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Dynamic Range Database Caution

Wombat

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Those DR figures for vinyl releases may contain extraneous content that was not on the master.


 
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Soniclife

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Interesting, it's from a few years ago, did anyone explain it? Would be interesting to apply the filtering that would be applied by the lathe to the CD version and retest, maybe even go as far as RIAA into a Phono stage.

Are there DR tests from the same vinyl through different turntables, is the measured DR number lower from better turntables?
 

danadam

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AFAIK, you can apply a 20 Hz high pass filter and it won't change the sound (at least not noticeably) but it will give you higher DR value (of course if the original file hits 0 dBFS then you'll have to lower the volume first to give it some headroom). For example, here's U2's "Love And Peace Or Else", originally DR4. After lowering the volume by 4 dB and applying 20 Hz high pass filter (24 dB per octave) it is DR8 now.
20 Hz high pass.png
 

TBone

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Below is a left/right graph, from one of my latest rips as it compares to a well recorded CD, and also a dynamically challenged alternative slammed and clipped during mastering ...

1528122878967.png


1528124087474.png


We have the typical analog subsonic bulge. The subsonic nature of any tonearm isn't simply based on the cartridge, it's very much influenced by other factors, esp. vinyl quality and certainly cleanliness (but that's a separate topic altogether). Measured as is, the rip near equals the CD in DR values. Apply a 20hz filter -24dB, and the values actually get closer.

Unlike the rip or the CD, the HDCD(~fake variety) offers terrible sound quality no matter what you do to it. Lots and lots of clipping, especially in the right channel, it measures accordingly. -4 dB; it measures the exact same. -4dB & filter 20hz-24db; the values change, from 9.2 to 9.9. Surprisingly the right channel improved from 9.6 to 11.3, perhaps indicative of its greater compression and mass clipping.

These results are consistent, within my system, using various music.

Funky DR values as related to LP rips are common, especially if a tick or pop represents a peak value, and/or aided by a higher noise floor. But done correctly, rips consistently match up to the CD.
 
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