| The arrival of the digital audio Compact Disc on the Amer-ican market about a decade ago has caused a revolutionin home-listening habits comparable to the changeover from shel-lac 78s to vinyl LPs during the 1950s, and from mono to stereo mthe 1960s. The most compelling reason for the popularity of theCD is its sound quality. As a playback medium, it offers widerdynamic range and much less distortion than either the LP or thecassette. CDs sound clear, warm, and alive, often with astonishingimpact and presence. Another reason for the CD s success is prac-ticality: read by a laser beam while rotating at speeds up to 400rpm, a five-inch-diameter CD can carry a piece as long as Bee-thoven s Ninth Symphony (lasting approximately 70 minutes), andplay it back without interruption. Add to that value: all nine ofBeethoven s symphonies, along with assorted overtures, will fit onfive or six CDs and can be purchased as a set for about $35,which is less than what it cost to buy the same recordings on seven"long-playing" records 25 yea~ ago. The popularity of the Compact Disc has, however, brought adilemma for the classical music buyer. In ten years, the classical CD catalog has grown from 100 titles to approximately 50,000. With so many recordings available on CD, there is an overabun- dance of options, particularly when it comes to the most familiar works in the repertory. The current issue of the Schwann catalog |
内容加载中，请稍后...
商品评论（0条）