Late Beethoven Quartets by Fine Arts Quartet.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Not wanting to wear out my ancient LP pressings of the Fine Arts late Beethoven quartets I purchased them on CD.
The sound is flatter with a more restricted dynamic range than the LP'.s
A web search suggests the original CD issue is deleted not to be replaced by anything else. So, I'm about to commit my Fine Arts LP's to a digital medium which leads me to contemplate upgrading my means of doing so.  I only have a CD-R recorder . Any suggestions? (Yes, I know I'm an analogue luddite)

I'm not looking for recommendations of other performances. I have enough of those, in fact probably too many.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I've digitized several hundred LPs in the last 15 years or so--averaging about 50 per year. Yes, it is a time-consuming process. Prior to 2017, I used a stand-alone Pioneer CD recorder and FLAC-ed the resulting disks for listening anywhere.

After that CD recorder broke in 2017, I freed myself entirely from the CD intermediate and went with an ART USB Phono ADC which costs about 150$. My high-end audio dealer tried to sell me an Ayre ADC for 4K$--GTFO! My setup includes an Oracle Delphi MK III with SME V tonearm and Blue Point No. 2 Cartridge, Audible Illusions Modulus 2B (modified with all Cardas wire, jacks) vacuum tube preamp with phono stage, fed into the Art ADC, then into my PC. I use Audacity free software for the capture, then export to FLAC. I capture at 48 kHz sampling rate. You can enter tracks anywhere you want in the capture, and it will export those individual tracks as individual FLAC files. This works great with my FIIO portable digital audio players and Foobar 2000 for desktop listening. One folder = one LP with each file representing a different track. 

Anyway, the ART does have a built-in phono stage--if you have a cartridge of high enough output, you may not need additional preamplification. It is (optionally) USB powered. Just plug into your PC, select it as the default microphone, and record in Audacity.

[dissily Mordentroge]

I've digitized several hundred LPs in the last 15 years or so--averaging about 50 per year. Yes, it is a time-consuming process. Prior to 2017, I used a stand-alone Pioneer CD recorder and FLAC-ed the resulting disks for listening anywhere.

After that CD recorder broke in 2017, I freed myself entirely from the CD intermediate and went with an ART USB Phono ADC which costs about 150$. My high-end audio dealer tried to sell me an Ayre ADC for 4K$--GTFO! My setup includes an Oracle Delphi MK III with SME V tonearm and Blue Point No. 2 Cartridge, Audible Illusions Modulus 2B (modified with all Cardas wire, jacks) vacuum tube preamp with phono stage, fed into the Art ADC, then into my PC. I use Audacity free software for the capture, then export to FLAC. I capture at 48 kHz sampling rate. You can enter tracks anywhere you want in the capture, and it will export those individual tracks as individual FLAC files. This works great with my FIIO portable digital audio players and Foobar 2000 for desktop listening. One folder = one LP with each file representing a different track. 


Anyway, the ART does have a built-in phono stage--if you have a cartridge of high enough output, you may not need additional preamplification. It is (optionally) USB powered. Just plug into your PC, select it as the default microphone, and record in Audacity.

Thanks, I'd love to 'show you mine now you've shown me yours' but not so long ago on an audio forum I stupidly listed my gear in detail. As a consequence I was robbed of the lot, including a reel to reel tape private recording collection and a lot else. I got most of the audio gear back. In court I learnt the thieves were part of a web wide gang who search for specific gear they can link to an address. They even take orders in advance!
The tapes were the biggest loss as they were private jazz & blues recordings I inherited from a US enthusiast which were to be released on CD. They now appear lost forever.
So, as I said, much as I'd enjoy a chat about the junk I listen to music on I'm just too paranoid. Suffice it to say I still run a CD player D/A converter which givesl almost as good a result as my turntable. You run an an Oracle Delphi MK III with SME V tonearm and Blue Point No. 2 Cartridge? A very sexy looking and sounding gear although I found the Blue Point No 2 a bit hot in the highs for my taste. In fact I find most moving coils just a bit too hot in the upper treble. Enough audiophile chat for now. I'll start sniffing around for a dealer in my part of the world who'll allow me to borrow a converter on trial. It's not the kind of purchase I'd dare make on spec.
Thanks for the guidance. It's an area I've avoided as long as possible as the many incompatible digital storage mediums keep getting more numerous and confusing plus with over 11,500 odd classical LP's to play with I'll be dead before I ever listen to them all again.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Sorry to hear that. People are crap.

The Blue Point/Blue Point 2 has always sounded great to me, but my audio dealer was trying to get me to buy a Hana for a few hundred more... Maybe next time. 

Audacity is well worth downloading and learning. It has a robust user community/forum with pretty quick help on any question you may have. Combined with a good ADC, it gives me much more flexibility than the old direct-to-cd recording I used to do, with the added advantage of not needing to bother with CDs themselves. I can also edit out the most egregious ticks and pops. Most of my LPs don't need this at all, but on occasion, it is useful. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to the delights of the lovely new Catalina Vicens album I just downloaded. 

[aukhawk]

You can record direct to a PC or laptop, or (usually much better) via an external USB sound card or ADC dongle.  Audacity software is great for this.  But there are traps for the unwary.

I find it more convenient to record to a portable digital recorder - these are available quite cheaply, all you have to do is go upmarket enough to (a) have a 'line in' option, and (b) have hi-res lossless recording options.  I use an older version of this Zoom H2n Portable Recorder which can be bought for a little over £100.

This can record at up to 96/24 lossless, though persdonally I just use a straight 44/16.  Again there are traps, but different ones, it's certainly a learning curve but once set up right I've never needed to adjust anything since.  In particular this cheap recorder has no level control over the line input - and with my equipment it overloads a bit.  So I had to take steps to drop my line level out.  That done, I get needledrops that sound better to my ears than some of the CD equivalents.

There are versions of the same type of recorder packaged to fit into an equipment stack - ie looking like a CD-R - which would be a great option if you do a lot of needledrops.

[dissily Mordentroge]

That I find the term 'needledrop' a new expression tells you what an ancient analogue fossil I am. Could be due though to reading only the English Hi-fi press and not Absolute Sound or Stereophile.
Something I would like to look into is a portable digital recording with a microphone input.
My next question. Is the portable device you recommend able to store high resolution downloads? As you may guess I find the complexity and incompatability of the many digital standards confusing. Plus I've been very lazy in trying to get my head around all of this. Discussions on the lasest in digital tech in audiophool magazines just make my brain shut down. Time to put on my thinking cap.
Thanks for all the help.

[Irons]

I've digitized several hundred LPs in the last 15 years or so--averaging about 50 per year. Yes, it is a time-consuming process. Prior to 2017, I used a stand-alone Pioneer CD recorder and FLAC-ed the resulting disks for listening anywhere.

After that CD recorder broke in 2017, I freed myself entirely from the CD intermediate and went with an ART USB Phono ADC which costs about 150$. My high-end audio dealer tried to sell me an Ayre ADC for 4K$--GTFO! My setup includes an Oracle Delphi MK III with SME V tonearm and Blue Point No. 2 Cartridge, Audible Illusions Modulus 2B (modified with all Cardas wire, jacks) vacuum tube preamp with phono stage, fed into the Art ADC, then into my PC. I use Audacity free software for the capture, then export to FLAC. I capture at 48 kHz sampling rate. You can enter tracks anywhere you want in the capture, and it will export those individual tracks as individual FLAC files. This works great with my FIIO portable digital audio players and Foobar 2000 for desktop listening. One folder = one LP with each file representing a different track. 

Anyway, the ART does have a built-in phono stage--if you have a cartridge of high enough output, you may not need additional preamplification. It is (optionally) USB powered. Just plug into your PC, select it as the default microphone, and record in Audacity.

Very nice vinyl front end. Bet it sounds great. Your SME is now a collectors item since the recent stop on production and the monetary value will keep on rising.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Very nice vinyl front end. Bet it sounds great. Your SME is now a collectors item since the recent stop on production and the monetary value will keep on rising.

Interesting, thanks, I didn't know that. In reality, although I have extraordinarily sensitive hearing, I do not consider myself a "golden ears" audiophile. I read the audiophile rags voraciously in the early - mid 1990s when I was assembling this system, and I did some comparison listening to various gear. Then, I decided to just listen and enjoy what I had put together and stop the obsessing. Since the mid-90s, I have made relatively few audio purchases. I recently had the Oracle in for a new belt and suspension servicing (I HATE transporting that thing in my car--have to drive like a little old lady!) That turntable has provided 25+ years of perfect service--funny to hear people b*tch about how they hated vinyl and had endless problems with their turntable. (What do you expect if you buy cheap junk?)

I will say, that of the recent purchases, I have been very happy with all of them. Same goes for the free software additions (Foobar 2000 and Audacity). I added a couple pairs of AudioEngine active speakers--A5+ in the gorgeous bamboo finish for a second system, and the 2+ as desktop monitors with my PC. I organize all of my discs as folders (one folder = one disc, whether LP or CD) with each FLAC file representing a single track. I use Foobar 2000 for organizing and playback, and I must say, I consider this the greatest single piece of software I have ever used. THe ART ADC was actually recommended by Droglus, and that has proven to be a great piece of gear as well. I also bought a couple of Fiio X1 Digital audio players--very satisified with both. The newer one now has a 256 GB card that will hold about 700 CDs in FLAC format. Have not filled it up yet.

[aukhawk]

This is a bit of an odd topic to be pursuing in 'Great recordings' but anyway ...

My next question. Is the portable device you recommend able to store high resolution downloads? As you may guess I find the complexity and incompatability of the many digital standards confusing. Plus I've been very lazy in trying to get my head around all of this. Discussions on the lasest in digital tech in audiophool magazines just make my brain shut down. Time to put on my thinking cap.

For clarity - the portable recorder I use is just that, and not used for storage or playback.  And yes the one I've got does have an external mic input as well as a line input, and 2 integral stereo mics for surround recording 'in the field' - I have used it at committee meetings for example instead of taking written minutes.
So - it records onto an SD card, which I then remove and use a card reader to transfer the audio files into my normal PC because the next step is to top and tail them (removing the run-in run-out gooves) in Audacity.
I do it this way simply to avoid having a cable (trip hazard) running across the floor from my audio stack to my PC, for hours on end.  Also I think there is potentially more to go wrong, when recording to a PC, than when recording to a dedicated recording device.  But you can do either and once you have your workflow, any initial problems go away.

For storage and playback of digital audio files, there are essentially three possible ways to go, and I won't go into the merits/demerits of each here, but they are:
a) Playback from the PC (or Mac obviously, I'm using 'PC' generically) using softare such as Foobar mentioned above, the files stored either on the PC itself or on an external disk.  One folder per CD/LP is a good way to organise it, personally I go one folder per work.
b) Storage and playback from a dedicated device, often a personal player such as the Fiio mentioned above - its perfectly possible though not all that practical, to use a portable player to feed a pair of powered speakers and that is your entire system.
c) Streaming - not in the sense of Spotify and Tidal et al, but it's possible to set up a local server (like a standalone hard disk sitting in a cupboard somewhere) and stream locally, using a music player designed to play streams which can sit in your stack like a CD player does.  Like any other component, these can be quite inexpensive, or can cost any amount of silly money. 

For what it's worth, I do (c) but they are all methods capable of the highest quality playback. 
All are doomed to extinction in the very long run, to be replaced by remote streaming from central repositories, probably combined with so-called 'casting' to actually get the audio into your stack.  Hopefully I'll be dead and gone by then.

[Irons]

Interesting, thanks, I didn't know that. In reality, although I have extraordinarily sensitive hearing, I do not consider myself a "golden ears" audiophile. I read the audiophile rags voraciously in the early - mid 1990s when I was assembling this system, and I did some comparison listening to various gear. Then, I decided to just listen and enjoy what I had put together and stop the obsessing. Since the mid-90s, I have made relatively few audio purchases. I recently had the Oracle in for a new belt and suspension servicing (I HATE transporting that thing in my car--have to drive like a little old lady!) That turntable has provided 25+ years of perfect service--funny to hear people b*tch about how they hated vinyl and had endless problems with their turntable. (What do you expect if you buy cheap junk?)

I will say, that of the recent purchases, I have been very happy with all of them. Same goes for the free software additions (Foobar 2000 and Audacity). I added a couple pairs of AudioEngine active speakers--A5+ in the gorgeous bamboo finish for a second system, and the 2+ as desktop monitors with my PC. I organize all of my discs as folders (one folder = one disc, whether LP or CD) with each FLAC file representing a single track. I use Foobar 2000 for organizing and playback, and I must say, I consider this the greatest single piece of software I have ever used. THe ART ADC was actually recommended by Droglus, and that has proven to be a great piece of gear as well. I also bought a couple of Fiio X1 Digital audio players--very satisified with both. The newer one now has a 256 GB card that will hold about 700 CDs in FLAC format. Have not filled it up yet.

You mention "audiophile rags" I was obsessed with them, earlier then you I think. Every month I would buy Practical Hi-Fi, Hi-Fi News, Hi-Fi Answers, Hi-Fi World and quarterly, The Absolute Sound along with Sterophile. I'm sure there is some I have forgotten. These days I flick through them in WH Smith's but never purchase.   

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

My favorite of all of them was Positive Feedback, a smallish, indie (in its early days) magazine from the Oregon Triode Society. Unlike so many other audiophile rags, this one had a great sense of humor and included some hilarious cartoons poking fun of the hobby and its more fanatical enthusiasts. I still have old copies from the early 90s sitting on my shelves.

[JBS]

Returning to the actual topic, have you thought of going the other way, and simply buying a second copy of the LPs?

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Complete-Quartets-including-Quartet/dp/B00HNV426W/

[I am aware from Madiel that Amazon makes it as hard as possible for Australians to buy via Amazon US...]

[dissily Mordentroge]

Returning to the actual topic, have you thought of going the other way, and simply buying a second copy of the LPs?

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Complete-Quartets-including-Quartet/dp/B00HNV426W/

[I am aware from Madiel that Amazon makes it as hard as possible for Australians to buy via Amazon US...]

Why would buying a second copy of the LP's make sense? I'm missing something here. My theree main reasons for wanting to make high quality copies of my Fine Arts Beethhoven disks are :-
1: To keep the LP's as pristine as possible.
2: To have access via a digital medium such as whilst driving etc
3: To avoid having to play the commercially available CDs as they're manifestly inferior to what I get from the LP's on my turntable. 

[JBS]

Why would buying a second copy of the LP's make sense? I'm missing something here. My theree main reasons for wanting to make high quality copies of my Fine Arts Beethhoven disks are :-
1: To keep the LP's as pristine as possible.
2: To have access via a digital medium such as whilst driving etc
3: To avoid having to play the commercially available CDs as they're manifestly inferior to what I get from the LP's on my turntable.

Sorry, missed out on reason 2. But it would certainly answer reason 3 and help with reason 1 (ie, keep the better copy unplayed and use the lesser copy for actual listening). But I don't see having a turntable in your car as feasible...

[Cato]

My favorite of all of them was Positive Feedback, a smallish, indie (in its early days) magazine from the Oregon Triode Society. Unlike so many other audiophile rags, this one had a great sense of humor and included some hilarious cartoons poking fun of the hobby and its more fanatical enthusiasts. I still have old copies from the early 90s sitting on my shelves.

I remember lusting through issues of High Fidelity, Musical America, and Stereo Review in the 60's-80's because of the reviews of the latest equipment...which I could not afford most of the time: I recall especially the hype for quadraphonic needles, speaker systems, records, etc.

There was a debate how to spell "quadraphonic," with alternatives of "quadriphonic" and "quadrophonic" being offered.

Fanfare was amazing because of all the obscure records they reviewed from international sources.

Why would buying a second copy of the LP's make sense? I'm missing something here. My three main reasons for wanting to make high quality copies of my Fine Arts Beethoven disks are :-
1: To keep the LP's as pristine as possible.
2: To have access via a digital medium such as whilst driving etc
3: To avoid having to play the commercially available CDs as they're manifestly inferior to what I get from the LP's on my turntable. 

Aukhawk seems to have a fine solution:

This is a bit of an odd topic to be pursuing in 'Great recordings' but anyway ...

For clarity - the portable recorder I use is just that, and not used for storage or playback.  And yes the one I've got does have an external mic input as well as a line input, and 2 integral stereo mics for surround recording 'in the field' - I have used it at committee meetings for example instead of taking written minutes.
So - it records onto an SD card, which I then remove and use a card reader to transfer the audio files into my normal PC because the next step is to top and tail them (removing the run-in run-out gooves) in Audacity.
I do it this way simply to avoid having a cable (trip hazard) running across the floor from my audio stack to my PC, for hours on end.  Also I think there is potentially more to go wrong, when recording to a PC, than when recording to a dedicated recording device.  But you can do either and once you have your workflow, any initial problems go away.

For storage and playback of digital audio files, there are essentially three possible ways to go, and I won't go into the merits/demerits of each here, but they are:
a) Playback from the PC (or Mac obviously, I'm using 'PC' generically) using softare such as Foobar mentioned above, the files stored either on the PC itself or on an external disk.  One folder per CD/LP is a good way to organise it, personally I go one folder per work.
b) Storage and playback from a dedicated device, often a personal player such as the Fiio mentioned above - its perfectly possible though not all that practical, to use a portable player to feed a pair of powered speakers and that is your entire system.
c) Streaming - not in the sense of Spotify and Tidal et al, but it's possible to set up a local server (like a standalone hard disk sitting in a cupboard somewhere) and stream locally, using a music player designed to play streams which can sit in your stack like a CD player does.  Like any other component, these can be quite inexpensive, or can cost any amount of silly money. 

For what it's worth, I do (c) but they are all methods capable of the highest quality playback. 
All are doomed to extinction in the very long run, to be replaced by remote streaming from central repositories, probably combined with so-called 'casting' to actually get the audio into your stack.  Hopefully I'll be dead and gone by then.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Sorry, missed out on reason 2. But it would certainly answer reason 3 and help with reason 1 (ie, keep the better copy unplayed and use the lesser copy for actual listening). But I don't see having a turntable in your car as feasible...

I doubt the suspension in my Mitsubishi would be up to it.