Jude

This may be straying a bit ... I recently picked up an album of Harry James' 78s and have been debating whether it's worth while finding something to play them on, or better to simply get a CD. (They look to be in good condition.) Any idea on whether the original sound is worth making an effort to listen to, or should I just ditch them?

siarr

I'm an ignoramus regarding recording tech stuff, but there's a lot of interesting material about the ins and outs of the whole recording industry since its inception in the book "The Life and Death of Classical Music," by Norman Lebrecht (Anchor Books, paperback). Also lots of catty stories about famous conductors and record producers, but an interesting read, FWIW.

Cheers,
Chas

rowuk

Unless you are prepared to invest a couple of thousand in playback gear, I'd get the CD or find someone to copy the album to CD. The art of squeezing superior sonics off of an LP is a way of life. With the CD you do not have "inferior sonics", just a cap on resolution. A record not properly cared for has damaged grooves and serious distortion far worse than any CD.

Analog Hi Fi is a cool hobby, but it sure does take away from your playing time......................