Vinyl Records and Turntables Are Gaining Sales.

LabelKing · Dec 18, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/ny...2&ref=nyregion

Perhaps someday the Reel to Reel player will arise again too.

Pawz · Dec 18, 2009

I 'inherited' a ton of records from my grandmother (a record player, too!). lol I should put them to use. I also have a small collection of broadway records I bought because I liked the covers. Maybe I'll give 'em a listen.

AThingForCashmere · Dec 18, 2009

Originally Posted by LabelKing

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/ny...2&ref=nyregion

Perhaps someday the Reel to Reel player will arise again too.

I think this is fantastic. Other than live music, a high-end turntable setup is as satisfying as music gets. Maybe not the most "accurate" or with the most dynamic range, just the most satisfying.

I forget who it was (David Byrne or Neil Young?) who once said that digital music fills your ears, and leaves your soul empty. It's so true. Many younger kids have never heard analog recordings and have no idea what they're missing.

Of course this assumes studios are using original analog master tapes to master this new vinyl, at least for classic era material. It would be a real shame, not to mention a huge ripoff if they were simply taking analog output from a digital source and using that to master this vinyl.

voxsartoria · Dec 18, 2009

Originally Posted by AThingForCashmere

Of course this assumes studios are using original analog master tapes to master this new vinyl, at least for classic era material. It would be a real shame, not to mention a huge ripoff if they were simply taking analog output from a digital source and using that to master this vinyl.

I have a rather large LP collection dating back to the 1970s when I started buying albums as a teenager.

Among my LPs is this gem:

This was the first pop album recorded entirely digitally, and of course, there was no digital playback media then except for PCM. It's the epitome of bad music and horrible sound, a winning combination.

- B

BlackMesa · Dec 18, 2009

The good old days of Love Plus 1

JohnnyLaw · Dec 18, 2009

I probably have hearing damage from years of basement shows with in-the-red PAs, plus most of what I listen to seems to have been recorded in a dumpster, so sound quality is obviously not an issue for me. The whole audiophile thing seems pretty ridiculous, really (two words: styrofoam cups).

I just love handling records. CDs feel cheap and flimsy and the cases and booklets are tiny. Plus, the single is a really good format for lots of bands. If you don't have enough material for a full LP of great songs, you put out a 7". No filler.

I don't feel that you get much more from a CD than an mp3. A record seems worth the money (especially if it's got a gatefold jacket, colour vinyl, full-sized liner notes, etc.). Records appeal to the obsessive collector in me as well.

LabelKing · Dec 18, 2009

The fetishist in me buys up rare post-punk records, which I then record onto magnetic tape to preserve the vinyl.

I have a high quality system since I believe if you're going to listen to the stuff, you should do it in the most ideal conditions permissible. However, oftentimes this reveals the sources' original faults since a lot of that stuff was DIY music released on shoe-string budgets.

Alias · Dec 18, 2009

My father has a still-functioning reel-to-reel player. It's awesome.

Faded501s · Dec 18, 2009

There's no better source than good wax but the gap is closing rapidly. Remastered digital music run through better and better DACs rivals even the best wax nowadays. The only real reason to own a turntable is for "the effect" and because you like the process. Or if you like album art and liner notes.

Records can be a very expensive proposition if you do it right. A buddy of mine put well over $20k into equipment and a budding wax collection only to decide later that he liked my (much cheaper) digital set-up more. I think the trend is already starting to drift back to digital...especially in the audiophile market.

grundletaint · Dec 18, 2009

i have a nice-sized vinyl collection assembled from various relatives. i need a turntable to replace my ****** sony *************.

i'm going back and forth b/t belt and direct-drive. in all honesty, i'll probably barely even use the thing so will it really make a difference which one i choose?

Artisan Fan · Dec 18, 2009

I agree with Faded501s. The quality CD player to LP gap has narrowed significantly. I am a big lover of LP playing. There is something great about keeping music in the analog domain and the pleasure of listening intently to good music, not as some background music. I would also point out that we are in a Golden Age of fine audiophile reissues. The current MusicMatters Jazz LPs rival anything that has been done and the Doors LP box set was incredible. It's a really fun time to be an audiophile and music lover.

Artisan Fan · Dec 18, 2009

Here's my VPI Scoutmaster playing the new blue vinyl Miles Davis Kind of Blue:

For you audio fans, that's a Grado Sonata wood body cartridge (great cartridge, a bit warm though) and the acrylic platter is translucent so it picks up color really well. VPI saw this pic, asked for a copy, and is planning to include it in an upcoming gallery section for their website. This is just the entry level JMW9 arm which is a unipivot design. It tracks very well and has some advantages over the longer 10.5" arm.

Faded501s · Dec 18, 2009

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Here's my VPI Scoutmaster playing the new blue vinyl Miles Davis Kind of Blue:

For you audio fans, that's a Grado Sonata wood body cartridge (great cartridge, a bit warm though) and the acrylic platter is translucent so it picks up color really well. VPI saw this pic, asked for a copy, and is planning to include it in an upcoming gallery section for their website.

That is one COOL pic! Nice table AF. If I had the $ I'd probably get into wax but just "decent" hardware would probably cost 5X what I've got into my system. This dude I'm talking about has one of those architectural-looking jobs with the detached motor that drives the belt. I forget what make it is but it is QUITE impressive looking + $700 cartridge and $700 record cleaner, etc., etc. Too rich for my $100 Oppo blood

Artisan Fan · Dec 18, 2009

Originally Posted by Faded501s

That is one COOL pic! Nice table AF. If I had the $ I'd probably get into wax but just "decent" hardware would probably cost 5X what I've got into my system. This dude I'm talking about has one of those architectural-looking jobs with the detached motor that drives the belt. I forget what make it is but it is QUITE impressive looking + $700 cartridge and $700 record cleaner, etc., etc. Too rich for my $100 Oppo blood

Thanks.

Audio Technica PL120 is under $200. Rega P1 with cartridge is under $350.

The VPI I have has a detached motor which drives the platter with the black "belt" you see in the picture.

sonick · Dec 18, 2009

I would assume most new music stamped in vinyl nowadays are recorded/mixed/mastered (any or all of the above) in a digital format anyways. Besides the physical involvement listening to vinyl requires, is there any real benefit to getting these albums in vinyl if they are pressed from the same master as the CD?

The only two new-ish albums I would say the vinyl surpasses the CD by a long-shot are the vinyl of RHCP's Stadium Arcadium and White Stripes' Icky Thump.

Vinyl Records and Turntables Are Gaining Sales.

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