Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Alan Parsons - Sound Check 2: Audio Test And Demonstration CD (2003).rar
74 views
Skip to first unread message
Liese Scarp
Dec 25, 2023, 8:24:46 PM12/25/23
to
SOUND CHECK 2 is the definitive audio test disc. Created in association with renowned record producer, engineer and musician Alan Parsons, it is available as a single CD or in a double CD case with built-in microphone and sound level meter, calibrated from -15dB to +12dB. When used in conjunction with its third octave tracks, SOUND CHECK 2 forms an instant system response analyser. It contains 99 tracks of practical material compiled as a result of careful research and investigation into the needs of studio
engineers, audio technicians, serious audiophiles, record producers and musicians. The disc has been designed not only to help assess the technical performance of a wide range of sound recording and reproduction equipment, but also to offer the very best available musical, vocal and effects sources for experimentation and demonstration.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) is a California-based company that specializes in high qualityreissues of key, often highly successful, popular albums. MFSL was still in business until 1999.
MFSL began issuing albums in 1977, during the height of the dissatisfaction over the sound of (mainlyUS) pressings of albums. Most of the decade had been spent by collectors decrying how poor the albumpressings had become in the 1970s. There were several reasons contributing to this sense that soundquality had gone downhill.
First, collectors noticed that the Japanese pressings, and in many cases the UK pressings, of albumswere quieter than US pressings. This was mainly due to better vinyl quality. Many US albums at the timewere pressed using recycled vinyl to some extent, as opposed to "virgin vinyl" which had never beenrecycled. Second, many of the highly successful albums were being mastered from "master tapes"which were second, third, or higher generation copies of the mixdown masters, not the original mixdownmasters themselves. Third, mass production in the 1970s, especially in the US where record sales wereat an almost undreamed-of height, had certainly resulted in a drop in quality control. Defects such aswarpage were much more common than had previously been tolerated.
MFSL tried to answer these problems in the marketplace with a high-quality reissue that, although pricedat about double the price of a standard album, would appeal to those buyers who were quality-consciousabout the factors which led to high sound quality. From MFSL's catalogs, the way they put it was asfollows:
What distinguishes an Original master Recording LP from any other record?
1. Original Master Recordings are exclusively transferred from the original stereo master tape that themusicians recorded in the studio (not from a second, third, or fourth generation copy of that mastertape).
2. Each Original Master Recording employs Mobile Fidelity Sound lab's exclusive half-speed masteringprocess, thus capturing every nuance of sound from the master tape.
3. Quality, not quantity, is the overwhelming consideration in the creation of each Original MasterRecording. The number of pressings is strictly controlled. These limited editions assure you that thequality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.
4. Original Master recordings are custom pressed overseas by the Victor Company of Japan (JVC).Super Vinyl, an exclusive compound far superior to even so-called 100% virgin vinyl, is utilized toachieve maximum clarity and startling quietness.... Super Vinyl also bestows unsurpassed durability toeach Original Master Recording LP, achieving a "playing lifespan" at least five times longer than mass-produced records.
5. Each Original Master Recording is ultra-packaged to maintain flatness and prevent warpage.
MFSL became well known for quality vinyl pressings. With the advent of compact discs in the mid-1980s, MFSL moved to the issue of "high quality compact discs," many with a gold strike on the disc asopposed to the aluminum surface of regular discs. The "gold disc" was meant to answer another of theconcerns of audiophiles, this time the new CD buyers. Rumors in the mid-1980s had it that the lifetime ofa normal CD may be as short as 10 years before the aluminum oxidized and the disc becameunplayable. This has widely been discredited as a theory, and most people in the business now viewregular, defect-free, CDs as potentially lasting decades to centuries.
Nevertheless, the MFSL "gold disc" led the way for many of the other record companies to issue theirown "gold discs." Although MFSL seemed to be a stickler for noise reduction, many of the other "golddiscs" had little to recommend them over their regular counterparts other than the snobbishness of ahigher list price and a gold color. Both Sides Now has done listening tests on various "gold discs"over the years, with the conclusion that the sound quality difference with CDs is much more related tothe quality of the master tape than anything else, and in many cases the exact same master tape is usedfor regular and "gold discs." In any case, the difference that an MFSL compact disc makes, due to thecurrent technology being what it is, is less than the difference that a MFSL vinyl record made when vinylwas king.
Mobile Fidelity went bankrupt in 1999. They sent the following letter to their customers:
November 19, 1999
Dear Friend;
It is with incredible sadness that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab announces its closure after more than 22 years in business. This announcement was made today after extreme, but unsuccessful, efforts were made to overcome the financial blow dealt by the events leading up to the abrupt closure of M.S. Distributing's music division.
Mobile Fidelity has remained a small, fiercely independent audiophile label since its inception in 1977. The company was able to weather and withstand several economic and industry upheavals throughout the years. As you know, for the past three or four years, much of the high-end audio industry has suffered through a recession. Mobile Fidelity, once again, undertook the necessary measures to ride out the downturn - especially with the anxiously-awaited new SACDs and DVDs with video soon to be in the marketplace.
However, in September of 1999, the closure of M.S. Distributing's music division resulted in a substantial percentage of uncollectable receivables for MFSL, plus the inventory it represented. Without access to the funds or the availability of inventory for re-sale, the financial devastation was more than our small company could overcome. Therefore, as of November 19, 1999, the company that changed the way the world listened to music, itself has closed its doors.
Herb Belkin was a co-founder of Mobile Fidelity and a co-owner until his retirement nearly five years ago made this statement when contacted: "I am deeply saddened with the knowledge that the employee-owned Mobile Fidelity - which for so many years represented a major symbol of quality in the field of pre-recorded music - was in the end a victim of bigness and mediocrity. I, along with all audiophiles every - where will deeply miss the musical efforts of MoFi."
Herb and the loyal employees of Mobile Fidelity wish to thank all of our friends and supporters throughout the years. Without everyone's belief in our efforts to make the very best audio reproductions possible, our star wouldn't have shone so bright for so long. We offer our best wishes to those companies that remain and hope they survive this most challenging era of high-end audio.
We sincerely hope that our memory and legacy will continued to be enjoyed for many years to come through the hundreds of classic LPs, aluminum and gold CDs, and even cassettes, that Mobile Fidelity has lovingly remastered for the enjoyment of music lovers, and for ourselves. It was a wonderful ride while it lasted.
Because almost all of the MFSL issues are well-known albums, we have just listed the titles and artistsbelow, and not the individual tracks.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an informationwebpage. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association withMobile Fidelity or MFSL Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography(which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story anddiscographyare copyright 1998, 2002 by Mike Callahan.
Alan Parsons - Sound Check 2: Audio Test and Demonstration CD (2003).rar
DOWNLOAD https://t.co/D6BYFa5nJo
P.S. If you would like to have quality audio gear, and you would like to see the gear tested scientifically, you have to check out the NorthWest AV Guy [blogspot.com] blog. He bought a $1000+ DAC/amplifier that audiophiles like and that tests well objectively, and then he designed a very inexpensive headphone amp that in double-blind testing cannot be distinguised from the expensive one... and he open-sourced the design; you can build one if you like, or buy one pre-built. He uses professional test gear, and for example he showed that the Sansa Clip really is a good-sounding media player (which plays Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, by the way). Check it out. (And NWAudioGuy, if I ever meet you in person, I'll buy you lunch or something.)
A _proper_ double-blind test would involve you, the tester, telling the test subject the names of two competing brands of audio equipment, but not their price. The subject would then hold lengthy conversations with his peers about how much better the equipment makes everything sound without ever plugging it in. Whichever brand leaves him feeling more superior at the end of the test is clearly better.
Bruel & Kjaer, building on 70 years of providing the benchmark in acoustical and audio test equipment will be showing its latest fourth generation of 2250 and 2270 Precision Sound Level Meters for room acoustics and environmental noise measurements. Also on display will be HATS, the Head and Torso Simulator for measurement of mobile phones, headphones, PCs and headsets, as well as other standardized couplers, the finest measurement microphones and sound sources for R&D and production. The PULSE platform for acoustics and vibration measurements will be shown along with the Reflex Telephone Test solution for mobile phone compliance testing, voice quality and background noise suppression performance. Visit us at www.bksv.com.
0aad45d008
engineers, audio technicians, serious audiophiles, record producers and musicians. The disc has been designed not only to help assess the technical performance of a wide range of sound recording and reproduction equipment, but also to offer the very best available musical, vocal and effects sources for experimentation and demonstration.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) is a California-based company that specializes in high qualityreissues of key, often highly successful, popular albums. MFSL was still in business until 1999.
MFSL began issuing albums in 1977, during the height of the dissatisfaction over the sound of (mainlyUS) pressings of albums. Most of the decade had been spent by collectors decrying how poor the albumpressings had become in the 1970s. There were several reasons contributing to this sense that soundquality had gone downhill.
First, collectors noticed that the Japanese pressings, and in many cases the UK pressings, of albumswere quieter than US pressings. This was mainly due to better vinyl quality. Many US albums at the timewere pressed using recycled vinyl to some extent, as opposed to "virgin vinyl" which had never beenrecycled. Second, many of the highly successful albums were being mastered from "master tapes"which were second, third, or higher generation copies of the mixdown masters, not the original mixdownmasters themselves. Third, mass production in the 1970s, especially in the US where record sales wereat an almost undreamed-of height, had certainly resulted in a drop in quality control. Defects such aswarpage were much more common than had previously been tolerated.
MFSL tried to answer these problems in the marketplace with a high-quality reissue that, although pricedat about double the price of a standard album, would appeal to those buyers who were quality-consciousabout the factors which led to high sound quality. From MFSL's catalogs, the way they put it was asfollows:
What distinguishes an Original master Recording LP from any other record?
1. Original Master Recordings are exclusively transferred from the original stereo master tape that themusicians recorded in the studio (not from a second, third, or fourth generation copy of that mastertape).
2. Each Original Master Recording employs Mobile Fidelity Sound lab's exclusive half-speed masteringprocess, thus capturing every nuance of sound from the master tape.
3. Quality, not quantity, is the overwhelming consideration in the creation of each Original MasterRecording. The number of pressings is strictly controlled. These limited editions assure you that thequality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.
4. Original Master recordings are custom pressed overseas by the Victor Company of Japan (JVC).Super Vinyl, an exclusive compound far superior to even so-called 100% virgin vinyl, is utilized toachieve maximum clarity and startling quietness.... Super Vinyl also bestows unsurpassed durability toeach Original Master Recording LP, achieving a "playing lifespan" at least five times longer than mass-produced records.
5. Each Original Master Recording is ultra-packaged to maintain flatness and prevent warpage.
MFSL became well known for quality vinyl pressings. With the advent of compact discs in the mid-1980s, MFSL moved to the issue of "high quality compact discs," many with a gold strike on the disc asopposed to the aluminum surface of regular discs. The "gold disc" was meant to answer another of theconcerns of audiophiles, this time the new CD buyers. Rumors in the mid-1980s had it that the lifetime ofa normal CD may be as short as 10 years before the aluminum oxidized and the disc becameunplayable. This has widely been discredited as a theory, and most people in the business now viewregular, defect-free, CDs as potentially lasting decades to centuries.
Nevertheless, the MFSL "gold disc" led the way for many of the other record companies to issue theirown "gold discs." Although MFSL seemed to be a stickler for noise reduction, many of the other "golddiscs" had little to recommend them over their regular counterparts other than the snobbishness of ahigher list price and a gold color. Both Sides Now has done listening tests on various "gold discs"over the years, with the conclusion that the sound quality difference with CDs is much more related tothe quality of the master tape than anything else, and in many cases the exact same master tape is usedfor regular and "gold discs." In any case, the difference that an MFSL compact disc makes, due to thecurrent technology being what it is, is less than the difference that a MFSL vinyl record made when vinylwas king.
Mobile Fidelity went bankrupt in 1999. They sent the following letter to their customers:
November 19, 1999
Dear Friend;
It is with incredible sadness that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab announces its closure after more than 22 years in business. This announcement was made today after extreme, but unsuccessful, efforts were made to overcome the financial blow dealt by the events leading up to the abrupt closure of M.S. Distributing's music division.
Mobile Fidelity has remained a small, fiercely independent audiophile label since its inception in 1977. The company was able to weather and withstand several economic and industry upheavals throughout the years. As you know, for the past three or four years, much of the high-end audio industry has suffered through a recession. Mobile Fidelity, once again, undertook the necessary measures to ride out the downturn - especially with the anxiously-awaited new SACDs and DVDs with video soon to be in the marketplace.
However, in September of 1999, the closure of M.S. Distributing's music division resulted in a substantial percentage of uncollectable receivables for MFSL, plus the inventory it represented. Without access to the funds or the availability of inventory for re-sale, the financial devastation was more than our small company could overcome. Therefore, as of November 19, 1999, the company that changed the way the world listened to music, itself has closed its doors.
Herb Belkin was a co-founder of Mobile Fidelity and a co-owner until his retirement nearly five years ago made this statement when contacted: "I am deeply saddened with the knowledge that the employee-owned Mobile Fidelity - which for so many years represented a major symbol of quality in the field of pre-recorded music - was in the end a victim of bigness and mediocrity. I, along with all audiophiles every - where will deeply miss the musical efforts of MoFi."
Herb and the loyal employees of Mobile Fidelity wish to thank all of our friends and supporters throughout the years. Without everyone's belief in our efforts to make the very best audio reproductions possible, our star wouldn't have shone so bright for so long. We offer our best wishes to those companies that remain and hope they survive this most challenging era of high-end audio.
We sincerely hope that our memory and legacy will continued to be enjoyed for many years to come through the hundreds of classic LPs, aluminum and gold CDs, and even cassettes, that Mobile Fidelity has lovingly remastered for the enjoyment of music lovers, and for ourselves. It was a wonderful ride while it lasted.
Because almost all of the MFSL issues are well-known albums, we have just listed the titles and artistsbelow, and not the individual tracks.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an informationwebpage. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association withMobile Fidelity or MFSL Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography(which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story anddiscographyare copyright 1998, 2002 by Mike Callahan.
Alan Parsons - Sound Check 2: Audio Test and Demonstration CD (2003).rar
DOWNLOAD https://t.co/D6BYFa5nJo
P.S. If you would like to have quality audio gear, and you would like to see the gear tested scientifically, you have to check out the NorthWest AV Guy [blogspot.com] blog. He bought a $1000+ DAC/amplifier that audiophiles like and that tests well objectively, and then he designed a very inexpensive headphone amp that in double-blind testing cannot be distinguised from the expensive one... and he open-sourced the design; you can build one if you like, or buy one pre-built. He uses professional test gear, and for example he showed that the Sansa Clip really is a good-sounding media player (which plays Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, by the way). Check it out. (And NWAudioGuy, if I ever meet you in person, I'll buy you lunch or something.)
A _proper_ double-blind test would involve you, the tester, telling the test subject the names of two competing brands of audio equipment, but not their price. The subject would then hold lengthy conversations with his peers about how much better the equipment makes everything sound without ever plugging it in. Whichever brand leaves him feeling more superior at the end of the test is clearly better.
Bruel & Kjaer, building on 70 years of providing the benchmark in acoustical and audio test equipment will be showing its latest fourth generation of 2250 and 2270 Precision Sound Level Meters for room acoustics and environmental noise measurements. Also on display will be HATS, the Head and Torso Simulator for measurement of mobile phones, headphones, PCs and headsets, as well as other standardized couplers, the finest measurement microphones and sound sources for R&D and production. The PULSE platform for acoustics and vibration measurements will be shown along with the Reflex Telephone Test solution for mobile phone compliance testing, voice quality and background noise suppression performance. Visit us at www.bksv.com.
0aad45d008
0 new messages