Old underappreciated technology?

[Mucho Bocho]

Pressure Cookers have been lost to the Microwave Oven. But the single biggest detriment to American cooking has to be "Crock Pot" I love my pressure cooker and have been using it for years to make stock before marvin Mvhold author of Modernist cookbook confirmed it superior to slow, long simmer in a open pot.

I will say that they got the name of the Crock Pot right though. To my its definitely a pot of Crock :cheffry:

 

[Lucretia]

If you can really tell the difference between analog sound and high-bitrate mp3s (which most people can't, usually they just hear the loss of "warmth" from a record which isn't the same thing as audio quality) then instead of looking at OGG Vorbis you should take a look at FLAC. OGG Vorbis will produce very similar results to mp3s but with slightly smaller file sizes. FLAC is a lossless format, so you don't compromise on audio quality at all. The files will be a lot bigger, but when you can get a 3 TB hard drive for under $200, there's really no reason to care.

Personally, I don't have the sound system or the ears to really notice a big difference between mp3s and everything else, so I'm happy with them.

The oggs are for the hubby's player for the commute to work, where size matters. We also have everything saved as flac. Before we decided on a format, we listened to mp3, flac, and ogg one after another on the same system. There was a noticeable difference. Of course, purists turn down their noses at cds vs vinyl.

Took me 3 months to convert all his cds for a birthday present, and haven't started on the vinyl yet. Sigh. THAT'S going to be as much fun as a pointed stick in the eye.

 

[mr drinky]

...We also have everything saved as flac. Before we decided on a format, we listened to mp3, flac, and ogg one after another on the same system. There was a noticeable difference. Of course, purists turn down their noses at cds vs vinyl.

Once I start singing along all files sound the same

k.

 

[jmforge]

Converting mp3s back to analog formats makes no sense to me. It'd be like displaying standard definition tv on a hdtv hoping for high definition picture.

Ummmm, you have to convert back to "analog" to listen to it. There is no such thing as a "digital" speaker cone. :big grin: The biggest problems with MP3 is the compression. What they are talking about is "filling in the blanks" and trying to restore it to something close to the original "red book" full resolution CD version. The other problem with MP3 players, even the best ones that can hold a lot of full rez or lossless files like the big iPod classics, is their internal D/A converters. Wadia was the first company to get Apple's okay to tap directly into the digital output and bypass the internal converter on the iPod for their dock Everyone else, even high end companies like Krell had been "cleaning up" the ANALOG output from the iPod. What Wadia ended up with was a small digital "transport"/server that Stereophile put in its class "C" and the folks at TAS and other publication just loved. The downside is that you needed an outboard D/A converter, but decent ones can be had for a LOT less money than a scant few years ago. I have a Cambridge which was $300-400 ( I thought SACD was here to stay and wanted a nice little converter for not a whole lot of money for my CD's) and it is a nice little unit. I have a Sony ES CD/SACD player which is a NICE piece of gear that originally sold fro around $1200 and was considered a screaming bargain in the high end world and a suitab;e platform for all kind of mods. The little Cambridge made it sound better on red book CD's

 

[jmforge]

The LP's from the 60's are actually some of the best ever recorded, ESPECIALLY if they are from the time before the first Dolby noise reduction systems, which some say sound like crap. Among the audiophiles, the Mercury Living Presence classical recordings from the late 50's and early 60's are considered to be some of the best ever because over half of them were not recorded on standard magnetic tape, but on 35mm film stock coated with magnetic material and they only put three tracks on that entire piece of film, so there is really no tape hiss for some reason. They transferred a number of those old recordings to SACD a few years back.

Replaced my phono cartridge this weekend and hear more of the information contained on those old LPs, some were produced in the early 1960’s. Keeping my records :thumbsup: Tube amp and preamp.

 

[jmforge]

Hey, say what you will about him being a mass murdering sociopath, but you can't argue his point when you talk about the T-34, Il-2, etc.:O

I hope your not in any way idolizing a man who killed over 30 million people during his reign...