In an examination of three cylinder recordings from 1889, this essay compares the context for their original production with the experience of hearing them again in 2019, thanks to IRENE, a twenty-first century suite of state-of-the-art techniques and equipment designed to recover sound from old recordings otherwise considered unplayable. This pairing offers an opportunity to examine how each period envisioned the technical opportunities and social purpose of these new sound technologies in their respective times. Inspired by the work of Sheila Jasanoff and others who have developed the concept of “sociotechnical imaginaries,” this analysis focuses on the role of listeners’ imaginations and asks how their notions shaped the meaning, use, and material aspects of recorded sound and playback. As a contribution to sound studies, this comparative look manifests the field’s attention to both sonic phenomena and the means by which we come to know and experience those phenomena.

中文翻译：

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“思辨想象”：聆听 1889 年的过去与现在

在对 1889 年三缸录音的研究中，本文将其原始制作的背景与 2019 年再次聆听它们的体验进行了比较，这要归功于 IRENE，这是一套二十一世纪最先进的技术和设备旨在从旧录音中恢复声音，否则认为无法播放。这种配对提供了一个机会来研究每个时期如何设想这些新声音技术在各自时代的技术机会和社会目的。受到 Sheila Jasanoff 和其他提出“社会技术想象”概念的人的工作的启发，本分析重点关注听众想象力的作用，并询问他们的概念如何塑造录制声音和回放的意义、用途和材料方面。作为对声音研究的贡献，这种比较研究体现了该领域对声音现象以及我们了解和体验这些现象的方式的关注。