2. tech-talk
  3. 1363907441

What's up with America?

What better way to gain your attention? I didn't recognize just how good their recordings are till I got my BDP 95. There was always something different about them but they didn't stand out at all. Like a phase issue of some sort, even on vinyl. But there's something special about them. Before the BDP 95 it sounded like there was a saturation issue causing a lack of detail but now that's gone and they're fabulous. So in light of another recent thread, what has been engineered into this great wonder?
csontos
loomisjohnson
1,909 posts
 
a couple of their records were produced by george martin, who did a pretty good job with the beatles. as for their musical merits iw on't comment (altho i did find "sister golden hair" maddeningly catchy).
hodu
316 posts
 
My favorite review of this lame-ass band, from Robert Christgau:
History/America's Greatest Hits [Warner Bros., 1975]
Randy Newman once described "A Horse With No Name" as "this song about a kid who thinks he's taken acid," and at least back then they were domesticating CSNY instead of CSN. More tuneful than Seals & Crofts but with less to say, which they've managed to conceal by establishing meaningless highschool verse as a pop staple, they might be remembered as the '70s answer to the Association if they could come up with one song half as lively as "Windy" or "Along Comes Mary." C-
jamnesta
155 posts
 
1972, "America" debuts, and it's my first year away at college. My suitemates have a killer stereo, all vinyl of course...oh my! I still need to drag that out every so often. Have heard them dismissed as an anemic answer to Crosby, Stills and company, but I don't care, a guilty pleasure if you will. What about that "Horse with no name, and singing in the purple rain".....what on earth were they talking about?! LOL
csontos OP
1,311 posts
 
Well I suppose if my name was 'Joe' I'd have the option of changing it. I love that tune, can't help it. I like a few others as well. Compression eh. Not the same as increasing dynamic range with a Dbx. But how does that reconcile the fact that I can't achieve the same resolution on my TT as with the CDP? The CD is much more resolving. Sounding like what was actually intended.
jameswei
883 posts
 
1. I'm trying to understand compression and expansion. I am assuming that there is expansion (or at least no compression) when I listen to my vinyl America because the level is pretty low. Presumably, the musical peaks are not compressed, so the rest of the material sounds somewhat muted. In contrast, if the CD has compression, then everything will sound a bit louder (except the peaks of course) and low level detail might be more perceptible? Like, isn't it compression that causes TV commercials to sound louder and clearer?

2. Alternatively, perhaps your CD player is simply better than your vinyl playback system -- the BDP 95 is no slouch. Could you share your vinyl playback system details?
More to discover