old cd's sound bad

[Geoffcin]

Have any of you fellas heard of any D/D software for storing and manipulating digital music?
I had some software once called Sound Forge and I used it to digitize some LP's. Not bad except I was too cheap to buy the static and pop eraser software for it. Anyway, I would be willing to experiment with something like that for the crap CD's.

Sir T will probably have a fit for me recommending it, but the darn thing does soften the "hard edge" of earlier glaring CD's. I don't use one, but I've heard one in action. It will do nothing for CDs recorded with less than stellar dynamic range, but it sure beats spending thousands on cables.

[RGA]

first I would not assume that older recordings are worse - not the case at all -- many form the 60s are vastly superior to the overproduced shmaltz of today.

Going back to vinyl is a cheap option and your best bet. I don't believe one has to be in a vinyl versus CD camp -- but if you want a given album to sound good and it happens to sound better on vinyl then get it on vinyl. You can buy a basic turntable from Pro-Ject for a few hundred bucks and the vinyl itself for a buck at used stores. If you need a phono board Radio shack has the little Rat for $35US.

The other suggestion is to get an Audio Note external DAC but they start at $1,500US. There is no gaurantee that this will soften up the recordings but it will take away the delta Sigman glare found on all cd players I have heard that are digital filtered...it is on my list of upgrades for my Cambridge Audio. Tough to find but if you can hear them someplace it will be an experience that might hook you.

Really though, a turntable is your best bet -- wow and flutter today even on cheap tables is a non issue and inaudible as are most other noises save surface noise. The good news is much music is being reproduced on vinyl and many new artists are bringing out their releases on vinyl.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Sir T will probably have a fit for me recommending it, but the darn thing does soften the "hard edge" of earlier glaring CD's. I don't use one, but I've heard one in action. It will do nothing for CDs recorded with less than stellar dynamic range, but it sure beats spending thousands on cables.

Actually Geoff you advice is great. The only thing that will tame the harshness and brightness is a high quality, external DAC.

[Geoffcin]

Actually Geoff you advice is great. The only thing that will tame the harshness and brightness is a high quality, external DAC.

I mean, the artist must know that CD sounds like crap, and the master tapes have to be in an archive somewhere right? What would be the big deal to sepd a few dollars and remaster some of these classics for CD with modern high quality equipment.

I lot of my DVD-Audio disks are just that; Classics that I used to have on vinyl &/or early CD. They sound so much better now it's not funny!