//****************************** BEGIN *******************************

I wanted to share some of my preliminary findings using my newly developed A-D [Wolfson chip] to bypass the SD744T inputs/ADC.

This is very early days as I've just started playing with this external ADC, but you can already easily hear  the WOLFSON's "potential".

Here is the SM8 dubbed to the analogue inputs [1&2] of the Sound Devices 744T, using it's internal amps/ADCs
http://www.reel2reel.tv/samplers/_SM8_744Tanalogue_in_Benaud.wav
[170Mb 5min sample 24bit/96k]

Here is the SM8 dubbed to the Metaxas - WOLFSON ADC - SPDIF output to Sound Devices 744T SPDIF in
http://www.reel2reel.tv/samplers/_SM8_MAS-ADC_744T_SPDIFin_Benaud.wav
[170Mb 5min sample 24bit/96k]

Here is the SM8 dubbed to the SONY DSR11 DVCAM VTR, using it's internal ADCs
http://www.reel2reel.tv/samplers/_SM8_SONYDSR11_BenaudA.wav
[88Mb 5min sample 16bit/48k]

You can view a track from this concert to see how the mics/musicians were lined up. I was using Neumann M150s in AB and TLM50s in XY:

http://www.reel2reel.tv/SCREENERS_WMV/__benaud_stairway-1a.wmv

The background noise is the "airconditioning"....the blight of location recordists!

The Metaxas-WOLFSON - I'm using the WOLFSON chip since it has recently been favourably reviewed in the audiophile press [mostly as a DAC actually]. I'm not using any input buffers, and have removed all the goofy big ceramic caps from the signal path to the differential ADC inputs. Then, I've added my own ultra-low noise discrete regulators - isolating the clock with it's own regulator from the rest of the board. All driven by 8 AA batteries which will run it for over a day.

Listen to the huge "weight" in the sound. To me this is the key. And this is the problem with all the location recorders I've tried so far [including Nagra V, Aaton Cantar and Sound Devices]. So I'm hoping that by using my ADC with the SD744T, I should be able to recover the rich, huge, "blooming" bottom that the Neumann's easily record onto the Stellavox. Of course this ADC can be used with NAGRA etc as well...

I'll be using it in the field to record a few upcoming festivals, so will keep you posted with how things turn out.

I find the Kostas’ experiments are VERY interesting and his idea of using the SONY DSR11 is very innovative. Unfortunately I do not think that nowadays 15bit is “enough”. I know a guy who uses film’s CGI processors to record at half mHz, that I do not think it is necessary… What is interesting in Kostas’ A/D experiments that he is not just plays with all those toys (or regularly records FM broadcast as I do) but he is actively recording AT THE FIELDS professional. So, Kostas’ progress is very much worth to watch and I hope he has access to more interesting and to more serious performances…

I would live aside the technical aspect of the Kostas’s demo above and would like to point out other thing. I find this classical trio playing their rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” was very illustrative. Sure, I do not like how they played it. The piano guy was in particularly off the wall with his almost-jazzy phraseology. However, the biggest thing that came to me was my view how primitive this music is when it striped down to its core. I would anchorage everyone listening the last 16-bit track (it is not heavy for your traffic). Pay attention how primitive the composition is musically. It the peace was composed as a classical short classical trio peace then it would be completely about NOTHING.

Romy the Cat wrote:

I would live aside the technical aspect of the Kostas’s demo above and would like to point out other thing. I find this classical trio playing their rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” was very illustrative. Sure, I do not like how they played it. The piano guy was in particularly off the wall with his almost-jazzy phraseology. However, the biggest thing that came to me was my view how primitive this music is when it striped down to its core. I would anchorage everyone listening the last 16-bit track (it is not heavy for your traffic). Pay attention how primitive the composition is musically. It the peace was composed as a classical short classical trio peace then it would be completely about NOTHING.