Here's something you might be interested in.
Classical music on MP3 is a mixed blessing.
Lest we forget, some classical music audiophiles haven't accepted CD's because they compresses the sonic spectrum.
An MP3 compresses CD quality. You can imagine the outrage.
The biggest drawback I can see to classical music on MP3 is the complete absence of liner notes.
At one time, the price of a classical music CD was partially based on the quality of the liner notes.
The liner notes on the budget price recordings were minimal or nonexistent.
Full price CD's came with a little book in the cover of the jewel box.
This little book contained vital information about the music on the recording.
How would I've known that some critics mockingly refer to Sibelius' 1st symphony as Tchaikovsky's 7th symphony?
Who knew that in Ravel's music we can detect, "a personality of dark shadowy terrors and anxieties not untinged with black magic"? Who knew? The liner notes knew.
An MP3 will let you know when it's done downloading.
Opera recordings had an article by a musicologist, a synopsis, biographies of the singers, and a complete, word for word translation of the libretto in four languages.
An MP3 can be listed by artist or album title.
Why there isn't an MP3 service that comes with a PDF download of liner notes is beyond me.
The upside of MP3 is all about convenience.
No longer do I need a bookcase to house my music.
I can take my entire collection with me on any trip.
What is inconvenient is having to always use earphones.
Many classical music nuts have invested thousands of dollars into receivers, amplifiers and speakers. Finding a console MP3 player to connect to an audio receiver is almost impossible.
It is possible to get an RCA cable adapter and plug it into the headphones jack of an MP3 player but it just doesn't seem right to have a $3 cable connecting an iPod to $8,000 B&W speakers.
Classical music on MP3 is a mixed blessing.
Lest we forget, some classical music audiophiles haven't accepted CD's because they compresses the sonic spectrum.
An MP3 compresses CD quality. You can imagine the outrage.
The biggest drawback I can see to classical music on MP3 is the complete absence of liner notes.
At one time, the price of a classical music CD was partially based on the quality of the liner notes.
The liner notes on the budget price recordings were minimal or nonexistent.
Full price CD's came with a little book in the cover of the jewel box.
This little book contained vital information about the music on the recording.
How would I've known that some critics mockingly refer to Sibelius' 1st symphony as Tchaikovsky's 7th symphony?
Who knew that in Ravel's music we can detect, "a personality of dark shadowy terrors and anxieties not untinged with black magic"? Who knew? The liner notes knew.
An MP3 will let you know when it's done downloading.
Opera recordings had an article by a musicologist, a synopsis, biographies of the singers, and a complete, word for word translation of the libretto in four languages.
An MP3 can be listed by artist or album title.
Why there isn't an MP3 service that comes with a PDF download of liner notes is beyond me.
The upside of MP3 is all about convenience.
No longer do I need a bookcase to house my music.
I can take my entire collection with me on any trip.
What is inconvenient is having to always use earphones.
Many classical music nuts have invested thousands of dollars into receivers, amplifiers and speakers. Finding a console MP3 player to connect to an audio receiver is almost impossible.
It is possible to get an RCA cable adapter and plug it into the headphones jack of an MP3 player but it just doesn't seem right to have a $3 cable connecting an iPod to $8,000 B&W speakers.