heuring@boulder.UUCP (Vincent Heuring) (05/11/85)
I've been following the traffic dealing with A-B tests, CD vs analog, etc. as well as reading the high-end and mainstream audio mags. While I have always been a fan of J. Gordon Holt's Stereophile as the best of the golden ear mags (-: he usually agrees with me :-) it amuses me that Audio is the first to include regular reviews conducted by reviewers who not only use A-B testing, but quote the degree of statistical significance of the results. Ever notice how the gear in polished walnut cases often gets described as rich, smooth, warm, while gear in black anodized Al sounds harsh, lacking in warmth, and has a hard, glassy high end. Sigh. Let's face it, folks, we are at a watershed period in hifi. Less and less are we going to be concerned with frequency response, distortion, and other flaws in the *reproduction* of recorded sound. Forget what Doug Sax and the others say who listen with their wallets, or who were trained in analog audio and can't hack digital (Carver ?). That digital signal is going to creep it's way forward and backward in the signal path; back to the a-d converter in the mike, forward clear to the dac imbedded IN THE OUTPUT TRANSDUCER (right, folks, the digital signal path will extend clear to the speakers.) Then we will be able to forget our psycho-acoustic concerns about mike cable hum, crummy mixdowns, aging master tapes, virgin pressings, off-center holes, clicks, pops, skips, flutter, wow, hum, freq resp, distortion, control noise, shot noise, ofc wire, etc etc etc . Then maybe we can concentrate on appreciating the music. Our concerns about the reproduction equipment will center on things like room equalization (how about a small lapel mike which dynamically optimizes the listening environment). Then the arguments between the traditionalists and the modernists might center around questions like whether it is better to reproduce the music exactly as recorded, shape it to the listening environment, or strip it all the way back to its anechoic state and restore ambience as desired. Perhaps some day many compositions will be available in their anechoic form only, and the golden ears will be selling filter coefficients and reverb information. I for one look forward to the day when the only noise I hear when listening to my recordings is the rustling of scores. Vince Heuring "..ya don't need a weatherman ta know which way the wind blows.."
mohler@druxu.UUCP (MohlerDS) (05/14/85)
This sounds like an arguement that Digital Audio Magazine outlined last month. If you believe this (dac in the speaker) stuff that is up to you. It may make sense to move the dac up towards the mike and it may make sense to have one very high quality dac that your pcm recorder and cd feed into (ala sony's new set-up), but a dac in the transducer...not soon! Digital Audio Mag. went so far as to infer that there would be a power dac that would supply the current to the transducer which sounds to me like the author in the magazine does not know of what they speak. I am a firm believer that digital audio is here to stay, but I am also believe that an analog amplifier is impossible to get around. Lets face it, a transducer as we know them requires current and an amp has to provide it. Putting the amp and a dac in the speaker will never gain industry backing and if someone has the poor judgement to build one commercially it will go the way of the powered Advent, Four channel and dino's (the big critters not the car). David S. Mohler AT&T - ISL @ Denver !druxu!mohler
mohler@druxu.UUCP (MohlerDS) (05/15/85)
For those of you that sent me mail regarding digital transducers, Thankyou. I have read some articles on the subject and while they look hopefull, my opinion is still, not soon! They may be the next significant improvement, however I think it will be years before you can buy one. (Usually such new items are shown at the June CES about 2-3 years before you can buy one, last year there were no such displays. Maybe this year? I doubt it, but I'll look.) My point was regarding our current transducer technology and making the system driving it more digital, which if not impossible is highly unlikely. Once again thanks to those who brought research and references to my attention. David S. Mohler AT&T - ISL @ Denver !druxu!mohler