Crosstalk 50, Part Two: The John Mellencamp ΧΟΔΕ
August 27, 2008
Inspired by a Sony Playstation conroller, the new high fidelity T-Bone Burnett format, aka ΧΟΔΕ, is now on the shelves. Crosstalk's regular ruffians take a listen to Life, Death, Love and Freedom on your average CD and in ΧΟΔΕ format to see just how big the difference is.
Props to Mr. -Bone Burnett, because the difference is huge. It's like having the Cougar himself right there in the room with you. It's nowhere near the size, however, of Mellencamp's hair, heart and good ol' down-to-earth, Americana tunes -- perfect for knocking back a few by the bonfire or a long drive down a stretch of highway in your Silverado (starting at $18,515).
Visit the MellenBlog because honestly, who gives a $#!+ anymore?
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Hi-Fi audio
Vinyl sounds better? c'mon it doesn't have the best dynamic range? As soon as you've played it, you've started to deteriorate its quality.
Quad or 5.1 sound is great as long as you're sitting in the sweet spot. Most people listening to music aren't aware of proper positioning. Listening to music in your car, you are not hearing it in balanced stereo.
The important thing is does it sound good on anything?
Back to vinyl... i love it because you can see the darker bits showing the louder parts. If i need to roll a fat 1 it's there. Artwork thats visable. And if i had to archive my own music then i know for sure that ina 100yrs i could still play it...even without a player or amp.
So is it better? Yes but it doesn't sound better.
well...
assuming you are using professional needles, a properly balanced pro turntable, and aren't lugging your records to clubs....then you can maintain that superior sound quality. Do you want to be as anal as john cusack in high fidelity, though? I'm sure most of us don't, but it will more easily guarantee great sound.
Mellencrap.
Mellencrap.
mellencrap
i met him once a few years ago; he's like 5 feet tall. weird...
I think you could have done
I think you could have done more to address the format in a more serious manner from a commercial standpoint. The advantage of this product vs other formats (like dvdA which you touched on) is that this does NOT require purchase of new hardware (player or speakers).... further, it is agile in that however you as a user choose to listen to it (be it on the new 24/96 ipod that comes out in 5 years), you have options. I've heard the record, and it is a tangible difference to even non-engineers. The execution (inclusion w/ a regular disc of a high profile artist, as well as the "package" of options that the format offers to a layman should they choose to utilize) is beyond any competing formats. We're all for a little humor with our knowledge, but if you want to appeal to engineers (one of your targets I'm sure), britton needs to rein in the quantity of his rants....and make room for real content.
Also, thanks for the review - there's hardly anything on the web about this format.
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