The music seems to be sounding even better tonight... I just got a replacement remote for my Hattor preamp. It took a month. Have to have a remote, especially for streaming!


upsampled to DSD 256 via JPLAY and HQ Player

upsampled to DSD 256 via JPLAY and HQ Player

Quote from: Barry (NJ) on May 14, 2026, 03:59:15 PMScotty, JGH was doing subjective reviews in Stereophile 11 years before HP launched TAS 😉
Best, Barry

Hey Barry,

Nice to see you again. Hope all is well back east. I remember Julian Hirsch. Was just getting into audio back then.

Nick

Scotty, JGH was doing subjective reviews in Stereophile 11 years before HP launched TAS 😉
Best, Barry

Quote from: S Clark on May 08, 2026, 09:37:33 AMI asked the same question over at AC.  One of the guys commented about AI stuff being acoustically perfect, and the audiophile appeal of music with no flaws.  I listened to some of the links he posted, and there were some eerily perfect female vocals.  But in the case of the song I that started this conversation, the perfection of the voice and guitar are notable, but it's the song that got me.  I wonder if our future songwriters will use AI to tweak their work.  Will painters seek AI advice on where to add a brush stroke.  When is it "paint by the numbers" on a more sophisticated scale?  Are we entering the time where human creativity doesn't matter?

Quote from: S Clark on May 08, 2026, 09:37:33 AMI asked the same question over at AC.  One of the guys commented about AI stuff being acoustically perfect, and the audiophile appeal of music with no flaws.  I listened to some of the links he posted, and there were some eerily perfect female vocals.  But in the case of the song I that started this conversation, the perfection of the voice and guitar are notable, but it's the song that got me.  I wonder if our future songwriters will use AI to tweak their work.  Will painters seek AI advice on where to add a brush stroke.  When is it "paint by the numbers" on a more sophisticated scale?  Are we entering the time where human creativity doesn't matter?

Hard to tell where this will end up. I prefer human interaction over computers. AI and computers should provide assistance and not end up controlling us. AI is still finding it's way. I can keep repeating customer service, customer service and eventually I get to talk to a real person. One of these days I might not be able to speak with a person....

Quote from: S Clark on May 08, 2026, 09:37:33 AMI asked the same question over at AC.  One of the guys commented about AI stuff being acoustically perfect, and the audiophile appeal of music with no flaws.  I listened to some of the links he posted, and there were some eerily perfect female vocals.  But in the case of the song I that started this conversation, the perfection of the voice and guitar are notable, but it's the song that got me.  I wonder if our future songwriters will use AI to tweak their work.  Will painters seek AI advice on where to add a brush stroke.  When is it "paint by the numbers" on a more sophisticated scale?  Are we entering the time where human creativity doesn't matter?

Art takes different forms.

Semi-related :  Back in the '80s when sampling keyboards and synths were becoming ubiquitous I asked my mentor and friend Eric Larson why we weren't using more of that tech in the studio recordings we were doing.  His answer was quick and pointed - "Computers don't eat.  Musicians do.  We're feeding talent."

The times, they are a-changin'...

I asked the same question over at AC.  One of the guys commented about AI stuff being acoustically perfect, and the audiophile appeal of music with no flaws.  I listened to some of the links he posted, and there were some eerily perfect female vocals.  But in the case of the song I that started this conversation, the perfection of the voice and guitar are notable, but it's the song that got me.  I wonder if our future songwriters will use AI to tweak their work.  Will painters seek AI advice on where to add a brush stroke.  When is it "paint by the numbers" on a more sophisticated scale?  Are we entering the time where human creativity doesn't matter?

Scott, What a good song. I have read many science fiction books and seen many sci-fi movies over the years, so none of this AI stuff surprises me. But it's quite spooky the road we are now all traveling.... Thankfully, I'm in my 70s.

Quote from: mresseguie on May 06, 2026, 02:40:09 AM

Quote from: Nick B on April 30, 2026, 09:58:48 PMupsampled to DSD 256 via JPLAY and HQ Player

Nick, This caught my eye the other day when you posted it, but I was too preoccupied with my post-op recovery to say anything at the time. While I am not familier with this guy, my wife recognized his name. How did this come up in your list of albums to listen to?

Michael, I don't remember the specifics. Often times I will do a search for a particular song and then look at all the artists that performed that song. I then just play them all and see which versions I like the best and save those as a favorite. That's probably how I found this particular artist. JPLAY, like Roon, incorporates Qobuz and Tidal, and that gives me a huge play selection. I haven't used a CD player in many years.

I ran across this a few days ago, and it's bothered me ever since. 
The best song and performance I've heard in years... is a computer program.  The "artist" is called Michael Bennett.  Apparently this has been around for a while, and I'm just now coming to the party. 
So, is the value less because it's AI generated?  Where is music headed?  Will a version of ChatGPT be the next Chopin, John Lennon, Lynard Skynard, or Da Vinci?  If it is, what does it mean to us???
If you haven't heard or seen this, watch and think. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WPBDgFK_gs