Today, there are different formats and alternatives for listening to music, which promise to satisfy the goals and needs of listeners.
Progress technological have allowed multiple listening format options to appear today. Music .
For many, the feeling of digging through a pile of disks vinyl Then putting the chosen ones under the needle is an incomparable feeling .
Others are more inclined to multiple applications of streaming who offer their catalogs in exchange for a monthly subscription and with the ease of selecting titles immediately.
There are also those who use both vinyl and applications, in addition to CDs and cassettes .
Whether with headphones or speakers, in static mode or on the move, The most general common denominator is enjoying songs and albums .
And although the time distance between the launch of vinyl records and the first of the first digital platforms is great, In recent years there has been a boom in the first .
According to figures from Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), In 2023, more than 43 million vinyl records will be purchased or 6 million more than the number of CDs.
It is This is the second time this has happened since 1987 and reflects consistent sales growth over 17 consecutive years. according to the American report.
This resulted in a collection worth approximately $1.4 billion compared to 537 million CDs over the same period
Yes OK Their income also increased compared to the previous year. approximately 700,000 fewer units were purchased in 2023.
As expected, these numbers are not close to those of streaming – which represents 84% of the year’s profits, a record $14.4 billion – but they are reflect that interest in vinyl records is a trend .
However, just like when it comes to choosing between different formats and modalities of listening to music, There are enthusiastic music lovers who have specific preferences in the vinyl world. .
Not only collection, but also audible . Usually through highly specialized teams.
Are two copies of the same disc identical?
One of these people is Tom Port, the owner of the record store. Better recordings Who ensures that no two copies of a disc are identical .
He spends most of his time listening to different songs in a room without windows or electrical interference, in order to Compare them and see which ones sound better. .
In conversation with Washington Post In 2022, he said that the number of copies you have heard of works such as Group Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club The Beatles and The dark side of the moon from Pink Floyd “there are more than 100 or maybe close to 200” .
The goal he has in mind is clear: “Find the ones who are really good” .
“You can only have five in your entire collection. But those five are like a drug. They are so superior to anything you’ve heard before, and you just can’t believe it. ” he assured.
To give you an idea, in their online store you can find everything from a copy of Lionel Ritchie’s self-titled debut album for $39.99 to one of The sweet parade by The Doors for just over $1,499 That is more than approximately one million 400,000 Chilean pesos.
The above-mentioned albums are also released The Beatles and Pink Floyd, at $899.99 each .
As Port explained, There are several factors that can influence the pressing of records. which range from room temperature to the fraction of a second during which the seals are pressed.
From the aforementioned media They tested it by listening to three different copies of Kenny quiet album by American trumpeter and jazzman Kenny Dorham.
None of them were 1960 originals, but According to the Post, all claim to be “at the forefront of new audio technologies.” .
The test has been done without revealing to Port which specific copy was being played .
They first heard one of the Electrical Recording Company. a London based company that produces a limited number of albums per year using vintage and refurbished equipment.
Each reissue does not exceed 300 copies. and the values are $376 per unit.
Then, these same are resold on the Internet for prices of up to $2,000.
In other words, it is highly sought after products by the most demanding music lovers, which sell quickly.
However, Port criticized the intensity of the bass » that were heard in the recording and the question was openly asked: “Who wants to play a record that sounds like that?”
After They played a copy produced by Analogue Productions .
Previously, Port had said he had never heard one of these signatures that sounded “good.” .
Yet, hearing this without knowing its origin, his impression was more positive than the previous one.
When they told him that it came from the said label, he said that “This is the best sounding Analogue Productions album I’ve ever heard (…) because it’s not terrible” .
The third was a test print by Tom “Grover” Biery. who worked for Warner Bros. Records (WBR).
This copy was part of an offer to produce a cheaper alternative compared to with the most expensive reissues.
When Port heard it, He said the sound was “tonally correct” but criticised the fact that it was a mono recording. and not in stereo.
His final verdict was that he didn’t like it. In factnone of the three copies of Kenny quiet passed the Better Records owner test .
On the contrary, according to the aforementioned media, in the conversations was reluctant to evaluate recent editions or those with a digital source a common phenomenon among analog music lovers.
However, This reflects your preferences. And these may vary. between different individuals, even depending on factors such as the occasion in which one finds oneself.
An example can be seen in a case experienced by T-Bone Burnett Grammy Award-winning American musician and producer.
For your information, He was part of Bob Dylan’s band on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour. made between 1975 and 1976.
Burnett spent years working with scientists to develop a special disc that would capture a recording session in a non-traditional way with the support of special materials.
For this project, turned to Dylan to re-record “Blowin’ in the Wind” one of the most emblematic hymns in the Nobel Prize winner’s vast repertoire.
From what he said, he captured the record on a refurbished Nagra tape recorder and a digital tape recorder .
Later, when comparing the samples and choosing which one would go on the disc, I opted for the latter .
In his words, He preferred it because “there was no noise or tape hiss.” .
And more precisely, because It was “the way we thought was best.” .
Only one copy of this recording was made and sold at auction for $1.78 million. of dollars.
Is it possible to find the perfect sound?
Although large sums of money can be invested in hi-fi equipment to achieve specific results, The idea of “perfect sound” can vary depending on preference of each listener.
And of course, your needs, what you expect to hear and more subjective aspects like your mood .
Consulted by the American newspaper on this subject, David Byrne – the renowned artist and former frontman of Talking Heads – recalls the first time he heard Jimi Hendrix when I was a teenager.
For this opportunity, heard the legendary guitarist’s music on a transistor radio .
I affirm that “Current cell phones sound better than these things and yet it was a life-changing experience” .
“Even poor quality sound can be life-changing and, in fact, can move people emotionally and socially.” added the author of books such as How music works originally published in 2012.
From the Post they went to the studio of Oswalds Mill Audio (OMA), which has a disc playback system valued at more than $360,000. The amount translates to more than 340 million Chilean pesos.
There, its founder Jonathan Weiss uses speakers that exceed two meters in height and that promise a unique experience .
Asked about this topic, said that “there is no perfect sound” .
However, he was asked: “But how do you explain what this sound is? It’s like Buddhism, where any real truth, you have to experience it in some way. Try it. Otherwise, you don’t know.” .
Acclaimed rapper and producer Public Enemy’s Chuck D suggested that variables such as environmental characteristics can influence how one perceives the music.
For him, It depends on “what you want to do with the sound”. .
“This is the most important question. I want to dance with him. Are you going to sit down? Are you going to answer or are you just going to relax and fall asleep? Do you want to do several things at once? Oh, I have the perfect sound. A perfect sound for what? ” he asked openly.
Tony Stott, product marketing manager at London-based specialist company Cambridge Audio, told the aforementioned media outlets: “What can happen sometimes is that some of the pleasure of music is overtaken by the pleasure of building a system (of listening to it)” .
He gave an analogy as an example: “Listening to good quality audio is a bit like owning a Formula 1 team. . It will cost you a million pounds to run the track in two minutes. It will cost you £10 million to run the track in one second in less than two minutes.
While acknowledging that some popular apps can be affordable and listened to on the go, he suggested that “When you start taking a high-resolution file and putting it into a good digital-to-analog converter, there’s a big change.” .
On another side, As for streaming platforms, some options like tide And Qobuz They work on the main principle of delivering high fidelity music .
Others like Spotify They focus on offering more varied content like many podcasts, shows and playlists.
SO, Each of these systems, applications and formats are not exclusive and can coexist with each other, depending on the criteria sought by each listener. .
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
