Natural vs. Analogue vs. Digital vs. Fraunhofer Algorithm processed Music IV

Hello to everybody at the christmas holidays,

I will try now to finalize my series of articles about different recording and storage methods of audio information. So far I have tried to describe the holy religious believe into the audible improved qualities of analog mediums like vinyl records or reel tape. As well I did start to describe my experiences with digital stored information and tried as well to difference out a variety of different sampling and word length formats. I did try to describe arguments of availability for different stored formats, the massive influence of hardware to the performance and their comfort of use. Today I want to find final arguments about these topics, since some sort of serious discussion will not start throughout this blog, even when I did try find provocative thesis's and arguments for one or another strategy.

As I did describe before, I have a huge collection of vintage vinyl. I did concentrate my collecting to first releases of recordings in the fields of Jazz, Blues and some classical chamber music. I did collect with a general interest into a diverse range of interprets in different fields of practice. Just to give some examples, I did collect saxophone performed music and did try to complete the original recordings (only EP and LP) from the most well known musicians of this genre. So I got a range from Coleman Hawkins to Archie Shepp, from 1948 to today with 30 and more records of lets say the 20 best saxophone players of all time each. Next to a whole lot of dedicated jazz music as well with female voices, I did collect music with Cello as main instrumentation. (No wonder cello, sax and human voices cover the same tonal range) So I got the Pablo Casals work complete and continued to collect over lots of other interprets like Jaqueline du Pré to Sol Garbetta today. Just this three genres might explain how I do collect music. So it came that I got a still quite small collection of vintage vinyl, maybe 1500 records, but with the most of them of exceptional rareness. As stated in the earlier articles, I was driven from the believe, that only the first pressing will contain the "richest" and most complete transcript of the original recording. And sometimes when I had some later pressing before I found the first release, I could confirm my believe.

Variety of first releases of "Miles Davis - Kind of Blue" in mono and stereo, a exceptional example where the first pressing is a incredible lot better comparing any later reissue, even the the 50th anniversary edition from 2009 of the most important jazz album of the 20th century.

The captured quality between first and later releases hardly depend on the handling of recording companies with their masterings for later planned reissues. Some of them did store the original master away as some sort of untouched back up and others made copies for their further use. This practice will degrade every later release with a typical increase of dynamic attitudes normal with every reproduction step. Others seem have handled this question different, Verve for example seemed to be a company where even later releases are able to store the same quality known from their first pressings. Some companies had better or sometimes even lower quality levels within vinyl production, several companies have been sold during a quite short time. So the production parameters changed a lot permanently. Another aspect is the distribution aspect of the first released records worldwide. So the most recordings have distributed foreign cousins of the same time. RCA for example did held for the German market a joint venture with Teldec, a german vinyl production brand from Telefunken and Decca, another european joint venture. As we see there was a lot of money in these days markets and like always, when profit attracts analysts, quality is not anymore the foremost argument. Was it ever?

Vinyl is rich. ...and tasty!

Today the most of a younger generation have audio playback reduced to smartphones for storage and don't see arguments for specialized audio hardware anymore. The basis to such handling are compressed audio files, a development made possible by the invention of the Fraunhofer algorithm for MP3 compression. In 1982 this compression standard was invented there, right two years before Phillips/Sony introduced the Compact Disc as a second digital format (after crash with the laser disc). With the invention of compression the digital distribution of audio technology started its crusade through all media components.
In the former separated audio world the first arguments for the compression have been found in the necessary reduction for the increased bandwidth of 5.1 surround sound audio – do you remember? Creativity in capitalism is never forced to find better qualities for the same amount of money, rule is to find almost the same quality for half the production price as only effective argument. Staircase to hell...
So it made possible that you might be able to carry my whole vinyl library of 1500 vinyl recordings and the additional 500 CDs at my smartphone, just compressed to MP3 standard? – Progress. Yes for the markets …

When operated within high quality audio components it is clearly audible that a and in particular a higher compression of MP3 shrinks out almost any fine and micro dynamic content and reduces the remnant to a rough torso of soulless blunt music images. The compression rate defines how much micro detail will be captured in order to find space for storage. Within high resoluting audio components the later invented algorithm of "lossless"-compression is the only acceptable audio format to capture the audible content of the original "red book"-standard known from CD.
Since the turn of the century "higher resolution" digital formats (96kHz/24bit) have become standard within any sort of audio distribution. So all recordings have been made nowadays with this new industry standard. But as well all mixing, shaping and mastering happens completely in digital form. This has a tremendous impact to the finalized and kept quality, since almost all interventions happen without trace. All the former well noticeable "fingerprints" in analog productions left from each step of and each component is rejected for a general highly refined audible result. For a lot of people this progression into refinement, better phase correction and a truly better balanced and wider sound stage, will be called "analytical"or "artificial" and are connoted to them as "digital sound".
As already stated in my last article, I do appreciate the extra apparent nivelling attitudes of modern digital recordings made within the last decade. Here the general difference between a poor and a well made digital recording hardly can be assumed as a 10% tolerance, where analog vinyl can be proud to capture 50% tolerances at its best. Some people call it "rich and colorful". For me and my vintage record collection it is getting harder and harder to accept both features as positive arguments when comparing vinyl with modern digital records. The most vintage records are not really easy to listen to, they create a high degree of attention with sometimes sparkling energies and superficial dynamics, mostly a bundle of overwhelming attracting attributes. The modern digital recordings at the other side give me more chance to get into the music flow and let me forget about the electronics equipment involved.

Conclusion

End of November I went to a life concert of Cassandra Wilson. When I booked the tickets I had several values with different price tag. I needed three tickets and wondered that very close to the stage at the right side three related seat were bookable. At the performance I realized that just in 90° angle to the stage the view was very close and fantastic with 8 meters distance, but the sound was really terrible poor. All speaker columns where installed high above the stage with direction to the main hall, in my position only the stage monitors have been audible and the reflecting sound from the opposite walls, ending in a really vague, queasy and inaccurate sound. My friend and I agreed about the perfect view of the event, but the sound was amazingly better known from home with a good audio set up. So finally I was happy to capture a colorful live image of her to be assembled with better sound at home. Apart from that I did find curious that a world class singer performs today almost a complete set of songs from an album released 22 years before in 1992, "Blue light 'til dawn" her first album with Blue Note. This album did exist for almost twenty years only as CD release, the vinyl version is quite actual. As I said earlier I did buy vinyl albums believing that the vinyl is richer and better in every respect, since I did own the CD for almost twenty years. Everybody who knows this album, knows it is a really well made recording, with perfect dynamics and well resulted harmonics and perfect micro detailing, in a way exceptional for its time.
Writing at these articles and infected from the poor life event sound, I did pull out my vinyl record and my digital version of that album in order to make some comparison. I did take perfect care about both loudness levels to be perfectly identical. Before I was absolutely sure that vinyl will be more dynamic and the digital version might show up with better resolution of mids? I did try the test for a whole side of the vinyl record, perfectly pitched into the same groove/track.
I did switch from one source than to the other, I did switch back, –  again and again. I could not believe what I did hear. It was absolutely the same. Not even a small difference, after five times switching I did loose the source, what is actually playing? Platine Verdier with SME 3012 and SPU or the streamed digital file using WiFi into my preamp? Nothing no difference at all. Exactly the same. I was completely irritated. AAD, analog recording, analog mixing and digital release vs. AAA with analog release as a vinyl record. Believing and blindtest, – religion and reality…

Remarkable test, if I would not have made it myself, I would not believe the results. For somebody like me, some would name me a hardcore quality enthusiast and refusal of the common "self-healing power of the market"- believe, it was a dry lesson. My understanding of audible perfection is grounded to experiences where older means mostly means better in general, deeper involved, longer lasting in terms of functionality and superior sounding in any audible aspect. When clearly today the first generation of speakers, horns and drivers made by Western Electric Co. in the 1930ties are able to outperform any following product in history in almost any term, such is a basic experience. If almost any audio product designed and engineered for professional use in the broadcast industry, betters any commercial made mass product for audio, it shows another side of the same coin. If product history of original superior products show a permanent decline in quality terms into mediocracy with every released product generation, i.e. like with products from Altec or Tannoy, it shows another problem of the tensile forces with common markets as third argument. Than it is difficult to accept that a solely commercial made product like the digital audio file will be on par or even superior to its analog predecessor, the analog master with the vinyl record. But was a vinyl record ever something different than a commercial placed product for consumers?


I would be happy to learn about other peoples experiences with that topic,
Volker

Natural vs. Analogue vs. Digital vs. Fraunhofer Algorithm processed Music III

Hello to everybody,

interested to follow on. In my last article I did end describing that my believe into the superiority of analog audio reproduction has had almost religious qualities, based on a deep believe, breaded by several "audio mullahs" of the orthodox conservative brotherhood of vinyl junkies.
I did believe for almost my whole life within audio components, that analog play back is superior to any digital technology. I spend 25 years of faithfulness, energy, money to find that believe confirmed by complex evaluations. To be honest, even with substantial input into my system (I did ignore for 15 years any digital source) I never reached a stage of perfection, where I would subscribe with real empiric experience this sort of "religious confirmation". I did always buy the vinyl record if there was any, even when I already had the CD. My long term experience from the early 1990 years with digital music had shown me a poor source, when evaluated with higher degrees of audio program. The mistake once I did made with this score can be cleared up today. The digital program material was mainly based to analog recorded, mixed and mastered material transcribed to CD. Music which had already all the fingerprints typically imprinted from loads of analog components within their production, but with a additional stage of influence, the remastering for digital, cannot sound any better than its original. Every step of reproduction leaves a clear finger print, but in these days digital stored music was the "jack of all trades", able to solve unknown problems – in theory.

It took a long time that my music taste changed to more contemporary performed music of younger generation musicians. Together with my interest to manage my small digital self recorded music library  from my computer, I started in 2005 to play music from there using an audio interface. It didn't take long, that I worked out that my "old school dac" (Meridian 263) did a good job to convert the digital stream into analog audio signals, a lot better than my interface was able to. And in detail after several evaluations with modern "high resolution" dacs, it showed up with the old truth that mainly the analog output stage converters make a audible difference, in particular with following tube preamplifiers and the their input impedance preferences. But as well a solid designed audio output stage made with single coupled transistors, or even better with tubes, bring the dramatic dynamic changes into view, it is not the dac topology in general. The always as standard implemented op-amps here for the analog amplification stage is the foremost achilles' heel and dramatically reduce the finalized output quality.

The album was Archie Shepp's On Green Dolphin Street, became the first digitally-recorded album in the history of jazz music  was made by Denon.

During experiences with my own digital recordings and first results with audio software for a computer based audio workflow from 2005 on, brought out several findings about digital influences to the final result. Different resolution options and compression settings showed me their inherent limiting issues, together with the effects of variated word length rates, the influence of general sampling rates higher than 44,1 kHz up into actual regions of 192 kHz have been tested for superiority.
To me the so called "high resolution"-audio formats (96, 192, 384 or more kHz with 16, 32, 64 and more bits word length), mainly introduced as argument to find new selling options within a shrinking market of downloaded or streamed music formats, are in a high resolution audio chain of completely negligible importance for the quality of audio performance (believing trust). While any sort of digitally introduced compression algorithm is clearly accompanied with a precisely defined loss of micro information, phasing, spacing and dynamic ability. I do not know one audio system where such values are able to determine audible qualities of any importance!
In the age of component less music consumption, relying to the smartphones as universal remote control for any question of todays life and here more or less as converting unit into the analog music signal, another belief takes ground, the religion of zero and one always to be the same figures...

When I started to transcribe my own vinyl collection into digital, it was supported from the believe to preserve the better i.e. "richer" sound of analog vinyl on to digital. I tried with different methods and recording hardware (in "old school"-terms hardware has had always a tremendous influence to audible sound quality, believing again) to find the best possible sound quality for my recordings. So I did use the first Philips/Marantz professional CD-recorder (Marantz CDR600 with the built in legendary first laser burning mechanism with a unsurpassed burning depths for long term archival storage at golden CD-Rs Philips made). I did try with professional DAT tape recorders as well, as I did do HD- recording with stand alone machines and finally I did use my computer with audio interfaces and software to optimize my recordings. I spend a lot of time into that research with the result, that I could not rate any recording principle as to be superior in terms of audible qualities. Only the comfort of use, the spend input of energy and time, as the ease of storage, did finally determine my decision. I even pulled out my old Meridian CD-player to try another step to use hardware for playing digital stored music, but I stayed more or less with the computer and sold all specialized hardware, a step I did explain myself to set for future demands …

I still did believe into my analog system with a Platine Verdier turntable, SME 3012 tonearm, Ortofon SPU pick up and extremely complex tube amplified phono amplifier with inductive equalization to be state of the art. Vinyl is clearly listenable to be the "richer" format, specially when it comes to typical vintage vinyl and so it stated these arguments to be highly superior. The black box of digital data generation can always be seen in contrast as some sort of "diabolic mystic conviction" and with its inherent mathematical system as a true unnatural operating generator, it can be seen as a complete opposite of the musical instrumental origin.
Further religions: US Americans need firearms for better safety, earth warming is not affected by humans, German cars are best in the world and several other ideas withstanding any serious intelligent approvable investigation are of similar significance.

Using the computer for audio storage brings several other questions into account. As photographer and graphic designer I have learned my whole life to work with Macintosh hard- and operating software to optimize analog products. A obvious decision in the first move was to use iTunes for the organization and storage of my still not really seriously taken digital music library. And there is the question of the finalized format included, several compression formats are existing, as well the newer Fraunhofer variant of Mp3, the Lossless format can be a serious option, apple supports the most of them, others don't. And what are the formats in the coming future? The hall of fame of rejected data formats and carrying hardware has grown to a football field size hall of confuse within the digital age, if you just recall 5,25'' floppy disks or optical disks of different manufacture. Today we use clouds (not me) and hard disks for storage, what will be the technology in five years time? Do we need to own our music or will it change completely to cloud streaming with flat rates? It will depend as well on our relationship to our music. Since I don't need any shuffle playing option from my library, others prefer such a undirected support of all-time background music. On the other hand, when I have stopped once playing some of my albums, I hardly find back to them, so I might not need to own them for a lifetime period.
But what when it will happen like in 1995 again, when almost all new produced music sold as vinyl format disappeared for the CD, and today the CD as medium will disappear together without any option to get the same audio standard in other form, it might be getting difficult. My digital preference for my library requires "red book standard" as minimal resolution option, any lower option is not acceptable in audible terms!

Today all recordings are made with solely digital production parameters, where almost all steps of mixing, refinement, manipulation and mastering are introduced in the digital stage. Here now the typical fingerprint of each component and part known from former analog productions is almost invisible for a all around neutrality. This effect creates a much much better general audio quality as average result, comparing it with the early 1990ties. Modern digital recordings can be compared in quality terms within a range of deviation with maximum of 10% divergence, they differ mainly in terms of captured overall dynamics and lost of micro detail, values absolutely unknown from analog vinyl productions, where the captured quality differs to my estimation for more than 50%.

Read on soon, Volker



Reference to the shown miniature speakers was a japanese web page, I was unable to decipher a name of its author, I am sorry for that. I hope the shared attention will be welcome.

Natural vs. Analogue vs. Digital vs. Fraunhofer Algorithm processed Music II

Hello to everybody,

who is interested into a discussion about audio qualities which are obtainable from different storage principles. First the analog vinyl disk, the digital disk or its equivalent of streamed data (on red book standard), the various compression algorithms versus pure naturally performed music, shows clearly the individual limitations and merits of each technology.
As I did describe at the end of my last article, I came once to a point with my own set up where I clearly could evaluate the analogue recordings as main factor of limitation. I began to understand that my record collection of vintage jazz first released vinyl was not able to give me a minimal stage of uniformed performance standard, even when some sort of cutback will be accepted as restriction. Comparing vintage vinyl with modern (past 2000) digitally produced recordings leads to a clear conclusion, – vinyl is clearly characterized with loads of "tasty extras". I would like to find out what makes the analog response so difficult to be on par with current digital produced and stored music.
With vinyl the soundstage widely differs in terms of general dynamics, tonality, space and phasing accuracy, even when the record formally recollects the international production standards of RIAA reglementation. To my personal believe every little part and component in the recording chain, as well within the mastering process and finally in the individual play back system, – each components adds a little individual fingerprint into the analog signal. At the end the finally archived sound differs widely in several parameters like phasing, dynamics, resolution, resonances and as well with its generally captured tonality.

I did try to describe in the last article that I wanted to correct the audible results with variable equalizing parameters in playback, similar to the well known curves from different manufacturers in the age of non standardized mono recordings. I did try as well to optimize the incorporated equalizing filter by different technical filter principles, closer tolerances and as well with different made parts to match different audible effects. Beside conventional RC-fiters as active or passive designs, I did try inductive variants with coils in order to get rid of the hardly beloved limiting capacitors. I did try almost any type of capacitor, like silver mica, polypro, pio, styrene, etc. As like always the oil paper caps did sound best with the poorest measured performances and by far wides tolerances, which need sensitive matching accordingly. To make a short cut to the end of my evaluations, all these different components and designs just add another finger print to the almost rich collection of sound textures within analog recordings.
I would go as far to state, that this "sort of richness" is the matter of fact for the believe that analog reproduced audio is sounding better (richer) than digital reproduced recordings.

In our audio systems the effects of individual components caries to add on each some informations to the final signal. Let us just look to the very front end, the cartridge. Everybody of us has made the experience that every cartridge will sound different in the same record player-arm combination. Even if the cartridge and the arm are perfectly suited to each other with a highly adjusted compliance and weight combination, every "arm itself will sound different" and as well every internal wirement will do so. Use three different step up transformers, you will have three different sound images and it will cary on with every following component in the chain with tremendous effects. Analog sound is a summery of some "pure signal" and loads of different fingerprints left from every component involved to the signal till speakers transduce it into individual aural waves.
Yes, analog sound is rich, may be overloaded rich, sometimes perfectly shaped, but mostly with a individual clear audible sound shape, but never neutral or uncolored. To bring it to a point, from my collection of 1000 first releases not even two records do sound perfectly identical (or some sort of neutral) when compared closely.
Yes, analog reproduced audio material is rich, richer than digital recorded, mixed and mastered program material. But does this mean that richer is automatically any better?

To my opinion it is always a good help to listen to naturally performed music. Performed without any electrical amplification and sound transducing units, just plain acoustical instrumentation. If you do so, you will realize how modest and unaffected such a performance happens and how easy natural performed music is at the ear. The most audio and hifi systems add a lot more attention gathering effects to the signal, mostly as a sign of its inherent limitations. So electrically generated loudness keeps up to compensate these limiting issues and typically show up at the same time with overexposed hardening effects and correlative phase shiftings.

In 2007 I did still believe into the superiority of analogue processed music. I did start to make recordings from my vintage vinyl. My attempts were carried from the believe that the original first released vinyl recordings do carry so much more information (richness!) in their analogue groove and in addition that a digital recording made with the support of a almost perfect record player like the Platine Verdier with 12'' tonearm and SPU cartridge, will outperform any commercial transcripted cd release of the same original recording. And indeed it came out to proceed recordings from vinyl which have captured "the richer and more attentive sound" known from the LP, now for me available as lossless format or burnt down to CD-R. "What a step" to form a own reality into the trueness of believing! Audio as religion...

Read on soon, Volker




Reference to the shown miniature speakers was a japanese web page, I was unable to decipher a name of its author, I am sorry for that. I hope the shared attention will be welcome.

Jan Vermeer, The girl with the pearl ear ring, 1665
Van Gogh, Twelve sunflowers in a vase, 1888
Van Gogh, Autoportrait with fur hat and bandaged ear, 1889

Natural vs. Analogue vs. Digital vs. Fraunhofer Algorithm processed Music I

Hello again,

after the waves of reaction in the aftermath of the Analoge Forum 2014 in Krefeld have weighed within the discussion about my last article, I took the chance to think a lot about the big differences in  individual perceptions of sound structures again. How can it be, that a certain sound evokes such different reaction by different individual people. Since many years I try to understand if a listening ability is natural born or in difference is a highly trained property, or can it be even either or?

I really do not understand that some people, even if they got used for 20 or 30 years to typical high quality audio equipment, do show such heavy differences with the evaluation of the audible profile? Even some long term compaignons with extremely similar audio components in use astonish me regulary with a completely different interpretation of the together auditioned experiences. Everybody of us might know that professional musicians with some deep and long term listening experience to real music and practice with natural instrumentations, do not share the same evaluation grading, which may be typical for the "audio aficionado". So what makes the difference?
I am not sure, but I think it is quite obvious that the musician "knows" what he hears and therefore is able to make some sort of abstraction as a short cut in his brain. The authentic real sensual impression is overridden by his educated knowledge, the most musicians I do know, can live with a tiny pocket radio as source for their favored music. They don't need any high quality audio equipment imitating wider responses of music to generate this process of abstraction of "understanding".





It might be a bit different with more or less technical orientated and experienced audio aficionados, but finally it comes to similar results. Everybody of us has clear expectations about what we do listen when we know what we are looking at? With other words, do we listen with our eyes and our brain/knowledge instead our ears? The all-time favorite blind listening test always bring out similar results, the most people are unable to resolve just by the pure listening experience, if they do not see what they know… do not know what they see…etc., it is getting difficult to evaluate.
Some other people need to close their eyes to interrupt this typical process of forming in order to improve their sensual audible receptivity.

Since I started to use tube audio equipment in the middle 1980ties the most statements of international audio "experts" seem unanimously to confirm that analog processed audio signals from vinyl record players, tape machines or tuners have a exceptional more natural audio response than the high tech sampled digital formats. Their arguments were chosen to match some of our logical understanding as being a creature of natural conditions and is to be seen in direct opposition to the implementation of digital music as a typical instrumentation of technical ideas as market mechanisms and commercial practices. It is very easy to follow such argumentation for some sort of theorem as our own understanding.
The 'experts' always did state a general unsurpassed quality of analogue formats as to deliver better separated tonalities, improved resolution, refined timing issues, better integration of harmonies, a improved coherence and by far better dynamics than digital stored music formats.  In these days of the advent of a new commercialmedia standard with the PhilipsSony-Audio CD, highly pushed into the market by heroic figures like Herbert von Karajan to create a second flush of income as a result of already existing music as vinyl format, made the whole process of digitization a quite dubious action happening in the "black box" of the new digital world.

I started in late 1980ties with my first Garrard 401/SME 3012/II and Denon DL103 with lead body together with my first tube preamp and Leak tube power amps my own audio experiences in order to explore these enrolled theoretical statements. As well I did spend a fortune in parallel for my first real CD-player, a highly praised Meridian 206 for 3500 German Marks, as to be a important investment for the coming future. To be honest, I never did like the sound of the digital player, it was always drawing a lot to much attention with its extremely detailed sound structure, but in return my analogue set didn't do any better but different… So I found myself trapped in the typical situation of the common audio aficionado, try and error was set up for the coming decades…

I took me 20 years from these early days to work hard at my deep believing into analogue processed music as a better principle with much more natural, deeper, wider, coherent and in every respect improved inner structure of music enabling it to sound in every respect superior to digital. This phrase should have been kept enough controversity to distrust such an idea as being a "egg-laying jack of all trades".
In 1998 I got finally a Platine Verdier turntable which brought me as close it can get into front of vinyl music representation (unfortunately I never had a chance to evaluate master tapes within Telefunken M10 studio tape machines). The magnet bearing player gave me a chance to support my deep conviction about the advantage of millions of more and better stored informations in the groove of the analogue vinyl disc comparing it to the industry standards of digital processed music. I never did question again the hardware again, the improvement to former decks showed me a perfect combination of the best attitudes of both worlds of record players design as a perfect synergetic example. The finesse, calm, resolution and micro dynamic harmonies only known from perfectly isolated sub chassis players on the one hand. On the other hand it merges these attitudes into the powerful, dynamic and expressive performance only known from heavy weight mass players. To my knowledge with this combination of positive effects (maybe not the right word here), it is still in its own class.

So did I send my Meridian CD player into retirement in the late 1990ties and concentrated completely into vinyl based music reproduction. I did collect when I was living in the US a good 2000 vintage first release jazz records from Riverside, Pacific, Contemporary, Verve, Pablo, Impulse, Blue Note, Atlantic, Columbia and a lot more companies released between 1955 to 1969, always believing that the first release is made from the master tape since late releases are made sometimes from transferred copies. Before I had bought lots of rereleased CDs (analogue recorded and mixed and mastered CDs) of the same genres jazz and blues, sometimes even the same records, together with a lot of classical music performed at almost the same time.

Over the 2000nd years I did spend a tremendous amount of time to improve the performance of the vinyl deemphasis within my system of tube preamplification. I did realize a whole bunch of different conceptions of preamps with completely different tube implementations (like triodes in diífferent modes, like cathode follower designs, SRPP, SE, choke and transformer coupled, as well with DHT, within active and passive standard RC or IC equalization), alway driven from the idea to find the perfect analogue music signal containing pure music.

During these trials I came across that RIAA deemphasis might not be the universal solution, since in history different record companies did implement their own deemphasis filters. I did try to improve the final reproduction stage with variable filters, in oder to compensate the always existing differences between different records and in particular between different brands. But I had to learn that the classic filter with its turning point at 1000Hz and its peaks at 500 Hz and 2120 Hz gives not enough freedom to compensate the wide spread differences pressed into records. The shaping of that filter is a very humble option to compensate these differences, there are a lot of other influences, which have a great effect to final pressed record.
Every analog component in the recording and mixing chain will leave a clear finger print in the final record. Phase shiftings in the whole bandwidth, every microphone, transformer, tube, capacitor, together with different technical principles will shape the sound of a record tremendously. Its mastering with all its components and processes, its stencil cutting and finally the pressing stamp will shape the final product of a vinyl record tremendously. And we are just talking about technology and components, which excludes the most important factor as any sort of processing, the individual influence of human individuals at any stage of the chain.

Read on soon for the next article following these issues, Volker



Reference to the shown miniature speakers was a japanese web page, I was unable to decipher a name of its author, I am sorry for that. I hope the shared attention will be welcome.

Analog Forum Krefeld 2014

english version at the end


Hallo,

nun war es wieder soweit, nachdem im Sommer in München mit der "High End" bereits mit Beharrlichkeit und lauten Beschwörungsgesten der unaufhaltsamen Sättigung des Absatzmarktes HiFi durch das audiospezialisierte Nischengewerbe entgegnet werden sollte, öffneten sich nun auch wieder die Tore des Analog Forum Krefeld 2014 für den ambitionierten Besucher. Das Analog Forum ist eine Veranstaltung der Analog Audio Association, einem Verein der schon vor langen Jahren mit dem Ziel gegründet wurde, den Artenerhalt der aussterbenden Spezies "Vinylschallplatte" mit der Nachhaltigkeit und sektiererischen Frische von Spielzeugeisenbahnherstellen und deren typischem weltoffenen und innovationsfreudigem Habitus Profit zu schlagen mit einem Forum entgegen zu wirken. Vor einigen Jahren hatte ich mich über einen längeren Zeitraum bemüht, in einem ihrer Zentralorgane, nämlich ihrem Webforum,  über den Stand der Dinge dieses Themengebiets regelmässig zu informieren und auch auszutauschen. Das habe ich dann doch ganz schnell wieder eingestellt, zu offensichtlich war es dann doch, das ein offener Austausch im Bemühen um qualitative Entwicklung zumeist von kleinkariertem "Besitzhabitusdenken"gelenkt und bestimmt wird. Nach wiederholter Erfahrungen dieses Umstands, habe ich mich dann spottend aus der Diskussion um die Qualitäten der Vinylschallplatte aus dem von mir vortan nun "Dualforum" geschimpften Plattform zurückgezogen.

Nun also sah ich es als meine Pflicht, wenigsten einmal den "Freunden der Spielzeugeisenbahn" Liebhabern aufwendig verchromter, komplex gravierter, mit umfänglich vorgegebenen Einstelloptionen für mindesten drei Tonarme versehenen (davon mindest ein 16-Zöller, am besten einpunktgelagert) und folgerichtigem dreistelligem Nettoversandgewicht ausgetatteten Analoglaufwerken (früher Plattenspieler genannt), einen Besuch abzustatten. Ich mache keinen Hehl daraus, das mir ehemalige Veranstaltungen schon solcherart suspekt allein als medial vermitteltes Ereignis erschienen, das ein Besuch für mich überhaupt nicht zur Frage stand. Das mag man für arrogant halten, aber schließlich kannte ich genug hinlänglich "Interessierte", die mich auch immer wieder darin bestätigten, einen Besuch dort nicht als "zwingend" einzustufen. Zum anderen weiss ich nur zur gut, das kommerzielle gewerblich orientierte Interessen mit meinen Erwartungen an ein hörbares Ergebnis, sagen wir es bescheiden, sich nicht wirklich zweckdienlich zueinander verhalten. Schließlich habe ich ja auch seit etwa 25 Jahren keinen HiFi-Laden mehr betreten, immer wohl wissend, das mir da "schon geholfen wird".

Nun gut, 2014 TrueFi goes Audiofair. Ich war überrascht, wieviele Menschen sich an einem Feiertag in engsten Hotelzimmern drängen, um sagen wir es salopp, eine Stereoanlage zu hören. Schnell war man in der ersten Runde durch die meisten angerichteten Räume, jeden Zweiten musste man wegen Überfüllung auf die Folgerunde vertagen. Aber auch deshalb schnell, da es unabhängig von Aufwand, Marken und Equipment eigentümlich ähnlich tönte. Man brauchte dafür kein sonderlich geübtes Ohr, das allgemeine Niveau der Aufführungen war sehr, sehr ähnlich und ich sage es vorsichtig mit Rücksichtnahme auf die HinterbliebenenAmbitionierten sehr, sehr bescheiden. In schon krass zu nennendem Kontrast zum Aufwand der dort getrieben wurde, klangen die Ergebnisse seltsam befreit von aller musikalischen Substanz. Schnell konnte man zumeist schon beim ersten Basston oder in der Grundtondarstellung vernehmen, das das Gebotene andere Ansprüche bedienen wollte, als dies meine sind. Nach selten mehr als einer Minute gesellte sich beim überwiegenden Teil der Aufführungen auch die Erfahrung eines meist sehr vordergründigen, oft auch harsch bis spitz vorgetragenes oberen Frequenzbandes dazu. Und Summa Summarum in Verbindung mit den meist auch blass und farblos vorgetragenen wichtigen Mitten, wurde das "HiFi-Soundbild" schlüssig abgerundet. Ich weiss nicht ob dies ein bewusst eingesetzter flacher, vordergründiger Sound ist, der sich besser verkaufen lässt? Jedenfalls mit Musik, derer analoger Eigenschaften und emotionaler Darbietung, hat das in den wenigsten Fällen noch nicht einmal vordergründig zu tun.
Es mag daran liegen, dass die räumlichen Bedingungen natürlich nicht optimal sind, jedoch war bei einigen Anbietern auch diesbezüglich höchster Aufwand betrieben worden, Raumakustikpanele im sechsstelligen Bereich waren aufgebaut, dazu die übermässige Fülle menschlicher Absorber. Ich vermute jedoch als eigentlichen Grund für das einhellig kraftvoll unattraktive Auftreten, starke Affinitäten zu unseren Lebensmitteln. Der überwiegende Teil der Produkte der sich so nennt, hat ja auch nichts mit Leben zu tun, – ganz im Gegenteil.

Es war schon mehr als erstaunlich, das einzig ein kleiner unauffällig vorgetragener Beitrag eines Schweizer Anbieters (wer hat's erfunden?) als einer der ganz wenigen Lichtblicke die gängige Trübe Aussicht aufzuhellen im Stande war. Mit einer Stereoanlage, die mich massgeblich an einige meiner eigenen frühen Anlagen erinnerte, mit einem modernen Thorens Subchassis-Plattenspieler, fast technisch identisch zum Klassiker TD160, hübsch und sinnvoll ergänzend kombinierten Röhren-Modul-Komponenten und einem kleinformatigem Breitbandlautsprecher, zeigte die Vorführung von Swissonor Eigenschaften, die auf keinem anderen Stand so nachvollzogen werden konnten. Feine, durchnuancierte, atmende Musikdarstellung mit einer geradezu im Vergleich bescheiden anmutenden Kette. Alle anderen scheinen gerade den umgekehrten Weg eingeschlagen zu haben, nicht kleckern, auch nicht klotzen, – rüpeln scheint die Devise. (jetzt muss eigentlich wieder meinen Klassiker zitieren, der die Parallelen im Kaufverhalten von SUV's und den jeweilig anderen Produkten als gleich benennt)

Auch Wolf von Langa's winziger dipoliger Kugellautsprecher "Sphere" ist einer der wenigen positiven Versuche das dort Gängige in Frage zu stellen und mit einem einfachen Produkt zu überantworten. Vermutlich auch das ein Versuch, seinen zurückliegenden vermutlich negativen Erfahrungen geschuldet, auf solchen Veranstaltungen mit aufwendigstem Equipment zu punkten, nun marktkonform ökonomisch anzugehen. Schade, hatte ich doch gehofft dort einen der aufwendigen DHT Verstärker von Thomas Mayer in der Vorführung zu erleben zu dürfen, leider wurden die "sphere's" mit japanischen PP-Amps angetrieben.

Bleibt zu erwähnen, das die überall allgegenwärtigen Lakritzschnecken auch nicht die emotionalen Fehlerwartungen befrieden konnten. Natürlich könnte ich nun schreiben, ich habe es immer gewusst, dass sich mein Anspruch an Musikreproduktion und deren akustischer Umsetzung mit gängigen HiFi-Komponenten nicht befriedigen lässt. Natürlich könnte ich jetzt schreiben, das der organisierte Unfug auf einem Laufwerk 18 verschieden bestückte Tonarmrohre "on the fly"im Wechsel unterschiedliche Abtaster hörbar machen soll, schon mit einem einzigen Einpunkttonarm, schon als grob fahrlässige Täuschung bewertet werden muss, oder kennt jemand ein einpunktgelagerten Tonarm in einer wirklich funktionieren Kette, – wohl kaum? Nein, diese Liste der Schmähungen kommerzieller Exzesse in Krefeld will ich nicht führen, mir geht es um Wichtigeres.
Aber die Problematik geht ja doch noch etwas tiefer, – muss man seine eigenen Ansprüche im Angesicht dieser präsenten Durchschnittlichkeit, aber auch ihre unverfroren selbstherrlichen Vermarktungspraktiken wirklich in Frage stellen? Ich weiss es nicht, schlussendlich ist dieser Konflikt auch der Grund warum ich diesen Blog gegründet habe und dazu benutze ein Forum für ähnlich denkendende und handelnde Menschen mit komplett anders gearteter Erwartungshaltung zu erreichen.

So verliessen wir einigermassen irritiert die sehr gut besuchte Veranstaltung, verzichteten auf den Kaffee im Mercure-Hotel und tranken diesen dann lieber als kurzen Zwischenstopp auf dem Heimweg bei Mike. Dort wurde der kleinen Gruppe mehr als augenfällig in Erinnerung gebracht, worum es uns allen eigentlich geht. Gute Musik und deren Wesen zu transportieren, ihre inneren Emotionen, ihre Ausdrucksfähigkeiten und Spannungsbögen ohne vordergründige Technikwahrnehmung vermittelt zu bekommen. In einem Kontrast, der grösser nicht sein konnte, gelang dies mit Mikes Anlage im Nachvollzug dieses kurzweiligen November Nachmittags. Das Wetter war eigentlich sogut, dass es die Jahreszeit hat vergessen lassen. Einzig die spätere Erfahrung und Vorführung von Mikes Setup, diesmal mit Tungar PSU für die LM-Treiber, war einerseits mit ihrer saisontypischen Vorweihnachtbeleuchtung der Tungarröhren auch Anlass sich der Jahreszeit zu vergegenwärtigen. Die Performance dieser Anlage muss ich an dieser Stellen nicht mehr hinlänglich beschreiben, mit dem gängigen Vergleich der "Welten, die sich da auftun", ist der Unterschied zum kommerziellen Gestöpsel in Krefeld so unzutreffend beschrieben, das mein Bemühen dafür noch die richtigen Begriffe zu finden, auch die Unmöglichkeit beschreibt, auditive Musikdarstellung in Worten zu fassen.


Bis bald, Volker




english version:

Now it happened again, after the summer with the Munich-High End-Fair, already the inexorable decline of the audio specialized niche industry should have been countered with perseverance and loud summoning gestures, now Analog Forum Krefeld  2014 opened again the gates for the ambitious visitors. The Analog Forum is an event of Analog Audio Association, a club that was many years ago founded with the goal of typical preservation of the endangered species "vinyl record" with the sustainability and sectarian freshness of toy train manufacturers and their typical cosmopolitan and innovation-habit to profit to counteract with a forum. Some years ago I did try to inform regularly and exchange about the state of things of this subject area, in one of its central organs, namely their web forum  I did stop quite quickly, it was too obvious that a an open exchange mostly was directed and determined by a "possession habit of thinking". After repeating experiences of this fact, I decided to withdraw me from the debate about the qualities of vinyl records from what I henceforth did call "Dual Forum".

So now I saw it as my duty, at least once the "Friends of toy train" lovers consuming chrome, complex engraved provided with circumferentially set options for at least three different tonearms (including minimum one 16-inch model, at best with point bearing) and consequent three-digit net shipping weights, equipped analog decks (earlier called phonograph) to pay a visit. I make no bones about it, before the times of such events already appeared suspicious, such a visit did never stand for me to question. That may grow arrogant, but eventually I knew enough "interested", which also repeatedly confirmed that a visit is not "mandatory" for life. Secondly, I know very well the relations between commercial business-oriented interests to my expectations of an audible result, we say it modestly, are not really useful relate to each other. Finally, I have also missed to enter for about 25 years any hi-fi shop anymore, always knowing that they were no helps for me since.

Well, in 2014 TrueFi goes Audio Fair. I was surprised how many people are crowded on a holiday in closest hotel rooms, to say it bluntly, to hear a stereo set. Quickly the first round was done by leaving out every second room because of overcrowding for the following second round. But also rapidly because it sounded strangely similar regardless of expense, brands and equipment. It requires not a very trained ear, the general level of the performances was very, very similar and I will say it with careful consideration of the survivor's very ambitious with modesty. In pretty wicked to call contrast to the effort driven there, the results sounded strangely exempt from all musical substance. Quick one could usually hear with the very first bass note or in the lower frequency representation, what is offered would serve other claims than mine. After rarely more than a minute, the experience of a usually very superficial, often harshly pointed to rendered upper frequency band joined them in the majority of the performances. And summarized in combination with the usually pale and colorless middle frequencies, the typical "high fidelity sound"was presented conclusively. I do not know, if this is the typical deliberately shallow, superficial hi-fi sound is, that it needs to sell? In any event, with music which features analog and emotional content in a foremost performance, the shown attitudes do not even represent superficially this values in most of the cases.
It may be fact that the spatial conditions of course are not optimal in hotel rooms, however, for some providers the highest rate of respect has been operated into room acoustic, panels in the six figures rate were constructed. However, I suspect as the real reason for the unanimous powerfully unattractive appearance shows strong affinities to our food. The majority of the products of the so called, has also nothing to do with life - quite the contrary.

It was more than amazing, that a small inconspicuous adduced post from a Swiss manufacturer was one of the very few bright spots, able to lighten the common turbidity view. With a stereo set, which reminded me to some of my own early systems, with a modern Thorens subchassis turntable, almost technically identical to the classic TD160, pretty nice and useful supplemented with a modular tube  amp component system and performed with a small-sized duplex speaker, the demonstration of Swissonor showed properties, that could not be tracked in any other state such. Refined, nuanced and breathing music notation with a downright modest compared sounding chain. Everyone else seems to have just taken the opposite path, sheer mass and glossy surfaces seems the motto. (now it would be time for my classic quote, that names the parallels in the purchasing behavior of SUV-cars and the respective products other than actually equal again)

Even Wolf of Langa's tiny dipole ball speaker "sphere" is one of the few positive tests to bring the major offers there into question and to respond with a simple product. Probably also an attempt, presumably his past negative experiences due to score at such events with lashivly equipment, now with the market to address economically. Too bad, I had hoped to be able to experience one of the most elaborate DHT amplifiers from designer Thomas Mayer in the demonstration there, unfortunately the "sphere's" were presented with japanese  PP amps.

It remains to mention the ubiquitous licorice snails  everywhere also could not pacify the emotional fault maintenance. Of course I could write, I've always did know, that my claim to music reproduction and its implementation with standard commercial hi-fi components can not satisfy my requirements. Of course, I could now write that the organized mischief of 18 different stacked tonearm wands to be changed "on the fly" to make different pickups audible, even with a single one point bearing tonearm might be a project of predicted failure, or does somebody know a one point bearing tonearm in a chain really work, - hardly? No, this list of insulting commercial excesses in Krefeld I do not want to lead forward, I am concerned with more important things.

But the problem is indeed still something deeper - you have to make own claims in the face of this mediocrity, but also to question their unabashedly brazen commercial marketing practices really? I do not know, ultimately this conflict was also the reason for me to start this blog and to found a forum for similar thinking people with completely different type of expectation about audio to achieve.

So we left somewhat irritated the very well-attended event, gave up the coffee in the Mercure Hotel and then made a stop over at Mikes house on the way back home to have it there. There, the small group was brought over evident in memory, what it all comes to us actually. To transport good music and its essence to convey, without superficial perception of technology to take care to their inner emotions, their expression skills and suspense. In contrast, the greater could not be, this was achieved with Mike's investment in the enactment of this entertaining November afternoon. The weather was actually so nice that it has the season to forget. Only the subsequent experience and demonstration of Mike's setup, this time with Tungar PSU for the LM-driver, one hand, with their typical seasonal before Christmas light the tungar tubes gave an opportunity to recall the season. The performance of the system I need no longer sufficiently to describe here, with the usual comparison of the "worlds that open up there," the difference from the commercial clatter in Krefeld is described as inaccurate, that my endeavors to ensure even the right words see, also describes the impossibility to describe auditory representation of music with written words.


Read on soon, Volker

Incredible close to music V – The Ear of the Holder

Hello to everybody,

after the series of articles about the Line Magnetic products which are made to resemble modern equivalents of the extremely rare vintage Western Electric products from the 1930ties, like the WE555 receiver, the WE 22A horn unit, the WE 597A telephone, extended with the TA7331 dipole like enclosure, the feedback to this articles was more than resonant. I have got some requests from interested people worldwide into such setups, but as well from users of similar equipment. My series of articles was introduced to take care about the incredible rareness of such fine performing chains in the audio world and to find bases why it is so difficult. Within these first articles I did try to describe an aural rarity, were natural tonality, refined resolution of detailed micro dynamics together with almost realistic dynamics, form the base for listening ease as a sort of harmonic presentation. Reading the feedbacks on the one hand and my own long time experience with audio sets at the other hand, it seems to be extremely difficult for others to find such a level of performance. Almost every mail which reached me during that time, described difficulties or even a real lot of problems with similar sets to the far extreme impossibility to make it work in a reasonable way. How can this be?

The Line Magnetic LM22A/555W/597 with dipole enclosure here shown is the speaker combination which has impressed me most within my 30 years with audio, by far. How can it be, that a similar set up somewhere in the world does not seem to work at all? How can it be, that this combination of the most transparent audio response, with the fastest and most harmonic medium frequency response I personally do know, will not work together with some of the best triode amplifiers available today? How can it be that a similar set with digital dsp and active amplification is not able to show any harmonic content, being far away from musical insight, even with such a technical implementation will allow so much more "advantages"? Only a few questions are quoted here to show the catalogue of contradictions, but they all point to the same basic problems. It is a damned task to bring a highly complex audio chain into advanced mode.

Platine Verdier Turntable with Shindo Merseult tonearm and dedicated Shindo pickup

In todays audio world we are looking back to almost 80 years of technical "advancement". A actual professional studio monitor with integrated dsp and 800 watts power amp can perform with a tremendous advancement, just by its own. The audible difference to the former named Line Magnetic set driven by extremely refined tube gear in terms of quality difference is small, if namable. Of course tubes and such ha huge medium frequency horn adds some extras to the final performance, due to their special physical forming of the signal.
I know that I will open a new "barrel" with that thesis, but some sort of discussion seem to be on need about compability. It looks that for the most people the actual active studio monitor might be the better solution, it is a lot smaller, cheaper and causes less responsibility to set it up with a decisive ear. With a highly variable chain of different components and accessories, in particular with vintage or similar tube gear, the mismatch is a inevitable program, but it guarantees a good cash flow for this business. Widely varying impedances, highly different sound performances of varying brands, components and accessories, create a infinitive wide field of scopes. So almost everybody well experienced with the variety of such mismatches, keeps on running to plug components by "try and error", sometimes for years, decades or even a whole lifetime.

Double page spread from japanese audio magazine showing a installation with two WE16a/WE597 and two LF-baffles

Another typical and inevitable problem is the abstraction, generated by the human brain in comparison with audible impressions. Since generations the typical "blind listening test" brings out surprising results, showing that a lot of people do hear what they expect from what they see. The same trick happens with what they believe to know. I only have met a very few people, which are able to trust their listening impression and are able to difference out what they hear and how they feel with it. Another problem is the high rate of forgetfulness of the human ear in order to transcribe impressions and emotions from one set to another for comparing reasons.
A continuous experience with natural music performance with nonamplified performed instruments, like world-, jazz- or classical-music is a perfect school for the ear to internalize the fine differences. If you just rely to electrical amplified, mixed and performed music program, it will be difficult to work out the character of natural tonality. The regular experience will create a sense for the finer details and the atmosphere of micro dynamics, as they are a important part of a natural impression.

The rare gift or skill of true listening ability is absolutely necessary to bring a complex audio chain into  improved stage of performance, since the educated human ear can be the most refined instrument for detecting any errors in a final sound stage of audio performance. 

Since three or more decades some payable measuring equipment is available to support the listening impressions with technical evaluated data and printed graphs as visual equivalent. To my understanding such a equipment just can help to confirm the subjectiveness of impressions, but true relying to such technologies brings the most people out of the track. Furthermore digital DSP with its virtual cockpit of possibilities will add extra options to be disguised and finally spoil any remnants of naturalness. Of course the proponents of such technology will reply that aural coherence without measurement is just some sort of illusion ...
It might be fact that the foremost crowd of audio aficionados will cut into two contradictive groups, the one relying to the logic interning of technology and the other group hardly believing to the superiority of the human senses. Manifested knowledge vs. "fishing in the dark", the jin and jang of mankind.

I think the most people reading here do know what I want to explain. I have spend almost 10 years till I found my first real anchor in my audio chain. In my case it was the Platine Verdier turntable, from were almost everything else in my chain got evaluated further on. Now after 25 years I have found some components (or made them) which might work out together in a improved way. I never have counted all the energy, money and time to find out about and even today I am far from save within every component I do use. But independent from components I did learn within that 25 years to listen – it was a expensive lesson.

LM22A/555W/597 on top of a TA7331 influenced dipole enclosure

So if you are interested to get one of the most expressive speakers ever, a Western Electric original like WE13/15/16, a Line Magnetic replica or a Sato horn array, you need to be save that you will be able to tame these exceptional magnifying glasses into musical performance. They can be "hell or heaven"at once, just another component can be responsible either or. These horns can show a tremendous perfect insight into the music with naturalness and perfectly refined harmony, as they can dramatically explain any imperfection with impertinence and sustainability.

When Mike did start his journey with his LM set he did absolutely not know where the train will stop or how long the trip will be. With his own words he did state, that he was several times at a point within this four years to give up and sell the set. He did not know anymore further or even back, he luckily had his close friend Hans, who tried on his own and could push him back into lane. Today both are absolutely happy with what they did work out: "the first time in 30 years that we have got a system working".

The most relevant findings from this process were:

1. The Shindo chain takes a tremendous part of such incomparable matching qualities. It is the perfect impedance matching of the different amplifying stages, their exceptional tonal coherence from the pick up trough the arm, over the matching input transformer, followed by the RIAA stage and perfectly conducted from the line stage (output transformer coupled) to the power amplifier. Here the typical warm, refined and full bodied sound of the WE 300b directly heated triode in perfect implementation is a significant part of the final result.

2. The Line Magnetic LM22 horn is set with a 6 db crossover to the range from 300 hz to 6000 hz, the LM597 is set with a 6db filter above till its physical limit. The dipole enclosure uses two Siemens KL405 units in parallel to get a better efficiency with 4 ohms comparing the horns, this makes the autoformer redundant. The crossover is set with 6 db filter at 300 hz. This is another most important feature for the aural superiority, since it will let the woofers play beyond the 1000 hz range. Even if they are not very loud here, they do bring a important subliminal support of the LM22a into business. I did listen to them separate and it is fascinating that they act almost a bit like a full range speaker, as a result of the property that the KL405 is normally used as full range unit as solely speaker for the tone of a film projector.

3. The room treatment brings out a very musical damped room with conducted reflections to make such a degree of performance possible. Even when the horns do peak the radiation in direction of their mouse, the treatment helps a lot to keep the wandering reflections in control and make therefore a foremost listening of the directly radiated waves possible.

4. It is Mikes and Hans ability to work out the complete panel of properties combined with a true sense to avoid almost all deformations coming by, created by the rare opportunity to tune such a set for improved demands. They restless tried to question every aspect again and again. So he shortly did reevaluate again a DSP with active amplifying devices for each unit, just to make sure, that the decision from 2011 to ban this technic from his setup, was the right one. He did come back to analogue filtering with 6 db crossover a second time, now completely convinced that a DSP might create perfect measurements, but is no solution if harmonic audible structures and homogenousity are the requested values for the final sound. As Mike tried to resemble the Shindo 300b amps with other tube amps of exceptional quality to find alternatives for rocketing tube costs. As well here he has to complain, that there is no real alternative for him in sight. He relies completely to the typical aural skills of the original WE 300b tubes and exceptional abilities of his Shindo amps. In some restless sort both guys always try to find better solutions, at the moment they will not be happy since they have tried the last big mystery for such a installation, a selenium rectified or a historical tungar power supply for the field coils of the LM speakers. Since the beginning of this year I do tell them, that there might be other options to spend time, energy and money with than some further audio tweaks, like sailing, food …

Passive crosser for the medium-high frequency path show impressive simplicity

Dipole enclosure with Siemens Kl405 woofers underneath the LM597 telephone

I now have had several chances over short period of time to inspect Mikes set in almost every detail. I can agree that there is no part or component to be changed without impunity. The receipt follows on the foot with some sort of deformation if you try. This audio set impresses with a absolute uniqueness of balance, a incomparable performance with tube audio components and horn speakers. I would be interested to learn about another set at the same degree somewhere realized, but with different components to widen my horizon. ...


Read on soon, Volker

Harmony – Aspects of Technically Reproduced Sounds

Today I want to introduce a entirely fundamental questioning about qualities of speaker cabinets in sound reproduction. Under the influence of the evaluating my actual test cabinets a long time covered questions arose again. For years I am in the process of finding answers about timber woods, acceptable resonances and construction details of different loudspeaker cabinet design principles. Is there a relationship between the used materials and their harmonic properties? Does a speaker sound any better when built into a housing designed like an musical instrument? How does it compare against a technically advanced design aimed to reduce all resonances by the use of compound materials? Are directed resonances and inherent  harmonious effects superior than multi layered compound materials or even as far as dead damped materials? Let me ask in this specific case, does a speaker sound in a piano case more natural, subtile and more expressive as in a dead damped box? Is it even similiar with wooden instruments that certain types of wood in combination, their optimal growth, location and age, the degree of drying can harmonize a perfect housing for a moving coil cone speaker unit?

I think yes, these issues are important – indeed critical, and their optimized implementation can significantly improve a speaker cabinet dramatically towards its natural sounding capabilities. This actual understanding stands in contrast to the fundamental research project BBC RD 77/3 of classic loudspeaker cabinets done by H.D. Harwood for the BBC research department in 1977. This research was based on the speaker designs exclusive developed for the BBC in the late 1960ties, were companies like Rogers and Spendor have built several speakers for monitoring use like the BC1 and the well known LS-series. This research has build rails for the classic school of british loudspeaker design, commonly known as two way systems with small scale drivers (KEF), small baffle, rigid enclosures, complex crossover design and at the end highly inefficient properties.

Cabinets for BBC LS3/5a (30x19x15cm HWD )with synthetic foam damping

Less resonant materials have been researched, compound layers, even sometimes doubled with sand filling and highly strengthened constructions to find the acoustical "dead case". No wonder that cabinets made from three inch concrete came into account, just "to give resonances no chance". It ended up, as everybody knows with dwarf coffins, shoe box size speakers and 5 kg filter units for the crossovers (LS 3/5a, etc.) – loudspeakers with off-trained attitudes – sound generators with the need of 200 watts class a power to work with decent dynamics. Todays studio speakers have taken the relay race.

This is going to be a discussion between two contradictive positions, "the precision engineered system" and the traditional crafted musical instrument. We are talking about the technical advancement and its reliable proof by measurement, as we talk about the down passed traditional knowledge from generations of crafted masters over centuries of acoustical hand built instrument production at the other side. We are talking about the believe in technical advance and its opposition the faith into the higher order of natural superiority. There is no high tech stradivari nor a electronic enhanced piano known, able to displace this classic acoustic instruments. I cannot recall lots of arguments why a subtle harmony distribution should be different with loudspeaker cabinets?

Today we are looking back again to that time of the early beginning, the time were Western Electric, RCA, Klangfilm and others developed systems for professional use in theaters and cinemas in the late 1920ties. We are looking back to that time of inventors, were the difficulty of lacking amplifying power was confronted with the need to match the size of several thousand people filling halls. The shear physical demand of loudness made the mechanical support of the amplification necessary. Wood was the material of use to form funnels, cabinets and baffles for this reason. These inventors used constructive timber to strengthen their designs, northern coniferous wood sorts like they were used for other construction in other fields. They evaluated their designs by extensive listening tests and refined the results step by step. The designers did not have the opportunity to use modern composite materials, so they used solid timber wood and traditional wooden conjunctions to strengthen the constructions.

Today listening to such a system from Western Electric or Klangfilm shows us a lot about that principles. These huge size systems work with resonances and other side effects. Their tonality is colored and expressive, but they bring us a lot closer to the distribution of harmonies like the natural sound of acoustical instruments and its energetic content than contemporary solutions can do. Almost a whole century we tried in the believe of this myth – the technical advance as mastermind for any sort of progression. We have already learned about the shadowside of this believings and as well here, we need to rethink some basic ideas about sound reproduction.

Klangfilm  system with original baffle board made from solid timber woods in a japanese weekend residency. 

A huge speaker  (like a 12", or a 15" or even a 18" unit, permanent or field coil magnets) is a motor unit initiating a lot of mechanical energy during operation. This power of energy cannot be removed, it cannot be compensated by damping or with other forms of mechanical isolations. This energy is always present, it is just a question if its resonances will be used to distribute harmonies in order to complete the sound structure with emotional content.

I would be happy, if a sort of discussion will arise from this article and some of the countless readers of this blog, will start to comment this article with their personal experience and expertise in this field.

Read on soon, Volker