 30 April 2003 10:42, Peter Jones wrote:
> Was vinyl *ever* CD quality?
>
> (I sense a golden ear argument coming on :-) )

Okay this thread isn't Linux related, so spank me!

The main problem with CDs (apart from inadequate DA circuitry in many CD 
players which mangles the fidelity present in the digital data) is that 
they cut off everything above 20 kHz. Although we can't hear anything 
much above about 16 kHz anyway, we CAN however hear the audible 
difference tones when high frequency information is present.

We use this HF information to sense direction, it adds much to our 
stereo perception and recent psychoneurological research shows we use 
it to literally 'see' in the dark using rudimentary echolocation (think 
about the last time you went for a midnight grope down the hall to the 
loo!). Additionally, frequencies above 60 kHz, even though we do not 
percieve them as sounds, induce alpha brainwave patterns (the ones that 
make you feel all warm and fuzzy).

This HF information is present well beyond 100 kHz on vinyl but is 
completely absent on CDs.  This is why classical music often sounds 
dull on CD, and more lively on well kept (read unscratched) vinyl. You 
ask any other classical musician :-) It is also one of the reasons why 
live unamplified music (eg. opera, orchestra, unplugged pop and jazz) 
sounds better when it is live and you are actually there, and is also 
why most Techno DJs still use vinyl, because it gets the crowd jiggy 
more effectively.

This is the main reason why the new 192 kHz digital audio formats pushed 
by Sony Philips etc. such as DVD Audio really do sound much better. Of 
course by then you're limited by the HF reproduction of your amp and 
speakers... :-)

<lame attempt to remain on topic>
So to get near the audio quality of vinyl on a Linux box, you'll need a 
24 bit 192 kHz audio card, software that can talk to it, a DVD burner 
and software that can write the DVD Audio format.
</lame attempt to remain on topic>

-- 
Jonathan Harker
MUSAC
Massey University
http://www.massey.ac.nz/

The future is a myth created by insurance salesmen and high school 
counselors.