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Originally Posted by Caffeine Patrol
I wouldn't say that MP3ers/downloaders are "ignorant" or aren't "true music lovers"; some of my best friends are iTunes users. Even my friends who do make a lot of use of MP3s and the like, though, admit the sound quality is pretty bad. To overuse the burger analogy, being a music lover and using MP3s as your primary or sole format of choice is like claiming to be a gourmand who only eats at McDonalds. To my thinking that says you prefer convenience over sound quality. Is that a value judgment? Not necessarily, but I'd personally take a slab of ribs from Arthur Bryant's over a McRibwich anyday. And to keep the sweeping cultural generalities rolling, (soapbox, please) I might go so far as to say that it is another indication of our willingness to settle for mediocrity when quality, with a little work, is within reach. Discuss!
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My point was twofold, and i never implied that itunes/mp3s are for people who are less serious. I'm going to be perfectly honest, with my current set up at school and listening to more "reference quality" systems costing far more, I am hard pressed to ever tell the difference between higher quality compressed formats (generally 192kbps and up, for sure 256kbps and up) and lossless formats. The only exceptions being, on occasion, classical and jazz, generally speaking, and even when i can tell the difference, it's only A/B. I am of the belief that at least for me, and i'm not alone in this, higher quality mp3s that you can find on amazon and itunes plus, are essentially just as good as lossless. i still buy cds and listen to vinyl because i like the physicality of it, opening the album, flipping through the artwork, putting it in the player, and so on and so forth.
My second point was more crucial, mp3s are partially responsible (along with the general bastardization of mainstream pop music) for the negative shift in production values.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet
Like I said- you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on audio equipment to enjoy listening to vinyl. I think that's what's scaring a lot of people out of trying it. I'm using the relatively cheap Technics turntable and a Radio Shack Integrated Amp (that I already had).
Sure, you can get the state of the art turntable etc. but you don't have to. Rock music still sounds awesome on cheaper stuff if you get the right stuff.
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I myself went a vintage route for my stereo. But the point wasn't that you have to spend thousands on a stereo. I was pointing out that there are still people who invest money, lots of money, in vinyl when everyone said it was going to die to 8 tracks, cassettes, then cds. they'll all stick around because there will always be nostalgia. I have nostalgia for an era i never lived in, and i enjoy noisy vinyl, pops and all.
The point of all of this is enjoying your music to the maximum or your personal satisfaction. This is relative to where your music stands in your everyday life, whether its filler noise on the commute, background music through your house, or having music listening parties where you sit around and discuss the music over a glass of wine, whatever suits you. There's also the level of "reproduction" that people want or need in order to find enjoyment. I know people who have "portable rigs" that consist of a line out modified ipod through a portable amp into full size headphones, and they need to carry around a camerabag with them when they just go out for a walk in order to "enjoy" their music. That's a bit excessive. There's a time and a place for all of your music listening, and we're seeing an increase in preference for ease of use and convenience. There's nothing wrong with this, but when those who want more suffer for it, or are no longer able to enjoy the same music at the level of fidelity that suits their preference (whether its perceived or imagined fidelity) then there's reason to complain.