[ARSCLIST] Acostic playback

[Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>]

Karl's point about playing acoustic records back through the acoustic machines on which they were intend to be heard is a good one.  However, there are two arguments that torpedo it.

First is that what we hear is the sum of distortion introduced not only by the playback horn and chain (tapered arm, etc.) but also that of the one or ones used for recording as well as the characteristics of the recording device.  The latter is, mostly unknowable at this stage.  It's the old issue of problems being of a different magnitude where energy changes occur rather than where they are amplified.

The other is that there was no mathematical understanding of the nature of horns until the theory of matched impedance was uncovered in 1923 and exploited in the design of the acoustical Orthophonic machines in 1924 (actual dates may vary by a year- I don't have my research data to hand.)  Before then, all was guesswork- an "art" which led to varying degrees of subjective sonic accuracy until then, none satisfactory, to these ears.

Steve Smolian