Re: [ARSCLIST] Aren't recordings original sources?

[Don Cox <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 21/10/08, Clark Johnsen wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 7:16 PM, Richard L. Hess
> <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> 
>> I continue to see comments disparaging my use of the phrase "properly
>> designed".
> 
> 
> That would have been me!
> 
> My objection to its use, lies in the bland assumption that most gear
> *is*"properly designed", whereas most gear's susceptibility to these
> "tweaks"
> we're discussing proves that it isn't.
> 
This is true. The reason is that almost all equipment is a compromise
between "proper design" and manufacturing costs.

> Further, it demonstrates that we hardly know what "proper" means in an
> audio context.
> 
It should be possible to measure the mass and acceleration of the
hammers in a Steinway piano when fortissimo chords are played by a powerful
pianist such as Sokolov. That would give some idea of the power needed
to reproduce the sound. 

We also know that a human can exert about one horsepower briefly, and
1/10 horsepower continuously. This makes it likely that a powerful
pianist would be putting out about 250-300 watts on the loudest
passages, for a few seconds. (1 hp = approx 750 watts.)

It would be good to have some headroom, say 3dB, above the loudest
sounds, to avoid running into non-linearity in speakers and amps.

Then, one might say that the speakers can be closer to the listener than
the piano would be. That allows a reduction of a few dB. When
reproducing an orchestra, the speakers are much closer than the
orchestra appears to be.

So overall, I suggest that a power amp needs to be able to deliver
approximately 500 watts if it is to reproduce a grand piano adequately. 
Another factor is the efficiency of the speakers, which varies greatly. 
> 
>> I do think that we need to get after manufacturers to properly design
>> equipment so that these synergistic cable effects are minimized.
> 
> 
> Indeed. But first they'd have to concede that such things are
> happening, then learn to understand why.
> 
I think the big problem is how to manufacture at a low enough price.

> 
>> One major mistake that I think has been made over the years -- and I
>> see some correction in this regard -- is insisting on unbalanced
>> interconnections between audio components. Balanced, low-impedance,
>> voltage-matched (i.e. not power matched) interconnections make a lot
>> more sense than unbalanced ones.
> 
> 
> Certainly on runs greater than a meter or two.
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Remember my statement at the beginning of this post about "rubber
>> gloves
>> for leaky fountain pens".
> 
> 
> How could one forget? It's a classic.
> 
> 
>> Sometimes you may wish to continue to use the fountain pen for
>> sentimental reasons or it has a nib that works just right for you,
>> but in a production environment, purchasing decisions should avoid
>> purchasing the leaky fountain pen in the first place.
> 
> 
> All I can say is, *bon chance!*
> 
> clark
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Richard
>> 
>> 
>> Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
>> Detailed contact information:
>> http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
>> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
>> 
Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx