SteveStrummerUK
 
 
Does anyone else still sit and actually listen to an album anymore?
 
And if so, why would you then want to listen to an mp3?
 

 
Turn tables just weren't working well for me when I was up at the health club on the tread mill or walking the dog in the evenings.  
 
I must be one of the few people left in the US that still buys CD's.  I have a turn table, but its not as good as the system that I had back in the 80's when you could still easily buy real equipment.  I am amazed these days when you walk into any high end audio store, how hard it is just to find a cabinet with 10" speakers in it.  

 
 

SteveStrummerUK
 
 
Does anyone else still sit and actually listen to an album anymore?
 
And if so, why would you then want to listen to an mp3?
 

I do. And a properly encoded mp3 file sounds exactly like the CD it came from, to my ears. I'm 53, so I can't hear bats talk anymore.
 
Regards,
Dan
 
 
 

michaelhanson
I have a turn table, but its not as good as the system that I had back in the 80's when you could still easily buy real equipment.  I am amazed these days when you walk into any high end audio store, how hard it is just to find a cabinet with 10" speakers in it. 

Walked into a thrift shop about 6 weeks ago and found a set of 1980 3-way Technics (with a 10") for $15. Clean/clear top end and ZERO hyped bass... they sound so much better and more natural than the moderately priced Polks they replaced.

 
 

craigb

dcumpian
Best reason to use iTunes: Smart Playlists.
 
I have not seen any other implementation that works as well as Apple's, and I have looked because I would love not to have my library be so dependent on Apple's whims.
 
I have playlists that auto-rotate music onto my iPhone whenever I sync using a complex set of smart playlists that take into account genre, ratings, play count, and last played date. Couldn't live without 'em (/hyperbole).
 
Dan

 
Um, as mentioned above, MediaMonkey?  It's better at all iTunes features than Apple is, plus it has FAR more abilities if you need them and, if that's not enough, there are addons to cover just about anything else you may need. 
 

Last time I checked, MediaMonkey only partially supported what iTunes can do in regards to smart playlists, but that was a couple of years ago. I think there were some things that didn't get fed back to the library besides play counts.
 
If you are ever curious, there is/was a guy going by the name of "Code Monkey" who put together a very comprehensive PDF on building a smart playlist based library. It took me 3 days to build it initially, because there are so many playlists and they depend on each other to work properly. The end result is truly wonderful and I love that I never really know what's going to come up next, but that it generally will fit the mood and my favorites are sprinkled about like seasoning.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

jbow
Well, I like everything else about my iPhone, except it's cost. The Apps all work well .....

I just could never afford the Apple stuff. And then, later, I could get 2 computers for the price of one, and at least upgrade memory, video, hard drive ... and that won it for me. Apple is a part of the throwaway society ...

 
To those who can't tell the difference between CD and mp3, I have to say I agree to a point - that is I find it very difficult to tell when listening to music that has a lot of 'space' in it. The stuff I mostly listen to - rock, punk and metal - typically contains distorted guitars in the mix, and it is in this kind of track that I find the difference most noticeable, and where mp3s seem to lose the most quality.
 
 
 
 

SteveStrummerUK
 
 
Does anyone else still sit and actually listen to an album anymore?
 
And if so, why would you then want to listen to an mp3?
 
I've only ever bought a handful of tracks in mp3 form, and that's only because there was no physical CD available. And I still like to set aside time to make listening to an album an 'event' - a bit like it used to be when going through the ritual of listening to an LP.
 
Don't get wrong, I'm not an audiophile snob by any stretch of the imagination, but playing a CD through my old Pioneer amplifier and TDK speakers seems eminently more rewarding and worthwhile than listening to lossy, compressed alternatives.
 
Surely it can't just be down to convenience, or to available 'space'. I'm guessing most of those here who are old enough had (or still have) large record collections? Agreed, a large 'physical' record collection isn't as portable or practical as an iPod stocked up with thousands of tracks, but that's sort of my point - if you listen to music on the go, then surely you're not really "listening"?
 
I may be way off here, but I can't understand why the sort of person who frequents an audio-related forums like here, and who more than likely has spent thousands on buying the best hardware and software to allow them to create high quality music, would then settle for poor quality compressed audio when CD (and CD quality or better) alternatives are easily available.
 
 

a lot of the bands I like only release 100 CDs in a run, but they mostly have bandcamp pages. I only really listen tio music in the car (via CD or Ipod) or when out for a walk (via iPod) so it's not an audiophile listening environment, and mp3 at 256 or above is fine. and the sound quality from my ipod with a cheapish (£30) pair of Sennheisers is far beyond what I got from a Walkman back in the day, or the radio or on YouTube now. This works formetal.
However I never convert my classical CDs to mp3 because the dynamics are lost and there's such a difference in volume levels it doesn't work in the car. so I will listen on my DAW on my mastering headphones to that most of the time, or even on the hi-fi in the lounge when the wife is away/in bed/out!!

SteveStrummerUK
 
To those who can't tell the difference between CD and mp3, I have to say I agree to a point - that is I find it very difficult to tell when listening to music that has a lot of 'space' in it. The stuff I mostly listen to - rock, punk and metal - typically contains distorted guitars in the mix, and it is in this kind of track that I find the difference most noticeable, and where mp3s seem to lose the most quality.
 

Of course it goes without saying that you ABXed this using an MP3 you generated yourself* using a relatively modern encoder at a reasonable rate, right?
 
If not, I strongly suggest you try comparing it that way, as once learned it's easy to do and often enlightening.
 
 
*People often make the mistake of comparing an MP3 they got from wherever with a CD that might be a different mastering.

 
 

drewfx1

SteveStrummerUK
 
To those who can't tell the difference between CD and mp3, I have to say I agree to a point - that is I find it very difficult to tell when listening to music that has a lot of 'space' in it. The stuff I mostly listen to - rock, punk and metal - typically contains distorted guitars in the mix, and it is in this kind of track that I find the difference most noticeable, and where mp3s seem to lose the most quality.
 

Of course it goes without saying that you ABXed this using an MP3 you generated yourself* using a relatively modern encoder at a reasonable rate, right?
 
If not, I strongly suggest you try comparing it that way, as once learned it's easy to do and often enlightening.
 
 
*People often make the mistake of comparing an MP3 they got from wherever with a CD that might be a different mastering.

Absolutely.
 
Dan
 

"However I never convert my classical CDs to mp3 because the dynamics are lost and there's such a difference in volume levels it doesn't work in the car."
 
one plus with itunes is volume levelling between tracks,especially when mixing new and old,especially considering the loudness wars.....
 
cheers