[basic-chanel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iniamyen /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's kind of a blanket statement, don't you think? I would be respectful of both opinions if I wanted anyone to take me seriously. I'm sure some musicians would even disagree with this statement.

Blanket statement or not, it is one that I strongly feel is a truth. But it is perhaps a radical concept in audiophile circles, unsuprisingly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davym /img/forum/go_quote.gif after all if it did'nt we would all still be listening to wind up gramaphones or even wax cylinder recordings would'nt we?

I think both of those create interesting sounds.

I adore both, much like I do with ratty vinyl and worn tape.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamora /img/forum/go_quote.gif If the quality of the recording is so bad it obfuscates the good music that has been recorded then surely that will diminish you're enjoyment?

I've yet to hear anything that could honestly be considered as unlistenable, so I'm not sure I can give you a decent answer.

 

[PWilson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basic-chanel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Blanket statement or not, it is one that I strongly feel is a truth. But it is perhaps a radical concept in audiophile circles, unsuprisingly. I've yet to hear anything that could honestly be considered as unlistenable, so I'm not sure I can give you a decent answer.

He wasn't talking about unlistenable, though. He was simply talking about bad to the point of detracting from the enjoyment. I agree with him.

It's akin to drinking a great wine out of a paper cup. The cup imposes itself upon the taste (by virtue of its texture) and doesn't allow the full nuances of the wine to be appreciated (due to its unsympathetic dimensions). A great wine is still a great wine, but my enjoyment of it is influenced by many things, not least of which is what I'm drinking it out of.

Similarly, great music is great music, but the difference between hearing it out of a handheld portable tape recorder with a 2" speaker and hearing it out of a dedicated high end headphone/speaker rig directly influences my enjoyment. If it's recorded badly... well, that just means it carries signatures of the 2" portable with it always, and will never be to me what it could. I'll still enjoy it, but a little less.

 

[ingwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWilson /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's akin to drinking a great wine out of a paper cup. The cup imposes itself upon the taste (by virtue of its texture) and doesn't allow the full nuances of the wine to be appreciated (due to its unsympathetic dimensions). A great wine is still a great wine, but my enjoyment of it is influenced by many things, not least of which is what I'm drinking it out of.

True. But you get buzzed either way.

 

[basic-chanel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWilson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Similarly, great music is great music, but the difference between hearing it out of a handheld portable tape recorder with a 2" speaker and hearing it out of a dedicated high end headphone/speaker rig directly influences my enjoyment. If it's recorded badly... well, that just means it carries signatures of the 2" portable with it always, and will never be to me what it could. I'll still enjoy it, but a little less.

Then clearly you are placing importance in all of the wrong places, not to mention it seems incredibly arrogant to me to see any music as of lesser value just because it is lo-fi.

Suddenly I feel as if I'm the only one here who honestly cares even the slightest bit about music.

 

[inego]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basic-chanel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Suddenly I feel as if I'm the only one here who honestly cares even the slightest bit about music.

Don't worry, you're not. I remember years ago an argument with my music lecturer over which was better - a Beethoven Symphony or Philipino tribal music. For me, Beethoven is more complex (no question), but "better" comes down to an emotional rather than an intellectual response.

I have a range of sources, starting with a 1920s wind-up gramophone. For me, a great piece of music is not source dependent - but I will tend to look for the best available source for the piece of music!

Getting back to pink floyd, my most emotional hearing of "wish you were here" was on the cr***y cassette system of an old Greyhound bus at 5am one morning in 1980...

Kent

PS. I still have the cr***y cassette of it as well, but want to get the CD. Is the remaster the preferred version?

 

[PWilson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basic-chanel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then clearly you are placing importance in all of the wrong places, not to mention it seems incredibly arrogant to me to see any music as of lesser value just because it is lo-fi. Suddenly I feel as if I'm the only one here who honestly cares even the slightest bit about music.

Am I? Clearly to you perhaps, but not to me. 'Music' is a rich experience for me. I don't know that you're in a position to tell me which parts of it I should and shouldn't like. Again, at no point have I stated it detracts from the value of the music. But it does detract from my enjoyment of it. Please don't go misinterpreting that I'm going to listen to audiophile quality recordings of music I don't like instead of crappy quality recordings of music I do like.

If you can honestly tell me that a Mahler recording (for instance) provokes the same emotion in you regardless of whether it's through said 2" handheld, or a multiple thousand dollar speaker setup that reaches the very top and bottom frequency ranges, then I'm surprised. I'd even call you lucky, perhaps. But it also doesn't quite make sense to me. There's information missing. You're not hearing the full dynamics, the details... you're not even hearing all the instruments. Ergo, the experience is different, and for me it comes down to the overarching experience. Lo-fi detracts from that somewhat.

That's why I'm here, after all.

 

[anadin]

Greatest band the world has ever known.

Even better live.

 

[progo]

I've tried to listen to some unlistenable albums (by sound quality or just music is awful). There ain't many around I would have heard. Don't know why I post about this here, for this is a thread for Pink Floyd! They don't have unlistenable albums!

Absolutely a great band and the recordings are high quality in both SQ and music wise IMO. The popularity doesn't come solely from nice engireening of some few records.

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWilson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Am I? Clearly to you perhaps, but not to me. 'Music' is a rich experience for me. I don't know that you're in a position to tell me which parts of it I should and shouldn't like. Again, at no point have I stated it detracts from the value of the music. But it does detract from my enjoyment of it. Please don't go misinterpreting that I'm going to listen to audiophile quality recordings of music I don't like instead of crappy quality recordings of music I do like. If you can honestly tell me that a Mahler recording (for instance) provokes the same emotion in you regardless of whether it's through said 2" handheld, or a multiple thousand dollar speaker setup that reaches the very top and bottom frequency ranges, then I'm surprised. I'd even call you lucky, perhaps. But it also doesn't quite make sense to me. There's information missing. You're not hearing the full dynamics, the details... you're not even hearing all the instruments. Ergo, the experience is different, and for me it comes down to the overarching experience. Lo-fi detracts from that somewhat.

It boils down to personal taste and prefrences folks. You don't have to like it, but there are plenty of artists and a ton of music lovers who think the lo-fi sound is great. Were it not for the latter, then bands such as Guided by Voices probably wouldn't have been able to sell any records. And when the band did eventually release a highly polished, well produced and recorded album like Do the Collapse, a lot of long time fans accused them of selling out to commerical interests.

Sometimes, badly recorded music is precisely the point.

Music is many things to many people. There is no single, right answer for everyone.

--Jerome

 

[davym]

Interesting points raised here, altho im still wondering how to drive my Sennheisers from a wax drum recording?
There may also be a slight problem getting some releases in this format.

 

[Kui4ever]

I'd always miss the music from the past..