The stock sound is a bit thick and slow or "smooth" with a bit of hiss, a sound I would call vintage. I expect to offer a concert upgrade for recording music. I used the R44 with Concert Upgrade for the third time recording stage sound on 2 channels and the board feed on the other 2 and it works great. The sound is very fast with exceptional detail, depth and clarity [....] The trouble is the upgrade dramatically increases detail and clarity which has the unfortunate side effect of making it easier to hear the noise at high gains.
I thought people who were serious about audio had moved on from that kind of mumbo-jumbo-speak. Are there some properly conducted test measurements to show the nature of these qualities of thickness, slowness, smoothness, fast, detailed, depth, and clarity? Are there methodologies for the measurement of these phenomena and proper definitions to be seen on line somewhere? I'd be very interested to have the chance to study them. We're in danger of getting into the territory of snake oil if there's no means of verifying the assertions.
Following the recent debunking of the SACD myth following a year of properly conducted blind listening tests, I feel the need to be very careful not to be influenced by imprecise statements about audio quality that do not have the backing of stated quantifiable and verifiable facts - particularly when the acceptance of opinions as fact is to the financial benefit of the person making the statement.
In the matter of noise - with any audio equipment - indeed, the nature recordists have special requirements. They are not concerned with the authentic reproduction of sound - they often require unrealistic levels of amplification in order to identify and classify the sounds they capture.
On the other hand, those concerned with the high fidelity reproduction of music strive to reproduce the original level of the original sound, as the ear will distort the perception of the frequency response if it reproduced too loud or too quiet (as quantified in the Fletcher-Munson Curves). Therefore, to reproduce quiet music at higher than natural levels leads to a reduction in fidelity, and likewise to reproduce loud music at low levels is similarly incorrect, if high fidelity is the aim. Noise levels in almost all recently designed pro or semi pro recording equipment, including the R-44, is not likely to be any kind of a problem when the music is reproduced at realistic, accurate levels under typical listening conditions. It's easily tested - monitor the system recording in a reasonably quiet room using closed-back headphones. Set the preamp level, or headphone level, so that the low-level natural background sound in the room is heard at the same level with the headphones on or off your ears. Unless there is something seriously amiss at any stage in the signal path, you won't be able to perceive any system noise. Nor will you when listening to music at accurate levels.
Topic: Edirol R-44 - 4 Channel Recorder (Part II) (Read 109199 times)