Whats the future of hi-fi, is it all MP3's.
16 January 2011, 01:42 PM
#61
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and there is a generation of old ***** who think 16 quid for a album ill listen to 3 tracks off is acceptable pricing!
Whats you opinion on the fact i have NEVER paid for music, when i was growing up i taped ALL my mixtapes off other peoples genuine albums, never paid for one track and i had 50 plus tapes.
the music industry was moaning taping would destroy the music industry with in 5 years, that was in 1987 LOL.
if you believe downloading will harm the industry in any way you are naive at best and at worst an ill informed clown who believes anything the industry says!
Whats you opinion on the fact i have NEVER paid for music, when i was growing up i taped ALL my mixtapes off other peoples genuine albums, never paid for one track and i had 50 plus tapes.
the music industry was moaning taping would destroy the music industry with in 5 years, that was in 1987 LOL.
if you believe downloading will harm the industry in any way you are naive at best and at worst an ill informed clown who believes anything the industry says!
2. I did home taping, but it was never as quick and easy as illegal downloading, not by a long shot.
3. If you dont think downloading will harm the music industry, you are deluded. Older artists can rely on touring, but newer artists, i would imagine illegal downloading is a real problem.
If you download illegally fine, admit it, but dont try and justify it in the way you do.
16 January 2011, 01:47 PM
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Actually, its a double egded sword Paul. Record labels know that newer artists need the illegal stuff to propigate their sales. Kids now a days will pass music round like sweets, and thats how they get their following before the singles hit the stands.
16 January 2011, 02:03 PM
#63
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Some on here have touched on my pet hate at work here. Using Home cinema Receivers for music as the main source. This is generally down to 100wpc must sound better than 25wpc.
I hate it and always go out of my way to disprove it by doing a quick demo. Lately I have pitted a Denon AVR1911(£350ish) against a Cambridge Topaz AM5(£120) and more notable an Onkyo TX-SR608(£400) vs. Marantz PM6003(£250). On both occasions the stereo amplifier won the argument but the Marantz absolutely blew the doors clean off the Onkyo. Both occasions Monitor Audio BX2's were used.
I use a Pioneer AX-3 and a set of Monitor Audio S-6's in my home cinema setup and would never stick a CD through it as the Pioneer is just completely awful with music.
With this all in mind its easy to understand why most don't care about Mp3s being of less quality because as long as it goes to 11 they are happy to be ignorant.
I hate it and always go out of my way to disprove it by doing a quick demo. Lately I have pitted a Denon AVR1911(£350ish) against a Cambridge Topaz AM5(£120) and more notable an Onkyo TX-SR608(£400) vs. Marantz PM6003(£250). On both occasions the stereo amplifier won the argument but the Marantz absolutely blew the doors clean off the Onkyo. Both occasions Monitor Audio BX2's were used.
I use a Pioneer AX-3 and a set of Monitor Audio S-6's in my home cinema setup and would never stick a CD through it as the Pioneer is just completely awful with music.
With this all in mind its easy to understand why most don't care about Mp3s being of less quality because as long as it goes to 11 they are happy to be ignorant.
16 January 2011, 02:05 PM
#64
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The last vinyl i bought was Guns N Roses use your illusion 1 & 2
plus my dad gave me his Peter Frampton record,i'll have to have a search for them always kept them as being the last records ever bought.
When i was a kid i had a record player in my room,this song was one or the very first that i had played Always seem to remember it,years later it became a record started learn to scratch on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjGINTX7VU
I got rid of my separates but still kept the floor standers.I now have a mini hi fi system with some nice bookshelf speakers from Richer,It's good to sometimes chill out and listen to the sounds coming from a nice system.I have an i pod etc,but it's more about being mobile these days i think people are after rather than years ago it was all about getting a good sound quality,tinkering around with amps,speakers etc.
plus my dad gave me his Peter Frampton record,i'll have to have a search for them always kept them as being the last records ever bought.
When i was a kid i had a record player in my room,this song was one or the very first that i had played Always seem to remember it,years later it became a record started learn to scratch on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjGINTX7VU
I got rid of my separates but still kept the floor standers.I now have a mini hi fi system with some nice bookshelf speakers from Richer,It's good to sometimes chill out and listen to the sounds coming from a nice system.I have an i pod etc,but it's more about being mobile these days i think people are after rather than years ago it was all about getting a good sound quality,tinkering around with amps,speakers etc.
16 January 2011, 02:07 PM
#65
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Some on here have touched on my pet hate at work here. Using Home cinema Receivers for music as the main source. This is generally down to 100wpc must sound better than 25wpc.
I hate it and always go out of my way to disprove it by doing a quick demo. Lately I have pitted a Denon AVR1911(£350ish) against a Cambridge Topaz AM5(£120) and more notable an Onkyo TX-SR608(£400) vs. Marantz PM6003(£250). On both occasions the stereo amplifier won the argument but the Marantz absolutely blew the doors clean off the Onkyo. Both occasions Monitor Audio BX2's were used.
I use a Pioneer AX-3 and a set of Monitor Audio S-6's in my home cinema setup and would never stick a CD through it as the Pioneer is just completely awful with music.
With this all in mind its easy to understand why most don't care about Mp3s being of less quality because as long as it goes to 11 they are happy to be ignorant.
I hate it and always go out of my way to disprove it by doing a quick demo. Lately I have pitted a Denon AVR1911(£350ish) against a Cambridge Topaz AM5(£120) and more notable an Onkyo TX-SR608(£400) vs. Marantz PM6003(£250). On both occasions the stereo amplifier won the argument but the Marantz absolutely blew the doors clean off the Onkyo. Both occasions Monitor Audio BX2's were used.
I use a Pioneer AX-3 and a set of Monitor Audio S-6's in my home cinema setup and would never stick a CD through it as the Pioneer is just completely awful with music.
With this all in mind its easy to understand why most don't care about Mp3s being of less quality because as long as it goes to 11 they are happy to be ignorant.
My audio system is part of my home cinema system, but I use an external decoder as that seems the only way to have the best of both worlds.
16 January 2011, 02:19 PM
#68
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Jack is actually correct. Kind of. Apple have changed the Music Industry. Online sales are mostly attributed to the Itunes revolution.
HOwever, Apple may have shot the Industry in the foot - by bringing the Music Industry to the consumer - music is now so cheap that it's virtually worthless. Certainly not worth the time and effort that goes into making it.
Does this bring this industry back in line with the rest of the world? It could be starting to. And that IS a bad thing. I'll put my b@lls on the chopping board here and say that whilst it's a service industry, we all buy into the glitz and glamour lifestyle (no different to say F1, for example) - we revere people who are talented. And pay them accordingly.
Sadly, because every job public thinks they can buy an Apple or PC and create music, they are entitled to the same financial rewards.
Not the case - you actually have to good at this to get anywhere. You either have some talent or you don't.
Slight digression! But as a result of the online music sales, people stopped going to record stores.
Now, this isn't all Apple's fault, as the stores could see online music coming a mile off and chose to do nothing about it. They're suffering now.
Where Apple have changed the music industry (and for the better) is in the production houses and studios. Logic Studio 9 is a fantastic bit of kit (I've used it since its introduction to the Mac back in Version 1.) Not actually their idea - Logic was written by Emagic (who were C-Lab prior to that), but they have developed it further.
The Record Company bosses have a LOT to answer for - and has been said, greed is a major contributing factor.
But at the same time, the artists can be just as bad - desperate for exposure, many give their music away. And the companies let them do it.
Out of interest, Itunes, Beatport etc make SO much money off downloads - circa 60% of each sale goes directly to the e-distributor.
Time Warner were saying that they tend to only get about 9% off any sales.
It's a rubbish time to be a working musician - the livelihood is being strangled, and very little can be done to overcome it.
CDs/Albums etc are fast just becoming a merchandise tool for a live tour. Just like the T-shirt and mug etc.
Sadly, with the cr@p financial state of the world, venues are now charging more, as are all the other concerns involved in putting on a show. So much so, that a great many artists are failing to see the point in putting on gigs - it's financially not worth their while.
So what we've got as an implosion of the Music Industry - it WILL go back to small concerns just releasing their own stuff and how people get to listen to it, well, THAT is the interesting question.
Until there's a change in culture and attitude towards music (not anytime soon I fear), you'll be reading more about poor quality music, in terms of both songs, and how they sound.
HOwever, Apple may have shot the Industry in the foot - by bringing the Music Industry to the consumer - music is now so cheap that it's virtually worthless. Certainly not worth the time and effort that goes into making it.
Does this bring this industry back in line with the rest of the world? It could be starting to. And that IS a bad thing. I'll put my b@lls on the chopping board here and say that whilst it's a service industry, we all buy into the glitz and glamour lifestyle (no different to say F1, for example) - we revere people who are talented. And pay them accordingly.
Sadly, because every job public thinks they can buy an Apple or PC and create music, they are entitled to the same financial rewards.
Not the case - you actually have to good at this to get anywhere. You either have some talent or you don't.
Slight digression! But as a result of the online music sales, people stopped going to record stores.
Now, this isn't all Apple's fault, as the stores could see online music coming a mile off and chose to do nothing about it. They're suffering now.
Where Apple have changed the music industry (and for the better) is in the production houses and studios. Logic Studio 9 is a fantastic bit of kit (I've used it since its introduction to the Mac back in Version 1.) Not actually their idea - Logic was written by Emagic (who were C-Lab prior to that), but they have developed it further.
The Record Company bosses have a LOT to answer for - and has been said, greed is a major contributing factor.
But at the same time, the artists can be just as bad - desperate for exposure, many give their music away. And the companies let them do it.
Out of interest, Itunes, Beatport etc make SO much money off downloads - circa 60% of each sale goes directly to the e-distributor.
Time Warner were saying that they tend to only get about 9% off any sales.
It's a rubbish time to be a working musician - the livelihood is being strangled, and very little can be done to overcome it.
CDs/Albums etc are fast just becoming a merchandise tool for a live tour. Just like the T-shirt and mug etc.
Sadly, with the cr@p financial state of the world, venues are now charging more, as are all the other concerns involved in putting on a show. So much so, that a great many artists are failing to see the point in putting on gigs - it's financially not worth their while.
So what we've got as an implosion of the Music Industry - it WILL go back to small concerns just releasing their own stuff and how people get to listen to it, well, THAT is the interesting question.
Until there's a change in culture and attitude towards music (not anytime soon I fear), you'll be reading more about poor quality music, in terms of both songs, and how they sound.
16 January 2011, 02:35 PM
#69
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1. I've never paid £16 for an album, £12 max maybe a few years ago.
2. I did home taping, but it was never as quick and easy as illegal downloading, not by a long shot.
3. If you dont think downloading will harm the music industry, you are deluded. Older artists can rely on touring, but newer artists, i would imagine illegal downloading is a real problem.
If you download illegally fine, admit it, but dont try and justify it in the way you do.
2. I did home taping, but it was never as quick and easy as illegal downloading, not by a long shot.
3. If you dont think downloading will harm the music industry, you are deluded. Older artists can rely on touring, but newer artists, i would imagine illegal downloading is a real problem.
If you download illegally fine, admit it, but dont try and justify it in the way you do.
If not, why would you be so bothered about the music industry?
16 January 2011, 02:37 PM
#70
No, but you are not of the 'Internet generation'. Seriously it would make no difference what the price was, these people actually don't think they are doing anything wrong by downloading for free from Torrent sites etc.
I totally agree the entertainment industry is a big part of the cause of this, but my point is that it is too late now. The precedent has been set.
I totally agree the entertainment industry is a big part of the cause of this, but my point is that it is too late now. The precedent has been set.
16 January 2011, 02:37 PM
#71
Scooby Regular
Good post and it is always been something that has confused me as to why the makers of these theatre amps don't make them work well as a stereo amp too.
My audio system is part of my home cinema system, but I use an external decoder as that seems the only way to have the best of both worlds.
My audio system is part of my home cinema system, but I use an external decoder as that seems the only way to have the best of both worlds.
I don't know the ins and outs of AV/Stereo amplifiers to be honest. I have sold amplifiers/speakers for years and tend to not take any interest in the technical side although I can my hold own in conversation and spoil the day of an over enthusiast Audio buff by pissing over their pathetic parades of useless knowledge. I got into HiFi because I like things that sound good but I generally don't care why they sound good as long as they do.
16 January 2011, 02:41 PM
#72
Its gone very backwards IMO. The standards have too. Lets look at the moderate more mass market semi-specialised "Hi-Fi":
Everyone into alleged "Hi-Fi" seems to have have bookshelf speakers on stands. Do they realise these cannot produce proper bass? And those that notice use a single separate sub woofer, which then brings all sorts of cross-over, imaging and colouration issues into the mix.
Then we have the amps; They are just simply limp wristed nowadays. Even high-end stuff fudges the measuring figures to make them look powerful. The likes of Denon and Marantz, Sony, Pioneer etc. are mostly guilty of this, but some more specialised brands are just as bad.
Then we have home A/V: Home Cinema in a box. MOST are utter rubbish. A 15cm cube speaker with a one-way driver is useless for true audio quality and is excessively reliant on a separate subwoofer. Once again its the eastern/asian brands guilty of this: Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Samsung, Sony.
Small satellite/bookshelf speakers maybe wife/girlfriend freindly, but they are a long way from producing anything like true Hi-Fi. The same can be said for some "tall-boy" speakers too. Of course, mini and micro Hi-Fis fall foul too.
To add insult ALL makers of current high-end TVs whilst having superb vision, have woefully inadequate sound quality, and so demand an AV audio solution. Yet nearly all these makers do not produce complete and a fully complimentary audio solution that really is Hi-Fi (or even remotely adequate). You may get a amp if you are lucky, but even then its either overpriced and/or very weak on power output. So you have to go and buy something else, then you find it doesn't properly integrate so you need a remote for this and a remote for that and your Sky+/V+ remote won't operate the A/V amp volume or turn the amp on/off with the TV.
What do I blame? Dumbing down. Anyone who has a bit of physics knowledge and can do some basic(ish) maths can work it out There is a physical limit to what frequency range a given size speaker cone can produce in a given size enclosure. Resonant porting can improve this, but a resonator only works in a very narrow frequency band and whilst improving mid-bass response it can actually attribute to a larger roll-off in overall bass (i.e. more mid tone bass, but less lower bass). Bookshelf/small speaker owners take note; these limits are physics and relate to the cubic volume of the speaker enclosure. No fancy material, enclosure design or branding will escape this, although a clever crossover design may "mask" any limitations to an extent but its only done so you don't need to turn the bass up on on the tone controls.
Continuing on the dumbing down road: The same physics can be applied to cables. How much current can 1.5mm mains twin and earth handle? Officially about 15amps @ 240 volts (3600watts). What does a speaker draw at full volume? Say its driven at clipping point by a "true" 100watt per ch amp (100watts RMS @ 0.01%THD, 20-20,000hz into 8ohms), being optimistic that would peak at about 200watts (guestimate). Voltage is about 60volts AC, so the peak current is 3.33amps. Wooo, so why the fat speaker cable Mr Hi-Fi wannabe? The same goes for voltage drop, reactance, and capacitance, the differences are barely measurable on a scope; You get more difference by coiling up the cable!
You see, its this obsession with style over substance (tiny speakers) and dumbing down (Monster cable), that has totally detracted from the quality of the components responsible for good solid Hi-Fi. That being large size full range speakers capable of sub-bass, be it with two way or three way drivers (depending on driver design and size). WITHOUT port resonators (phase inverting vented enclosures like Voight pipes are excepted), and driven by amps capable of driving properly without going wobbly when the volume is turned up.
MP3? it has its purpose. Its replaced the cassette tape. Ripped properly at 320kpbs or above, it can sound very good. Incidentally, Dare I say a tape "can" sound good if recorded on a pure metal, chrome dioxide (CrO2) or ferric oxide (FeCr) tape in a very good well maintained (demagnetised) Hi-Fi tape deck with double ferric read heads (or similar) using the correct equalisation mode, line levels, Dolby NR (preferably Type C...Type B was pants ). Yup I made mix tapes from CDs back in the day, so I knew how to get the best out of them, I had a Technics HX Pro tape deck and the difference this made when compared to a normal tape player was light and day.
As with MP3, ripping using media player at 192kpbs (or lower) is like recording on a cheapo tape player. It'll work ok, but you do get better by using other software and higher bitrates.
Losslec codecs are the way forward, however I find Flac doesn't sound quite right to me, so I prefer OGG. But for home for proper "sit back in the chair with the glass of whisky" listening, you still can't beat a CD IMO (or very clean, static free vinyl LP). Its quite some benchmark.
Everyone into alleged "Hi-Fi" seems to have have bookshelf speakers on stands. Do they realise these cannot produce proper bass? And those that notice use a single separate sub woofer, which then brings all sorts of cross-over, imaging and colouration issues into the mix.
Then we have the amps; They are just simply limp wristed nowadays. Even high-end stuff fudges the measuring figures to make them look powerful. The likes of Denon and Marantz, Sony, Pioneer etc. are mostly guilty of this, but some more specialised brands are just as bad.
Then we have home A/V: Home Cinema in a box. MOST are utter rubbish. A 15cm cube speaker with a one-way driver is useless for true audio quality and is excessively reliant on a separate subwoofer. Once again its the eastern/asian brands guilty of this: Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Samsung, Sony.
Small satellite/bookshelf speakers maybe wife/girlfriend freindly, but they are a long way from producing anything like true Hi-Fi. The same can be said for some "tall-boy" speakers too. Of course, mini and micro Hi-Fis fall foul too.
To add insult ALL makers of current high-end TVs whilst having superb vision, have woefully inadequate sound quality, and so demand an AV audio solution. Yet nearly all these makers do not produce complete and a fully complimentary audio solution that really is Hi-Fi (or even remotely adequate). You may get a amp if you are lucky, but even then its either overpriced and/or very weak on power output. So you have to go and buy something else, then you find it doesn't properly integrate so you need a remote for this and a remote for that and your Sky+/V+ remote won't operate the A/V amp volume or turn the amp on/off with the TV.
What do I blame? Dumbing down. Anyone who has a bit of physics knowledge and can do some basic(ish) maths can work it out There is a physical limit to what frequency range a given size speaker cone can produce in a given size enclosure. Resonant porting can improve this, but a resonator only works in a very narrow frequency band and whilst improving mid-bass response it can actually attribute to a larger roll-off in overall bass (i.e. more mid tone bass, but less lower bass). Bookshelf/small speaker owners take note; these limits are physics and relate to the cubic volume of the speaker enclosure. No fancy material, enclosure design or branding will escape this, although a clever crossover design may "mask" any limitations to an extent but its only done so you don't need to turn the bass up on on the tone controls.
Continuing on the dumbing down road: The same physics can be applied to cables. How much current can 1.5mm mains twin and earth handle? Officially about 15amps @ 240 volts (3600watts). What does a speaker draw at full volume? Say its driven at clipping point by a "true" 100watt per ch amp (100watts RMS @ 0.01%THD, 20-20,000hz into 8ohms), being optimistic that would peak at about 200watts (guestimate). Voltage is about 60volts AC, so the peak current is 3.33amps. Wooo, so why the fat speaker cable Mr Hi-Fi wannabe? The same goes for voltage drop, reactance, and capacitance, the differences are barely measurable on a scope; You get more difference by coiling up the cable!
You see, its this obsession with style over substance (tiny speakers) and dumbing down (Monster cable), that has totally detracted from the quality of the components responsible for good solid Hi-Fi. That being large size full range speakers capable of sub-bass, be it with two way or three way drivers (depending on driver design and size). WITHOUT port resonators (phase inverting vented enclosures like Voight pipes are excepted), and driven by amps capable of driving properly without going wobbly when the volume is turned up.
MP3? it has its purpose. Its replaced the cassette tape. Ripped properly at 320kpbs or above, it can sound very good. Incidentally, Dare I say a tape "can" sound good if recorded on a pure metal, chrome dioxide (CrO2) or ferric oxide (FeCr) tape in a very good well maintained (demagnetised) Hi-Fi tape deck with double ferric read heads (or similar) using the correct equalisation mode, line levels, Dolby NR (preferably Type C...Type B was pants ). Yup I made mix tapes from CDs back in the day, so I knew how to get the best out of them, I had a Technics HX Pro tape deck and the difference this made when compared to a normal tape player was light and day.
As with MP3, ripping using media player at 192kpbs (or lower) is like recording on a cheapo tape player. It'll work ok, but you do get better by using other software and higher bitrates.
Losslec codecs are the way forward, however I find Flac doesn't sound quite right to me, so I prefer OGG. But for home for proper "sit back in the chair with the glass of whisky" listening, you still can't beat a CD IMO (or very clean, static free vinyl LP). Its quite some benchmark.
Last edited by ALi-B; 16 January 2011 at 02:50 PM.
16 January 2011, 02:42 PM
#73
Scooby Regular
As for illegally downloading music. I blame the music industry itself on this one. I do it simply because music is so disgustingly terrible these days that I'm not prepared to waste the money on something until i've sampled it. What I don't like gets deleted and what I do like then gets bought.
Albums now aren't roller coaster rides either, they are just a collection of tracks that an artist knocked out quickly to fill a whole CD to cash in on the 2 songs of the album they have already decided will become singles. The music industry sucks *****.
Albums now aren't roller coaster rides either, they are just a collection of tracks that an artist knocked out quickly to fill a whole CD to cash in on the 2 songs of the album they have already decided will become singles. The music industry sucks *****.
16 January 2011, 02:49 PM
#74
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I wanted to buy a CD single in December, Went to 4 music shops and Asda, Tescos etc and not one of them had a singles chart up, HMV had a small section of singles (about 10) which were mainly random and had been out a while. I found it hard to believe that you haven't been able to buy singles for a couple of years!
Last year one of the HDD's gave up the ghost in my PC, if that was the one that I had spent putting 50% of my collection on then I would have been in tears! It's all well and good having so much music on one drive but what happens if the drive goes **** up? Ok, we can have back up's but how many people back up their home PC's on a weekly basis?
You can't beat quality separates for reproducing a quality source but if it's crap in then it's crap out
Last year one of the HDD's gave up the ghost in my PC, if that was the one that I had spent putting 50% of my collection on then I would have been in tears! It's all well and good having so much music on one drive but what happens if the drive goes **** up? Ok, we can have back up's but how many people back up their home PC's on a weekly basis?
You can't beat quality separates for reproducing a quality source but if it's crap in then it's crap out
16 January 2011, 02:55 PM
#76
Scooby Regular
Its gone very backwards IMO. The standards have too. Lets look at the moderate more mass market semi-specialised "Hi-Fi":
Everyone into alleged "Hi-Fi" seems to have have bookshelf speakers on stands. Do they realise these cannot produce proper bass? And those that notice use a single separate sub woofer, which then brings all sorts of cross-over, imaging and colouration issues into the mix.
Everyone into alleged "Hi-Fi" seems to have have bookshelf speakers on stands. Do they realise these cannot produce proper bass? And those that notice use a single separate sub woofer, which then brings all sorts of cross-over, imaging and colouration issues into the mix.
16 January 2011, 02:55 PM
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Last year one of the HDD's gave up the ghost in my PC, if that was the one that I had spent putting 50% of my collection on then I would have been in tears! It's all well and good having so much music on one drive but what happens if the drive goes **** up? Ok, we can have back up's but how many people back up their home PC's on a weekly basis?
Gotta love Apple and timemachine!
16 January 2011, 03:11 PM
#78
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Where does it back it up to?
Ok, just seen it's an external HDD, about 3 times the price that a similar PC one would do it
How many Apple owners have a timemachine?
Ok, just seen it's an external HDD, about 3 times the price that a similar PC one would do it
How many Apple owners have a timemachine?
Last edited by 500; 16 January 2011 at 03:13 PM.
16 January 2011, 03:16 PM
#80
Last year one of the HDD's gave up the ghost in my PC, if that was the one that I had spent putting 50% of my collection on then I would have been in tears! It's all well and good having so much music on one drive but what happens if the drive goes **** up? Ok, we can have back up's but how many people back up their home PC's on a weekly basis?
16 January 2011, 04:09 PM
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I think this is one of the great changes that consumers are going to have to make; "intangible" downloads are all well and good, but hard discs can and do fail. Normally it's the people who have experienced this first hand that go on to make the effort to back things up properly.
Personally I prefer to learn from other peoples' mistakes rather than having to make them myself - so I have a very robust backup strategy.
16 January 2011, 04:30 PM
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16 January 2011, 04:30 PM
#83
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I was into hi-fi for years and spent far too much on all sorts of stuff from the likes of Arcam, Musical Fidelity, Linn, Naim, B&W etc. Never happy, always looking to upgrade to reach nirvana! 
Nowadays I just listen to MP3s over my Home Cinema system. Obviously, the sound quality is nowhere near as good, but for convenience it has CD and, particularly, vinyl beaten hands down.
When you add in the fact that I can just buy the tracks I want, rather than whole albums, then it's a no-brainer for me, as it means I get to listen to a far more varied selection of artists than I used to.
Nowadays I just listen to MP3s over my Home Cinema system. Obviously, the sound quality is nowhere near as good, but for convenience it has CD and, particularly, vinyl beaten hands down.
When you add in the fact that I can just buy the tracks I want, rather than whole albums, then it's a no-brainer for me, as it means I get to listen to a far more varied selection of artists than I used to.
16 January 2011, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by JackClark
iTunes allows you to listen to every track before you buy an album and even then yiu can buy just the individual tracks. Also take a look at iTunes LP's, loads of extra artwork and other good stuff. Apple changed the music industry
It was Napster that changed the face of digital music on the web Apple saw an opportunity and jumped on the bandwagon, BTW what good is loads of artwork on an ipod? nothing tangible to hold and look at in detail.
Mart
16 January 2011, 04:38 PM
#86
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It's still a shame that the convenience of downloads has been made synonymous with poor quality.
I'd be more than happy to pay a bit more to download music as FLAC - ideally captured before the horrible compression that seems to be an inevitable part of the mastering process these days - rather than MP3. I have the equipment to hear the difference, I WANT to hear the difference and I'm willing to pay for it. I even buy whole albums rather than just a few cherry-picked tracks, and wouldn't mind if high quality music were only available this way.
But for some reason the industry doesn't seem to be interested in my money, preferring instead to bitch and cry about how album sales are on the decline. The extent to which they've missed the point is quite breathtaking
I'd be more than happy to pay a bit more to download music as FLAC - ideally captured before the horrible compression that seems to be an inevitable part of the mastering process these days - rather than MP3. I have the equipment to hear the difference, I WANT to hear the difference and I'm willing to pay for it. I even buy whole albums rather than just a few cherry-picked tracks, and wouldn't mind if high quality music were only available this way.
But for some reason the industry doesn't seem to be interested in my money, preferring instead to bitch and cry about how album sales are on the decline. The extent to which they've missed the point is quite breathtaking
16 January 2011, 04:46 PM
#87
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Give me my Cyrus 8 system and my Mission speakers anytime, OK I have an I-Pod dock in my conservatory but anytime I want too blast out on goes the Hi-FI, Am are the only one??
Cheers
Colin
Cheers
Colin
16 January 2011, 04:50 PM
#88
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Iv got separates down stairs in the workshop , amp , tape, cd and speakers nothing at all fancy , also put some stuff throw the computer to play in the car .
If i want to plug mp3 downstairs i can . I dont believe i can get everything i want off itunes or that itll will sound as good thro one of those poxy little docking station speakers
If i want to plug mp3 downstairs i can . I dont believe i can get everything i want off itunes or that itll will sound as good thro one of those poxy little docking station speakers
16 January 2011, 04:53 PM
#89
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Good post and it is always been something that has confused me as to why the makers of these theatre amps don't make them work well as a stereo amp too.
My audio system is part of my home cinema system, but I use an external decoder as that seems the only way to have the best of both worlds.
My audio system is part of my home cinema system, but I use an external decoder as that seems the only way to have the best of both worlds.
biamped to a good set of speakers Pure audio takes either the straight stereo via phono from the CD or via coaxial / digital out from the CD player (Marantz CD52 MkII), with no form of signal processing, shaping, or filtering whatsoever, it highlights just how flat and lacklustre some modern CD's are, it also shows who's being playing with the gain, when laying down tracks.
Fed through a pair of Kef 1Q3's sound very nice, for the times i want to play stuff that needs a bit of a boost, or movies, the Rel Q150E just gives the right amount of underpinning
Mart
16 January 2011, 04:59 PM
#90
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Surely the album should be the making of a band , how long do bands last now .......
im sure its got nothing to do with the fact that little johnny can download one song from sombody for next to nothing and discard to the apple suppository hours later longing for his next fix - never in fact having known /cared for the motives behind the music or anything else
im sure its got nothing to do with the fact that little johnny can download one song from sombody for next to nothing and discard to the apple suppository hours later longing for his next fix - never in fact having known /cared for the motives behind the music or anything else