AAD - Before and now

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Victor Martell, Jul 18, 2019.

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  1. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Apologies if this thread seems kind of pointless - is just that I got the urge to share a realization - and well, this is one of the best spots to do so!

    Recently obtained this

    https://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Symph...ak+symphonies&qid=1563428978&s=gateway&sr=8-3

    Vaclav Neumann Dvorak cycle from the late 60s/early 70s - from my understanding it is the first time is available on CD since the original LP release, being superseded by the later Neumann digital cycle...

    Upon getting it, noticed the SPARS code - AAD. I thought to myself - GREAT!

    And at that moment it hit me ! A few years ago, I would have raged against that, calling it a travesty for not dumping that tape to digital and doing some digital magic... now I welcomed it - a simple tape transfer - beautiful!.

    What happened? IMHO the following between DDD fetishism re: older stuff and a more informed approach.

    1) I got into computer audio and actually started learning and understood what happens/could happen and the actual process, terms, etc. Haven't stopped. Also started learning about recording, mastering, etc.

    2) The vinyl revival! - I am old enough that I got to live thru the tail end of the first vinyl era and I will admit that when CD came out I could not wait to make the jump. Many years later, met a couple of the younger guys at work that were playing vinyl. At first I made fun, but then curiosity/nostalgia took over and a few years later, here I am buying more vinyl than digital.

    3) Obviously equipment - as I learned about it too and of course as I started making a bit of bank once I stopped being a student, etc, my equipment improved. Not only digital but once I got back to vinyl, my current analog rig is leaps and bounds above what I had during the first vinyl era.

    Obviously I do not want to generalize - there are excellent ADD releases and obviously new stuff is DDD. But in general, I am not prejudiced... or afraid of those AAD CDs :D

    Anybody went thru the same? Hope this makes sense...

    v
     
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  2. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Back then I knew quite a lot of people that didn't accept anything than "DDD" on their cds. I still remember how revered those 3d discs were. And how frowned upon "AAD" or even "ADD" was.

    Now we are living in an age where people are making rather similar cases for records only being acceptable as "AAA". And many of those vintage "AAD" discs can fetch a premium because suddenly people love these - mostly untempered with - early CD reissues.

    It's funny how tastes can change. Still: A good sounding medium is a good sounding medium.
     
  3. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident Thread Starter

    My point exactly; Myself I am on a quest to get some of those early AAD CDs that "may reveal imperfections on the original tape" :D

    And you are 100% correct: "A good sounding medium is a good sounding medium" - that's why way into the 21st century we have vinyl and digital (be it CD, SACD, or HiRes) and no 8 Track or Cassette revival (although some people are trying for the Cassette!)

    v
     
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  4. Hammerpeg

    Hammerpeg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manitoba, Canada
    I remember that the first DDD CD I bought was the Stones' 'Steel Wheels,' in the summer of 1990.
     
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  5. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    My first DDD purchase was Sting ...Nothing Like The Sun from 1987 and thinking "darn this sounds so close to AAD it's scary." When DDD is done right it can be a beautiful sonic experience, but generally I'm in agreement the AAD digital camp sounding better.
     
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  6. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love

    Location:
    Austria
    I'm always happy to find an AAD disc, myself. I was born around the turn of the millenia, so my first contact with analog music media happened through my dad. Before retiring for good, he would always spend his sundays in his listening room, spinning his classical LPs and listening via some massive headphones. As a little child only knowing CDs, I found that odd at first. Fast forward five years, he let me have his old table and I fell in love with vinyl. And although there are enough albums of which I prefer a CD, I need both formats. And when buying a first CD issue of an older recording, AAD is the preferred SPARS code.

    But of course, I don't make it dependent on three letters ;) if I really want the CD, I'll buy it nonetheless. It's just always a joy to find an AAD disc.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2019
  7. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Ah - one more thing - this is related to the second D in ADD:



    This is the remastering engineer for the Bernstein Beethoven cycle issued recently - around 5:44 he talks about adding reverb - so nonchalantly... yet I am WTF? Thrdr performances were recorded in the Musikverein, the Staatsoper and I believe also in a church with great acoustics (going from memory, here, apologies if wrong) - why in the world would anyone feel there is a need to add digital reverb while processing for that second D?

    I believe that is one of the factors that have people looking for those AAD CDs - maybe people are not ready or able or willing to do vinyl but it's obvious they realized what sometimes is done to earn that second D... and sometimes that is not cool... sometimes of course!

    v
     
  8. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Another thing I would like to point out, before I go to bed :D

    The Neumann/Dvorak release I linked in my first post is not an old 80s AAD release. These are recordings that were not available on CD before and were simply transferred from tape in order to release them now. You can hear a bit of tape hiss but they sound fantastic - my guess is that careless de-noising etc might take away something from the recording in the pursuit of "second D in ADD perfection" - better to leave it alone as an imperfect but fantastic AAD.

    v
     
  9. deredordica

    deredordica Music Freak

    Location:
    Sonoma County, CA
    I have bought three newly-released CDs lately, each of which have an 'AAD' designation, all metal bands. And each sounds amazing.
     
  10. I'm the same age group and experienced exactly what you did when you did. I try not to be a fetishist where these things are concerned as good sound can come from the unlikeliest of places.
     
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