Question about audio fidelity from older media
01-08-2019, 09:34 PM
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Question about audio fidelity from older media
Hello all,
I have a 2017 W166 with Harman Kardon system, and enjoy it.
On recently downloaded media (Rush, Moving Pictures), the sound quality or "fidelity" is great. Separation of midtones and bass presence is good. For older media, for example Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti from a CD of 1980s vintage, the sound quality is not as good. The sound is compressed and the vocals can't get through the instruments.
Does this make sense? Is newer media remastered to take full advantage of the latest audio equipment? Is my hearing deceiving me?
I have a 2017 W166 with Harman Kardon system, and enjoy it.
On recently downloaded media (Rush, Moving Pictures), the sound quality or "fidelity" is great. Separation of midtones and bass presence is good. For older media, for example Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti from a CD of 1980s vintage, the sound quality is not as good. The sound is compressed and the vocals can't get through the instruments.
Does this make sense? Is newer media remastered to take full advantage of the latest audio equipment? Is my hearing deceiving me?
01-09-2019, 10:40 AM
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I have the Harman Kardon Surround Sound system in my car as well, and I can appreciate your frustration.
Unfortunately, the sound quality of CDs has always varied greatly, dating back to when production first began in the 80s. Some are done well, others are really poor. Release date does not always determine sound quality; there are older discs, like David Bowie's Diamond Dogs, that were mastered fairly well for CD, while others from the same era, like The Rolling Stones' It's Only Rock N Roll, sound awful (the vinyl version is much better). The award for worst sound production of all time should perhaps go to Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, which is a fun album, but the sound quality of both the original vinyl and the subsequent CD are abysmal.
In my personal experience with Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, the CD mastering was extremely poor. Both discs sounds muddy and flat, with absolutely no tonal range. The drums sound like garbage cans and the cymbals sound like garbage can lids. This is the fault of whoever did the mastering for the CD release and any MP3s ripped from the CD will sound the same.
For those of us who have more demanding tastes in this area, the only solution is to "remaster" the tracks yourself. I've spent untold hours ripping CDs into WAV files and then opening them in Audacity and using that software's detailed EQ tool in an effort to make the CD tracks more listenable. The value of ripping the CDs as WAV files and then doing the tweaking in that format is it limits the MP3 compression to only the final version you create after adjusting the lossless WAV to your satisfaction.
Unfortunately, the sound quality of CDs has always varied greatly, dating back to when production first began in the 80s. Some are done well, others are really poor. Release date does not always determine sound quality; there are older discs, like David Bowie's Diamond Dogs, that were mastered fairly well for CD, while others from the same era, like The Rolling Stones' It's Only Rock N Roll, sound awful (the vinyl version is much better). The award for worst sound production of all time should perhaps go to Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, which is a fun album, but the sound quality of both the original vinyl and the subsequent CD are abysmal.
In my personal experience with Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, the CD mastering was extremely poor. Both discs sounds muddy and flat, with absolutely no tonal range. The drums sound like garbage cans and the cymbals sound like garbage can lids. This is the fault of whoever did the mastering for the CD release and any MP3s ripped from the CD will sound the same.
For those of us who have more demanding tastes in this area, the only solution is to "remaster" the tracks yourself. I've spent untold hours ripping CDs into WAV files and then opening them in Audacity and using that software's detailed EQ tool in an effort to make the CD tracks more listenable. The value of ripping the CDs as WAV files and then doing the tweaking in that format is it limits the MP3 compression to only the final version you create after adjusting the lossless WAV to your satisfaction.
Last edited by Mr. Toad; 01-09-2019 at 12:04 PM.
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01-09-2019, 12:33 PM
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Thanks for the replies.
Mr. Toad your taught me a lot, thanks.
Just downloaded Brothers in Arms from iTunes and it sounds great. Does anyone know if the iTunes version of this album has been remastered Vs the original CD? I don’t have the physical media to compare.
Mr. Toad your taught me a lot, thanks.
Just downloaded Brothers in Arms from iTunes and it sounds great. Does anyone know if the iTunes version of this album has been remastered Vs the original CD? I don’t have the physical media to compare.
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01-09-2019, 01:00 PM
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I don't believe that iTunes does any remastering themselves, so what you get from them should theoretically be the same as if you bought the CD and ripped the tracks from it. However, they used to (not sure about now) sell low-bitrate MP3s (e.g., 128 kbs), which will always sound compressed and inferior to MP3s that were encoded at a high bitrate, such as 320 kbs.
If an album was reissued at some point in a remastered version, most legitimate online retail sources (e.g., iTunes, Amazon Music, etc.) will indicate that the album they're offering is the remastered version (e.g., "The Blah Blah Blah Band - Greatest Hits [2016 Remastered Edition]"). However, it's been my experience that "remastered" versions can actually be inferior to the original album, so I would caution you against assuming that a remaster will always sound better. Some remasters feature over-boosted bass and mid-highs, which results in distortion and screechy percussion and vocals.
If an album was reissued at some point in a remastered version, most legitimate online retail sources (e.g., iTunes, Amazon Music, etc.) will indicate that the album they're offering is the remastered version (e.g., "The Blah Blah Blah Band - Greatest Hits [2016 Remastered Edition]"). However, it's been my experience that "remastered" versions can actually be inferior to the original album, so I would caution you against assuming that a remaster will always sound better. Some remasters feature over-boosted bass and mid-highs, which results in distortion and screechy percussion and vocals.
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01-09-2019, 01:09 PM
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From Audioholics
Introduction
This CD was recorded in 1985 and soon became a classic thereafter. It was one if the first CD's which was mastered from a digital source as opposed to being recopied from an original analog source. While this CD may be almost 15 years old, it still stands the test of time with respect to audio fidelity and pure listening enjoyment. In fact, it doesn't suffer from too high recording levels or hyper compression commonly found in today's rock/pop CD's.
Track List
Sound Quality
Everyone of the 9 songs on this album sound incredibly dynamic, spacious and real. "Money for Nothing" is a great song to test your systems capabilities. It really lets you know just how competently your system can handle deep bass and sonic textures of many musical instruments playing simultaneously. "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry" get you in touch with how intimately your system can play the subtle nuances of cymbals, high hats, and electric guitar. You can't help but turn the volume up louder as it only sounds better when you do. Not only does this CD sound great, but it is one of a select few of its era with an incredibly low noise floor. During the quietest passages, it amazed me how clean and noise free this CD remained throughout. Many CD's from this time frame tend to be bright or harsh sounding and thin in the bass department. " Brothers in Arms " never suffered from these undesirable sound characteristics . Instead, it remained to be a sonic heaven of sound. I highly recommend this CD as it will make a worthy addition to your collection. In addition, your ears will thank you for it!
https://www.audioholics.com/music-re...others-in-arms
Introduction
This CD was recorded in 1985 and soon became a classic thereafter. It was one if the first CD's which was mastered from a digital source as opposed to being recopied from an original analog source. While this CD may be almost 15 years old, it still stands the test of time with respect to audio fidelity and pure listening enjoyment. In fact, it doesn't suffer from too high recording levels or hyper compression commonly found in today's rock/pop CD's.
Track List
- One World
- Ride Across The River
- Your Latest Trick
- Why Worry
- Money For Nothing
- Man's Too Strong, The
- So Far Away
- Walk Of Life
- Brothers In Arms
Sound Quality
Everyone of the 9 songs on this album sound incredibly dynamic, spacious and real. "Money for Nothing" is a great song to test your systems capabilities. It really lets you know just how competently your system can handle deep bass and sonic textures of many musical instruments playing simultaneously. "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry" get you in touch with how intimately your system can play the subtle nuances of cymbals, high hats, and electric guitar. You can't help but turn the volume up louder as it only sounds better when you do. Not only does this CD sound great, but it is one of a select few of its era with an incredibly low noise floor. During the quietest passages, it amazed me how clean and noise free this CD remained throughout. Many CD's from this time frame tend to be bright or harsh sounding and thin in the bass department. " Brothers in Arms " never suffered from these undesirable sound characteristics . Instead, it remained to be a sonic heaven of sound. I highly recommend this CD as it will make a worthy addition to your collection. In addition, your ears will thank you for it!
https://www.audioholics.com/music-re...others-in-arms
Last edited by Bahnstormer; 01-09-2019 at 01:13 PM.
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