Frequency Response of old records

[Craig Maier]

Very sorry folks. I accidently deleted this topic. I will try to re-start the thread with my comment to Dans last posting:

I have never understood the mike in front of the old record player concept... nonethess, there are other factors that affect the sound over time. First off, the record itself has changed characteristics due to the effects of chemistry, time and wear. Secondly, if one plays such a record throuh an old phonograph and picks up the sound with a mike, the record player reproducer is contributing to the sound degradation. Not only has the recording degraded, but the machine surely does not sound as good as it did when it was new. So, it is not really clear to me what these recording sounded like in their hey day. Certainly, the best method for transfer is to use a modern phono cartridge with the appropriate stylus.

[Dan McDonald]

Re: Frequency Response of old records

Hi Craig -

yes, I bought some CDs that were created with the 'mic in the horn' and then I looked at the wav files in DCArt and the range of frequency response was quite a bit lower than what I get from a cartridge.

I have two cylinder players, both in excellent shape, and the sound they make is very similar to these - you get that 'hollow' sound with very little medium or high frequency information.

Dan