R U playing format pong??? (1 Viewer)

[Rachael B]

Lately I feel like I'm playing format pong. With so many formats to choose from, what's a mother to do?

CD
Vinyl
SACD
DVD-A
DVD-V

R U having trouble sleeping? Do you stay up late pondering which albums in which format/s that you might buy? Do you suffer from Format Anxziety Syndrome? R U having trouble concentrating because audible distortion just won't leave U alone? If so, then you too may be suffering from Format Pong. In laymen's terms, what to buy in what format and who might release it just keeps bouncing around your brain....

 

[Jesse Skeen]

That's why I buy 8-tracks! Quad ones too!

 

[Robert A. Willis Jr.]

Well, I don't have an SACD player yet. BUT, I always buy SACD Hybrids over CD's (same title) and DVD-A over SACD. If I had an SACD player it would be SACD over CD. I have a ton of CD's to play in my car, so having a few titles that couldn't travel is not a big thing.

 

[PhilBoy]

I pinged the RIAA right back...

I fixed up my old turntable and bought a new cartidge this past weekend.

Thank God I took excellent care of my albums over the years.

Aside from a little surface noise, they sound warmer than the digital tunage I've been listening to for 15 years.

It was a lot easier than I thought to get a new cartridge. FYI for anyone else thinking about the resurrection; you will probably need at least a new stylus.

Great fun listening to all the music I haven't heard in sooo long.

RIAA... bought and paid for long ago with my paper route money. Chiao.

 

[TomCW]

I'm not losing any sleep deciding 'which' format to buy, but I am getting eye-strain looking for SACD releases of music that I like! The few indie releases that are out are a real breath of fresh air.

Tom

 

[Rachael B]

Amen Tom! ...unless you like jazz and/or classical, then SACD is a candy store. I'm in a mood for blues, rock, and alt. kuntry lately...so AMEN again!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

For me it's easy. I listen to classical music, so it's redbook CD and SACD when available. And of course DVD-V for opera. Heck I got rid of vinyl back circa 1994.

 

[Brian-W]

Racheal, you need that new $12k laser-based vinyl turntable (reviewed this months Stereophile). Sounds waaaaaaaaay cool, kinda like Hi-Vision for audio, no b.s. codecs to mess with.

 

[Grant B]

I phased out cassettes turned the good ones to cd, same with the black discs. Cept the space gets takin over by lds.

 

[PhilBoy]

Dennis,

Can you recommend any exceptional Opera DVD-V's ?

Preferably with dts...

 

[Rachael B]

Brian, I have a link to the Nipponese site for the laser turntable. Last time I looked there were three models. I want one but I don't wanna have to trade my car for one! I'd proably stille have to throw in some cash too! If I had one I wouldn't be playing format pong. I'd be buying $1, or less, records.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Rachael,

I have two of three hirez formats - DVDA and SACD about 70% of the time. I'm still working on the vinyl format. Too much good software to miss on LP for me to be satisfied with digital only.

With the remaining 30% of time, I listen to redbook and I find the Sony SCD777ES does that very well.

Some CDs like Naked Songs can sound fantastic due to the recording and mastering. I do usually find the SACD versions are a step above the redbook.

 

[John Watson]

The proliferation of meaningless (to most) acronyms doesn't help at all. Our high tech life is so full of incompatible formats and hardwares, that I think most people just plug and pray.

What the hell is DVD-V I see referred to in another music thread?

I believe the original disks (cd's, circa early 1980's) should have been called Music Disks (MD's), the disks with video should have been called Video Disks (VD's - and they should have been a ½" wider so you could see the difference in looking at them).

And noticing that the Canadian release of Let It Be Naked is not compatible with many computer processes, I have to point out the legal ambivalence in that we Canadians apparently already pay a tax on blank media to compensate (some?) artists for copying, so EMI is preventing legal activity.

Who's zooming whom!?!?

PS - I wish I could buy working wind-up Victrolas, so even when the power finally goes off, I may still be able to spin a few vinyl platters