BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

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.

Wither the Music Industry – David Byrne Speaks

I’m sure that D. Byrne needs no introduction to music lovers (hint: see the pic).

But some of us may not be aware of Byrne’s scholarly approach to the industry in which he participates.

In a comprehensive article for Wired, Byrne begins with “what is music” and then lays out the whys and wherefores of modern music-making – or, as he pointedly notes – modern CD-selling.

Recommended reading.

Bob

Ramen Music – Smart Guys Trying to Change Things

IMO, the Ramen Music Blog is a great read. On-point commentary re contemporary music industry issues.

Ramen’s post-analysis of the music industry data that I posted a while ago is the best that I’ve seen. The “money slide,” which suggests that the music industry isn’t doing that badly (yet), is posted below. Read the article for further insights.

It’s also a gateway to the Ramen Music website, which has a unique way of introducing subscribers to lots of cool new music.

Bob

Equalization for Audiophiles – the easy way

A new product has just been released by Ear Machine. It’s called iQ (as in “I equalize” I guess), and it makes EQ easy – fun even! (See video.)

You don’t need a real-time audio analyzer. You don’t need Golden Ears (but you do need yours). And you don’t need to read a lengthy manual.

But you do need a computer-based audio, because iQ works as a plugin to your favorite music playback software (iTunes, Pure Music, Fidelia, etc.).

Installation is Easy. Mac or PC. 14-day free trial available.

Enjoy,

Bob

PS  If you’re on a Mac, you may want to try Fidelia….

Still More on the Music Industry

Based on comments, members want to see the gross (not per-capita) revenues of the music industry. Here you go:

Again, all the data is here.

Bob

Light Peak – Overkill for Audio Interfaces?

This week, Intel and Apple announced the first incarnation of Light Peak – on the latest iteration of Mac laptops. Apple calls it Thunderbolt.

Cheesy name aside, the 10 gbps performance is staggering. It’s more than an order of magnitude faster than Firewire 800. Want to move a Blueray movie? Less than a minute. USB 2.0 and 3.0 just got leap-frogged, big-time.

For those of us with terabyte+ music libraries, moving these and backing them up just got easier. This interface has 3x the transfer rate of a high-performance SATA drive!

Is Apple positioning this as the successor to firewire? Probably. Will it lead to better fidelity in music server systems? Who knows.

But I want one…

Bob

Sambora On Audiophiles, Vinyl, and Compression

Bon Jovi songwriter and guitarist Richie Sambora voices his views on the modern music scene in this CE Pro article.

Highlights include a general ambivalence (in an honest way) about formats, claiming that the ear can adapt to digital and compression. For him, it’s really all about the music and the touring.

Given the gift of some LPs, he now wishes to buy a “record player.” He adds: “You have to be, what, 40 to know what analog was even, and then to actually remember it?”

Ummm….maybe.

Bob