Audiophile Forum

[umslopogaas]

I cant resist, here from 1957 (I think, the LP isnt dated) are Flanders and Swann in 'A Song of Reproduction'

" [people] spend all that money to get the effect of an orchestra actually playing in their living room. Personally, I cant think of anything I'd like less than an orchestra actually playing in my living room. Anyway, they seem to like it. Here's a song for them.

[song]

I had a little gramophone, I'd wind it round and round,
and with a sharpish needle, it made a cheeful sound.

AND THEN THEY AMPLIFIED IT, IT WAS MUCH LOUDER THEN
and you sharpened fibre needles to make it soft again.

Today for reproduction I'm as eager as can be,
count me among the faithful fans of hi-fid-el-it-ee.

High fideli-tee, hi-fi's the thing for me,
with an LP disc and an FM set and a corner reflex cabinet.

High frequency range, complete with autochange.
All the highest notes neither sharp nor flat -
the ear cant hear as high as that -
Still, I ought to please any passing bat,
with my high fid-el-itee.

[spoken interjection]

Who made this circuit up for you anyway?
You bought it in a shop?
Ooh, what a terrible job.
You've got your negative feedback coupled in with your push-pull input-output.
Take that through your redhead pickup, you're modding more than eight, you'll get wow on your top.
Try to bring that down through your rumble filter to your woofer, what'll you get?
FLUTTER ON YOUR BOTTOM!

[to continue]

Hi-fidel-ity, its FFR for me.
I've an opera here you shant escape
On miles and miles of recording tape.

High decibel gain is easy to obtain.
With the tone control at a single touch, I can make Caruso sound like Hutch.
But I never did care for music much,
Its the high fid-el-it-ee."

I'm a bit nonplussed by the reference to "your redhead pickup", but I'm sure that's what he said. I think it is a double entendre on "pickup", to refer both to the bit of the arm that holds the cartridge and the saucy lady you scored in the pub last night.

Note for the true Flanders and Swann enthusiasts: I've transcribed this as accurately as I can from the LP of At the Drop of a Hat, which was recorded "during an actual performance." There are slight differences from the CD, which was recorded "during the final performance."

[Don Petter]

I'm a bit nonplussed by the reference to "your redhead pickup", but I'm sure that's what he said. I think it is a double entendre on "pickup", to refer both to the bit of the arm that holds the cartridge and the saucy lady you scored in the pub last night.

Note for the true Flanders and Swann enthusiasts: I've transcribed this as accurately as I can from the LP of At the Drop of a Hat, which was recorded "during an actual performance." There are slight differences from the CD, which was recorded "during the final performance."

I don't think there was any double entendre. It was just a reference to the standard 'record player' pickup at that time, which had a turnover double stylus for 78 rpm marked green, and 45/33rpm, marked red. Some others had deparate plug-in pickup heads, similarly colour coded.

The LP performance was recorded on 21st & 25th February 1957 at the Fortune Theatre. The CD, as you say, was from the final performance at the Fortune, on 2nd May 1959 (whence they went to New York).

[MrGongGong]

If i'm playing music through loudspeakers I find that the sound is very much affected by my body density. So if i am listening in the morning , before breakfast it lacks low frequency substance, this is improved greatly by the ingestion of toast (preferably with marmalade or Jam if its going to be Jazz that day). My clothes also have a huge effect on the absorption coefficient of the room so that in the summer the sound has a more "transparent" sheen (actually I have had conversations with acousticians who tell me that they do calculate the absorption of the audiences clothes which is why in tropical countries acoustics in concert halls are more "stable" than in the UK where the clothing will change radically depending on the weather) . Most hifi equipment is greatly improved by the ingestion of at least a glass of red wine (for symphonies) or white (light opera), complex contemporary music requires cocktails . Xenakis is much improved by a gin martini with a twist and Ligeti the same cocktail but with an olive or if one is really matching the physiology to the music a glass of chilled Unicum.

[Anna]

This is one of the funniest threads I have read for ages! There is an urban myth that large pots of full-fat Greek yoghurt absorb bass notes of course. It's explained as the same principle of drinking a pint of milk before applying Dulux, it sucks up the extraneous ether released into the atmosphere.

[mikealdren]

and of course you must never have a telephone anywhere nearby as it ruins the acoustic.

I remember this from the 70s, I always wondered whether I should take the phone out of the room when I practised my violin to improve the sound.

Mike

[Ferretfancy]

I always used to love all the guff in Hi-Fi News, well, some of it anyway. I wonder what happened to Ken Kessler ? This redoubtable reviewer managed to find an even better and yet more expensive piece of equipment every month, while at the same time boasting that he only used three rock LPs for all his assessments. Needless to say, he was revered by some!

[Gordon]

I always used to love all the guff in Hi-Fi News, well, some of it anyway. I wonder what happened to Ken Kessler ? This redoubtable reviewer managed to find an even better and yet more expensive piece of equipment every month, while at the same time boasting that he only used three rock LPs for all his assessments. Needless to say, he was revered by some!

I stopped reading HFN after KK appeared and common sense went out the window.

On a more serious note here's a short quote from a letter I received several years ago from a retired EMI balance engineer regarding the acoustic at Kingsway Hall:

Variations in sound quality are due to more tangible things such as barometric air pressure, temperature, relative humidity and musicians clothing draped over seating. My friend and colleagues and I were of the opinion that the best sounds were obtained in June/July. Another factor .... was the treating of the fine [wooden] floor with polyurethane varnish. This was done because repeated washing of the floor has raised the grain so much that loose splinters were forming. The resulting gloss finish hardened the sound and ruined the acoustics.

There are sometimes good explanations for some audible differences in sound quality but when you can't hear any why look for a cause? Perhaps it's those voices in my head that tell me to.

[MrGongGong]

There are sometimes good explanations for some audible differences in sound quality but when you can't hear any why look for a cause? Perhaps it's those voices in my head that tell me to.

indeed this is true
and humidity and temperature make quite big differences to the speed of sound relative to frequency (for example)
but that's not the same as putting your amp on a blue piece of paper (rather than white) etc
I sometimes use home made contact mics and hydrophones , I have found that if I solder a relatively expensive XLR plug on the end (eg Neutrik) then engineers in venues will comment on the quality (and not hassle me too much about PAT tests etc) but if I use a cheapo Maplins plastic plug then I get lots of criticism, theres a lot of psychology in much of this (and some truth)
:cool2:

[Mr Pee]

If i'm playing music through loudspeakers I find that the sound is very much affected by my body density. So if i am listening in the morning , before breakfast it lacks low frequency substance, this is improved greatly by the ingestion of toast (preferably with marmalade or Jam if its going to be Jazz that day). My clothes also have a huge effect on the absorption coefficient of the room so that in the summer the sound has a more "transparent" sheen (actually I have had conversations with acousticians who tell me that they do calculate the absorption of the audiences clothes which is why in tropical countries acoustics in concert halls are more "stable" than in the UK where the clothing will change radically depending on the weather) . Most hifi equipment is greatly improved by the ingestion of at least a glass of red wine (for symphonies) or white (light opera), complex contemporary music requires cocktails . Xenakis is much improved by a gin martini with a twist and Ligeti the same cocktail but with an olive or if one is really matching the physiology to the music a glass of chilled Unicum.

Lovely, Mr. GG!!

If I may be so bold, one other tweak that I find benefits Roger Norrington CDs in particular- large amounts of cotton wool, inserted into the ears. The improvement is marked and dramatic.

[MrGongGong]

And for The Dream of Genrontius these little beauties improve the sound enormously

http://www.rapidonline.com/netalogue/photos/M072564W01.jpg