LECTURAS de AUDIO OBLIGADAS

Pues eso, ya estáis tardando.

hometheaterhifi.com Mark Levinson: For the Love of Music, Part 1 by Scott Wilkinson, 25 June 2013

bla, bla, bla and
• Audio Measurements
• High-Efficiency Speakers
• Tubes vs. Solid-State

hometheaterhifi.com Mark Levinson: For the Love of Music, Part 2 by Scott Wilkinson, 03 July 2013

• Analog vs. Digital Audio
• The Great Cable Debate
• 2-Channel vs. Multichannel Music
• Audio for Movies
• Shopping Advice

La Verdad sobre los cables:

Matrix-Hifi: Zona rona --> La "verdad" sobre cables de altavoz

Cómo resumen: no puede haber diferencias en la respuesta en frecuencia entre cables en tiradas domésticas (no muy grandes) manejando las cargas tipicas en las que se mueven las cajas acústicas si se tiene el grosor adecuado para la potencia necesaria; y si no hay diferencia en la respuesta no puede haber diferencia en el sonido (que no sea un cable defectoso o mal blindado que induzca ruido en el caso de los de interconexión).




"Las 10 grandes mentiras sobre el audio":


http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=j&...48705608,d.ZWU



Un saludete

Cuelgo las 14 páginas del enlace sobre "la verdad de los cables" comentado, para el que le interese el tema:

































Supongo que Maty tendrá instrumentación y documentación más precisa y detallada para desmentirlo (que evidentemente no provenga de empresas que se nutren de vender cables o revistas del sector por propagandearlos) .


Un saludete

la importancia del porqué se han de comparar los aparatos en "blind test" (doble ciego) para eliminar el efecto placebo:

Porque debemos tomar con cautela Las evaluaciones hechas a la vista. | Arquitectura Aural


Un saludete

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audiophilereview.com Supervinyl! by Roger Skoff

One alternative that’s not actually new, but does offer a real possibility of improvement is “half speed mastering.” In practice, this is really simple: To make the “master” recording, an original recording is played at half-speed (7 ½ ips [inches per second] if it was originally recorded on analog tape at 15 ips or 15 ips if it was recorded at 30) into a disc-cutting lathe which is also operating at half-speed (16 2/3 rpm instead of 33 1/3 rpm). Doing this reduces all of the frequencies to be recorded by half ― 20 kHz becomes 10 kHz, 1 kHz becomes 500 Hz, etc. ― and makes the job of the disc cutting head a whole lot easier. Because disc cutting heads, regardless of manufacturer, were limited in high frequency capability, and were typically rolled-off by 3dB or more at 15 kHz, half-speed mastering effectively doubles the high frequency response of the cutting head and allows for a new -3dB point well above 20 kHz, which is all there when the record is played-back at the normal speed of 33 1/3 rpm. Yummy!

Another option which increases available high frequency recording capability (at the cost of less recording time per disc) is cutting an LP at 45 rpm instead of the customary 33 1/3. Doing that increases the number of inches of groove that are cut every second by 35%, which doesn’t help the cutting head’s performance at all, but makes it easier for the playback cartridge to track the higher frequencies (and also explains the lowered maximum recording time). The one possible negative sonic side-effect may be somewhat higher “groove noise” as the stylus drags along 35% more groove for every second of playback. Dust in the groove may also be slightly more noticeable for the same reason, but if the discs are kept clean (and who doesn’t clean their vinyl before every play) it should be no problem…

Another vinyl alternative that may or may not be worthwhile to you is the 180 gram disc. Ordinary LPs are standardized at 130 grams of vinyl, so the 180 gram format is a bit more than 38% heavier (although still less than the 200 gram UHQR recordings offered at one time by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs)…

Making discs heavier means, of course, making them thicker: When LPs are all 12 inches in diameter, if they’re all made out of the same stuff, about the only place the extra 50 grams of vinyl CAN go is into making them thicker. That can be an advantage because greater thickness makes them more resistant to both macro and micro warpage, which can affect the sound. It can also be a disadvantage because the extra thickness will change the effective vertical tracking angle (VTA) of your cartridge and even a small amount of VTA error can make your records sounds quite noticeably WORSE. If you are planning to use 180 gram discs, my best suggestions are to either use ONLY 180 gram discs and optimize your arm’s VTA setting just for them; OR buy a tonearm that features easy VTA adjustment and get really good at resetting it every time you change from standard to 180 gram records and back; OR, if you can afford it/them, get a turntable setup with two arms and two cartridges (and two phono cables) and a preamp with two phono inputs; set one arm up for 130 gram standard LPs and set-up the other for 180 gram discs and simply switch back and forth at your preamp. Mmmm, Good! Mmmm…

reddit.com Mastering engineer Bob Katz declares the loudness war as "won" (digido.com)

-> Digital Domain [Forum] THE LAST BATTLE OF THE LOUDNESS WAR HAS BEEN WON

“I have just completed loudness measurements of iTunes Radio using iTunes version 11.1.1. Tunes Radio’s audio levels are fully-regulated, using Apple’s Sound Check™ algorithm. This is a very important development,” Katz said.

During several hours’ testing, Katz measured the output level of several stations, and concluded that each song’s loudness averages -16.5 LUFS, within better than 2 dB, usually plus or minus 1.5 dB. The Apple release notes state that version 11.1.1 “improves stability”, which he interprets as having solved some loudness regulation issues which were present in the previous iTunes release.

It is clear that music producers want their music to sound as good as possible on the nascent but already popular iTunes Radio platform, given the many listeners instantly available. This immediately opens an opportunity to curtail the loudness race within the next few months. Added Katz, “The way to turn the loudness race around right now, is for every producer and mastering engineer to ask their clients if they have heard iTunes Radio. When they respond in the affirmative, the engineer/producer tells them they need to turn down the level of their song(s) to the standard level or iTunes Radio will do it for them—and not always in a pleasing way. iTunes radio will not just ‘turn down the volume,’ but may peak-limit the important transient peaks of the material and make the song sound ‘smaller’ and less clear than its competition.”

Katz suggests, “The engineer/producer should also tell their clients to turn on Sound Check in iTunes to hear their music exactly the way they will be broadcast on iTunes Radio. This makes all music played in iTunes, whether it be on IOS devices played while jogging, connected in the car, or on the desktop computer, perform consistently. It’s a revolution in the making, with instant positive results.“

Katz’s discoveries show that current squashed and smashed pop releases are being attenuated more than 7 dB in order to make their loudness equal to that of more-conservatively mastered releases. In other words, true peak levels of current pop songs are as low as -7.8 dB below full scale! “There is so much available peak headroom now in iTunes Radio that anyone who wants to master their songs with more conservative levels and prefers higher peak-to-loudness ratios will produce music with immediate loudness and sound quality advantages, compared to what’s being played out there now. The cream will soon rise to the top. The music will sound better, even a bit louder, and will attract more listeners. iTunes Radio is already so popular that it will end the loudness race by force majeure. This development is a great opportunity for producers to explain and demonstrate to their clients how to make their songs sound better on iTunes Radio and everywhere else.”…