Um, is vinyl a thing again?

[CatWoman]

Ringo Starr and Bill Burr just released albums on vinyl.

where the hell have I been?

[msongs]

1. it's outselling cd's but really pricey nt

[Captain Zero]

2. duh, where you been?

My grand daughter thinks I'm Santa Claus everytime I gift her some of my vinyl.
Not like I have a turntable any more.

hah. She's into David Bowie and Bob Dylan. whoda thunk it?

[dchill]

4. Why wouldn't anyone be into Bowie and Dylan?

Seriously, good on her!

[multigraincracker]

3. I do well selling old albums at the antique mall.

I buy whole collections and resale them.

[Beatlelvr]

5. My experience with vinyl

I took my old lp's to a birthday party a few years ago. Someone had a new turntable. I put on a you guessed it Beatle album and you heard every scratch! Are people putting new vinyl on old turntables? Or new vinyl on only new turntables?

[multigraincracker]

6. I don't have a turn table, but have a vintage

amp/tuner and it does sound way better than the new equipment.

[Casady1]

13. Both

New albums are very expensive and not always better than the original. I have a new copy of Who's next and my original copy sounds better.

[brewens]

7. I was one that went insane over any little pop on a new album. I used to handle my

vinyl like surgeon, never leaving them out of the sleeves. They could not be kept pristine. I have some that are as perfect as they can be, because I recorded them and only played the cassettes. I don't think I have anything worth big bucks, but I might make some money some day.

When CD's came out, I was in heaven. You won't find a fingerprint on mine either. I love it that the first one I bought, still sounds like brand new. I could never go back. You could prove to me that you get a richer sound off vinyl, but it can't last. Not if you play your albums a lot, so I don't see the point.

[Casady1]

11. Really good turntbles

keep albums pretty pristine. I have had at least pretty good turntables over 50 years. Almost all of my albums are in very good condition. I had a friend over and put on a CD on my Rotel CD player and then an audiophile vinyl album and he could not believe the difference in sound. I have one friend who has audiophile equipment( $10,000 on just the amplifier)My equipment is just the beginning of what is considered audiophile(entry level). He was so blown away by my vinyl he went home and spent over $2,000 for a turntable. That did not include the cartridge. My TT cost $400 in 1987 and my cartridge was over $250 in 1992.

[brewens]

15. I haven't had a turntable since about 1990. I must not be an audiophile. I won't be putting

that much money into music. It's more work too. I have a 300 CD changer.

[Casady1]

17. Pioneer or Sony?

One thing you may consider is getting an outboard DAC. You have to have a digital out to do that. I do think DAC's have gotten better.

My rotel was considered the best budget high end CD player. at the time I bought it. It is a single CD player and cost $500) in 1992. Today's DAC's are better.

[Cattledog]

8. Vinyl has been a "thing" for years.

Last edited Sat Sep 25, 2021, 06:26 AM - Edit history (1)

In the first six months of 2021, 19.2 million vinyl albums were sold, outpacing CD volume of 18.9 million, according to MRC Data, an analytics firm that specializes in collecting data from the entertainment and music industries.

Vinyl has slowly been making a comeback in recent years. In 2020, vinyl trumped annual revenue of CDs in the U.S. for the first time in 34 years, the Recording Industry Association of America reported.

That trend is continuing in 2021. The number of vinyl LPs sold rose 108% in the first six months of the year, up from 9.2 million during the same period in 2020.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/13/music-fans-pushed-sales-of-vinyl-albums-higher-in-first-half-of-2021.html

[hlthe2b]

9. LOL... It started with the owners of very high end (VERY) stereos about 25 years (or more) ago

Those with stereos worth about as much as my first two houses...

But the popularity spread and now it has become more mainstream.

While I am perfectly happy with the much lower quality of digital on a daily basis, I have to admit that after my cousin sat me down in his state-of-the art media room to listen to some classic albums on vinyl, I was convinced--just too poor.

[Casady1]

12. If you know what you are looking for

you can still get an excellent TT. Buy an AR XA or Xb. They should run you $250-$300. A good cartridge would cost $150. Those two would be a pretty good sound. Get a NAD 3020. A very good performer Right now I am running a pair of JBL 530's which are on sale for $249 at JBL.com. A pretty nice speaker.

[tymorial]

14. Key word, classic album

The production itself is what you found pleasing, I guarantee it. Music today goes through numerous conversions and manipulations using tools, sampling,.splicing etc etc. Hell, find one singer who isn't autotuned. It wasn't until protools that recordings started to be manipulated to such a degree that the performance recorded is very different from the saved copy.

Before protools and other software, producers were limited to the materials and technology of the time. It sounds clean and unprocessed because by today's standards, it was. That doesn't mean there wasn't layering and manipulation, Specter's wall of sound was very processed BUT the sounds recorded and layered were not modified. They were overlayed (three different types of keyboards playing the same melody and stacked together for example)

It's differences in technique and technology. You could reproduce those same records today using just digital equivalent and the output would be either the same or superior.

Ultimately, I think it's an aesthetic but I do prefer that earlier sound as well.

[tymorial]

10. Yeah some believe it's superior sound. And it is definitely a belief

The theory goes that analog presentations of music are superior to digital medium because of both how digital recordings are put together, converted and stored and how they are presented when "played." Outlining the whole process isn't necessary. The basic belief is that analog recordings are closer to the original performance and records would be closer to the analog recording. Therefore on high end equipment the music and sound would be superior.

The reality is that a high quality digital recording is capable of reproducing the original with far more accuracy than the best quality analog recordings. While avoiding unnecessary conversions is a good philosophy, the practical reality is that, in terms of accuracy, ALL existing analog recording methods are limited compared to the best digital methods currently available. Also, vinyl copies today ALL originate from digital originals.

I think there is a nostalgic factor and a trendy factor when it comes to vinyl. I am not knocking vinyl in general. I have a large collection of jazz and rock albums. There have been major changes in how music has been produced over the decades and there may be something to how music was produced before the digital age that is more appealing to some. One of the frequent comments is that the sound is clean and unprocessed and that is true. The ability to process sound and manipulate the recording was limited to the technology of the day. There was no autotune or protools. There IS something to be said about this.

Ultimately I think some audiophiles have transfered their love of music production before software to believing its the medium that is superior rather than the production itself.

And I just want to add... what is going to sound better? Pet Sounds or Sgt Pepper on an original mono record or a remastered CD that is a stereo recording? Come on now.

PS: Now if it's an original first release record, then it doesn't matter what it sounds like because its worth money and should never be played lol

[Casady1]

16. Depends on the TT and the digital source

I have an entry level audiophile system. My turntable cost $400 in 1987. It is a systemdek and is highly rated to this day. I have a tube preamp and a Solid state amp. I am running my CD's through a Rotel CD player and my streaming(amazon through a schitt mani DAC
If you have audiophile vinyl it is pretty amazing

A couple of albums come to mind I have an original copy of "The girl from Ipanema" and it was recorded at 30 IPS. It is actually an incredible recording.

When Geffen had his own label in 1988 and on many of his albums were produced on audiophile vinyl( Suzanne Vega and Pat Methany).

I just listened to Carly Simon Anticipation on Amazon ultra. I think my album sounds better.

I have one friend who did not have a TT. He did have top line equipment(his power amps cost over $10,000). He heard my TT with a jazz compilation on audiophile vinyl and he was blown away. He went home and spent over $2k for a VPI TT.

Watch Michael Frenner on youtube.

[hydrolastic]

19. Another way this can be experienced

Couple of years ago i purchased a 1960 magnavox stereo console. Its an early tube stereo. For fun i sent out the electrical components to be recapped/restored when i got it assembled again i expected a cheesy old school record player. Nope! That thing is the standard all other audio is judged. Outstanding

[Casady1]

20. did you replace the speakers

with modern drivers?

[tymorial]

22. I absolutely agree it depends on the equipment and source

That is without question.

[Casady1]

18. FYI

My wife and kids bought me a new vinyl "Who's next" remastered. I expected great things. I listened to both my original and the new one. The original is much better. The remastered pushed the drums up front and the bass louder. I have a top flight TT and cartridge. Kit Lambert mixed it right. My son could not believe the difference. Beware of remasters.

I just bought Court and Spark( Joni Mitchell) off of ebay. I have heard that original vinyl copy is great. I have a HDCD copy of that album. My wife just ordered a new Joni Mitchell(180 gram). It will be interesting to see which one sounds the best.

180 gram is bullshit. KM audiophile vinyl is where it is at.

I recently got a Dire Straits SACD and it does sound pretty damn good.

[Tikki]

21. Very much so...and also, Cassette tapes. Just check out any genre on Bandcamp.

We still use our turntable and also have a cassette deck in fine condition.

The Tikkis