Listening/buying survey
 

How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits? Do you
spend more money on demo disks? Do you buy stuff you don't really like
just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD? Ever bought a disk just
because you read some one had used it as a listening test cd in a
reveiw? Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?
If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?

I'm guilty as charged, and my player isn't even working properly yet...
Being a young dance-aholic, I realised when I set up my kit last week, I
have only 3 CDs in my collection with real instruments in them; the rest
are dance compilations, most recorded as mixes from vinyl - hardly the
best demo disks!
I've already ordered a stack of piano, string quartet and orchestral disks!

Berlin Love Parade to Berlin Phil in under a week!

:-0

Graeme

Listening/buying survey
 

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 10:13:50 +0000, none ""gfraser\"@(none)" wrote:

How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits? Do you
spend more money on demo disks? Do you buy stuff you don't really like
just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD? Ever bought a disk just
because you read some one had used it as a listening test cd in a
reveiw? Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?
If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?

I'm guilty as charged, and my player isn't even working properly yet...
Being a young dance-aholic, I realised when I set up my kit last week, I
have only 3 CDs in my collection with real instruments in them; the rest
are dance compilations, most recorded as mixes from vinyl - hardly the
best demo disks!
I've already ordered a stack of piano, string quartet and orchestral disks!

Berlin Love Parade to Berlin Phil in under a week!

:-0

Graeme

My collection is all music I like for the sake of the music. I don't
even look at the DDD etc labels. I bought one test LP a year or so ago
for the sole purpose of setting up my turntable. It has no music, and
I haven't played it since.

I'm not sure of your method of buying music though. I would rather
audition individual recordings than mass-buy whole genres. Take your
time and get the best stuff.

As for your CD player, how can it not be working properly "yet"? They
either work perfectly straight out of the box, or they are broken.

d

Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Listening/buying survey
 

Don Pearce wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 10:13:50 +0000, none ""gfraser\"@(none)" wrote:
snip
As for your CD player, how can it not be working properly "yet"? They
either work perfectly straight out of the box, or they are broken.

Yes, it is faulty. See my post on Rotel RCD-02 not playing CDs. It
works for a few disks, but not others. When I say 'yet' I mean I
haven't taken it back to the shop to get a replacement unit, and don't
have time to do so until the weekend.

Listening/buying survey
 

In article , none
gfraser\@(none) wrote:
How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits?

Well, recnely, it has meant I've been buying more DVD-V's of concerts than
CD-A's... :-)


Do you spend more money on demo disks? Do you buy stuff you don't
really like just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD?

No x 2


Ever bought a disk just because you read some one had used it as a
listening test cd in a reveiw?

No

Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen to,

Yes.

or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession? If Dark
Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90, would
it ever get played?

Have a copy on LP and CD-A. Can't recall the last time I played either, but
I have enjoyed them on occasion in the past

I'm guilty as charged, and my player isn't even working properly yet...
Being a young dance-aholic, I realised when I set up my kit last week, I
have only 3 CDs in my collection with real instruments in them; the
rest are dance compilations, most recorded as mixes from vinyl - hardly
the best demo disks! I've already ordered a stack of piano, string
quartet and orchestral disks!

Berlin Love Parade to Berlin Phil in under a week!

I recent years when one or two colleagues have asked about how to get
'into' classical music I've tended to suggest:

1) FM tuner. BBCR3. Add a CD recorder. Then record some items and build up
a collection of well-produced and played concert performances you like.

2) Buy BBC Music Mag and collect the cover discs. [1]

My view is that both of these give you access to a lot of excellent music.
Once you know what composers/pieces/artists you like, you can suppliment
with commercial recordings on your favourite medium. :-)

Slainte,

Jim


[1] I greatly regret that "Jazz on CD" magazine did not survive. The
articles were good, and their cover discs were a superb way to get into
Jazz.

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Listening/buying survey
 

none wrote:

How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits?

Not at all really, though my system has probably reduced half of my indie rock
collection to near unlistenable (from an audiophile point of view, of course).

But they sound tolerable to good once I convert them to 128-258kbps mp3s played
back through a PC and headphones ...

Do you spend more money on demo disks?

Don't have one in my collection

Do you buy stuff you don't really like just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD?

Well, I did buy the 30th anniversary Dark Side of the Moon CD/SACD hybrid disc
because it was cheap.

Ever bought a disk just because you read some one had used it as a listening test cd in a
reveiw?

No. Though I am tempted to get the Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions" CD.

Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?

I buy the music I listen to. If the recording is top notch, I treat it as a bonus.

Note that some of the most important pop/rock music (Beatles, Stones and
Springsteen) has really poor sound!

Listening/buying survey
 

" How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits?
No.
Do you spend more money on demo disks?
What is a demo disk ? I have a test LP bought second hand I can set up my
turntable with and a few free sampler CDs from labels and manufacturers but
they do not get played much.
Do you buy stuff you don't really like just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD,
HDCD, SACD?
I have bought disks and paid more to see if the SACD/DVD-A version is
different from CD only. I have not found any of these to be a guide to
quality.
Ever bought a disk just because you read some one had used it as a
listening test cd in a reveiw?
No, I occasionally look to see what a reviewer's comments are if I already
have the CD they used for a test.

Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen to, or
has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?
The better my system is the more different disks I want to listen to. Any
"change" that only worked on certain discs is not an improvement in my
opinion.
If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?
No , I cannot remember the last time I played a tape, even in the car. I
bought the SACD DOSM remaster because it was a different version, not the
same as the original Alan Parsons mix that I have on Lp and original CD.

I get to hear a wide range of different music as I am a member of a Hi-Fi
club and have often bought CDs that I would previously never dreamt of
buying because I liked what I heard. My worst CD purchases have usually
been buying albums by artists for whom I liked a previous CD only to find
the subsequent buy is not to my liking. That of course is the benefit of
e-bay as there is usually someone out there who will buy my cast offs.
Regards Richard

Listening/buying survey
 

In article , none wrote:
How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits?

Just after the last hardware upgrade I see from my financial records
that I started spending much more on the "software".

Do you spend more money on demo disks?

No. There is a HFNRR test LP in the rack but that's for use once in a blue
moon for set-up reasons. The rest are for listening not demonstration.

Do you buy stuff you don't really like just becaused it is a 'DDD'
CD, HDCD, SACD?

No. I used to specifically look for DDDs of music I wanted when I first
got a CD player but I learned better. I now I buy with complete alacrity
anything with reasonable sound (including ADDs from 1955 onwards where
the performance shines - and I do have great performances back to the
1920s e.g. Bix Beiderbecke).

Life is too short to listen to less than excellent music. Sound matters
but music matters more. I have learned which reviewers to believe more
than the others and learned how to read their reviews to ensure a good
hit rate for buying music that, to me, is excellent.

Ever bought a disk just because you read some one had used it as a
listening test cd in a reveiw?

Yes when trying new genres (almost inevitably to my dissapointment)
but never in areas where I know the music.

Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?

Yes, I do just buy music to listen to and not to demonstrate the
system. I do put in some effort to set up the system (e.g. loudspeaker
positioning) but this is rather infrequent compared to the listening
time in between.

If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?

I have and listen to a pair of 1978 C90s of the best performance I have
ever heard of Handel's Messiah (Walter Susskind at the Proms that year).
I listen to them more than my CD version of a different performance (can't
remember who). I should transfer them to CD before they deteriorate
any more!

--
John Phillips

Listening/buying survey
 

"none" ""gfraser\"@(none)" wrote in message
...
How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits? Do you
spend more money on demo disks? Do you buy stuff you don't really like
just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD? Ever bought a disk just
because you read some one had used it as a listening test cd in a
reveiw? Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?
If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?


I'd built up a collection of around 100 CDs (mainly classical, orchestral,
some opera & much piano) since CDs were first introduced, initially with a
single CD player, and then using a 5 CD player. However, my CD purchasing
rate has increased significantly since getting a Sony juke box style player.
It's the 400 capacity CDP-CX455 and I found it at about 1/2 original price
last September. It's technically more capable than the 300 capacity model
still in Sony's catalogue, and I've listened to music a lot more since
getting it, and my purchases have explored a wider field - so that can't be
bad. (Claims to be able to play MP3 encoded CDs, but the one sample I have
will only play on my Picot DVD player.)
I really do like the ease of playing any of my growing collection of CDs at
the press of a few buttons. Haven't saved any space as the original CD
cases & boxes are stored for the occasional reference.
I do have one or two test CDs which come in useful once in a while to make
sure that "right" source etc. is connected to the right speaker etc.
--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

Listening/buying survey
 

Life is too short to listen to less than excellent music. Sound matters
but music matters more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ultimately this has to be right. I can remember when I was "addicted" to
Hi-fi...............I built the room....I had the DNM /Krell set up
and set out to buy some speakers..............looking back I can remember
sitting there auditioning different speakers and literally sweating to the
music ..........craving for a sonic holy grail.
Eventually after spending a fortune on this system including lots of dosh on
interconnects etc. I settled down and listened to the music.

10 years later the krell has gone........replaced by something almost as
heavy but an av amp...........and the "hi- fi room has become a home cinema
..
Im less fussy about the ultimate sound than I used to
be........................but I think I might be enoying the music better !

Barry

Listening/buying survey
 

"none" ""gfraser\"@(none)" wrote in message
...
How has upgrading you system changed your CD buying habits?

Not at all - except for 1983, when I upgraded to a CD player! :-)

Do you
spend more money on demo disks?

I already have half a dozen (vinyl and CD), no need for more.

Do you buy stuff you don't really like
just becaused it is a 'DDD' CD, HDCD, SACD?

Nope.

Ever bought a disk just
because you read some one had used it as a listening test cd in a
reveiw?

Yes, Jazz at the Pawnshop on LP. Great music, superb recording, so I
bought it on CD as well.

Can you honestly say you just buy the music you want to listen
to, or has getting the best out of your system become an obsession?

Both.................. :-)

If Dark Side of the Moon was only in you collection on a chewed-up C-90,
would it ever get played?

No, because I don't have a cassette player. I do have four versions of
DSOTM, however! And I also have some poor quality recordings of great
music, which certainly do get played. Why else would I still have a
vinyl rig? :-)
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering