I rip cd's to iTunes at (usually) 256kbps. I just ripped a track that's 18 minutes long, with a LONG silent section in the middle, iTunes encoded it at 111kbps. Is that due to the silence in the middle??

February2008Issue-ML-33215-ML-

Michael Fremer finally has his say about the "Amazing Randi" controversy in February's "Analog Corner." Thank you Mr. Fremer, for standing up for audiophiles who (like me) do hear and do care about the differences in cables. I admire your integrity.

Stephen, where is the forum for the February issue? I received mine three days ago!

ok, I need some advice.

I run a pair of b&w dm604s powered by a Vincent sp-331 amp. And I recently replaced my old HK surround reciever with Onkyo 705. Now im banging my head against the wall, I cant get satisfied with 2-channel music listening regardless.

I really liked the warm and detailed sound I got from the HK reciever, the onkyo feels more neutral and laid back.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310014259042
http://www.jarl.or.jp/Japanese/2_Joho/gakken-tube-amp/making-tube-amp.htm

Err.... what what whaaa????

Charles.

Robert Baird - read your good review, thanks. I like Neil's country/folk side and his guitar freakout side both (yeah, I do like the rock even better), so the dichotomy you mention is not so absolute - at least for me, and probably for some others too.
My copy of this CD also contains a DVD, which is recorded at 24/96. The video display is just a changing series of still shots - so once you get it running, can turn off the TV and listen to hi-rez audio. Nice! I'm playin the hi-rez at home and keeping the CD in my car.

so i bought my first real nice stereo this year as a result of some great advice i got in this forum...cambridge 540p amp w/matching phono pre-amp...epos ELS 3 mini-monitors...Rega p1 turntable...used NAD CD player..got speaker stands and positioned them correctly in my study/record room.

So...basically...sounds great. So much better than what I was used to, listening to CDs through my surround sound DVD player in the living room or an old technics receiver/jbl speakers/technics turntable setup or iPod.

MP3's originated as a way to transmit and store compressed files when transmission bandwidth and storage were both expensive. The compromise in sound was well known, but was determined by many to be a reasonable tradeoff.

Now that bandwidth and storage are no longer an issue, will uncompressed sound files make a resurgence? Everyone for whom I have demonstrated the difference can readily hear the better sound and prefers it. The only objection to listening to full resolution files is that they have already ripped and tagged their music and don't want to do it again.

John Atkinson and Micheal Fremer were among listeners that sucessfully identified expensive speaker wire in a blind comparison at the just concluded T.H.E. show.

Good job!