Re: GG on CD vs LP

[John Hill <jphill@home.com>]

Bradley P Lehman wrote:
> 
> Anybody try the utility that comes with IOmega ZIP drives, copying CD's
> onto ZIP disks?

Ouch!  All this talk about transcribing LPs to CD via PCs has this audiophile
engineer running for cover.  I'd recommend buying the CD release, where
possible.  A few issues to consider if you care about audio quality:

1.  Jitter
This is any time-based instability in a transport and/or clock system.
Low cost (PC) interfaces and cheap burners have jitter out the wazoo.
Caveat emptor.  Translates to harsh midrange timbre, shrinking of
soundstage width and lack of dimensionality.  Add enough jitter and
it will *not* sound the same as the original analog signal, given a
high-resolution playback system and a good set of ears.

2.  Analog stages
At some point, the music goes through an analog circuit before (and after)
being digitized.  This, along with the quality of the A/D converter most affects
audio quality.  Cheap PC sound card with a $0.50 monolithic IC stage?
Oops...

3.  Data compression
Not a good thing for audio quality.  The more of this you do, the more you
can expect in the way of audible artifacts.   Yes, you're at odds directly here
with limits on disk (storage) space.  If you want to do it right, you'll need
a 
big 'ol hard drive and convert with the highest word width and sample rate
available using *no* data compression.

Regarding CDs vs. LPs, there are pros AND cons for both media.   Generalizations
can be tricky.  Interestingly, analog/vinyl systems have never been abandoned in
the high-end audio community.  In multitack pop recording, analog is not dead, by
a *long* shot.

Also, the role of the mastering (or re-mastering) engineer should not be ignored.
S/he has a LOT to do with the sound quality on the medium you play back.
Beyond that, the replication process for both analog and digital can introduce
a new layer of previously-unheard distortions/problems.

Having said that, I can't wait for DVD with multichannel discrete music-only
audio at 96k, 24 bits with Meridian Lossless Packing.  It's here, but there's
not much product out yet!

cheers to the collective,
jh