BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

BAAS Audiophile Market Survey 2012 – Final Numbers

Final results are in, and they reflect a more balanced result.

In fact, it’s almost as if every vinyl enthusiast, concert-goer, and non-East-Bay resident went to the polls to retort.

Anyway, here they are….

Bob

Computer Audio and Audiogon Big Winners in BAAS Audiophile Market Survey 2012

Preliminary results are in, and “segment leaders” include:

• Computer Audio
• Audiogon
• California Audio Show; and
• East Bay (!)

The results also suggest that a third of members don’t attend live events, and half our membership don’t attend BAAS events. Many audiophiles mst be riveted to their home systems!

Complete results follow. I will update if trends changes as more members report.

Bob

Copyright Math – What’s Wrong with Media’s Loss Claims

iTunes Mastering – Apple Tells How

BAAS members have had the opportunity to meet several music producers and mastering engineers. The typical content of these meetings has been how to render a true-to-life recording. Clearly, the techniques vary for vinyl, tape, and digital delivery media.

Apple has now taken this concept a step forward (or backward, depending on perspective) with the launch of the “Mastered for iTunes” specification. As reported by Ars Technica, the specified 256K AAC format retains about 3% of the raw information af a 24/192K master.

Note that I use the term “raw information,” as supporters of high-bitrate AAC (or MP3) would claim – with some validity – that these formats retain well over 90% of the musical content. Of course, we audiophiles spend gobs of time and money chasing mils of fidelity. So the 90%+ talk is beside the point on that frame.

My quick perusal of the current “Mastered for iTunes” selections revealed that many of the recent offerings are from the Bowers & Watkins “Society of Sound” library. So presumably Peter Gabriel is on board.

Anyway, the Ars Technica piece summarizes the recent semi-popular embrace af audiophile values by Gabrial, Neil Young and other luminaries. A good read.

Bob

Infographic: Online music streaming services

There’s no question that online streaming is hot. A growing segment of music listeners is just saying “no” to music ownership and local storage.

Oakland-based Pandora has been a leader, but the space is now quite crowded. How is a person to choose? This infographic, from Gerson Lerman Group, does a nice job in laying out the landscape.

But what does this all mean to audiophiles? My suspicion: not a lot, at least in the near term. Most enthusiasts have invested heavily in vinyl and/or optical media and players. We have seen that these trends are difficult to reverse.

I myself have been surprised by the reluctance of BAAS members in embracing music servers. But it is the “music server” that will ultimately power streaming services in audiophile reference systems. The fact that these devices are close cousins to general purpose computers, including the internet connection, will make it so.

Until then, these services will supplement existing media for audiophiles – and be used mainly when mobile.

What do you think? Please document your experiences and opinions in the comments.

Bob

“Spend on the Room and High Res” Says Alan Parsons

Despite the link-bait title – “Beatles, Pink Floyd Engineer Alan Parsons Rips Audiophiles” – the main message that I got out of the interview had to do with room acoustics and high-resolution downloads. These are where Mr. Parsons recommends spending on home systems. He is also big on surround sound.

Of course, Parsons undeniably knows good sound, having played key roles on Dark Side of the Moon (DSOM) and Year of the Cat (YOTC). Hard to fault the sonics on these babies. To my recollection, the Alan Parsons Project LP’s sounded pretty solid as well.

In any case, while Parsons admittedly is no audiophile, fans of this music will benefit from the read.

Bob

Was Steve Jobs an Audiophile?

Well, well, well.

Audiophile news has all of the sudden risen on the charts of the blog-o-sphere. To what do we owe this honor?

Chalk most of it up to the timeless “Old Man” – Neil Young.

At a recent News Corp media conference, Young described in some detail about his recent dealings with Apple to bring high(er)-resolution offerings to iTunes. He added that Steve Jobs was taking a personal interest in the project.

Young also approached Bill Ford, asserting that MP3′s sound bad, and suggesting hi-rez alternatives for the car. Ford baulked.

So what’s the ideal hi-rez format? Young claimed that he and Jobs agreed on this one: the LP! He went on to say that Jobs, master of the iPod and $1 compressed download, typically listened to vinyl at home.

Thus, audiophile issues have risen, if for a moment, to the popular consciousness – USA Today, Rolling Stone, HuffPo, Washington Post, PCmag. Like most internet news, the half-life of this issue will likely be measured in hours. But perhaps an impression will be made, boomers remembering just how good that record console sounded and kids wondering whether there’s something to this “quality reproduction” thing. Jobs, having immense street cred across cultures and ages, is probably the ideal messiah for such word.

As an aside, I wrote to Mr Jobs about two years ago, suggesting some audio-friendly tweaks to OSX’s Core Audio package. Alas, my note went unanswered. But I’m no Neil Young.

Bob

PS  I can hear PeterT and the legions of BAAS vinylphiles now: We told you so! lol

Resurrecting the First Recorded Sounds

I was just reading the latest Science magazine (here) and ran across an article highlighting the work of Patrick Feaster, audio archeologist.

This, in turn, led me to the First Sounds website, an outpost for the restoration and preservation of our earliest recorded sounds.

It turns out that Cal Berkeley plays a unique role in this process: they have developed a method for digitally scanning fragile wax cylinders to extract the signal without destroying the original.

I find this ironic – recovering man’s original analog signals using digital means. I wonder if they worry about jitter?

Bob

The Music Industry Inflects in 2012 – Thanks Adele and Downloads

As reported here in the NYT, album sales actually grew – albeit slightly (1.3%) – in 2012.

Among the good news is that “digital retailers are getting better and better at giving customers what they want” says Nielsen.

So much for downloads killing the industry. People love music and will pay for it under reasonable terms. IMO, the only thing that can kill the industry is the industry.

The soulful Adele was credited with leading the charge in growth.

Bob

Can Loud Music Add Hard Drive Latency? Does it Matter?

Note that this ad hoc demonstration does not represent proof, let alone applicability to home playback environments. Also, extensive use of caching in player software would seem to negate this effect in sound systems.

However, perhaps this is why some austensibly-sensible audiophiles report better sonics with solid state drives (SSDs)?

Thanks to PeterT for pointing this out to me, from reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bob

Where’s the dough in downloads? Ringtones!

Well, it’s nice to be HDtracks, Linn, or some other music download service. And it’s great to be Apple or Amazon – but not for their music download sales.

But being on top of ringtones? Now that rocks!

You may be surprised at the size of this market. Don’t be. Number of buyers is huge, size of sales channels (starting with cellphone companies) is huge, and most buyers just want the latest Ga Ga now and easily.

You might also be surprised at the movie and commercial soundtrack bizes too…but that’s another story.

Bob

Is the CD Format Good Enough for High Fidelity?

BAAS member Vince S. just sent me this very interesting link from Aussie pub Australian Hi-Fi . Just as interesting was that the article written way back in 1999, an era that I would not equate to superlative digital. (Hint: A DVD-V was used as the hires source.)

The article presents a balanced case for both formats, relying on by objective and subjective measures.

I personally agree with his key conclusions, but the author reached his 12 years ago!

A relevant AES article [1], published in 2007, also seems to support these conclusions. The money line:

The test results show that the CD-quality A/D/A loop was undetectable at normal-to-loud listening levels, by any of the subjects, on any of the playback systems. The noise of the CD-quality loop was audible only at very elevated levels.

Enjoy,

Bob

[1] Meyer & Moran,  “Audibility of a CD-Standard A/D/A Loop Inserted into High-Resolution Audio Playback,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 55, No. 9, 2007 September

Alan Parsons Laments Abandonment of High Fidelity

Despite his “normal guy” appearance, discerning eyes would have spotted superstar Alan Parsons on the Exhibit Floor of the recent AES Conference in San Francisco. (I would have missed hgim had the Prism rep not pointed him out to me.)

Writing in the current Wired, he says:

“It’s definitely lamentable that the concept of high fidelity seems to be largely a lost relic. The sad thing is that it seems to be irreversible. People are locked in to the idea that music (and other ‘entertainment’) is now delivered on their computer — instantly — and that’s all that matters.”

Of course, BAAS members join Alan in these sentiments. Parsons goes on to share various interesting tidbits about iPads (“ Why would anyone take recording on an iPad seriously?”, rock (“Talking Heads are a one-hit wonder”), and his own musical development (“ I was coerced into piano lessons by my parents from age 6. I hated it…”).

Recommended reading.

Bob

Audiophile Guide to the Universe

The last truly-new-and-truly-useful web site for audiophiles that I discovered was the now-venerable Computer Audiophile.

Well, here’s another: Audiophile’s Guide to the Galaxy. This isn’t a simple “clipping service” like Daily Audiophile (also useful). Rather, it’s an edited compendium of all-things-audiophile. That is, the site creator attempts to add order (and opinion) to the content. And, I must say, he adds content that I have never seen before.

The proprietor of the site, Mike Davis, is a deep thinker. He tends to seek categories, root causes, hierarchies – to bring order to the chaos that is the 21st-century high end. While he also runs a high-end retail establishment (Audio Federation; it might be moving to North Bay), he does a reasonably good job (IMO) of keeping his writing balanced. Other BAAS members disagree, citing concerns of bias. So YMMV.

Anyway, like him or not, I think that you’ll find this site useful. Dig around…and enjoy!

Bob

Psychoacoustics – The Next Frontier for Audiophiles?

Earlier this month, the NYT published an interesting article about the way that the brain hears.

If we can understand the way the brain hears, we can design better, more realistic, solutions to listen to music.

Such is the work of companies like Audyssey, whose work is cited in the article.

I’m not a big fan of surround setups, but I have heard some very interesting sound from 3-channel Meridian setups.

I am a big fan of DSP, though. And as more of our listening becomes computer-based, DSP effects will become easier to implement in home environments.

Those coming to Saturday’s event will get a glimpse of this….

Bob

Mainstream Disinterest – It’s Not Just High End Audio

The quote at left is from an editorial by Angus MacKenzie in the current motor trend.

I’m sure that the parallels with high-end audio (and woodworking, ham radio, and other traditional “manly pursuits”) are not lost on anybody.

Bob

Audio Letters from Bob

No, not this Bob (me). Bob Lefsetz. Pundit, analyst, and troubadour for the music industry. Past, present, and future.

Why should an audiophile care about what Bob L writes in his blog?

Because he writes convincingly and intelligently about why the Top 40 is all glamour and anger, about HTML5 and what it means to musicians, and about how the big labels are run by old guys (like most audiophiles) who are risk-averse and just trying to turn a buck for lifestyle-preservation. Eclectic and hard-hitting. All with a love for the music.

So Bob’s blog isn’t the place for classical or jazz reflections. It’s where one goes to learn why CCR is now Ga Ga, CSN wouldn’t have a chance, and Michael Jackson could thrive in any age.

Bob

Wheels Of Steel: Turntables in your browser

All eyes have been pointed at the entrance of Spotify into the US market. Rightfully so, as the subscription service is hot in Europe and looks to heat up the Mog/Rdio space here.

But there’s also a more avant garde entry to consider: Wheels of Steel. Gotta love those “Techniques” turntables. I’ll bet they have all the latest mods.

Finally, check out Turntable.fm. I thionk that this one might be the most interesting – canny blend of social and good music.

Enjoy. See you at the California Audio Show!

Bob

Music Sales are UP!

For the first time in 7 years, folks are buying more albums!

Read about the latest Nielsen findings here.

Bob

Google & Les

I was lucky enough to catch one of Les’ last performances at the Iridium in NYC.

See Google’s beautiful and tuneful tribute today.

Yes, that’s a RECORD button you see…press it and enable a keyboard “piano” mode.

Bob

Edit:  The logo is now permanently here.