>>the 30s equipment 'looked' for a much smaller >>frequency range than transistor-based >>stuff. A transistor amp will produce >>hiss when it can't find a signal in >>the higher frequency ranges while i agree with the ethical/aesthetic point leo makes it's simply not true that good modern amps produce hiss when they can't find a signal . . . rather the hiss is almost certainy there in the original recording but was inaudible to listeners because neither the amps nor the speakers of the time were capable of reproducing it . . . now that equipment CAN reproduce the noise that's there with the signal, the entire balance, as perceived, changes . . . and that, in turn, complicates the aesthetic question [in a way analogous to those involved in the refurbishing of old master paintings in museums] . . . to wit: do we want to reproduce the experience of the original audience--even if it was less than what the creators probably would have hoped for, or do we want to make use of modern technology to come closer to what we could agree the original message was intended to be mike ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite