12-Aug-2016, 02:55
I entered graduate school in the United States right on the cusp of digital technology. The compact disc was invented in 1982, and I began my PhD in Computer Science in 1983. As I began to build a music collection, I naturally gravitated to vinyl records, then available in plentiful supply. My favorite store was Princeton Record Exchange, a fabulous stomping ground for vinyl collectors where you could pick up a box set of Haydn symphonies on London (Decca) for $5.
Although CDs were beginning to emerge, it took another 10 years before the classical repertoire on CD was large and diverse enough to challenge the dominance of vinyl. By then, it was too late. I already had amassed a collection of a few thousand vinyl albums (mostly classical, a few rock albums from my wild undergraduate days in India, and some jazz). The CD players of the day that I used (mostly Sony ES) were no match for state of the art record players. My first real (and still current) record player was the Basis Ovation with the wonderful Graham 1.5t unipivot tonearm. This combo made throwaway vinyl in the bottom bins of Princeton Record Exchange that you could pick up for 10-20 cents sound better than many CDs, which were then harsh and strident to my ears.
Digital technology reproduction made huge strides in the 21st century, and in 2010, I finally could afford to buy a state of the art digital setup that challenged my 20 year old Basis+Graham analog system. This was the Esoteric combo, which had some of the same dynamics that vinyl had, but also midrange smoothness and clarity.
With the Devialet D400, I think it's safe to say another milestone has been reached. Digital technology has finally triumphed at the system level, all the way from vinyl cartridge input to speaker input, replacing half a dozen components and tons of cables by a slim device. Based on an initial sampling of few CDs and LPs, I've realized the enormous potential of the D400 in transforming the whole reproduction chain. Finally, the promise of 16 bit 44.1 Khz digital is realized, and the great recordings from the past 30+ years can once again be savored.
Forget your namby pamby Decca, EMI, Telarc recordings! My go to albums for analyzing dynamics is the immortal Mercury Living Presence series. Only when I started collecting MLP discs did I realize that CDs could actually reproduce dynamics like LPs can. Unlike most classical labels, which heavily compress their recordings, or use hundreds of microphones to squelch the sound, MLP engineers always used only 3 spaced omnis feeding directly into a massive tube mixer. No compression was ever used or needed. Early Telarc recordings were based on spaced omnis, to great effect, e.g., the box set of Mozart symphonies by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. The one great drawback of the MLP discs so far has been that their top end sometimes reveals the limitations of the microphones used. The top end can sometimes be harsh.
With the D400s, this has been banished. I never realized the true beauty of MLP recordings till I heard them today on the D400. Freed from any semblance of digital hardness, glare, or brightness, these few hundred CDs can now be enjoyed. These are without a doubt the best buy in classical music today, available in three box sets (150 discs, roughly $2 per disc, a steal if there was ever was one). If you've never heard an MLP recording, you're in for a treat.
If you could only buy 1 MLP CD, you should get Paul Paray's immortal recording "Dances of Death". It is a collection of sensual and voluptuous orchestral music by the greatest of composers. Try Richard Strauss' Salome's Dance of the Seven Veils (track 3). This track tells you everything you need to know about how to record orchestral dynamics, from the deepest bass to the sparkling sound of delicate triangles. (but why pay $16 for this disc when you can get a whole box set for $2 a disc?).
Of course, much of the sound I'm hearing is because the Quad ESL-63 is finally able to reproduce music without the accompanying detritus of digital hash, glare, and stridency that made digital playback something to run from. The greatest recordings in classical music, jazz, folk, and rock all come from the pre-digital era (1950s-1980s). These can now be enjoyed in their full richness. That alone makes the D400 worth the price of admission.
Although CDs were beginning to emerge, it took another 10 years before the classical repertoire on CD was large and diverse enough to challenge the dominance of vinyl. By then, it was too late. I already had amassed a collection of a few thousand vinyl albums (mostly classical, a few rock albums from my wild undergraduate days in India, and some jazz). The CD players of the day that I used (mostly Sony ES) were no match for state of the art record players. My first real (and still current) record player was the Basis Ovation with the wonderful Graham 1.5t unipivot tonearm. This combo made throwaway vinyl in the bottom bins of Princeton Record Exchange that you could pick up for 10-20 cents sound better than many CDs, which were then harsh and strident to my ears.
Digital technology reproduction made huge strides in the 21st century, and in 2010, I finally could afford to buy a state of the art digital setup that challenged my 20 year old Basis+Graham analog system. This was the Esoteric combo, which had some of the same dynamics that vinyl had, but also midrange smoothness and clarity.
With the Devialet D400, I think it's safe to say another milestone has been reached. Digital technology has finally triumphed at the system level, all the way from vinyl cartridge input to speaker input, replacing half a dozen components and tons of cables by a slim device. Based on an initial sampling of few CDs and LPs, I've realized the enormous potential of the D400 in transforming the whole reproduction chain. Finally, the promise of 16 bit 44.1 Khz digital is realized, and the great recordings from the past 30+ years can once again be savored.
Forget your namby pamby Decca, EMI, Telarc recordings! My go to albums for analyzing dynamics is the immortal Mercury Living Presence series. Only when I started collecting MLP discs did I realize that CDs could actually reproduce dynamics like LPs can. Unlike most classical labels, which heavily compress their recordings, or use hundreds of microphones to squelch the sound, MLP engineers always used only 3 spaced omnis feeding directly into a massive tube mixer. No compression was ever used or needed. Early Telarc recordings were based on spaced omnis, to great effect, e.g., the box set of Mozart symphonies by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. The one great drawback of the MLP discs so far has been that their top end sometimes reveals the limitations of the microphones used. The top end can sometimes be harsh.
With the D400s, this has been banished. I never realized the true beauty of MLP recordings till I heard them today on the D400. Freed from any semblance of digital hardness, glare, or brightness, these few hundred CDs can now be enjoyed. These are without a doubt the best buy in classical music today, available in three box sets (150 discs, roughly $2 per disc, a steal if there was ever was one). If you've never heard an MLP recording, you're in for a treat.
If you could only buy 1 MLP CD, you should get Paul Paray's immortal recording "Dances of Death". It is a collection of sensual and voluptuous orchestral music by the greatest of composers. Try Richard Strauss' Salome's Dance of the Seven Veils (track 3). This track tells you everything you need to know about how to record orchestral dynamics, from the deepest bass to the sparkling sound of delicate triangles. (but why pay $16 for this disc when you can get a whole box set for $2 a disc?).
Of course, much of the sound I'm hearing is because the Quad ESL-63 is finally able to reproduce music without the accompanying detritus of digital hash, glare, and stridency that made digital playback something to run from. The greatest recordings in classical music, jazz, folk, and rock all come from the pre-digital era (1950s-1980s). These can now be enjoyed in their full richness. That alone makes the D400 worth the price of admission.
