Hitchhiker's Guide (Radio Series) Audiobooks?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Does anyone have the Audiobook versions of the HHGTTG radio series (Primary through Quintessential phases)? If so, what did you think of the audio quality? I browsed through them on iTunes - Apple carries the same versions available from Audible.com - and the audio quality seemed very bad. Has anyone else thought this? If you have the audiobooks, how do they sound?

 

[Dale]

I thought the audio quality, generally speaking, was as good toward the the last few phases as it was in the originals. I thought the story thinned out and got a bit convoluted, even for HHGTTG, as time went on, and I do notice that the later phases are not as... lush... as the originals. The originals were handmade labor-intensive works of love... works of art, even... while the later phases were all clearly mixed on digital equipment and used canned or recycled effects. Still, it's nice to hear the original gang together again even if you can hear the age and wear 'n' tear in their voices.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I guess what I really want to know is, is the audio quality as good in the audiobooks as it is from the CDs? Wondering what to do: buy the CDs and import them, or buy the audiobooks.

 

[Maurice]

Are you talking about the original radio series or the later audio book versions?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Are you talking about the original radio series or the later audio book versions?

They're the same thing, aren't they? I know all five phases are available on CD and audiobook.

Unless you interpret 'original radio series' to only mean the Primary and Secondary Phases. I don't mean that. I lump them all together.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I think part of the confusion stems from the fact you refer to the radio series as "audiobooks" when they're better described as "radio plays," especially considering The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was originally created for radio.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think part of the confusion stems from the fact you refer to the radio series as "audiobooks"

Only because iTunes Store and audible.com call them that.

when they're better described as "radio plays," especially considering The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was originally created for radio.

I know that. I am well aware that all five Phases started out on radio. I use the word 'audiobook' to refer to how it's packaged and sold to consumers - i.e. download an audiobook, or buy a CD.

 

[Dale]

I think it's a given that a CD is going to be more data-dense and thus have higher fidelity than files ordered and delivered over the internet.

In this case, though, I don't think it makes much difference.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think it's a given that a CD is going to be more data-dense and thus have higher fidelity than files ordered and delivered over the internet.

But I typically rip from CDs at the same bitrate, and using the same audio codec, as those that are offered from the iTunes Store. So the quality should be identical.

 

[happydave]

The first two radio series will of course be at a 'lower quality' than the modern three due to being produced for radio back in the 1970's.


To weigh in late on the audiobook/radio drama. (and to ignore that audible incorrectly calls radio drama audiobooks), there is a clear difference between the two. One is dramatised with character voices, sound effects and is basically a full blown television production (without images) while the other ranges from a basic reading of the book by someone to a reading by a few people with some music and the occasional sound effect.


Personally being someone who is incredibly into radio drama / audiobooks and having somewhere around 100GB of Old Time Radio (Public Domain for the win), the actual quality of the recordings is something I find incredibly bizarre that some people desire spoken word at a 360kbs bitrate when generally 128kbs is overkill (depending on the effects) and somewhere around 96kbs is satisfactory. And with 56kbs being ok for most works.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Are you talking about the original radio series or the later audio book versions?

They're the same thing, aren't they? I know all five phases are available on CD and audiobook.

Unless you interpret 'original radio series' to only mean the Primary and Secondary Phases. I don't mean that. I lump them all together.

What about these audiobooks?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhikers...r_1_44?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246777392&sr=8-44

 

[diankra]

It's worth point out that there are now two versions of the first two series available: the original releases, and remastered versions produced by the producer of the three 1990s series; among other differences, during the remastering it was worked out that because the recording equipment at the Paris studio had been getting old (and running slow), while the tapes had been transferred on other machines for the original CD releases, the existing versions were running at the wrong speed, about half a semitone off correct pitch.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What about these audiobooks?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhikers...r_1_44?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246777392&sr=8-44

That isn't the radio series, it's just a reading of the novels (done by Stephen Fry and Martin Freeman).

 

[Zulu Romeo]

What about these audiobooks?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhikers...r_1_44?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246777392&sr=8-44

That isn't the radio series, it's just a reading of the novels (done by Stephen Fry and Martin Freeman).

I know.

It is an audiobook, though.