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Vinyl for the overall experience, taking the album out of the cover and sleeve, placing it on the turntable, cleaning the record, positioning the tone arm, flipping the lever and watching the tone arm gently glide onto the intro groove. Reading or just admiring the cover while the opening track plays. It's just a lot more involving.
I remember those days but as cool too; but by the time I hauled albums from the USA to France (where they played almost every night for 3 years) and then back to the good old USA, they were not sounding so great - worn out, scratched, etc. Still I have about 50 left from the who knows how many I once had.
Today I listen to my doo-wop stations, based on my thumbs up, on my cheap blue-tooth speaker out in the cool night air on the patio. Love it.
To me, vinyl still sounds the best on my system. Comparing like mastered CDs and vinyl. I have fairly good CD players (a Sony SACD and a Cambridge). But, most popular by the masses? By far... streaming. For most of the day I use Pandora. Set to my songs and their suggestions --- at random.
Digital Streamer (Pandora) dead center of photo... with time on it.
I chuckle to think back to what i went through to get great sound as I listen to my son playing music through his itty bitty speaker in his phone from the other room.
it's back to 1968 and AM radio at the beach from 3 blankets away.
FYI... new remastered Buffalo Springfield box set. All three albums. From both original mono and stereo tape masters. Very good! Much better than original LPs, which were kinda noisy.
Interesting thread. I have been an avid music listener since the mid 60's and back then vinyl was the preferred way to listen at home. Over the years, I have acquired about 4000 lps. . When CD's first appeared I tried them and they sound a little better. I always took care of my records and had a higher end table ($500 ish). Mid life I became an audiophile and had the budget to explore expensive equipment and my records started sounding much better and my digital stayed the same quality with better equipment. More three dimensional and natural sounding. That said, some qualifiers: Most folks never heard a higher end vinyl setup, and aren't will to spend the money or care required for one anyway. Records are hard to find, more costly, and require care. Also, I listen mostly to classical and with that kind of music you know what it should sound like live and not amplified whereas rock was electronic from the beginning.
As far as fancy equipment goes, people always says I couldn't hear the difference-not true, everyone can hear the difference but may not thinks its worth the extra cost. Much like any other pursuit cars included, will our S2000's, BMW's, etc. get us to the mall any better?
Interesting thread. I have been an avid music listener since the mid 60's and back then vinyl was the preferred way to listen at home. Over the years, I have acquired about 4000 lps. . When CD's first appeared I tried them and they sound a little better. I always took care of my records and had a higher end table ($500 ish). Mid life I became an audiophile and had the budget to explore expensive equipment and my records started sounding much better and my digital stayed the same quality with better equipment. More three dimensional and natural sounding. That said, some qualifiers: Most folks never heard a higher end vinyl setup, and aren't will to spend the money or care required for one anyway. Records are hard to find, more costly, and require care. Also, I listen mostly to classical and with that kind of music you know what it should sound like live and not amplified whereas rock was electronic from the beginning.
As far as fancy equipment goes, people always says I couldn't hear the difference-not true, everyone can hear the difference but may not thinks its worth the extra cost. Much like any other pursuit cars included, will our S2000's, BMW's, etc. get us to the mall any better?
Nice response! Once you hear a good vinyl setup --- you'll spend time looking for nice used records. Much more than looking for nice used CDs with good CD player, IMHO. BTW... there are many new & used sources. I like Discogs, for used. Newbury Comics has some nice remastered colored discs. Amazon has many good used and new examples, too.
I buy used records on ebay, Discogs, and Half Price Books. Never pay more than $5.00. HPB is really good for classical, usually 50 cents or a buck and unlike rock, no one plays a symphony 20 times the first day they buy it. Also, if you a large investment in lps, a record washing machine is a good investment. Vacuum washed records sound a whole lot better and your used ones will thank you!
I bought my first CD player in 85. I heard things on albums that had long since been "played out" on my old vinyl. Records start to "wear out" almost the instant that the stylus touches the surface. That said, I rarely even listen to CDs or DVDs anymore. I can stream the same music to any system in my house, car, or at the beach. My hearing is certainly not what it used to be (too many years of headphones and drums), and the quality of the music seems quite good even on my theater system (yeah I know, I already broke the 2 channel is best rule there).
I am fan a streaming, I can listen to the Beatles, the Stones, Aha, Sia, or David Guetta, by simply pushing a button. Is the sound as good as vinyl, to me. That said, a new MSFL vinyl or CD recording is the benchmark for all recorded music to me. My favorite all time recording, the MSFL remastered CD of Dark Side of the Moon.
I buy used records on ebay, Discogs, and Half Price Books. Never pay more than $5.00. HPB is really good for classical, usually 50 cents or a buck and unlike rock, no one plays a symphony 20 times the first day they buy it. Also, if you a large investment in lps, a record washing machine is a good investment. Vacuum washed records sound a whole lot better and your used ones will thank you!
I restored my old Nitty Gritty. BTW... a couple of guy bought the company. They plan to start remaking the units and parts.
Hmm. Interesting…I once had a Sony TTS-8000 turntable along with a Marantz Model 50 Tuner/Receiver and some JBL Voice of the Theater speakers - the sound was very good for the time. Finally, I gave them to my son who was an excellent electronics destroyer by using them as an amplifier for his guitar (I was never home during his practices, but wondered why I kept blowing output channels) - once he had them repaired they still work today, but he’s now smarter and knows the error of his ways - he mostly plays CD and MP3 as input.
I now live a simpler acoustic life where I didn’t worry about the end of a vinyl disc spinning forever once done and removing the spinning disc that destroyed my needle(s)…My iPhone along with its earbuds has solved all of my past pitfalls - even while driving in my car.
Oh, I still have a few mid-range priced components along with some wall and ceiling built-in components that are generally used as a background FM source of entertainment.
A photo of today’s mediocre in-home audio…it’s okay, but not sad.
07-10-2018, 08:41 PM
