From Che Sent Fri, Jan 22nd 1999, 08:24
From Che Sent Fri, Jan 22nd 1999, 08:24
>> On Tue, 12 Jan 1999, eric hill wrote: >> unfortunately, most CD's aren't going to last (at original quality) for a >> whole lot longer than 10 years. Please explain how aluminum that is hermetically sealed in plastic is going to oxidize. Those gold Master Recording CDs are for suckers, I mean audiophiles. While you're at it, explain why my 15 year old CDs sound BETTER than they did the day I bought them, unlike my 15 year old vinyl. >an oft-cited tidbit: old records sound a lot better on current-day >turntables than on the equipment of their time, and vinyl will always be >open to innovations in turntable technology. The amount being spent on improving turntable technology is negligible compared to the amount spent on improving CD technology. >cd's, however, will always >sound the same (speakers and other sound-conducting equipment aside). I have a Sony D-4 (circa 1985) that still works (barely), and I can tell you that D-to-A convertors have improved quite a bit in 14 years. Linearity has improved, oversampling means fewer errors, error correction algorithms mean that what errors there are can't be heard - the list of technological improvements goes on and on. And there are improvements on the encoding end as well (dithering the main one). OTOH I don't think they've made a record lathe in a long time. >though early records had poor durablility, the composition of records was >changed to something closer to the current formula in the 40's. Have you ever looked at a record made of recycled vinyl? (once and for all I know still a common practice) Chances are, you'll see a nice big piece of old label right on the surface - not the greatest for sound quality or durability. >we don't >have any 50 year-old cd's yet, But accelerated lifecycle testing has been conducted, so it's not too hard to figure out that the plastic won't deteriorate w/ proper care... >so the durablity problem remains to be seen >(there are 50 year old LP's that still sound wonderful, don't skip, and >play on every turntable). If your hearing is so far gone that you don't mind the popping sounds. And try to find a turntable that plays 78s, which are the speed that MOST 50 year old LPs are pressed at. Just so everyone knows, 33 1/3 LPs were introduced in June 1948, and 45s in February, 1949, and even then it took awhile for the other record companies to license the formats. I've listened to my parents 78s (they have several boxes worth), and I can tell you, THEY SOUND LIKE SHIT. LPs degrade in sound quality w/ each play, unless you have one of those wacky laser-pickup turntables. Not so w/ CDs. The old rule w/ vinyl is play once to pop the micro-bubbles in the vinyl, wait 24 hours to let the vinyl cool so you don't distort it, then play it again, record it, and store in a cool dry place. What a pain in the ass. I've spent a lot of time transferring vinyl to CDR in the last year. Based on this experience, I can tell you that the average vinyl record has more noise than a Skinny Puppy concert. The crap you hear on the run-in and run-out is there all the time, it's just masked by the music. I've been buying vinyl for 30 years, and I'll be glad when I don't have to. >there's a big physical difference between >pressed-and-purchased cd's and cyanine cd-r's, the latter of which have a >lifespan comparable to regular cassette tapes. Cassettes develop print-thru within a few years if not rewound/ffwded. I know, I have a few. OTOH even cyanine CDRs now have an estimated lifespan of 100 years. Check the HP website if you don't believe me, in fact, why don't you spend 5 minutes on research and spare us the crap next time? What other old wives' tales do you have for us - stories about Bigfoot, rats in KFC buckets, Bill Gates sending us all to DisneyWorld? Che >When does the next millenium begin? Since a millennium is 1000 years, the first millennium began at the start of the year 1 and ended at the end of the year 1000. The second millennium then began with the year 1001 and will conclude at the end of the year 2000. Therefore, the next millennium begins with the year 2001. from: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Time and Frequency FAQ - http://www.bldrdoc.gov/timefreq/faq/faq.htm