As I recall, the difference between Digital and Analogue sound is the wave form.....but that is of little relevance when both sources are played through a digital pre-amp/amplifier.

The proof of the pudding is apparently  [for audiophiles] when both are compared through a non-digital [solid-state] amplifier, but through a valve amp.....then there is no 'clipping' of the sine wave....

I'm sure someone will pop up with an appropriate link that goes into detail/s....

Are valve amps and tube amps the same thing, Jafo? I know all the really really high end amps are tube amps, but you're talking $20,000+. I'm sure if you played any music through those you'd be able to tell the difference. Ofcourse then you need the speakers to be able to replicate the amplified sound...not to mention wires to carry it. Being an audiophile is definately one of the more expensive hobbies you can have.

--

Found a picture of a tube amp...this one is made by AudioNote and this amp probably retails for a quarter-million dollars.


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Hus....yes, I think in the US a 'valve' is called a 'tube'....little light-globe-like thingie with diodes and a pretty warm glow to read by....

The way they handle power thru-put is more a genuine reproduction of the sound wave the ear is designed to respond to.

The square-wave digital on-off functioning of ICs and chips requires the human ear to 'fool itself' that it is hearing sine waves.

I think it's Audiophiles who argue that the wave signal entering the speaker cone should 'match' what the cone does when pushing the air....

When it comes to MP3s I just encode at 128. It sounds just fine with the speakers I use for my computer. I use Musicmatch Plus to encode my MP3s. I notice that when you use a commercial encoder you have to pay for such as Musicmatch instead of a freeware MP3 encoder, the MP3s sound better when encoded by the commercial encoder.

why would anyone use Kazaa when there's Overnet?
(just check the option not to show your files to anyone) and u can't get caught

and.. support the bands directly... it's a shame that a CD costs almost as a DVD-movie.
who do you think pays for the big-ass lable-corporations? you. the ones who buy CDs.
the artists see just a fraction of the money.

check it out: www.Overnet.com

oh yes... about playback of MP3s, I strongly suggest you try steinberg's myMP3Pro.
It has a compressor (makes the sound more analog-like) and all the bells and whistles as realtime surround conversion on playback.

www.Steinberg.net

(just check the option not to show your files to anyone) and u can't get caught

Kinda proves the reality of the 'crime'....the concept of potential capture....

How do you support the artist directly? Do you mail a check to the artist like this?

Dear Artist, I have illegally downloaded your latest album via a P2P application. Please do not tell those RIAA scumbags. Enclosed is a check as payment to you for your music which I have downloaded. Sincerely, Joe Clueless

In this case, the artist gets compensated but the record company that paid for the recording equipement, electricity, production, ect. recieves no compensation.





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Tech Cat: I don't think that would work.

It can get really strange. Hear this. Some time ago there was a "Copy=Right?" festival organized by my internet provider in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Apart from the discussions there were also performances by the artists. These were recorded. The artists and their record companies agreed to distribute the life recordings for free. That is now on hold, because the BUMA/STEMRA (the Dutch RIAA) wants 20 cents per downloaded file. So, in this case it appears that even if the arists AND their record companies agree not to charge anything, BUMA/STEMRA still wants a piece of the cake.

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The point of my fictional letter from Joe Clueless was to point out how rediculous Ami's idea of supporting the artist directly rather than just supporting the artist by buying the CD or making an iTunes purchase is.

It was also my intention to point out that although the artist does get compensated by Joe Clueless, what he is doing still is not morally correct because the record company is recieving no compensation for the expenses they made so that the album could be made.



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You Know, I keep hearing of Napster, itunes and such, but i have to say that RealOne Rhapsody,in my opinion, is far better than both of these. I have all three now, and the sound quality for Napster and iTunes does not compare to Rhapsody.

Check it out here http://www.listen.com/

Tech Cat: Ah. Yeah, IC.

Tech Cat, you have a very valid point.  Would you even know of the artist if it weren't for the record company producing them?  Would the artist be making a fraction of what they currently are?  Most likely not.  The record company has to pay for the equipment and employees to make the album.  They then have to pay for promotion (which is very expensive) and the production of the CD itself.

Gee, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Ogg Vorbis yet. It beats the pants off anything MP3 OR MP3pro can do. I even think some songs sound good at 96kbps! But since the Nomad doesn't like OGG files, I encode ALL of my music into a VBR file averaging around 300kbps. Ah...quality. LAME is still the best encoder.

Viva la WAV!

ahmm OGG is lossless compression, but thats not that big of a difference when it comes to sharing.

on the note of the "crime" I bet the 12 year old girl (who probably mistakenly shred her root directory) who is being sued, is simply a great sign of the great "free"dom of america.
sharing files "safely" is to avoid the intimidation actions of the big corps and institutions.

that beig said some people are suing the companies right now. (if we take suing as a sign of some crime.. )

about the direct support ot the artists...
a check can work but there are sites on the net just for that.

actuallly some artists have their work posted there for free, and if you like it you support them. If you want to you can find a way and the sites.

hard to swallow concept if you work in the "machine" (RIAA, label co. etc)

actually I can't wait for the new standard of sony's CD with realistic audio to become used widely.

Ami, you've been a victim of media hype.  No 12 year old was sued. Her mother was. Big difference.
You know if the same 12 year old failed to wear her seatbelt in the car, it's her mother as well who'd get the ticket.

I feel that more parents need to take more responsibility of teaching their children right and wrong. It is fustrating to find young people in a chat room discussing music they have downloaded from Kazaa. I tell them that they should buy the CD or if they would rather download then use a legal music service like iTunes. They just don't believe they should have to pay for anything. They try to rationalize stealing music by saying that they don't want all the songs included on a CD, CDs and music files on the interent cost too much, or record companies are evil. Many parents just don't care about their kids anymore. Any parent who's child gets caught illegally downloading files deserves to get sued.

I tell them that they should buy the CD or if they would rather download then use a legal music service like iTunes.

OR, just quit the music habit alltogether.

Argh, late to the party as usual. Oh well.
The new Napster is garbage. This isn't something I just came up with yesterday when it came out, either. And I do NOT think we should all just steal music, believe me.

Anyway I take a very dim view of companies that mislead themselves the way the "new Napster" has. I love that they sell a "$10/month unlimited downloads" plan. Yeah great except you can not burn the files, nor can you listen to them at all if/when you leave. They also track the files, for mysterious "accounting purposes", even if you aren't online.
Even the purchased tracks are overpriced and even more restrictive than the iTunes store.
(If you don't believe me, carefully read here: http://www.napster.com/terms.html)

Napster stinks. I've been using Emusic and Rhapsody for a couple of years or so now and I will continue to do so.

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Agreed. Besides, life is to short to worry about something that may or may not be considered illegal... If you live in the US, just download kazaa Lite, and check the box that says, "don't share your files" (that way it isn't illegal. If the program kazaa was actually illegal, they would've been shut down like Napster. But alas, they haven't. So enjoy it.

Wincustomize is not the place to be advocating Kazaa or other file-share programs.

Using Kazaa without sharing STILL makes you a theif. By not sharing, you are not only a theif but you are also a leech.

If you want the music then pay for it. If you don't want to pay for it then don't download it.



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These legal online music services are a great idea, but when it comes to burning CDs, the software for the music service doesn't aways get the job done right. They only give you so many burns. I'm sick and tired of wasting a lot of CD-Rs trying to make a copy that is done right. For now on I'm just going to buy the CD. http://www.deepdiscountcd.com is a great place to find CDs at low prices.

TC, das that 'FREE SHIPPING!' also count for holland?

have a nice collection of rush cd's.

I found the page about the free shipping:

*International orders (including Canada) are excluded.

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