Man I feel old reading this

[Saturn5]

Cleaning out the garage the other day I threw out my old dwell meter, I will probably never see points like that again.

I wonder how many Scott tube amps ended up in the trash heap for the same reason? [:'(]

[Mallette]

My father had a 50 Mercury with an under dash turndable.

I still have mine. Not under the dash anymore, but intact. Keep thinking either I or my kids might realize a return on the 15.00 I paid for it in the mid-60's from some restoration freak. I'm sure it could be made to work again, and would certainly be a centerpiece in a GTO, SS, or similar muscle car restoration.

Dave

[dtel]

I think todays kids are really missing out, at least the part of how lucky and convenient things are today.

But my Dad probably said the same thing about me ?

[Saturn5]

It's interesting how everything has gotten easier, faster, cheaper, etc.except real quality sound.

Electroncs may be cheaper and sure we have new processors, etc., but a 60 year old amp, turntable, and speakers can still sound better than all but the best of the best of today's offerings. The science really hasn't changed much. Or at least that's how it seems to me from the outside of the industry. What gets me is convenience and portability are more important than sound quality today, and most of the younger generation today don't even know what they're missing when they consider their MP3 player and headphones to be "awesome" sound.

[garyrc]

It's interesting how everything has gotten easier, faster, cheaper, etc.except real quality sound.

Electroncs may be cheaper and sure we have new processors, etc., but a 60 year old amp, turntable, and speakers can still sound better than all but the best of the best of today's offerings. ..... What gets me is convenience and portability are more important than sound quality today, and most of the younger generation today don't even know what they're missing when they consider their MP3 player and headphones to be "awesome" sound.

... and some recordings from the '50s, '60s and ''70s sound better than most CDs today.

... the unrealistic but impressive spatiality of headphones may obscure the fact that the MP3 is relatively low fidelity.

... some of the young seem to prefer high frequencies rolled off ... to hide all of that HF distortion??

[dtel]

I had to replace the starter in my Cadillac STS and the starter is located UNDER the intake manifold. It took most of the day labeling vacuum lines and wiring as I pulled it down and re-assembled it.

I felt like a fool having to call Cadillac to find the location of the starter. I am or should say "was" a fine mechanic and have built numerous custom motorcycles and cars and worked as a line mechanic and body man for about a half dozen dealerships up until '96 or so.

That's crazy, it must be the only car in the world to have the starter there, I would have never found it . Bet it was not cheap either.

[Mallette]

... and some recordings from the '50s, '60s and ''70s sound better than most CDs today.

... the unrealistic but impressive spatiality of headphones may obscure the fact that the MP3 is relatively low fidelity.

... some of the young seem to prefer high frequencies rolled off ... to hide all of that HF distortion??

Even more, my friend. I have recordings from the 20's, 30's, and 40's that easily best many recent efforts.

One audiophile subgroup specializes in hearing anything wrong with the sound. The problem is that it is applied to all noise, dynamic range limitations, and frequency response without regard to whether it was avoidable or not.

Therefore, when I listen to Kid Ory doing "Muskrat Ramble" like nobody has since done it, I am oblivious to the the wear noise, very limited frequency response, and such and hear only magnificent music mike to perfection.

As we constantly repeat, this is a hobby. There is no right or wrong and I am amazed at the abilities to discriminate demonstrated by many members. But I am equally pleased at being able to "turn it off" and listen to the MUSIC as close as I will ever be to these giants, both of music and of early recording!

For me, it's all about honoring the source material.

Dave

[garyrc]

For me, it's all about honoring the source material.

Dave

Yes, exactly. It's so good when the source can shine through the later layers. I'm sure you have experienced the source material being dishonored when it is put on CD (or DVD or Blu ray). One of the best companies is Chesky, but as good as Chesky is, the Beethoven symphonies are not near as good on their CD copies as the original (Reader's Digest!) Lps played through the same sound system, except that the Lps were tracked by an Ortofon cartridge, SME arm on a Thorens table, while the CD copies are played on a pretty good NAD CD player.

I'll bet the Miles Davis CD transfrers are a lot more variable than the analog originals.

My average Lp was probably better than my average CD. The few 15 ips 1/2 track stereo live recordings I made on my old Crown were better than most CDs, too.

One of the most extreme examples of the industry dishonoring the source is the sound for Around the World in 80 Days (1956). The original was a 6 channel magnetic stereo soundtrack (for 70mm Todd-AO) using a marvelous 114 piece orchestra. The tracks on the original prints were ultra dynamic, one of the best orchestral recordings I've ever heard. I probably don't need to mention that the 35 mm optical mono transfers were horrible. In this case the Lp was muddled as well as was obvious to those of us who bought the record, were disappointed, and kept going back to see the Todd-AO version, largely to hear the sound again.. The Stereo Lp that came out 3 years later was almost as bad. Then SURPRISE, the VHS HI FI (stereo version) preserved a great deal of the original dynamics, even though the tracks were not restored, and even though there were even dropouts! It sounded great cranked up, if one ignored the damaged passages. For DVD they either restored the original, or found enough magnetic multitrack prints to piece together a full length sound track -- but the dynamics were compressed!

It would be so much better if the industry people dubbed these old recordings with tender loving care .. as they sometimes do.

[Mallette]

Gary, you are preaching to the choir! HALLELUJAH!

The DBX encoded Pink Floyd DSOTM reel to reel I made using DBX encoding right from the freshly opened album about 1976 remains a superior experience to any digital release I've heard of that material.

NEWS FLASH: It sounds just as good directly sampled from that tape to 24/88.2 digital.

I am clueless as to what these morons do to FUBAR these releases. You have to be a very determined idiot to produce this crap. TMSAISTI.

Dave

BTW, I think this thread may achieve evergreen status. I hope so...

[Islander]

A couple of years ago, I bought a CD re-issue of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. According to the liner notes, this was the best re-issue ever, with digital re-mastering, plus it was remixed on an all-tube three-track machine, and so on and so on. It's on the Columbus/Legacy label and features Super Bit Mapping.

I naturally expected great things, but was really disappointed. I rarely play it, because of the high level of tape hiss. What the heck is up with that?

[Mallette]

I rarely play it, because of the high level of tape hiss. What the heck is up with that?

Are you sure it is tape hiss? If so, easily dealt with using DBX posting, and without affecting the sonics at all. Again, the thinking of these guys alludes me. My "Kind of Blue" is just a CD release, no claims of any kind, and it is amazingly good. Has a fine analog sound.

Go figure...

Dave

[garyrc]

A couple of years ago, I bought a CD re-issue of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. According to the liner notes, this was the best re-issue ever, with digital re-mastering, plus it was remixed on an all-tube three-track machine, and so on and so on. It's on the Columbus/Legacy label and features Super Bit Mapping.

I naturally expected great things, but was really disappointed. I rarely play it, because of the high level of tape hiss. What the heck is up with that?

Well, I may be glad I didn't buy it and stuck with the old CD Kind of Blue. Maybe their monitor speakers were not as good as yours, and they pushed the EQ, but didn't hear an objectional increase in hiss due to veiled speakers. Just out of cuiosity, does it say on the CD box what monitors they used? Even if the measured S/N ratio doesn't change, a change in the spectral characteristics of the hiss can make it stand out. I was never bothered by the hiss on my Crown tape recorders (probably worse than Columbia's!), but another popular recorder that shall remain nameless had the same measured S/N but hissed like a puff adder in heat. I tried DBX 157 code/decode but it didn't work well with that recorder. DBX said (in a private phone conversation ... "You didn't hear this here" ...) that the problem was that that particular recorder design had a coulpe of abrupt "head bumps" that screwed up the code/decode. They recommended Crown or Revox or Studer. I got my money back for the puff adder, and bought the Crown. It worked very well with the DBX -- no problems -- but I found I didn't need it for most recordings, because the Crown hiss did not have the mid/high frequency peaks that the adder had.

[Marvel]

I've never owned or driven a car with a carburetor.

aw, dude, you missed the whole 'shade tree mechanic' phase of growing up in guydom.

But you can whittle a guitar out of a tree so bonus points for that.

Michael

He did fix up an old 240 Volvo wagon, swapping the automatic tranny for a manual, added sensors and a computer... No -ower in the carport so he would work on it after work and fall asleep under the car with a flashlight going dead. I'm surprised the mosquitos didn't carry him off, but he was probably covered with too much grease for them to notice him.

[:|]

[Xki]

I've used: 78s, 33s, 45s, 8-tracks, cassettes, real-to-real, quad, CDs, MP3s, DVD, BluRays. I guess the only thing I missed was wax cylinders and wire recorders. My first musical memory is my big sis playing Buddy Holly on a 78 spinning on a pink and white Sterling record player.

I consider myself fortunate being born in the 50s. I've witnessed so many wondrous advancements in technology and will be gone before the best you hear is MP3 squeaking out of .10" smart phone speakers. (I have a teenage daughter.)

About 10 years ago I was feeling old. I was single, no kids. All the old gang were still living day to day waiting for 5 o'clock so they could get stoned. Left that behind some 30 years ago. Then I met my wife. 15 years my junior. 2 kids under her arm and needing something other than a 30 year old man-child. Now there are 4 kids 14, 12, 6, and 5. I can't afford to feel old! The little guys are the fountain of youth. I have become the "answer man" and it is title that I take very seriously.

I'm not a preachy person and have always spouted the philosophy - Thank God we are all different or we would all die of boredom. But, if there was 1 piece of advice I would give to anyone feeling a bit old, it would be, talk to the children. Remember how often epiphanies happened when you were young? Share your knowledge with the children and watch for the light bulb to come on over their heads. It's simply marvelous. Marvelous.

Reading this thread made me smile a lot. Anyone remember shoving a matchbook under the 8-track to get rid of the warble?

[dtel]

Nice avatar Marvel, Congratulations.

[Mallette]

Reading this thread made me smile a lot. Anyone remember shoving a matchbook under the 8-track to get rid of the warble?

Naw. But I remember shoving a match under the 8 track to get rid of it altogether...[6]

We've a lot in common, Bruce. About the same age, and the PAW is 16 years my junior. She didn't bring any with her, but we worked up a couple of great kids on our own...

Like you, when I met her I was fairly happy but felt life had already given me about all I was going to get. I was dead wrong.

Dave

[fini]

Every time I read my obituary I feel really old.

[mungkiman]

Every time I read my obituary I feel really old.

finito

[Mallette]

Every time I read my obituary I feel really old.

Every time I read your obituary it reminds me I am still here in spite of the odds.

Dave

PS-BTW, where ARE you writing from? Rather doubt it's California. When I die, I goin' to Fot Wuth!