The Future....Loud and Clear

[JBLOG]

Check this out.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity


Imagine a future where MP3s are the reference standard......

[BMWCCA]

Nice to see Donald Fagen used as an example of good engineering practices. My ears have not been lying to me. The latest Norah Jones is a great listen, and I've said so apologetically on this forum in the past. Apparently I no longer have to be embarrassed by it.

Long live Becker and Fagen!
:applaud:

[Mr. Widget]

Rolling Stone- ...young listeners have grown so used to dynamically compressed music and the thin sound of MP3s that the battle has already been lost. "CDs sound better, but no one's buying them," he says. "The age of the audiophile is over."

Well, those among us who dislike the idea of "audiophiles" should be pleased. :banghead:


Widget

[JBLOG]

Marketization and Homogenization

The generation to come will not 'know' what "music" sounds like...

They're diluting the music!

[clmrt]

Most of the young crowd I know personally go to concerts - a lot of them. Amplified rock and metal, sure, but live nonetheless.

And they all listen to MP3. I have asked to listen to their players, and they really do sound like ass.

I wonder if they'll mature one day and start buying better gear. I mean, the average I'm talking about is 26.

[BMWCCA]

My kids grew up listening to my music on my JBL 030s, just like I did with my parents when my Dad bought the first one. They don't all share my tastes but at least one child still has the full Steely Dan/Donald Fagen catalog loaded in her iPod and on her Mac. Truth be told, most of the listening with them was on the car CD player on the way to school, so I'm not sure an MP3 wouldn't have been at least of similar quality. At any rate, I'm stockpiling "simple" traditional hi-fi systems for my kids to enjoy as they go off on their own, and something to remember their dear old dad by when I'm long gone. The first such system may go to my oldest this year as she graduates and goes apartment hunting in NYC. I figure the L20ts with the Soundcraftsmen Pro-Control Four and some suitable amp (today it would have to be a Crown PS-200, but I'm open) would make a nice starter system for any child I had high hopes for in continuing the obsessive quest for high-fidelity at least one more generation. I'm still hopeful that two-channel analog will outlive me.

[richluvsound]

Blog,

great article . Very informative and supported in every way my non technical observations.

Rich

[Hoerninger]

It is very annoying with modern productions.
After having read the Rolling Stone article I got in mind my few tape recordings which I always liked to listen to - surely no compression. ;) .
For the moment I listen to "The Count meets the Duke", Duke Ellington and Count Basie, recorded 1961 and up (SACD). It is produced by the "old" craftsmanship, very pleasing.
___________
Peter

[jblnut]

This is a great article and it's very timely. My friends and I have been having a lot of similar conversations lately. Here's another related article we've been kicking around - check it out.

http://www.newsfactor.com:80/story.xhtml?story_id=58086

jblnut

[JBLOG]

Jblnut, thanks for that article.
Let's hope companies like Magnatune, MusicGiants and AIX Media can continue to find a market share and stay sovent. My fear is that the consumer masses don't value 'fidelity'.

Unfortunately we are in an age of sound bites and fast food. We value fluff not substance.