Your preferred formats?

[Mark]

No problem, Mark.

On a different note, I've signed up with emusic. Thanks for the recommendation. A lot of my favourite recordigs featured over on naxos are available for purchase here. The audio quality is excellent. Any recs?

Hmm ... post the recordings you're interested in over on The Classical Download Thread, and I'll give you my take on any that I have.

[Iago]

"Stick it"?

Why be so confrontational? Why do you rejoice in the sufferings of others? My, you must be an awfully unhappy person. Iago is certainly no role model for healthy living.

I am merely writing and acting in accordance with the persona that I sought to establish for the 5 years, or so that I have been a member of this forum.
Confontationality is my style. And if my written words make anyone "suffer" I must have a power that I haven't even thought about. Unhappiness is relative. Some people are unhappy when they lose money, or their health  That's true for me as well. But my health has been better for the last 3-4 years than it has been in decades. I have a buck or two in my pocket, I live in a great city (although a cultural wasteland), in a great climate, and my friends are my friends because they accept me, warts and all. I indulge my interests and hobbies 24 hrs, 7 days a week. I travel when and where I want, and don't have to explain myself or ask anyones opinion or permission in order to do anything. This forum is merely a diversion and a plaything for me. I very rarely take anything said on it as gospel. Especially recording and performance recommendations.
And as hard as it might be for you to believe, I have actually met and dined with several members of this forum. In particular, Springrite and the departed (but far from dead) Nigel Wilkinson. I rather think they have only good words to say about me, and I am proud to call them friends. I have little patience with posters that amass voluminous numbers of cds (which if the number is true) they couldn't listen to in 3 lifetimes, (and are worried about cd prices, trading in their used cds, but NEVER just discarding them). or with so called "Professors", who speak from on high, and have so many sycophants on this forum, that their every  word seems like a sermon from God. To me they are all pompous blowhards. And when names must be named, I'm not reluctant to do so. WITHOUT THE USE OF SMILEYS.
Suffice it to say that a person with a wishy-washy personality like yours, would never be on my preferred friendship list. And I wouldn't expect to be on theirs.

[Iago]

So, as you can see, I wasn't taking a swipe at you - think we just had a little misunderstanding there. Sorry if that pissed you off.

Thanks for your apology. But that comment did NOT piss me off. I haven't had a brouhaha with a member of this forum in a long time. You were convenient. I feel much better now.
But I think I'll pick on Steve for a while. And stop with those friggin smileys already!!

[Harry]

Thanks for your apology. But that comment did NOT piss me off. I haven't had a brouhaha with a member of this forum in a long time. You were convenient. I feel much better now.
But I think I'll pick on Steve for a while. And stop with those friggin smileys already!!

Iago, you are in good form my friend, and I always enjoy your bickerings, even against me, for I know in your heart you are a fine fellow and all that.
Keep the fine epistles coming.
And guys, he is just a grumpy old man, let him, it gives him pleasure, and me too!

[Steve]

I am merely writing and acting in accordance with the persona that I sought to establish for the 5 years, or so that I have been a member of this forum.
Confontationality is my style. And if my written words make anyone "suffer" I must have a power that I haven't even thought about. Unhappiness is relative. Some people are unhappy when they lose money, or their health  That's true for me as well. But my health has been better for the last 3-4 years than it has been in decades. I have a buck or two in my pocket, I live in a great city (although a cultural wasteland), in a great climate, and my friends are my friends because they accept me, warts and all. I indulge my interests and hobbies 24 hrs, 7 days a week. I travel when and where I want, and don't have to explain myself or ask anyones opinion or permission in order to do anything. This forum is merely a diversion and a plaything for me. I very rarely take anything said on it as gospel. Especially recording and performance recommendations.
And as hard as it might be for you to believe, I have actually met and dined with several members of this forum. In particular, Springrite and the departed (but far from dead) Nigel Wilkinson. I rather think they have only good words to say about me, and I am proud to call them friends. I have little patience with posters that amass voluminous numbers of cds (which if the number is true) they couldn't listen to in 3 lifetimes, (and are worried about cd prices, trading in their used cds, but NEVER just discarding them). or with so called "Professors", who speak from on high, and have so many sycophants on this forum, that their every  word seems like a sermon from God. To me they are all pompous blowhards. And when names must be named, I'm not reluctant to do so. WITHOUT THE USE OF SMILEYS.
Suffice it to say that a person with a wishy-washy personality like yours, would never be on my preferred friendship list. And I wouldn't expect to be on theirs.

I've read over my previous post, and I wanted to apologize for the pointed words. I just didn't care very much for the use of the expletive, that's all. Of course, I really don't know what to make of this post, either. You refer to people as 'pompous blowhards' accuse them of having 'wishy-washy' personalities, and seem bitterly defensive. You just don't make arguments, you make long-winded diatribes against various people.  (perhaps, like a fundementalist preacher) Belligerent Ad Hominem attacks are quite useless.

And stop with those friggin smileys already!!

I almost missed this... 

[Teresa]

I just voted today in this old thread for SACD, DVD-Audio and downloads and wanted to clarify my vote.

I like the digital formats in the following order (more or less)

• SACD
• 24 Bit 96kHz and 88.2kHz downloads, FLAC, AIFF or WAV which I then convert to 24/96 Apple Lossless
• DVD-Audio
• MP3 at 192kbps or higher.

More clarification on MP3:

I dislike CDs, however I have grown very fond of MP3s at bit rates of 192kbps to 320kbps.  Yes I know that MP3s are lossy compressed, throwing away the majority of the music file, and are also 44.1kHz PCM like CDs.   Thus by all rights should worse than CDs, however in reality I think they sound better, considerably warmer and more comfortable to listen to, usually without CDs strident digital-edge.

In short, while I will admit that CDs have more resolution, I find MP3s more analog-like and more life-like.  In warmth and comfort level they are on par with the best real-time duplicated audiophile cassettes.  Cassette was my favorite format until I discovered SACD and higher resolution music files. 

320kbps MP3 to my ears sounds more analog than lossless WAV, lossless AIFF or Apple Lossless.  It seems with 44.1kHz PCM less is more.  I find MP3 bit rates from 192kbps to 320kbps quite enjoyable.

The secret I believe is a combination of what MP3 throws away and the roll-off of the highest frequencies.  It seems MP3 discards the irritating digital sound that infests CDs plus from what I have read 196kbps MP3s usually have few frequencies above 16kHz and 320kbps start rolling off at 18kHz.  It could be the sampling rate of 44.1kHz PCM adversely effects the upper audible frequencies making them harsh and digital-like. 

To give you an example of how much musical information is thrown away by MP3, an uncompressed 44.1kHz WAV or AIFF music file is 1411kbps, so a 320kbps music file must discard 1091kbps! 

When I first heard MP3 it was at 64kbps and was horribly distorted, like listening to music underwater, and had lots of artifacts.  128kbps solved the underwater sound and artifacts however it was even more strident than the worst CDs, being ugly in the extreme.  Then I discovered variable bit rate 192kbps MP3s, which to my shock and surprise had the warmth of analog tape, even when from a digital master.  I also have 256kbps and 320kbps MP3s. 

I recently transferred the CD layer of all of my hybrid SACDs to my computer so I could play them on my iPod.  First I tried uncompressed WAV and AIFF but they didn't sound much better than CDs.  I converted them to Apple Lossless and to my surprise they gained some warmth, but with repeated listening they were not that much better and really not suitable for anything other than background music. 

So I experimented with different rates of MP3:
192kbps: this was the warmest and most comfortable.
320kbps: a little less warm than 196kbps but with considerably more detail.
I settled on 320kbps because it was the best compromise as it had most of the warmth of 192kbps, most of the detail of uncompressed WAV and AIFF but still retained analog-like sound.

I prefer MP3s at 320kbps and also enjoy all other rates down to 192kbps.  However my favorite music files are still my high resolution music files at 24 Bit 88.2kHz and higher PCM.  They have a realism MP3 so far cannot approach, however they are not as warm.

Computer Audio, the musically comfortable alternative http://anti-cd.lefora.com/2009/12/05/computer-audio-the-musically-comfortable-alternati/#post0

[Cristofori]

I use CD, LP, SACD, and to a much lesser extent, cassette tape. I use DVD and some VHS for video.

I remain fascinated by LP, which for me is fun to use and collect, not to mention the beautiful artwork, notes, labels, etc. They are certainly more aesthetically superior to CD, if not in any other way. There are also boatloads of decent vinyl and obscure oop titles out there to be had for relatively cheap, and they can sound quite good, with the proper equipment.

CD of course, is great. I'm also trying to build up my collection of SACD, which to my ears is the greatest of all.

[Valentino]

CD, DVD-A*, Downloads.

*Equals PCM 24/96, a format much preferrable to bloody DRM-infringed analog out-only SACD. Die, SACD, die!