How do you measure how ‘HiFi’ something is?

[MajorFubar]

are you sure that the two recordings are mastered the same? Have you analysed both with dynamic range analysis software? Perhaps the CD version has suffered dynamic range compression during the mastering process (not an inherent problem with the CD medium) due to the loudness war.

No idea mate to be honest, unlikely this CD is a culprit of the loudness war as I bought it nearly 25 years ago. Just a simple fact that on this occasion the tape version was more enjoyable (and immersive, there I've said it again just to annoy thompsonuxb lol). It made me question what 'HiFi' really means because without doubt the CD version is surely technically superior.

Let's be honest most pre-recorded tapes were pants. It's the odd one or two which weren't. But when you find one, it's worth listening to.

 

[lindsayt]

No..no, I'm sorry but you're just making this stuff up, maybe you hate the digital medium but sitting there saying the tape was more immersive than the cd version...stop it, just stop it.

Maybe you prefer low res music, low hiss, poor dynamics I don't know, but you're making this stuff up, don't know why these guys are entertaining you.

Cassette tape.......just stop it.

Maybe you've just never heard a decent cassette player? Suspect with your very dismissive narrow-minded attitude that you haven't. And by decent it doesn't have to be a Nak, just not some cheap nasty piece of cr-p made by Matsui or similar, which Joe Public thinks is the beginning and end. I can show you recordings that you'd be hard-pushed to tell from the original source.

And no, I don't hate the digital medium. In fact compared to some, I was an early investor, some 25+ years ago when 'digital replay' meant 'CDs'.

That's the thing with analogue recording formats: vinyl and tape in varying widths and speeds. You can chuck a vast amount of electro mechanical engineering at it to produce a source that sounds far better than budget mainstream analague sources.

These days, when you can buy a Nakamichi Dragon for £800, it seems daft for anyone into hi-fi to listen to their cassettes on anything less than a world class deck.

I find it very easy to believe that there are albums like the Vangelis one that do sound better on a Nakamichi than they do on a decent CD player, such as a Marantz KI.

 

[MajorFubar]

No..no, I'm sorry but you're just making this stuff up, maybe you hate the digital medium but sitting there saying the tape was more immersive than the cd version...stop it, just stop it.

Maybe you prefer low res music, low hiss, poor dynamics I don't know, but you're making this stuff up, don't know why these guys are entertaining you.

Cassette tape.......just stop it.

Maybe you've just never heard a decent cassette player? Suspect with your very dismissive narrow-minded attitude that you haven't. And by decent it doesn't have to be a Nak, just not some cheap nasty piece of cr-p made by Matsui or similar, which Joe Public thinks is the beginning and end. I can show you recordings that you'd be hard-pushed to tell from the original source.

And no, I don't hate the digital medium. In fact compared to some, I was an early investor, some 25+ years ago when 'digital replay' meant 'CDs'.

That's the thing with analogue recording formats: vinyl and tape in varying widths and speeds. You can chuck a vast amount of electro mechanical engineering at it to produce a source that sounds far better than budget mainstream analague sources.

These days, when you can buy a Nakamichi Dragon for £800, it seems daft for anyone into hi-fi to listen to their cassettes on anything less than a world class deck.

I find it very easy to believe that there are albums like the Vangelis one that do sound better on a Nakamichi than they do on a decent CD player, such as a Marantz KI.

Indeed, it's wrong to condemn the ultimate capability of a particular format, particularly an analogue format, based on the (in)abilities of the poorest performers.

 

[Sospri]

I have Jeff Becks album Emotion and commotion on vinyl and CD, dunno why but I will listen to the vinyl most the ttime, I stream the CD version mainly as background music as its not so involving as the vinyl..................

 

[letsavit2]

if it involves an amplifier, some speaker cable, speakers and sounds good to my ears then its hi fi.

 

[Singslinger]

By its price? Just kidding. How does one measure how "hifi'' something is? I guess by how much enjoyment it gives you. By "enjoyment'' I mean all aspects, including musical enjoyment, visual satisfaction and pride of ownership.

 

[CJSF]

...and why spending more money on hifi kit may or may not result in a smile on your face.

I spent the morning listening to expensive systems that did exactly that.....whereas the systems at a fraction of the cost made me smile.

My curent thinking, do I like what I hear, never mind the cost, these days usualy as cheap as I can get it! I remember well my father system when he was alive, budget and simple, we both used to enjoy listening to it, despite me having a state of the art system in the next room.

Twenty years on, I started back into 'hifi' using his old Rotel 820. One has progressed but now I am looking again at what makes me get involved with my music and makes me smile. I'm finding 'cheap' componants are doing the business, cheap as in; '£23x4 or £100x4' both do the job, do I pay a fancy price for a fancy finish and processing?

🙂 . . . £23 is bringing envolvment and a smile to my face, HiFi?. . . I describe it a 'performance' in my listening room, nothing can measure my pleasure. What can be measured is the saving of £77x4 on my bank account :rofl:

CJSF

 

[Thompsonuxb]

No..no, I'm sorry but you're just making this stuff up, maybe you hate the digital medium but sitting there saying the tape was more immersive than the cd version...stop it, just stop it.

Maybe you prefer low res music, low hiss, poor dynamics I don't know, but you're making this stuff up, don't know why these guys are entertaining you.

Cassette tape.......just stop it.

Maybe you've just never heard a decent cassette player? Suspect with your very dismissive narrow-minded attitude that you haven't. And by decent it doesn't have to be a Nak, just not some cheap nasty piece of cr-p made by Matsui or similar, which Joe Public thinks is the beginning and end. I can show you recordings that you'd be hard-pushed to tell from the original source.

And no, I don't hate the digital medium. In fact compared to some, I was an early investor, some 25+ years ago when 'digital replay' meant 'CDs'.

Sorry I could'nt get back to the forum , real life...you know how it is sometime......

Anyway, were was I .....yes, casstte tape, I'm sorry Major but the casstte tape is flawed by design. I was a big fan of casstte tape I made loads of mix tapes back in my youth...TDK D, TDK SA, Memorex, Maxwell and my personal fav BASF Chrome ( it had the lowest hiss) but ultimately they just do not have the fidelity to do music justice - no matter the cost of your deck.(which is why I can empathise with todays youth and their low res files)

My deck is the AIWA AD-F460 (still wired up and ready to go) only problem is when plugged into an amp with a decent pair of speakers the shortcomings of casstte tape become all to audible. Dolby NR A-B being pointless & a bit of a con really. Tone controls do a better job of reducing hiss.

Cassette tape just cannot deliver the dynamics of vinyl or CD and struggled to produce good bass and top end - if you liked it loud and distorted while driving , great. But as a serious sit down and listen medium.

pre-recorded tapes...I've never heard a good one (most are equ'd so low you have to turn the volume up so high the hiss destroys your listening pleasure) so I can only guess the CD of said recording must be awful. Although I have to admit my copy of The very best of Beethoven (ISBN 1-84379-209-5) is not the most dynamic recording and only sounds listenable when put through a DSP 'Hall' settings on my amp.

Sorry even with that said I just can't see how a casstte could sound better or be more involving.