SIGNALS & NOISE (Letters to Editor) (Sept. 1988)

Breaking the Code

Dear Editor:

All the talk about DAT and CD copy-prohibit code is absurd because the encoding only affects direct-digital copying. Any DAT or CD that is played back and converted to analog for amplifiers can also be recorded again in digital. My experience with digital mastering processors leads me to believe that 99% of the world's listeners cannot tell the difference between a direct-digital copy and one that's gone through digital-analog-digital copying.

The extra analog conversion still produces a near-studio-quality copy that is far superior to any preceding technology. When DAT finally reaches a stable standard, I will transfer my CDs and EIAJ-format digital recordings to DAT, directly or indirectly. It doesn't bother me to make digital-analog-digital copies, and it's probably not going to bother many other people either.

-Jim Sykes; Anchorage, Alaska

Vintage Lines

Dear Editor:

As a loyal subscriber to Audio for many years, I have delighted in reading the "Signals & Noise" column. This open forum has brought forth many facets of the audio world which are rarely discussed. One such topic, ad dressed by Robert W. Gamage in the March 1988 issue, was vintage audio components. While much older equipment has proven durable, only some tape decks-and, more importantly, amplifiers-can be referred to as state of the art. These units can compete with the best gear on the market today.

The three-dimensionality which can be obtained with a pair of McIntosh tube amps or Marantz Model 9s can only be described as breathtaking.

Anyone who is skeptical of this well-kept secret need only glance at the "Wanted to Buy" section of any current Audio. The demand for these amps far exceeds the supply-mainly because they haven't been' manufactured in more than a quarter of a century.

Many audiophiles who subscribe to the "purist philosophy" are now awakening to the fact that these amplifiers, with their storybook-simple tube circuitry, are far more transparent than many of the highly touted "hybrid" units available today. In acquiring such vintage equipment, one will almost in variably save many audio dollars (which can then be spent on associated components or software). Other re wards will include reliability (ask an owner of any other tube amp how many sets of tubes he or she goes through annually), sound quality surpassed only by the ultra-high end, and, most importantly, a piece of gear one can take pride in owning and whose design has stood the test of time.

While I don't wish to regress into the "glory days" of colored hi-fi, I do believe that these amplifiers can complement even the best modern equipment. With digital audio used as a signal source, these antiquated components can finally prove their worth.

-Richard Duplantis; New Orleans, La.

What's Bugging Big Brother?

Dear Editor:

What jumped out at me from be tween the lines of Barry Fox's article, "Deciding on DAT: Witness of the Persecution" (March 1988), was that the monied interests are desperate be yond reason to get this copy-protection scheme in place. Given the existence of two protection programs al ready in place (sampling frequency and the copy-inhibit flag), and given the industry's failure to provide any sound reason--other than fear of pirating-I wonder why all the frenzy.

At first, I thought it must be the excessive greed of the corporate vultures. However, not that much pirating really goes on, and any pirate with enough at stake will find a way around all the regulations anyway. It also seems naive of the record industry to have rich stars plead their case for them if the loss of revenue is really the issue. Finally, the fact that the corporate executives only showed up at the first demonstration in London-and not at the second, where the critical listening took place-indicates that the mu sic itself is of little concern to them.

The question remaining is: What is it about digital recording, and DAT in particular, that is really scaring these people? Something as-yet unrevealed is making Big Brother nervous.

-Will Wright Seattle, Wash.

(Source: Audio magazine, Sept. 1988)

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