The S/N ratio of an open reel is in the same general territory as LP playback systems.
Even with CD, which ostensibly boasts a higher S/N ratio, the vast majority of recordings do not use anything close to the available dynamic range.
Look at your typical recording on playback and you'll find the average level is nowhere near the quietest end of the range. I just converted the U2 LP record "October" to digital this evening. In looking at the average recording levels, the loudest songs were about -3 dB while the quietest section of the quietest song on the LP ("October", the 2nd song on the 2nd side) is about -17 or -18 dB.
We're talking a range of 15 dB between the loudest sections of the record and the softest average level.
The sad thing: this would be an =enormous= dynamic range for many modern pop CDs.
Much classical and some jazz material will have a wider range than this, but the net result is that unless you have an extraordinarily quiet listening room, a 55 or 60 dB S/N ratio will leave the quietest end of that range buried in the ambient room noise.
Just remember that many, many very fine recordings that are still revered as outstanding works were mastered on open reels with S/N ratios in the range you mention.
Often, the biggest advantage that the better S/N ratios of digital recording offers is that you get less background noise build-up in the multi-track mix-down process. And even that advantage is often wasted on many of the current over-compressed releases.
Even with CD, which ostensibly boasts a higher S/N ratio, the vast majority of recordings do not use anything close to the available dynamic range.
Look at your typical recording on playback and you'll find the average level is nowhere near the quietest end of the range. I just converted the U2 LP record "October" to digital this evening. In looking at the average recording levels, the loudest songs were about -3 dB while the quietest section of the quietest song on the LP ("October", the 2nd song on the 2nd side) is about -17 or -18 dB.
We're talking a range of 15 dB between the loudest sections of the record and the softest average level.
The sad thing: this would be an =enormous= dynamic range for many modern pop CDs.
Much classical and some jazz material will have a wider range than this, but the net result is that unless you have an extraordinarily quiet listening room, a 55 or 60 dB S/N ratio will leave the quietest end of that range buried in the ambient room noise.
Just remember that many, many very fine recordings that are still revered as outstanding works were mastered on open reels with S/N ratios in the range you mention.
Often, the biggest advantage that the better S/N ratios of digital recording offers is that you get less background noise build-up in the multi-track mix-down process. And even that advantage is often wasted on many of the current over-compressed releases.