ANALOG vs DIGITAL - Ultra High Fidelity Magazine

I was quite impressed with Paul Bergman’s
article on audio tape (Not Made to
Last, in UHF No. 90). It’s quite a nice
historical overview and I learned a lot,
especially on the origin and how it was
brought to the US. I always thought it
was an American invention.
But as I was reading it I started to
get scared. All the problems with tape
material, recorders, constant tension,
etc, and he did not even talk about the
environment in which those master tapes
are stored. With all the remastering and
digital transfer done through decades, I
wonder about the real quality of reissues.
I am sure things have improved with
digital transfer, but with Paul’s article I
wonder about original tape conditions.
Should we rather try to get a used old
copy one in fair condition?
At the Montreal Salon I came across
a Japanese CD called LP45, and yes it
was digitally transferred from a 45 rpm
vinyl master. What about that?
Jean-Pierre Séguin
TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QC
A number of record companies are actually
remastering old recordings from the original
LP rather than the “master” tape, which
often isn’t a master at all, but a third, fourth
or even fifth generation copy. An example is
Sheffield, whose direct-cut Lab series discs
were particularly excellent. Tape conditions
do vary, but not all original pressings are
first-rate either.
I think Paul should be more in touch
with the archival community. There is
an alternative technique to “baking.”
Over two years ago, a friend who works
as an archivist told me one archivist
studied the properties of the aged
adhesive on recording tape and found
that by lowering the temperature below
a certain point, the stickiness is not a
problem. The tape and the equipment
must be kept at a lower temperature
Feedback
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(and presumably low humidity). I don’t
know the specifics, but know my friend
keeps up on research in the archivist
community, and I trust her to be very
knowledgeable in her field.
David Sims
VANCOUVER, BC
I found the article Not Made To Last
very interesting and informative (I now
know why I have never cared much for
tape).
I would like to draw your attention to
the final paragraph, where you close by
saying that LP and earlier discs remain
the true archival medium. I too believe
this to be true except for one thing —
outgassing. I have never known how
vinyl outgassing affects the longevity of
LPs. My guess is it must be minimal,
because some of my records are more
than 50 years old and still sound very
good. What are your thoughts on this?
Lloyd Marshall
WHITEHORSE, YK
We’re with you on this, Lloyd, because we
too have LPs that are decades old and sound
as good as ever. In fact they’re better than
ever, because the gear we use to play them
back was not even dreamed of when they
were made. Outgassing of vinyl plasticizers
is of some possible concerns in the case of vinyl
tiles and car interiors, but not LPs. However
some LP cleaners using high concentration
of isopropyl alcohol can dissolve plasticizers
and accelerate their deterioration. That is of
much greater concern than outgassing.
While its great that Toronto is finally
getting a well-managed audio show, I
think it could be disastrous for Montreal.
If you look at the Montreal show for the
past two or three years, the exhibitors
from the US and elsewhere have been
getting scarce. Due to the economy and
also due to the fact that the US has many
more audio shows now. I have notice
that Montreal is becoming more local
in the past few years. I fear that, since
there is a Toronto show, it can kill the
Montreal show. If you are a small US
exhibitor and only have budget to go to
one show, I would assume that you would
go to Toronto since there is a bigger
opportunity to hit more audiophiles in
Toronto than Montreal.
I seriously doubt we will have the
kind of exhibitor turnout the Montreal
had in the early 1990’s. The TAVES
show might make the Montreal one
unpopular with exhibitors. Lets hope
that will not be the case.
Ren Barroga
BROSSARD, QC
There used to be a successful Toronto
show back in the early 80’s, Airwaves, but
since then the Montreal show has been both
bigger and better than the Toronto shows
that followed. Though we wish the Toronto
show well, there are solid reasons for the
continuing success of the Montreal show. The
threat, if there is one, is the explosion of US
shows. AXPONA has a show in Jacksonville,
FL second week of March, just three weeks
before the next Montreal show. There was
an AXPONA show in New York last June,
and there might be one again.
Are you planning to review any Olive
products in the near future?
Jerry Wong
SURREY, BC
No. We do not recommend buying commodity
hard drives from high end audio
companies. Olive, in our view, brings nothing
to the table that cannot be done with
the conventional computer gear you may
already have.
I have renewed my subscription
because (1) the electronic subscription is
easier to obtain than previously and (2)
the journalistic content offers practical
information in addition to equipment
reviews. So the series of articles on
acoustics and digital music reproduction
is highly valued and in depth. Most hi-fi
magazines do not provide such useful
information even occasionally.
Sean Leighland
ILLNAU, Switzerland
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 7