Sponsored by Audio Excellence Co., Ltd and Groove Note Records/Analogue Archive Pte. Ltd.
*** Analogue Tape versus DSD: Can you tell the difference? Are you a true “Golden Ears”? ***
As the use of original master tapes for analogue vinyl cutting becomes more difficult, it may be necessary eventually for almost all reissue labels to utilise some form of digital file for their cutting requirements. This development will not be easily accepted by devotees of the all analogue (AAA) vinyl LP. There is also a vocal and growing body of audiophile commentary that insists that most (if not all) audiophile listeners cannot tell the differences between an LP that is mastered from an analogue master tape and one cut from a high resolution digital source.
Audio Excellence (AE) and Groove Note Records (GRV) in association with the What Hi-Fi Thailand Magazine will present and schedule a series of listening sessions at the upcoming BIAV SALES 2022 show to be held in the Montien Riverside Hotel, Bangkok, November 24th to 27th, 2022.
The purpose of these sessions will be to offer members of the Thai audiophile community an opportunity to test their critical listening skills. The test will focus exclusively on the ability of audiophile listeners to distinguish between vinyl LPs that have been mastered from the highest quality analogue tape source (30 ips 1/4 inch analogue tape) or one made from a high resolution digital file (DSD256).
Playback at the sessions will be demonstrated via a dynamic and highly transparent stereo system of the highest quality provided by Audio Excellence and Innovative Audio Video (see The “Shootout” Playback System details below). The musical programme for this test will be provided by GRV using reference lacquers created by the legendary mastering engineer, Bernie Grundman, at the world famous Bernie Grundman Mastering (BGM) facility.
The Test:
- BGM will cut four sets of reference lacquers using the following sources:
- Original 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master tapes provided by Groove Note Records
- Flat DSD256 digital copies of the very same original 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master tapes
- BGM will cut a single song on each single sided reference lacquer in two versions (one in Analogue and one in DSD) one after another on each separate side using the following well known GRV tracks with outstanding audio quality: Lacquer 1 = Anthony Wilson Love Theme from Chinatown (GRV1043-45 Anthony Wilson – Jack Of Hearts)
Track 1 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file
Track 2 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file Lacquer 2 = Roy Gaines Stormy Monday Blues (GRV1002-45 Roy Gaines – I Got The T-Bone Walker Blues)
Track 1 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file
Track 2 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file Lacquer 3 = Jacintha Light My Fire (GRV1014-45 Jacintha – Jacintha Is Her Name)
Track 1 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file
Track 2 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file Lacquer 4 = Vanessa Fernandez Here But I’m Gone (GRV1050-45 Vanessa Fernandez – Use Me)
Track 1 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file
Track 2 – Source: analogue tape or DSD file
For further info on the analogue master tape and DSD file sources please refer to the notes below.
- The sequence of the cuts will be made at random by Bernie Grundman ie first cut may be analogue and second DSD or vice versa. There will also be a minimum 5-10 second spread between tracks for the convenience of the listening audience during the lacquer playback.
- Nobody at either Audio Excellence or Groove Note will know the order of the sources on any of the lacquers cut by BGM until after the end of the show.
- Audio Excellence will also provide a top quality professional reel to reel machine, an ATR-102 modified and upgraded by Thomas “Beno” May, head tech at BGM. GRV will supply a second generation 30 ips 1/4 inch EQ-ed master tape to be used as the Reference standard for the listening audience prior to the lacquer playback.
- The listening sessions will be limited to two sessions a day as follows:
Day 1 (Thursday) = Lacquer 1 (Anthony Wilson Chinatown) for Session 1 and Lacquer 2 (Roy Gaines Stormy Monday) for Session 2
Day 2 (Friday) = Lacquer 3 (Jacintha Light My Fire) for Session 3 and Lacquer 4 (Vanessa Here But I’m Gone) for Session 4
Day 3 (Saturday) = Lacquer 1 (Anthony Wilson Chinatown) for Session 5 and Lacquer 2 (Roy Gaines Stormy Monday) for Session 6
Day 4 (Sunday) = Lacquer 3 (Jacintha Light My Fire) for Session 7 and Lacquer 4 (Vanessa Here But I’m Gone) for Session 8
This schedule, with 8 listening sessions spread over 4 days, will give the lacquers approximately 48 hours between each playback thus letting them “rest” so as to provide the most consistent and highest quality sonics.
*** The exact Session times and location details will be confirmed closer to the actual show dates. ***
- To provide listeners with an environment amenable to critical listening, each session will be limited to an audience of 20 pax excluding the AE / IAV staff running the turntable and tape machine.
- Response cards will be provided to all listeners. The cards will be numbered and dated but otherwise anonymous. Listeners will be able to track the overall results as well as their own personal score online after the show via a link to be set up by What Hi-Fi Thailand Magazine. www.whatgroupmag.com
- Each response card will offer the listener the following options:
- to identify the master source (analogue or DSD or cannot tell the difference)
- did the listener have a specific preference for a specific cut (or none at all)
- which of the two cuts (analogue or DSD) came the closest to matching the reference master – the 30 ips 1/4 inch EQ-ed analogue master tape
- a general question regarding turntable ownership of the listener ie turntable owner – Yes or No
- At the end of the listening sessions and to conclude the BIAV SALES 2022, the entire set of 4 lacquers will be auctioned for the benefit of the Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital, Bangkok Metropolitan.
Please note that this event is not meant to represent any kind of serious scientific or technical approach. The organisers are merely attempting to offer several dozen audiophile listeners an opportunity to test their listening ability under a set of controlled but informal conditions.
We look forward to your attendance and participation in what we anticipate will be a most enlightening and entertaining event!! Thank you!!
- M.R. = Montien Riverside
NOTES ON THE MASTER TAPE & DSD SOURCES:
- GRV1043-45 Anthony Wilson Theme from Chinatown – Direct to 2-track 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master (engineer Michael C Ross/mastering engineer Bernie Grundman)
- GRV1002-45 Roy Gaines Stormy Monday Blues – Direct to 2-track 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master (engineer Michael C Ross/mastering engineer Bernie Grundman)
- GRV1014-45 Jacintha Light My Fire – 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue stereo master mixed down from the 24 track 2 inch 30 ips analogue session master tapes (engineer Michael C Ross/mastering engineer Bernie Grundman)
- GRV1050-45 Vanessa Fernandez Here But I’m Gone – 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue stereo master mixed down from the 24 track 2 inch 30 ips analogue session master tapes (engineer Michael C Ross/mastering engineer Bernie Grundman)
All tracks, analogue or DSD, will be mastered using similar EQ settings on the BGM all analogue board and will be cut by Bernie Grundman using the heavily modified Scully lathe featuring a recently upgraded cutting system with a new diamond cutting tool. Our intention is to match the signal chain for both the tape and DSD source as closely as possible.
The 30 ips 1/4 inch Reference tape for the shootout sessions in Bangkok will be a 2nd generation EQ-ed copy of the original 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master tapes provided by Groove Note Records with an EQ setting to match both the analogue and digital sources as closely as possible. This tape will be dubbed at BGM on an AMPEX ATR102 tape machine similar to the playback machine to be used at the shootout.
The DSD256 file transfers were made from the exact same original first generation 30 ips 1/4 inch analogue master tapes using a Merging Technologies HAPI 4XDSD encoder.
THE “SHOOTOUT” PLAYBACK SYSTEM:
- Reel To Reel: AMPEX ATR-102 Modified by BGM
- Turntable: VPI Avenger Direct
- Tonearm: VPI JMW-12 Fatboy
- Cartridge: HYPER ANALOGUE Sonic X4
- Phono: AESTHETIX Io Eclipse
- Preamp: KARAN Master Line A
- Amplifier: KARAN Master Power B Mono
- Speakers: GENESIS Forte S2
- All Cables & Interconnects: CARDAS AUDIO
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