MeloManiac

Ok, I may look foolish here, because I know many pros and very experienced people are in this forum... But here is a recording I did of my wife's concert some years ago. I filmed it from the side, but I put a small Zoom recorder on a tripod right in front of the group (it can be seen from time to time in the bottom right corner). The Zoom audio (in mp3, though wav is possible too) was added in post to the video. My wife is a multi-instrumentalist. Here she plays the oboe, she also plays the flute, cello and piano. I like to mess with video, audio and photography. I guess your question was merely rhetorical, though. Enjoy listening. Put it through your large speakers, it sounds better that way than on laptop speakers.

My wife is a cellist. The instrument she plays is 113 years old. The sound and dynamic range it produces is unequaled by any recording in any format. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

That's so with my system too. Not high-end at all, but today's electronics are so good value for their price. You can get amazing sound quality for a very reasonable price. And going analog/vinyl is by far cheaper than digital. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

I Agree. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

You must live in a parallel universe where digital music has been around much longer than in this universe? Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

Some put too much trust in digital files. Digital carriers will not survive the average life span of a vinyl record. There are real threats such as disc rot (see picture from Wikipedia), bit rot, component and system failures. Anyone who hasn't lost some important digital pictures, rips, files, documents due to negligent backup protocol... raise your hand?!

These are the very first singles I owned. I was 10 years old. They have tremendous emotional value for me. I can't imagine a similar attachment to a digital file somewhere stored on a server in zeros and ones. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

With future proof, I mean this: In photography, you can scan a century old negative with the most modern equipment and create a the best possible digital image. You can rip a vinyl record with the best algorithm available to create a digital file. As technology evolves, you can repeat this process in the future, for even better digital files. But in order to do that, of course, you must still have access to your analog source .

"Vinyl is the only consumer playback format we have that's fully analog and fully lossless" Like film in analog photography, vinyl is the only format that is truly future proof.

Of course, the obvious advantages were: 1) scratch free and dust free playback, if you made a tape of a relatively new album 2) (illegal) sharing of music with friends 3) creating your own 'mix' for your girlfriend 4) distributing obscure live bootleg recordings (this is for the millennials here)

90 minute tape would allow to record two albums, one on each sides... most of the time. Until I finally lay hands on the record itself, and found out that there were actually three more songs on the album. Epiphany!!! Also, if you had a favourite song: play, stop, rewind, play, stop, rewind ad infinitum... This would kill a cassette too! I mostly bought Maxell tapes, there were different types and different qualities, of which I don't remember the details. Also BASF and TDK were popular brands here in Belgium. Of course, I'm now writing about the tapes I recorded myself, from vinyl albums I owned myself, or from friends. The commercial, pre-recorded cassettes sold next to the vinyl albums, were actually much, much, much worse quality. Not just the tape itself, but also the plastic casing was stuff nightmares are made of. The worst that would happen is leaving your cassette in your car on a hot summer day. You'd find it back, bent and distorted by the summer heat, nothing left to do with it but throw it in the dust bin. Or, like I did once, 'transplant' the tape from its bent casing into another casing. This of course, could only be done if the casing wasn't glued together, but screwed together... Oh the memories....

I hate cassettes. In fact, when I salvaged my old stereo system from my parents house when it was sold, I deliberately left the onkyo tape player behind. Why this hate? 1) terrible quality of tape, which leaves a brown residue on the reading head, which muffles the sound 2) nightmares about tape ending up in the mechanism with nothing left but to tear the tape in pieces 3) tape stretching, with horrible tone distortion. No mister, Tape will never enter this man's house again!

Today I was listening to some vinyl records (U2, Songs of Experience). By chance, a light beam fell upon the vinyl and was reflected upon the wooden wall behind the turntable. The result was an enlarged image of the imperfect rotation of the vinyl record, and I found it quite spectacular. The miracle is, of course, that the sound that the turntable produces, is unaffected. (In this case, a newly acquired Pro-Ject Essential III, George Harrison special edition with a standard Ortofon OM10 needle). This 'old' technology is at the top of its game, really, and even this entry level audiophile turntable easily works around substantial torque, push and pull, as can be seen in the video.

You'll need a pre amp if you want to connect several devices. It is China made. Consider the Elekit TU8200, which is Japanese with highest quality components. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

Connect them on channel A, then listen to both low and high and choose what sounds best for your ears and the room. Verstuurd vanaf mijn 5047U met Tapatalk

Steve Huff wrote an extensive review of the Sixes: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/klipsch-the-sixes-speaker-review-mid-fi-at-its-finest/ He certainly isn't happy with the phono stage, and also the bluetooth is so-and-so. Connecting your cd player optically (or digitally) should give an amazing sound, though. Edit: I just found out there is an amazing price drop at amazon. The Sixes are now only $599.

I live in Europe, and for about a year now, I have a Qobuz account. For me, it has been a means to discover great music. If you are, like me, eclectic in your taste of music, you 'll be in for a treat. I particularly like there 'curated' blog entries and the work they put in introducing old and new music to the public. Their 'Panoramas' and 'Qobuzism' are another way of finding great music. I can only compare with Spotify Free, whose toxic in-app adds have made me intolerant and allergic - my auto-immune system goes crazy as soon as I see Spotify's logo... Qobuz is quite the opposite, it 'll bring you in audio-walhalla! Read more about it here: https://www.audiostream.com/content/qobuz-hits-us-hi-res-streaming-service-launch I'm just an enthusiast, I have no affiliation with Qobuz...

I came across this post by Grover Neville at Inner Fidelity, which lists "new music and artists who do sincerely care about sound quality". Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/where-did-all-good-music-go-its-right-here#qrSlpQLsVSTSSV38.99

This was just for the picture, to demonstrate their size.

Teach yourself to solder and buy the Elekit TU8200 (or TU8200DX) diy kit. Review here: https://kenrockwell.com/audio/elekit/tu-8200.htm

Being the OP, I want to thank you all for your ideas and contributions. They taught me a lot. And this is what I'm here for. Being a U2 fan for a 'very' long time, I was a bit disappointed with how my U2 cds sound through my Klipsch speakers. Both, cds and streaming, sound ugly and muddy. Could it be bad mastering, editing? Many here seem to suggest so. I've learned that Klipsch speakers make some (digital) albums shine, while they are very unforgiving for other albums. But for me, and U2, things changed in a positive way today... Some weeks ago, I bought a tiny, China made, hybrid tube amp. This was great fun, and great value for money. But I wasn't able to use my 1980s record player with it. Until today, when my small phono stage arrived. It is even smaller (and cheaper) than the hybrid tube amp. They are sitting snuggly (is that a correct word?) on top of my RP160M speakers. Now, I'm finally able to play my vinyl records with my Klipsch speakers. And you know what? My vinyl U2 albums now sound brilliant! No muddy, digital soup. Right now, I'm listening to U2's Songs of Experience on vinyl. And it sounds absolutely fine! There's nothing wrong with the mix! It is the digital file that messes up the sound! I expect it will be like that for Achtung Baby as well. I can't do the test, because I only have the cd. So here is my conclusion: through Klipsch speakers, U2 sounds at its best on vinyl... Gear: Onkyo CP-1000A (vintage 1980s) Klipsch RP160M Nobsound Hybrid Tube Amp IAMNOBODY MM/MC phono stage

They need to work on their website software. It is unlikely a potential buyer will be interested in what they suggest: $19,999 vs $9,98?! Quite a difference!

They were tested yet the seal is unbroken? Hoax? Fraud? Quote: The gennuine ahticle (sic) has two paper seals on each end of the box; a serial number at the bottom of the box which matches the permanently engraved one in the base of the valve; a curve-trace paper for that serial #; a non-transferrable 1-year warranty with Westrex Corporation which must be registered via the enclosed form (self-addressed envelope is included) to extend beyond the limited 90-day guarantee. WEs without engraved serial numbers are production rejects and not officially in circulation. Unless it's got an engraved serial #, there's no warranty, the valve in question hasn't met its specs and Western Electric never meant for it to be used by paying consumers. source: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/we300b/300b.html

I love reading audiophile's reviews of gear and albums for this reason: they always mention some of their favourite recordings they use for reviewing/testing. As soon as they do this, I look them up and if I like them, add these to my 'Audiophile' playlist on Qobuz/Spotify/Whatever. In just a few weeks, I have now collect 5 hours worth of really enjoyable music from all genres. Even though I stream it as 320Kbs mp3, which is no audiophile quality at all, these tracks sound fantastic on my Klipsch RP160M speakers. I got to learn many new bands and artists I never heard before, often 'old' or non-mainstream, and when friends visit our home, it is quite fun to see their mouth fall open with surprise when they hear this music. In the article posted here by the OP, I got to learn Air's "Run" from Talkie Walkie. You should look it up. Really great! This is my public 'Audiophile 1' playlist at Qobuz: https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/2003467