Synergistic Red Fuse ...

I’ve transferred a number of old 78 records from those days to my music server and agree they are an "interesting" sonic treat.

The other day I was listening to a professionally remastered CD version of Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. Audiophile sound quality for sure in terms of natural sounding if not the nth degree in all technical attributes.

I love CD remasters of classics from the oldest days of recorded music. They are true music gems and most remastered well are quite unique and hold up nicely in comparison to many modern recordings. I could listen to that music all day long.

Charles ...

I burned a copy of Robert's 78 CD recording but I didn't take note of the artists, orchestras or performances. It was a compilation of a number of recordings.  There's surface noise as one would expect from 78's, but the music is there. 

mapman ...

There's something really charming about the sound of the orchestrations on good 78's. They always remind me of the movies my mom would take me to when I was a kid. She always had music around her and she loved the old musical movies. Lots of good stuff like Betty Hutton, Dan Daily, Betty Grable, Gene Kelly, .... 

Check this Joe Houston recording out. I bought this when I was in Jr. High in 1953. Cost me a grand total of fifty cents ... brand new. This is what we listened to before the British Invasion and before Elvis hit the scene. It was rock & roll, but before the guitar replaced the saxophone. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NgTGZHjVHA

More:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NgTGZHjVHA

This was one of my favorites - Earth Angel by The Penguins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhXRDSO6wzk

Artie Shaw 1938:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2_q7YsU4ak&list=RDc2_q7YsU4ak#t=29

How about a little classic Al Jolson?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCniBUdWcmA

Yep, 78's played through a high end system can sound surprisingly good. Its like using a good audio system as time machine. 

Frank

Charles & Mapman ...

Wow!  Listen to this quiet 78:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxENL_1_N74

Thanks for your replies. Over in the PS Audio fuse thread, one commenter has been rather vehement in arguing that SR fuses are very tilted and wrong sounding, accentuating the leading edge of transients over the natural bloom of instrumental texture and color. He claims the Audio Magic SHM beeswax fuse buries the SR black. What’s struck me in reading this Agon thread - and other comments on the PS Audio one - is that no one else has suggested anything similar about the Black. What he describes could be only relative, but normally shouldn’t need an A-B test to hear on the quality of equipment many here are using.

I have 7,000 78s and 100,000s of pre-LP recordings on CD and Vinyl. I play my 78s on a VPI 19-4 Ultracraft AC-400 and Grado elliptical cartridge.  While this cartridge is acceptable for most post 1925 electric recordings, I don't get the best sound out of my acoustic 78's due to the various stylus sizes needed to track them correctly.

 There is a new device called the sugar cube by simplyvinyl which eliminates pops and clicks and for now, gross surface noise from all recordings.   It is being designed with 300 equalization curves for use with 78s. It uses a closed wireless system using a computer, iPad, or phone.  It apparently does not alter the recording and has adjustable amount of noise eradication.  It even has a switch to hear exactly what noise is being removed.  Cost is $1500 and $2500 depending on additional features.  It upscales to 192/24 rate and outputs many multiple digital rates.  

As to 78s sound, they can be very exciting to hear in my high end system.  I especially enjoy Marston records CDs of historic singers and pianists.   Edison made near silent surfaced 78s from 1910-1914 which were never released so Ward Marston mastered 6 CDs with virgin pressings.  They had smaller grooves with extended playtimes at 6 minutes for 10" and 10 minutes for 12" records.  I can't wait to use the sugar cube on my 78s and defective LPs.

i could ramble on and on about.pre-LP recordings as they often contain rare and precious music.