One of a kind LP that PLAYS BACKWARDS!

There are hundreds of pieces of music that can be played backwards – so-called palindromes. But nobody has ever seen a long-playing record that plays backwards. Until now that is! The present LP is Tacet’s latest production – a company that is always good for surprises regarding recording techniques. Unlike a 'normal' LP the needle is put down at the lead-out groove and moves outwards. Behind this apparent gag is nothing other than the wish to achieve the very best sound possible with the general awareness that music often begins softly and ends loudly. A great pity that this phenomenon is not taken into account when employing the usual cutting technique, for the further the pick-up arm moves towards the centre, the more information has to be stored per groove centimeter with a constant revolution speed. The result: with an increasing level of sound the high notes tend to suffer from distortion. In order to demonstrate that this undesirable effect can be compensated, the director of Tacet, Andreas Spreer, chose to put Ravel’s Boléro – one of the direst examples of dynamics – to the test. The result is 16 minutes of excitement and brilliant sound, which escalates with every millimeter that the needle progresses along the groove to its final climax.

Ravel: Bolero, La ValseCarlo Rizzi conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic OrchestraRecorded March and April 2012 at Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, by Andreas Spreer and Roland Kistner
Tacet L207 (180 Gram LP) plays backwards! 

Why weren't the new Beatles LPs sourced from the analog master tapes?

The Beatles Stereo Box Set

My Beatles MFSL LPs and DVD-Audio saved at 24/96

The Beatles Stereo Box Set

All 12 Studio Vinyl Albums plus Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters Volumes One & Two in Stereo LP Box Set.

Includes Gorgeous 252-Page Hardbound Book With Dedicated Chapters for Every Record Album and a Wealth of Insightful Photographs.

LPs Sourced from the Original Master Tapes but then transfered to digital.  Why?

"At the start of the restoration process, engineers conducted extensive tests before copying the analog master tapes into the digital realm using 24-bit/192 kHz resolution and a Prism A-D converter. Dust build-ups were removed from tape machine heads after the completion of each title. Artifacts such as electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance, and poor edits were improved upon as long as it was determined that doing so didn’t at all damage the integrity of the songs. Similarly, de-noising technology was applied in only a few necessary spots and on a sum total of less than five of the entire 525 minutes of Beatles music.

In cutting the digital masters to vinyl, stringent safeguards and procedures were employed. After cutting to lacquer, determined to be warmer and consistent than cutting to DMM, the next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting,' a procedure to increase the sound level."

My Beatles collection is on my computer show above, the LPs were transfered at 24 bit 96kHz PCM as was the DVD-Audio.  

The Beatles (white album) MFSL 2 LP set

Abbey Road - MFSL LP

Rubber Soul - MFSL LP

Love - Apple 24 bit 96kHz DVD-Audio

According to Abbey Road Studio's Sean Magee the 24 bit 192kHz transfers were done flat to produce an archival copy of the tapes and then those files were reduced to 24 bit 44.1kHz files for final mastering to the new LPs.  Why transfer anything analog recording to PCM for final mastering?  Why not master to analog from the original analog masters tapes, it sounds like we got cheated again.

I'll keep my MFSL LPs and Love 24 bit 96kHz DVD-Audio.  My 24/96 AIFF copies capture perhaps 80% of the glory and beauty of the MFSL LPs, but to hear all the LPs offer one actually has to play the LPs.

Human Stress Provoked by Digitized Recordings

"A simple test has been devised in the discipline of Behavioral Kinesiology that can give an immediate indication of the level of stress affecting an individual. Results show that all digitized recordings cause a profound loss of muscle tone throughout the body by a factor of up to 300%. 

This test, easily performed, will be demonstrated using music recordings, digitized and analog. The implications of these findings are quite alarming as they indicate that, should the present enthusiasm for digitized recordings continue, all of our present-day musical heritage will be recorded in a form that will be stressful to all listeners, both today and in the future."

More quotes from the article

"...If you play a digital recording, it will be found that the muscle that was previously testing strong and could easily resist the pressure, will be unable to do so - that the digital effect has so stressed the subject that he cannot resist. Something has happened. Some stress has been introduced which is now manifest in this negative response. Perhaps even more striking are the differences in stress effects found upon testing a recording session in which digital and analog recordings were made simultaneously.[5] Similar effects are also apparent with the human speaking voice using this newer digital recording process...

...Many audiophiles and engineers state that they have noticed that they can discern something vaguely "wrong" with the digital recording process but cannot quite pinpoint the problem. Using the test, it can easily be shown that, using the same playback system, the difference between analog and digital recording does exist. While we certainly enjoy the benefits of this major technological breakthrough, there are subtle physiological effects still to be considered...

...With the advent of Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording, it is now possible to conclude that the negative effects I have stated above are due not to the digital process per se but to the mode of achieving it, Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). For DSD recordings do not have these negative effects...

...Increasingly over the years, music lovers are turning against PCM – they are feeling what I first demonstrated nearly a quarter-century ago. And they are resisting – proclaiming that it doesn’t sound like, feel like, analog. Cold, no heart. That is to say, untherapeutic..." 

First published 1980, modified and with a postscript, 2003

Read the whole article Human Stress Provoked by Digitized Recordings

Two prerecorded audiophile cassettes that I prefer over the LP versions

Playback cassette deck:
Nakamichi CR-1A
Turntable:
Music Hall MMF-5

THE MISSING LINK

Lincoln Mayorga and Distinguished Colleagues 

Sheffield Lab / Nakamichi Reference Recording RA-4S10

Real Time duplication from the Sheffield Analog Master tape onto 70μS TDK Metal tape.

This is made from the Analog backup master made at the same time as the Direct to Disc. After hearing this I sold my Direct to Disc version as this audiophile cassette has more bass, more impact and the high frequencies are fully the equal of the great sounding Direct to Disc and the mid frequencies are virtually the same, the image is even bigger on the cassette. This is one of the most realistic sounding recordings in either format!

DÄFOS

Mickey Hart, Airto and Flora Purim 

Rykodisc Analogue / World RACS 0108

70μS Chrome - SPARS code: AAA

This wonderful cassette replaced my Reference Recordings 45 RPM LP, why? The cassette sounds even better with a fuller midrange and even more impact in the percussion instruments, the delicate high frequencies are every bit as good as the LP. Another reason is I don't like taking my platter off on my music hall mmf-5 to change the speed from 33 to 45. This is one of the best sounding LPs I've ever heard and the cassette on a Nakamichi is even better.

There were many wonderful pure analog audiophile cassettes such as those from Advent Process CR/70, Aesthetic Audio, Audible Images, In Sync Labs, Mobile Fidleity Sound Lab, Nakamichi, Sound Ideas, etc.  They are extremely hard to find now and many are very high priced when found.

However commercial cassettes over the years have improved greatly and ironically many digital recordings sound quite good on prerecorded cassette, it seems to give them the warmth and beauty missing from the CD versions.

The Nakamichi Reference Recordings of Telarc's digital tapes recorded in real time on Nakamichi Decks using TDK Metal tape are very impressive.

Also Telarc's own cassettes on TDK-SA tape using 70μS EQ sound much better than the CD versions even though inside the cassette it says "The Telarc Compact Disc of this release represents the ultimate listening experience of this music. The sound quality of this cassette version is the highest possible within the limitations of the medium." Hogwash, I compared "Chiller" with Erich Kunzel conducting the Cincinnati Pops and "Spies: By Way of the World" and the cassettes were better than the CD versions in every performance area, plus the cassettes sounded warmer and almost analog-like. Make sure to get 70μS EQ ones as the 120μS EQ Telarcs are not as good.

Comparison reviews and comments on LPs and SACDs.

LPs played on the Music Hall MMF-5 turntable and SACDs played on the Xindak SCD-2 tubed SACD player.

Die Röhre, The Tube

Stuttgarter Kammerorchester 

Works by Boccherini, Sammartini, Scarlatti, Handel, Vivaldi, Biber & Corelli 

LP: Tacet L 74
SACD: Tacet S 74

This is not only one the best sounding SACDs I've heard, it's also one the best sounding LPs I've heard, it's a tubed analog recording. This recording proves that SACD can do bowed string instruments right, it is silky smooth and beautiful but the LP is even more so and is absolutely gorgeous.  The LP has many intricate small sonic details the SACD only hints it and while the strings on the SACD are smooth wait until you hear the LP! Plus the Vinyl is dead quiet on the LP as well.

Bernstein's Fancy Free on Franklin Mint LP versus Sony SACD.
Bernstein conducting Bernstein a Columbia recording from 1961-1964.

Leonard Bernstein, The New York Philharmonic

The LP: Franklin Mint's 100 Greatest Recordings of all Time Volume 6:
Side One: Fancy Free 

Side Two: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Candide Overture.

The SACD: Sony Classical SS-89043, the above works plus On The Waterfront.

The LP has cleaner and more extended high frequencies; the exciting high percussion sent goose bumps up and down my body! The LP had deeper bass with more impact and with the LP I could hear deeper into the music. All in all the SACD is a poor imitation of the glorious LP as mastered by Franklin Mint.

Of course the Master Tape was much fresher in 1976 when these Franklin Mint records were made. But the difference was huge!

Gottschalk: Night In The Tropics, Grand Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra
Gould: Latin American Symphonette

Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchestra
Analogue Productions LP APC 003
Vanguard SACD VSD-500

Virgil Thomson: The River and The Plow That Broke The Plains
Leopold Stokowski, The Symphony of the Air
Analogue Productions LP APC 001
Vanguard SACD VSD-500

These two recordings are what I consider to be of the top five best sounding SACDs released so far and of course one of my two favorite recordings of all time since the 1970’s, the LPs were even better sonically, larger soundstage and a "you are there" presence and more "air" in the highs.

Notes on other SACD and DVD-Audio comparisons:

The Classic Records and Speakers Corner 180/200 Gram LP remasters of RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence recordings have a lower overall noise level than the SACD versions. The LPs have almost no surface noise and extremely low tape hiss and when both are combined they have lower noise than the tape hiss on the RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Stereo SACD versions. The LPs have greater impact on percussion strikes, faster transient response, and a little more delicacy in the highs.

Every Classic Records 180/200 Gram LP I played was sonically superior to Classic Records 24 Bit 192kHz HDADs, although their HDADs are among the best DVD-Audios available.

Nearly every Audiophile LP is sonically superior to its SACD version, and most LPs are also sonically superior to their SACD versions. The exceptions would be the Columbia classical LPs and some of the Columbia rock LPs that are inferior to the better-mastered SACDs. As noted above the Franklin Mint bettered the Columbia SACD versions as does the pre-recorded Reel to Reel tapes, so if you listen to analog only, the Franklin Mint LPs and the Columbia Reel to Reel are the best choice for Columbia Classical releases.

Format Comparisons

The best analog hardware and software preserves the original musical event and is nearly as exciting to listen to as the music was live. But to be honest analog can often be a royal pain to use. With this in mind I am offering my personal pros and cons of each format. Only formats that I have owned and used are evaluated.

Analog formats playing pre-recorded software.

FORMAT	PRO	CON
8 Track Cartridge	Endless loop was a very nice feature for the car. Many 8 Track tapes offered very good sound quality	Higher than normal wow and flutter. With endless loop the tape wound upon itself, causing in time the lubricant to shed and the tape to break. Rewind is impossible and Fast Forward on the few decks that offered it went at only twice the playing speed. This meant that all four tracks that to be approximately the same length so songs or movements were often split in two. So what one heard was fading down at the end of one track, a click as the track changed and fading up at the beginning of the next. Very disruptive to the flow of music.
Cassette	Small size, and with auto reverse a better option than 8 Track’s endless loop. Thanks to Dolby noise reduction, new tape types, advanced head and electronics design excellent sound quality. For most music the sound quality is as good as the best LPs and often approaches Reel to Reel when played on a superior deck, such as a Nakamichi.	There is still some compression of high frequencies on the most demanding orchestral climaxes. Many high-speed duplicated cassettes have some high frequency losses, although not all.
Reel to Reel	Extremely realistic sound quality especially at 7½ and 15 IPS tape speeds.	Tape has to be manually threaded on the take up reel. Some polyester back-coated tapes from the late 1970’s to early 1980’s have developed "sticky Shed Syndrome" and tapes from the 1950s – 1960’s break easy.
LP	Sound Quality can be extremely realistic and with Direct to Disc recordings, LPs have the fastest transit response of any medium.	Deep bass requires wide grooves, which limits playing time. Cleaning, Scratches warps, surface noise and wear.
Stereo LaserDisc	Very stunning visually and the sound quality from the analog tracks was often excellent if CX Encoding is used.	Playing time: CLV – 60 minutes per side and CAV – 30 minutes per side. Before Digital was invented special effects only worked on CAV discs. After CD was invented Digital tracks were added, meaning one had a choice of the stereo analog or digital soundtrack. After Dolby Digital was introduced the only place to put it was on one of the analog tracks two channels thus making the analog tracks on these discs MONO.
8mm Hi-Fi Stereo	Small size, picture quality better than VHS and almost as good as Beta at it fastest speed. 8mm is no longer offered as a home recorder but is still popular as a camcorder.	Very few Movies were ever released on 8mm thus one was unable to rent movies.
Beta Hi-Fi Stereo	Excellent Picture with 3 hours playing time at Beta II and 4½ hours at Beta III. Beta I was only on early and professional models. When time shifting from TV Beta’s slowest speed Beta III with 4 ½ hours had far better picture than VHS’s fastest speed SP with only 2 hours playing time.	Less rentals than VHS, lost war with VHS because VHS played an hour and a half longer that it’s slowest speed as it was physically a larger cartridge.
VHS Hi-Fi Stereo	Very good picture at the fastest speed (SP) 2 hour playing speed on a T120 tape, T160’s were introduced that offered 2 hours and 40 minutes at the highest speed which were not recommended due to the thin tape. T120’s would play 6 hours at the slowest speed (EP). The middle speed (LP) was discontinued.	Picture Quality and Hi-Fi Stereo not as good as Beta.

Analog recording makes a comeback

Mike Spitz, owner of both ATR Services, which is refurbishing vintage analog decks, and ATR Magnetics, which is manufacturing tape for them, says business has boomed in recent months.



"Tape is now the holy grail for musicians," he says, welcomed by both industry veterans who miss the format's sine-wave warmth and by indie twentysomethings who are experiencing full bandwidth after a lifetime of listening to highly compressed MP3s.



Analog's attraction lies in its ultra-high resolution capability, Spitz explains. Direct Stream Digital (DSD), the high-resolution digital disc format Sony used for its audiophile SACD format, is capable of 2.884,000 transitions per track per second, but a high-quality mastering tape contains approximately 80 million transitions per track second. "And that's just for 1/4-inch two-track tape running at 15 IPS," says Spitz. "The resolution goes up substantially with wider tracks and higher (tape) speeds." from Analog recording makes a comeback

Analog or Digital

My favorite quotes from the video:

Neil Young's comments about CDs: "We really needed good control over the sound and we got that with digital, but we lost the sound. We don't have the sound anymore unfortunately it's gone. This is sensory deprivation, is the main description of digital sound, you think your getting it, but your not."

Michael Fremer: "There are things being left out, the air, the ambiance, the reverberation, nuances of voices inflections, little things that when you play the record you go "ah" there it is, it's not on the CD."