Beatles, Pink Floyd Engineer Alan Parsons Rips Audiophiles

[AudioDoctor]

Beatles, Pink Floyd Engineer Alan Parsons Rips Audiophiles - CE Pro Magazine Article from CE Pro

Alan Parsons, producer, musician and sound engineer of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, says audiophiles overpay for equipment while ignoring room acoustics.

Apparently, Alan Parsons has not visited Computer Audiophile...

[wgscott]

I think we have been through this one before, but in essence, he would get a lot of agreement about the importance of room acoustics.

I think baby-boomer Audiophiles pay too much for all these re-releases of Pink Floyd's most cliched album. It isn't 1971 anymore. Get over it.

[esldude]

I think we have been through this one before, but in essence, he would get a lot of agreement about the importance of room acoustics.

I think baby-boomer Audiophiles pay too much for all these re-releases of Pink Floyd's most cliched album. It isn't 1971 anymore. Get over it.

wgscott,

How dare you claim it isn't 1971 anymore? Put the recording on, turn down the lights, get relaxed, put the day out of your mind, and of course it is 1971 all over again. Or 1964 or one of my favorites 1978. The truly transcendent part of this hobby.

And if you don't watch out over by my left speaker you are going to get stepped on by those footsteps from 1975. Just a friendly warning. Don't want you to mess up my groove.

Dennis

[AudioDoctor]

I think we have been through this one before, but in essence, he would get a lot of agreement about the importance of room acoustics.

I think baby-boomer Audiophiles pay too much for all these re-releases of Pink Floyd's most cliched album. It isn't 1971 anymore. Get over it.

not 1971 anymore? Drugs

[firedog]

Maybe it is. Maybe the "songs" aren't really that good. But I love the sound of it. It just sounds good. I don't have 10 remixes of it, but will probably buy the new one. It sounds quite good.

The other album I have sort of like that is "Close to the Edge" by Yes. I think the lyrics are silly, but the singing and playing and just the overall sound really appeal to me.

Both of these albums are very enjoyable to listen to, I sort of listen to them as music, without paying much attention to the "songs" and the "meaning". I mean that as praise.

[mav52]

room acoustics, got that right.. Amazing what some treatment can do for the sound you hear.

[DigiPete]

Alan Parsons is pretty spot on in my book.

Many audiophiles have not educated themselves in acoustics or even auditioned pro equipment.
That consistently leads to mediocre sound reproduction while overspending on underperforming overbuild overpriced equipment.

Building a room with great acoustics and possibly supplementing with speaker/room correction should account for 25-40% of the invested effort and resources.
How many of us do that?

Surround is another interesting point Parsons raises.
How many here have auditioned an audiophile surround system?
A good surround recording is like full color, where stereo is mere black and white.

DSOTM and WYWH are still great recordings, especially in a great surround system.
It makes you wonder where audiophiles has had their heads for the last 40 years.

Pro's laugh at audiophiles, I cry.
Be brave, venture outside the known paths and seek knowledge and experience.

[Jud]

Maybe it is. Maybe the "songs" aren't really that good. But I love the sound of it. It just sounds good. I don't have 10 remixes of it, but will probably buy the new one. It sounds quite good.

The other album I have sort of like that is "Close to the Edge" by Yes. I think the lyrics are silly, but the singing and playing and just the overall sound really appeal to me.

Both of these albums are very enjoyable to listen to, I sort of listen to them as music, without paying much attention to the "songs" and the "meaning". I mean that as praise.

Always liked "Meddle" better. And thought "Animals" between DSOTM and The Wall was unfairly neglected. About Yes (and drugs), a couple of friends and I used to really get our groove on to Tales of Topographic Oceans back in the day. Would hate to hear how pretentious it probably would sound to a cold sober me today (the title alone...). But we also got into Miles Davis back then (mostly Big Fun, outtakes from Bitches Brew), something for which I'm continually grateful.

[prufrock]

Regarding Pink Floyd: Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill wrote a wickedly scathing book on the punk era called The Boy Looked at Johnny. The Obituary of Rock and Roll." Not sure if they were still writing for The New Musical Express at the time. The book had some fantastic one liners in it. Haven't got it any more - lent it to some punk way back who never gave it back. Anyhow, I think I can still remember their description of Pink Floyd. They called them "The bloated pigs of Rock and roll."

[Julf]

"The bloated pigs of Rock and roll."

So clearly Parsons/Burchill had actually listened to "Animals"...

[wgscott]

Animals, along with Final Cut, I think are far better. Those should be released in high res.

DSOTM I think is a favorite for audio sound effects.

I like some of Roger Waters' live renditions of DSOTM stuff from the live "In the Flesh" ($11 DVD on Amazon).

[wgscott]

not 1971 anymore? Drugs

One of the funniest things I remember from a year ago at an audio show in SF was a room full of old guys listening to DSOM. Room after room had these coffin-shaped speakers belting forth the crooning of Diana Crawl or some other smooth jazz dental office dreck. Hardly any had classical music, or anything else I could recognize as something other than that which makes me reach for the off knob.

One room at the corner of the long hallway had DSOTM coming out of it, so I opened the door, and walked in, and straight back out. All these grim-faced geriatric bald guys were just sitting there, almost motionless, listening in a very somber way.

It has probably been about 30 years since I last walked in a room full of people listening to DSOTM, when I was in college. IIRC, the room was filled with smoke of dubious legality, and it was anything but grim-faced old bald guys tapping their toes self-consciously.

We seem to listen to music to re-live the past.

[prufrock]

One room at the corner of the long hallway had DSOTM coming out of it, so I opened the door, and walked in, and straight back out. All these grim-faced geriatric bald guys were just sitting there, almost motionless, listening in a very somber way.

It has probably been about 30 years since I last walked in a room full of people listening to DSOTM, when I was in college. IIRC, the room was filled with smoke of dubious legality, and it was anything but grim-faced old bald guys tapping their toes self-consciously

Why do you say were listening to the music. Wouldn't they have been listening to "The Stereo."

[prufrock]

old bald guys

How about you go a bit easy on the bald guys eh. I am a little sensitive on that issue. Although I am trialling this new product that I rub in twice a day. So far so good. I think I can see fine downy hairs appearing already.

[realhifi]

Many audiophiles have not educated themselves in acoustics or even auditioned pro equipment.
That consistently leads to mediocre sound reproduction while overspending on underperforming overbuild overpriced equipment.

ALAC 16/44 - 24/192 stereo/surround on 1TB Time Capsule -> MacBook Pro 2Ghz Core i7 8GB
iTunes / Pure Music / Amarra HiFi / Bit Perfect / Audirvana + / Decibel / VLC
-> Firewire->Weiss AFI-1-> AES/EBU -> Genelec 3 x 8260A + 2 x 8250A + 7271A
iPhone 3GS -> Sennheiser HD 25-1 II.

Just about everything there is "audiophile" as far as I can see sans the Genelec speakers. Weiss has a pretty strong toe hold in the "audiophile" community last time I looked.

Surround is another interesting point Parsons raises.
How many here have auditioned an audiophile surround system?
A good surround recording is like full color, where stereo is mere black and white. DSOTM and WYWH are still great recordings, especially in a great surround system.
It makes you wonder where audiophiles has had their heads for the last 40 years.

Agree. Well done surround is superb and I'll take it every time. In fact the famous Pink Floyd recording sited here "Dark Side" (muti channel SACD) is amazing in a high end surround system. When those clocks start chiming it is freakin awesome!

[realhifi]

One of the funniest things I remember from a year ago at an audio show in SF was a room full of old guys listening to DSOM.

One room at the corner of the long hallway had DSOTM coming out of it, so I opened the door, and walked in, and straight back out. All these grim-faced geriatric bald guys were just sitting there, almost motionless, listening in a very somber way.

That's your DSOTM story? Sounds like you should never lose your hair or you will be consumed with self loathing. Yeah, that album just makes you want to get up and dance doesn't it? Could have been a member or two of the band mixed in with those "old guys" seeing as they were all in their late twenties when it came out in 1973 making them what...65 or so? Actually David Gilmore turned 66 in March.

Oh, and this is what Roger is up to this year: "Roger Waters takes the No. 1 ranking among this week's Top 10 Hot Tours with the highest concert box office ticket sales total reported so far in 2012." Billboard May 2012

Good thing he still has his hair.

[wgscott]

That's your DSOTM story? Sounds like you should never lose your hair or you will be consumed with self loathing.

I have a full head of hair, but assure you I am still consumed with self-loathing.

Fortunately, I hate everyone else even more.

Yeah, that album just makes you want to get up and dance doesn't it? Could have been a member or two of the band mixed in with those "old guys" seeing as they were all in their late twenties when it came out in 1973 making them what...65 or so? Actually David Gilmore turned 66 in March.

Oh, and this is what Roger is up to this year: "Roger Waters takes the No. 1 ranking among this week's Top 10 Hot Tours with the highest concert box office ticket sales total reported so far in 2012." Billboard May 2012

Good thing he still has his hair.

It looks like a toupee.

[wgscott]

How about you go a bit easy on the bald guys eh. I am a little sensitive on that issue. Although I am trialling this new product that I rub in twice a day. So far so good. I think I can see fine downy hairs appearing already.

I was just trying to contrast the image with this:

[Julf]

Oh, and this is what Roger is up to this year: "Roger Waters takes the No. 1 ranking among this week's Top 10 Hot Tours with the highest concert box office ticket sales total reported so far in 2012." Billboard May 2012

Good thing he still has his hair.

Indeed. He clearly has a thing about doing a concert in Arnhem (Clue: "Bridge Too Far") on the Dutch Liberation Day. Seen him there twice - once with his version of DSotM, and the second time in 2010 with The Wall Live. Spectacular, thought-provoking experience - especially his spoof on the Apple marketing campaign , with "iTeach" along a picture of religious zealots, "iBelieve" along a picture of George W. Bush, and "iPaint" with a picture of Hitler with an ipad.

But there is still something wrong about a 67-year-old shaking his fist in the air and singing "Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone!"

[wgscott]

So clearly Parsons/Burchill had actually listened to "Animals"...

I've got the 2011 remaster of Animals on right now.

[wgscott]

Why do you say were listening to the music. Wouldn't they have been listening to "The Stereo."

I have to say that is the single most weird thing about audiophiles.

[DigiPete]

ALAC 16/44 - 24/192 stereo/surround on 1TB Time Capsule -> MacBook Pro 2Ghz Core i7 8GB
iTunes / Pure Music / Amarra HiFi / Bit Perfect / Audirvana + / Decibel / VLC
-> Firewire->Weiss AFI-1-> AES/EBU -> Genelec 3 x 8260A + 2 x 8250A + 7271A
iPhone 3GS -> Sennheiser HD 25-1 II.

Just about everything there is "audiophile" as far as I can see sans the Genelec speakers. Weiss has a pretty strong toe hold in the "audiophile" community last time I looked.

Pro or Audiophile?

Well, let me brake it down for you:

standard equipment
Computer HW

Audiophile:
Player SW

Pro gear
Genelecs
Weiss AFI-1

The pro gear is the system!
All the pro gear needs to play is a bit perfect bit stream.

Weiss
Daniel Weiss is branching into the audiophile community, as you say.
It makes a lot of business sense, as there are plenty of audiophiles and many has a fast rotation of gear.
Many audiophiles have more money and OCD than common sense, so the audiophile segment is quite lucrative.
All that said, I respect Daniel and his gear and I am quite sure he shares my bewilderment over audiophile behavior.

Agree. Well done surround is superb and I'll take it every time. In fact the famous Pink Floyd recording sited here "Dark Side" (muti channel SACD) is amazing in a high end surround system. When those clocks start chiming it is freakin awesome!

Surround
I love the surround version of WYWH even more than the DSOTM, but both are great representations of great music. PCM 24/192 4.0 and 5.1 for me please.

I did a large scale demonstration of high res surround on my rig recently with many interesting comments. Many finally understood my obsession with sound and more were surprised at how fantastic surround music can be.
An opera singer had me surprised, as she found the sound to be way better than what she encounters on her professional job. That was a 2L recording, but still . . .

[realhifi]

[QUOTE=DigiPete;165421][B]


Many audiophiles have more money and OCD than common sense, so the audiophile segment is quite lucrative.
All that said, I respect Daniel and his gear and I am quite sure he shares my bewilderment over audiophile behavior.

QUOTE]

I think a definition from you of the term "audiophile" would be helpful.

[crisnee]

But there is still something wrong about a 67-year-old shaking his fist in the air and singing "Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone!"

Unfortunately, if you take away the Hey Teach quote it doesn't really get any better. Why is that? How come geezers can't shake rattle and roll without looking like idiots (old black blues guys excepted for some reason)?

-Chris

[wgscott]

I bought the DVD of "In the Flesh" for the music ($11 on amazon, 20 bit, 48kHz, cheaper than the CD) and watched the movie and was actually very pleasantly surprised. It was about 10 or 12 years ago, but it was very well done. It didn't come off as the aging rocker sort of thing at all.

(But, then, he still has his hair.)

A friend of mine saw The Wall last night and she said he was in excellent form.