Re: [ARSCLIST] FLAC

[carlstephen koto <cskoto@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry I didn't make it clearer. I was using a standalone SACD player  
(Sony SCD-777es with a few upgrades) which was $3500+ $1200 in  
upgraded caps/clock, analog outputs. The reel to reel is a modified  
Technics RS1500 with custom playback electronics, modified tape path  
using tapes from tapeproject.com.
I don't know where you read that I used PCM CD's but I didn't.
The Apogee Duet is a semi-pro computer interface that's kind of a hot  
item with that crowd at the moment.
And no, it wasn't the same material played out of each source. This  
was a non profit demo for the individual listeners to try different  
models of headphones so "they" could make up their own minds, with  
their different listening preferences, which ones they liked rather  
than having to read about them or take someone else's word for what  
is better for different kinds of headphone listening.
I just wanted to give the other members of the list my (biased)  
opinion and a list of fairly low cost downloads so they could give  
them a try.
Steve Koto
On Jun 8, 2008, at 4:16 PM, Steve Abrams wrote:

> I'm sorry but this is bullshit.  How did you reproduce the SACD  
> selections? On what equipment?
> Give a detailed answer including the price of the player and  
> further details of the tape and FLAC playback.   Were they the same  
> material?  What exactly is the Apogee Duet interface. You are  
> saying that PCM CDs sound better than DSD SACDs.  You are also  
> saying that the CD layer of an SACD sounds better than the SACD  
> layer. You are indeed "extremely biased".
>
> SA
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "carlstephen koto"  
> <cskoto@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 11:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] FLAC
>
>
> > I had an exhibit at a conference outside of Portland Or a couple  
> > of  weeks ago, demoing high quality music sources. The exhibit  
> > featured  master tape dubs (1/2 track 15ips) from the Tape  
> > Project, SACD  playback and Linn Records 24/96 downloads through  
> > an Apogee Duet  interface.  The tapes stomped everything (I am  
> > extremely biased in  this case) but I did find that 'some' of the  
> > classical and jazz  downloads (FLAC) were audibly more realistic  
> > than any of the SACD  selections I had. I found the selection Giga  
> > de Coreli from La  Guitarra Espanola/William Carter guitar, any  
> > number of cuts from the  Arnie Somogyi' Ambulance (small ensemble  
> > jazz) and "Enough" from  Judith Owens album "Happy This Way." to  
> > put the 'download/FLAC files  best foot forward.  I you wish to  
> > sample these, you can download  single songs for fairly cheap. As  
> > a desktop player I used sbooth.org  "Play".
> > Steve Koto
> > On Jun 8, 2008, at 12:33 PM, Matthew Snyder wrote:
> >
> > > I am intrigued to find that at least one website (http://  
> > > www.hdtracks.com)
> > > is selling CD-quality music tracks, with FLAC as a format  
> > > option,  and no
> > > DRM. I'm curious whether anyone else is using FLAC commercially.   
> > > This is
> > > obviously only a case or two, but would this not bode well for  
> > > the future
> > > of the format?
> > >
> > > Matt Snyder
> > > Music Archivist
> > > Wilson Processing Project
> > > The New York Public Library