I have never heard LPs compared favourably to SACDs. The two main virtues of the SACD - extended frequency response and excellent low level resolution were also available on LPs. Of course the noise level and dynamic range of either CDs or SACDs are measurably far superior to any LP but a well engineered high quality LP in good condition played on superior equipment will not present dynamic range limitations or noise levels which are objectionable and normal listening levels. I confess that I was always smugly proclaiming that the CD was superior to vinyl until I heard my first SACD, (a 1954 recording of the Boston Symphony performing Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony), and I realized that I had had my head in the sand all those years. Hybrid SACDs should have saved the medium from the almost demise that they have suffered, (some European and British companies are still producing them), but one problem that I have heard articulated many times is that
SACDs have absolutely nothing to offer over regular CDs, but this is from people who are not aware that a Hybrid SACD only presents CD quality if you're not playing it on an SACD player. These people are playing them on a regular CD player and expecting to hear the SACD quality.
db
On Friday, February 7, 2014 11:55:45 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi John:
>
>SACD has been un-embraced by most youngsters and many audiophiles. I think it's already an
>antiquated format. Hi-rez audio can be had from downloads, offering many more playback options (plus
>format-conversion, portability, etc). The last bastion of some of the SACD diehards seems to be this
>phoney "debate" over whether DSD or high-rez PCM sounds "better." As much as I like some of my
>surround-sound SACDs, I am in a tiny minority so small that, nowadays (after the major companies
>dipped toes and found almost no buyers), it doesn't even justify a niche market by any but a very
>few companies who mostly peddle inferior music products. The very few mainstream-release surround
>products that have appeared in recent years have been lossy-encoded Dolby AC3 DVD productions
>(example - The Beatles "Love", example - Rhino's very few Quad reissues). Apparently, there are a
>few audio-centric products showing up on BluRay, another format I predict is doomed to fast
>obscurity in the age of streaming, networked video.
>
>-- Tom Fine
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Haley" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 11:16 AM
>Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] 30,759,242 + Long Playing Records Pressed Worldwide in 2013
>
>
>> Good comments. But it's funny. Just yesterday I was listening to a superb
>> SACD on my relatively new Oppo BDP-105 SACD player (which has been
>> described by a very knowledgeable source as the best CD player ever made,
>> when it was new), and thinking to myself "There is no vinyl record ever
>> made that could touch this."
>>
>> Best, John
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 9:57 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>>
>>> Disclosure: I supplied Mike Fremer my list of vinyl pressing plants, which
>>> included a couple he didn't have. I agree with his analysis, completely. I
>>> don't think Soundscan captures what Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct sell.
>>> It may capture Amazon's vinyl sales. I'm also not sure Soundscan captures
>>> sales in those hearty few independent record stores out there. Based on
>>> what I know about vinyl sales of Mercury Living Presence products, the vast
>>> majority are sold in the US, Japan and Germany, with a few sales in the UK.
>>> I don't assume this is the case for all titles because musical tastes vary
>>> by country. But I think it's safe to say that the majority of newly-pressed
>>> vinyl records are sold in those three markets.
>>>
>>> I especially agree with Mike's analysis about Crosley record-wreckers.
>>> These things aren't as lethal to a record as an old Garrard changer, but
>>> they aren't good for $30-60 platters. Also, I think all vinyl pressing
>>> plants should include an insert inside the record sleeves about proper care
>>> and cleaning. These are not commodity products like 1960s mainstream $3-5
>>> records. These are investments, you could say they are art for the masses
>>> because of the artifact/ritual aspects combined with music enjoyment and
>>> listening. There should be some kind of alliance in the record-pressing
>>> business that comes up with working for such an insert and makes it
>>> standard. To be fair to the big record companies of yore, inner sleeves for
>>> years carried advice about proper handling, cleaning and advice to always
>>> use clean, sharp needles.
>>>
>>> I don't know this for a fact, but if you were to somehow amalgamate hi-rez
>>> downloads to make it apples-to-apples against full-album LP records, I
>>> think LPs are outselling hi-rez downloads at the current time. I do think
>>> it's a safe bet that they are outselling SACD/DVD-A products.
>>>
>>> -- Tom Fine
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger Kulp" <
>>> [log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 9:14 AM
>>> Subject: [ARSCLIST] 30,759,242 + Long Playing Records Pressed Worldwide in
>>> 2013
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.analogplanet.com/content/30759242-long-playing-
>>>> records-pressed-worldwide-2013
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
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