Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site
In the Forum: Didital Things
In the Thread: The Museatex Bidat pages.
Post Subject: The lower MF "richness"Posted by Paul S on: 4/10/2008
The main trouble I've had with digital is that I've always compared it to analog, both master tapes and LP playback, and I've always tried to get the whole mess to remind me somehow of live acoustic music; at least I've aimed to get the "same things" from reproduced music that I get from live music.
We've discussed, and it is common knowledge (I think), that reproduced harmonics "develop" wrongly, in that they tend to get relatively stronger with increasing frequency, or at least it ends up sounding that way.
But here comes the Bidat (and my iDAT 44+ is the same), with the unusual quirk of "richness" in just the area where reproduced sound is typically most lacking, and digital appallingly so, with its apparently-increasing noise as frequency increases.
I have been very pleased with this lower MF "richness" "quirk", which, frankly, I have not until now regarded as a "distortion". I guess I never really analyzed it; I just enjoyed it. But now that you mention it, I have not heard this from any other digital source. And I would not like to do without it just to get other benefits.
I actually do hear the improvements that over-sampling and SOME newer "architectures" give. But so far I still can't sit in front of it. In fact, the net efect of my discomfort with digital sound is that I wound up with a different set of sonic priorities for digital, in the sense that I hear digital as basically "different" in analytical terms, and so I wind up listening a little "differently" to digital in order to get the "same things" in the musical sense, if that makes sense.
When the dust settles, the best thing for me about the iDAT 44+ is simply that I can finally access CDs for listening enjoyment; I am less "analytical" as a listener - and certainly I am less on edge - with it as a digital source, which is probably because it is not only more interesting but also it is less offensive.
Does this mean the iDAT 44+ is "euphonic"? I think it does, in the sense that I am pretty sure it has a "calming" "effect" on the digital sound.
But in the case of CDs, who wants a "perfect rendition" or whatever, anyway? I'll always accept "more" in the way of musical satisfaction; but I try to be careful not to get stuck with "improvements" that are not musically satisfying.
And you gotta love that lower MF "richness".
Best regards,
Paul SRerurn to Romy the Cat's Site