Quality heirachy

[Dolby]

Hi. Just curious as to the AVERAGE quality heirachy of a system. I think it is this :

FM Radio
Tape
MP3 (128kbps)
Minidisk
CD
CD (HDCD)
SACD/DVD-A
Vinyl

Am I wrong? Something I forgot?

[Pat D]

Hi. Just curious as to the AVERAGE quality heirachy of a system. I think it is this :

FM Radio
Tape
MP3 (128kbps)
Minidisk
CD
CD (HDCD)
SACD/DVD-A
Vinyl

Am I wrong? Something I forgot?

How about this?

AM Radio
FM Radio
Cassette Tape
Vinyl
MP3/Minidisk
Open Reel Tape
Hi-Fi VCR
CD
DVD/SACD (for multichannel)

For stereo, there is no proof that in audible terms that CD is inferior to SACD or DVD-A, though they have some technical superiority. The mixing for SACD and DVD-A is sometimes superior to that for the CD versions.

[kexodusc]

Surprised to see Vinyl get knocked behind MP3 - I find MP3 terrible, and good vinyl sounds pretty good still...
I have some vinyl that sounds better than the CD version, don't blame the format, but just goes to show vinyl isn't that bad.

DVD-A/SACD are a huge step up over CD IMO...Don't know about the proof thing, last I read...I find them to be a big improvement in 2-channel though whether it's the format or the recording method...either way I don't care.

[Feanor]

[QUOTE=Pat D]How about this?

AM Radio
FM Radio
Cassette Tape
Vinyl
MP3/Minidisk
Open Reel Tape
Hi-Fi VCR
CD
DVD/SACD (for multichannel)
..QUOTE]

Vinyl for me definitely less good than a good CD or SACD. OK, that might be because my vinyl playback equipment really sucks, but I am talking about what reaches my ear. I have heard a lot of MP3 through my system, but what little I have heard was as good as vinyl. I've never heard cassette, Hi-fi VCR, nor OR tape through my current system.

What about DVD Digital as opposed to DVD-A? Surely there's a big difference? How about between MP3 and OR tape in your hierarchy?

[musicoverall]

Hi. Just curious as to the AVERAGE quality heirachy of a system. I think it is this :

FM Radio
Tape
MP3 (128kbps)
Minidisk
CD
CD (HDCD)
SACD/DVD-A
Vinyl

Am I wrong? Something I forgot?

I don't listen to the radio so I'll skip that. I'd go:

MP3
Minidisk (based on what little I've heard)
CD
Vinyl and SACD (have not listened to DVD-A)
Tape... as in open reel or master

SACD may get a slight nod over vinyl. IME, both are audibly superior to CD. But nothing beats good old analog tape for sound! Cassettes have their share of problems and I'd put them equal to CD - inferior in some ways, superior in others. I should also put 78 RPM's in the list somewhere... towards the bottom (top?). Fun to listen to and with an incredible amount of immediacy, but too many problems to compete with CD. BTW, my list is based on sound alone and does not take into account all the convenience benefits associated with CD over vinyl.

[risabet]

For music I find this order to be best:

1. AM Radio
2. FM Radio
3. MP3
4. Redbook CD
5. The Niche formats of SACD/DVD-A, not enough selection, consumer acceptance, to be considered major formats.
6. Vinyl
7. Open Reel master tapes

if specs are the criterion than another order will be better.

[Dave Lindhorst]

IMHO it really isn't the format that makes it good it's how well it is manufactured, mixed and performed. One CD may be fantastic but another is garbage. Vinyl is no different in that respect but the turntable setup is very important. A good analog tape machine can be very good but never better than the source material.

They need a rating system in place to indicate the quality of the recording on a 1 to 10 basis. For all the formats. So you buy a couple in different classes and you set your lowest limit you are prepared to purchase. End of the problem.

As for FM radio. It is very capable of delivering high quality sound but the radio stations are more interested in selling commercials and not on delivering good sound. They compress the signal (lower the dynamic range) and typically use lousy equipment to play vinyl and CDs on. So which format is the best depends on just how much effort went into the total production of the product. Usually it's not effort enough.

[jclin4]

IMHO it really isn't the format that makes it good it's how well it is manufactured, mixed and performed.

Good point. In general early CDs weren't very well mastered. Ones from mid-90's on are on the whole much better sounding.

Also, for the digital formats, consider the original source. SACDs have the potential to sound great, but may inherit the characteristics (good and bad) of the original source. That is, some SACDs are re-masters of old analog tapes, some are based on PCM recordings like recent CDs (although at higher sampling rates, e.g. 50kHz), and it seems a rare few are pure DSD recordings.

[Mr Peabody]

You fellers don't know anything about sound, you need to get the top of the pile. 8-track is where it's at baby! I can pop one of those in and let it play and play and play without even getting out of my chair. The sound is so warm and sweet it's like being in your mama's arms again. Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll be playing one of my favorites and I can hear 2 songs at once. you try that with your dangd 5.1 multifangled music. These are a little hard to find now but if you are lucky like me you might run across one and if you do, you better snag it. I got 7 set back and you ain't gettin' mine. 8-track the ultimate listening experience!