[Paul Philco322]

Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A southern man don't need him around anyhow…




As for todays music, I don't listen to it.
My son when he was about 11 asked me, "dad, how come all good music was written before the 70-s and now it's scuch a crap?"
I only have to agree. Every once in a while there's something interesting but this happens rarer than my kids were born. I have two.

To be fair, this is not just music. The whole concept of life is getting artificialized. Tamagochi instead of pets. Hundreds of Facebook friends instead of a few real ones. Strawberries that don't taste, milk that smells and tastes like plastic. Houses that are built fast, cheap and like crap.
The whole idea is - faster, cheaper and it should sell. Oh....and - disposable.
Yes, this is it. This music is just that . Disposable.

Milk like plastic........................so right.

Paul

[Eliot Ness]

rfeenstra, don't thank me...thank John (Eliot). Without his input, I might still be looking as well.

Yeah, I did a lot of research on those and haven't bought one myself yet  

Glad it's working well for you Ron.  I should order one before they become extinct like the SSTRAN.

[PhilcoPhan1936]

I have a large collection of 1920s jazz and big band and old radio shows. This is what got me interested in antique radios- I wanted something period to listen to my music and shows on. I have an SSTRAN, I ordered and built it about 3-4 years ago now. It works great. I have most of the audio library converted to MP3 at 192kbps. I know MP3 is not lossless, but it sounds pretty darn good, either through my iMac, the radios, or feeding it through to my hi-if amp (although it's not currently set up). I do notice the period music often sounds better through the radios than more modern music. The period stuff has a nice, warm full tone to it. The modern stuff loses its "ooomph" in the overall dynamic range. I think that has more to do with the limited period audio circuitry in the radios, and running it through the AM transmitter. (Most of my working radios are 1930s Philcos). I'm curious how things will sound through, say, one of my later models, like my Philco 48-472 AM/FM set? The discussion has come up in The Old Time Radio Researchers group I'm in of starting to encode the shows in FLAC, which is supposed to be a newer lossless universal file format. I just received the Bob Bennett CD I mentioned earlier in this thread. I'm curious to see if there is a noticeable difference in quality if I import that to my iTunes in a lossless format?
I'm thinking about adding a jack to my working radios, so I can directly plug in my iPhone or iPad. My 1936 Philco 116PX has a switch for radio/phonograph. It would be relatively simple to install a cut-off 1/8" mini jack to that circuit to add a direct input. I'm curious how much better things will sound going direct, compared to over AM? Particularly the more modern music?

As to the quality of music in modern days, to say nothing good is being produced now, I think is looking at the glass half empty. I have a handful of contemporary artists I love and will still buy their albums whenever they come out with something new, like Bob Bennett. It's sometimes fun, and always thought provoking and uplifting music (to me, and to some family and close friends I share it with, anyway). Sometimes it's not the complexity of the music, but the simpleness of the music and the message and talent of the musicians and singers that make it worthwhile and quality.  

[Phlogiston]

Well, the message I was hoping to pass along wasn't a matter of taste, rather the damage done by recording companies to what would otherwise be art. I like most kinds of music, even new ones, except jazz. Jazz makes me nervous just waiting for a recognizable melody - but that is just me.

The reason that I posted this in the HiFi section - the reason that Sue even mentioned it to me was related to the performance of my equipment. No matter how I adjust, tune, trim or change components, I can't make some recordings sound good. Take for instance Sheryl Crow's album Detours, specifically the song Out of Our Heads. It is a catchy song with a good message. It sounds OK on a relatively good car stereo but really sounds thin and lifeless on my best home systems (no surround sound, just stereo with a sub). There is no way that the band sounded this bad. So I have to blame the engineer.

The industry is making changes aimed at the lowest common denominator, portable players and ear-buds. This , again, is a matter of taste, which changes with age along with our ability to hear. Ever notice how "old dudes" crank up the treble? It isn't only the loss of high frequency hearing - they have begun to appreciate the timbre of the music which is in the upper freq spectrum. If the adjustment was entirely based on age/hearing then you would be at a loss to explain the bass-boost so loved by the younger listeners (are their ears insensitive to freq below 100cps? - - no)

Really, it probably depends on the audience that is buying, not the audience that is listening.

[rdnzl]

Brick wall.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/co...ll.503431/

[morzh]

Well....listening on AM radio isn't the same as on FM and not the same as on good equipment.
Radio, while using music to bring in the commercial ad money for the station, also will get one hooked on a song, which then will prompt one to get the record and listen to it. Upon which the result will be different.

[Phlogiston]

P.S. Similar trickery has been applied to hardware. Take for instance "Blows" (Bose). They boost sloppy base at one freq (ported) and add a few cheap tweeters (missing most everything between 200hz and 800hz - so they have adjusted the "loudness" just like most people do). Sounds OK for a few minutes unless you have heard the song before on a better system.

[rdnzl]

And THEN we can talk about those "audiophiles" with "golden ears". Those few people who are the only ones who know what sounds good. I've been on many audio forums in the past. Constant back and forth about audio quality.

I once posted a photo of my vintage Sansui 9090DB receiver. I made the unfortunate mistake of leaving my LOUDNESS switch on. Audio snobbery raised it's ugly head and tried to tell me how to listen to MY music. "Oh my GOD, he has LOUDNESS turned on!!!" "Hide the women and children!!"

All I can say is this....if it sounds good to YOU, it's good enough.

[Paul Philco322]

I you like the sound of a stiff 4 inch speaker in a 5 tube GE Radio go for it. We should all be friendly and supportive.   I have a few sets like that and I listen and enjoy, it is what it is.

Paul

[rdnzl]

Teens and young adults spend the most money on music. So they are the target audience. Most of them just want to hear boom boom bass and vocals. Nothing more. It is with them in mind, that most music is produced.

But I find that when played through one of my old tube radios, a warmth is added that makes it a little more tolerable.
It's because tubes have magic inside them.

[Phlogiston]

Tubes or not - one of my systems is built around a 9090DB which I bought new.

I recommend using the loudness contour at low listening levels, but I hate it when it is already built into the music.

[rdnzl]

My main system for listening to music is a restored 9090DB and the original Advent Loudspeakers. Two pairs, stacked. I've owned many systems over the years, and none satisfy me like this one.

A bit off the original topic I suppose.

[Phlogiston]

My main system for listening to music is a restored 9090DB and the original Advent Loudspeakers. Two pairs, stacked.  I've owned many systems over the years, and none satisfy me like this one.

A bit off the original topic I suppose.

Maybe a little, but a person w/o a good system is not going to understand the comments made here.

[35Z5]

I you like the sound of a stiff 4 inch speaker in a 5 tube GE Radio go for it.

We should all be friendly and supportive.   I have a few sets like that and I listen and enjoy, it is what it is.

Paul

For old speakers that have been in humid environments, swabbing outer edge of cone with baby oil helps, really.  

That ought to start some controversy.

[Eliot Ness]

One of the causalities in the loudness war is when a classic is "remastered" but gets compressed like a brick in the final process.