Frankly, I don't know. Put it this way - while a normal 16-bit Red Book file takes up say 33 MB or so, in WMA format this will shrink to about 5 MB, a compression ratio of say 6.5-7.2:1, or so.
Sounds fairly decent, although on occasion the bass can sound a little bloated. But the 16-bit uncompressed ALWAYS gets it on overall clarity and detail.
Bear in mind that all this is related to the specific system I got from GM as built in standard equipment. When I swap the speakers for JBL units (and rest assured I will), possibly this may also change one way or another. Personally, I think better speakers will only make the difference show up more, not less.
Overall, these are simply idle musings, I never expected the humble all-in-one, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink built in system to rival a good home setup, and besides, while driving, I am hardly in the position of being able to critically evaluate anything, too many dimwitted dodos all around me, plus all the kamikaze drivers and pedestrians.
I wish you folks could have heard WNCN in New York when it was classical. Designed by Dick Sequerra, it was the cleanest FM I have ever heard and as a retired NPR General Manager and world traveler, I have heard quite a few. WFMT in Chicago was pretty good too. The SQ of most NPR stations sucks. Regards
KUSC out here usually does pretty well on SQ. However, the weeknight guy Svejda has a propensity for ignoring the quality of the recordings if he likes the interpretation sufficiently.
The other night I heard a fine recent recording of the Rachmaninoff Corelli variations, and as promised this was followed by the composer's Symphonic Dances. The sound quality was truly execrable, unlistenable. After the first movement saxophone solo I turned it off.
The other night I heard a fine recent recording of the Rachmaninoff Corelli variations, and as promised this was followed by the composer's Symphonic Dances. The sound quality was truly execrable, unlistenable. After the first movement saxophone solo I turned it off.
I know it well and listen on his Marantz model 10 when with my friend Ijaz near Washington . I wasn't complaining , I was saying when done correctly it can seem to have 75 % silence . I want that model 10 .
Does anyone have a distortion analysis of a Revox A 77 ( Agfa tape if I am so lucky ) . - 5 dB 0VU and + 5 db would be great . I was talking with my friend Paul Stewart about this . His statement to me is Digital as now offered gives 7 % of what he offers to the recording medium compared with best analog which he still uses . We talked about 16 bit Nicam , I would love to know more . Paul and I are trying to revive 78's especially for the disco's that still use 1210's ( adapted ) . We plan to cut at 33/1/3 and use the same idea as Mobile Fidelity . Many will not know that was Paul's baby as was VHS . Paul and I were two little boys who played in Audio in the 1970's . Paul looked about 16 when doing Mobile Fidelity , I think we were both about 20 ? I am told by Paul that JVC would have been far above Denon if only they had allowed Japan only products out of Japan . Paul told me about being offered a drink by a waitress whilst listening to a JVC CD 4 tape recording ( quadrophonic ) . There was no lady there when he said yes please . He not only heard her he felt her there . This is logical as good phase response and enough power should do that . Michael Gerzon would have understood that . My favourite cinema the Phoenix in Oxford has good sound . It is about 100 yards from where Michael lived and worked ( recording ) . I just wish the Phoenix would switch off the Dolby surround , it is useless . Percy Wilson lived about 50 yards away also ( I never knowingly met him ) . Percy invented many hi fi things . Percy was a man with excellent mathematical ability who seldom used maths in his writings . When he did he was the real deal .
http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/naylor/LineSourceLoudspeakers/horn.pdf
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Dick was involved with Model 10 ( 70 % ? ) .
Just lifted this from another thread . DVV and Mr Wayne should love this .
http://www.elab.ph/forum/index.php?topic=32688.0
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Thanks for the link, Nigel, but it's too lenghthy to follow up, and besides, I do not insist tham my amp be able to work steady state into 1 Ohm, just that it is capable of riding out peaks into 1 Ohm. My steady state requirements stop at 1.8 Ohms, when my protection circuit activates and starts to steal current from the driver circuits.
I never learnt how far is Wayne prepared to go with his doubling down, you have to ask him that. Perhaps 0.5 Ohms, that should be good enough for a welding machine?
)))))
I never learnt how far is Wayne prepared to go with his doubling down, you have to ask him that. Perhaps 0.5 Ohms, that should be good enough for a welding machine?
)))))
Thanks for the link, Nigel, but it's too lenghthy to follow up, and besides, I do not insist tham my amp be able to work steady state into 1 Ohm, just that it is capable of riding out peaks into 1 Ohm. My steady state requirements stop at 1.8 Ohms, when my protection circuit activates and starts to steal current from the driver circuits.
I never learnt how far is Wayne prepared to go with his doubling down, you have to ask him that. Perhaps 0.5 Ohms, that should be good enough for a welding machine?
It was 500 W 1 ohms , that's all . Has someone predicted our threads ? It has become our bench mark ?
I have been ranting on about Nicam here and other places . Hope some would like to read more .
The BBC PCM / NICAM Story
Digital Systems
The BBC PCM / NICAM Story
Digital Systems
In 1980 I produced the first live broadcasts over the new NPR satellite system. They were chamber music from the Spoleto Festival in Charleston S.C. The chain was as follows-Schoeps single point stereo mic to Studer 169 console (thanks Bruno Hochstrasser) to a pair of 15khz Marti's with DBX encoding, to the input of the ATT microwave to Columbia where the uplink was located. The Marti's were my backup as the the equalized lines from the Dock Street Theatre had been degraded by water in the lines (typical Charleston flooding) At the Columbia uplink, the signal from the ATT decoders were fed to the modulator for the satellite system. I was listening to the signal off air from my station, WSCI. It was pretty poor. In hindsight I should have used JVC digital encoding units which turned PCM into black and white video. This would have allowed a video loop from the venue all the way to the satellite modulators. We live and learn. The next time I attempted something of this nature we had a portable uplink fed directly from the console. I wish I had worked for the BBC, those folks know how to do it right. Even their streaming audio is excellent and IMHO the best in the world. Regards
Yes, the BBC remains an island of sanity in an insane world.
Even if some of their products were incorrectly attributed to them, such as the 2-by-1 loudspeaker format. Historically, this is incorrect, as people like JBL were using it for many years before the name was even coined, but it is a fact that BBC's embracing of it gave rise to quite a few MOST memorable Brtisih speakers, such as the Spendor BC3.
You could always count on Beeb to put quality up first. I hear this has changed, though.
Even if some of their products were incorrectly attributed to them, such as the 2-by-1 loudspeaker format. Historically, this is incorrect, as people like JBL were using it for many years before the name was even coined, but it is a fact that BBC's embracing of it gave rise to quite a few MOST memorable Brtisih speakers, such as the Spendor BC3.
You could always count on Beeb to put quality up first. I hear this has changed, though.
I am really not that much impressed by the sound quality of the 4 BBC TV channels we have on digital cable over here. Presentators oftentimes sound quite muddy.
Something may get lost during transmission, but the Dutch channels have much better sound, and so do the Germans and the Belgiums.
vac
Something may get lost during transmission, but the Dutch channels have much better sound, and so do the Germans and the Belgiums.
vac
Try it on BBC i player . Reading the spec the other day it claimed VHS quality via old fashioned telephone cables when being conceived . It is a slight grade below our usual SD service ( DivX standard I would say ) and better than VHS . I have the i player through my TV . Within 10 minutes I usually adapt to the quality and would say it approaches SD .
I often find BBC 4 SD better than many HD programs . Sound is usually good . HD TV seems to be espeacailly good with 1970's films that somehow are better than ever seen before . SD of Star Trek next generation far better than before , it was below VHS I would say on analogue TV . Some effort is being made and the master tapes obviously were to a higher standard than seen in the past .
I have watched BBC on Belgium cable . The sound was like AM radio only less coherent .
I often find BBC 4 SD better than many HD programs . Sound is usually good . HD TV seems to be espeacailly good with 1970's films that somehow are better than ever seen before . SD of Star Trek next generation far better than before , it was below VHS I would say on analogue TV . Some effort is being made and the master tapes obviously were to a higher standard than seen in the past .
I have watched BBC on Belgium cable . The sound was like AM radio only less coherent .
Touché Nigel .....! It's now my favorite novel ....
Thanks for the link, Nigel, but it's too lenghthy to follow up, and besides, I do not insist tham my amp be able to work steady state into 1 Ohm, just that it is capable of riding out peaks into 1 Ohm. My steady state requirements stop at 1.8 Ohms, when my protection circuit activates and starts to steal current from the driver circuits.
I never learnt how far is Wayne prepared to go with his doubling down, you have to ask him that. Perhaps 0.5 Ohms, that should be good enough for a welding machine?
Easy there D ...
Had a friend over this afternoon lambasting me the same way , well until he did some listening
unfortunately I would love to make it 4 ohm , but the further away you get from the natural resistance off the foil you lose . 1 ohm was the best compromise for most amplifiers , .8 is best so a 1 ohm purpose built amp is still the way to go . D'Agostino did suggest driving it at .5 with the Krell and I may End up doing so, cannot commit the time at the moment as it will entail a total rework of xover.
In the past the BBC was responsible for the whole chain from production to transmission, so quality was high. Now they simply do the switching in the middle. "Producer Choice" means they buy in programmes from independents, and the distribution and transmission has been contracted out. Quality and reliability has fallen, but the politicians, lawyers and accountants are happy because there is more 'rent' to be extracted.
Reading old BBC engineering notes is pure joy . They come over as gifted amateurs , obvious not as they designed highly complex devices .
I always remember phoning Radio Oxford one day for some advice , I was about 20 . I got the broadcaster Mr Henry Aubrey-Fletcher who turned out to be a fully trained sound engineer . I described how the piano sounds underwater when recording at the town hall . He described to me how the BBC do it and I never looked back . His best advice was to use string as suspension and have extra pieces to get position . He insisted the AKG mics I was using were fine and technique more important . His advice was if allowed position the mics above the conductors head as it is a uniquely correct position . He then said you will get some swearing . His big point was the swearing would be reason enough to buy better mics .
The problem he indicated is that although the town hall is massive it will still transmit the thumping of the piano through the floor . My friend John will say about ground wave reflection and using sound absorbing mats . Such a nice and helpful man Mr HAF . He also said get some Calrecs when possible . BBC used 6 usually , often only 2 used . Also a Coles ribbon for solo instruments . He went on to say the 6 mic solution was often used for unknown venues as it would allow quick results ( a midday broadcast ) .
I've just looked him up .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Henry_Aubrey-Fletcher,_8th_Baronet
I always remember phoning Radio Oxford one day for some advice , I was about 20 . I got the broadcaster Mr Henry Aubrey-Fletcher who turned out to be a fully trained sound engineer . I described how the piano sounds underwater when recording at the town hall . He described to me how the BBC do it and I never looked back . His best advice was to use string as suspension and have extra pieces to get position . He insisted the AKG mics I was using were fine and technique more important . His advice was if allowed position the mics above the conductors head as it is a uniquely correct position . He then said you will get some swearing . His big point was the swearing would be reason enough to buy better mics .
The problem he indicated is that although the town hall is massive it will still transmit the thumping of the piano through the floor . My friend John will say about ground wave reflection and using sound absorbing mats . Such a nice and helpful man Mr HAF . He also said get some Calrecs when possible . BBC used 6 usually , often only 2 used . Also a Coles ribbon for solo instruments . He went on to say the 6 mic solution was often used for unknown venues as it would allow quick results ( a midday broadcast ) .
I've just looked him up .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Henry_Aubrey-Fletcher,_8th_Baronet
I have been asking myself the same questions . I think the balance is often different ( brighter for HD ) , I suspect the process is the same . MP2 it is said ( not me ) .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_II
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