Vinyl Records Look So Cool, But....

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#2550300 26-Aug-2020 19:24

Quite a few years ago I was curious about getting a record player as well. One year I got a nice tax return so decided to take the plunge.

I can definitely hear the difference, to me it has more depth. I also enjoy listening to random records (album with various artists), (I won 5 boxes on TM for $60 lol) It makes you listen to the entire album without skipping tracks etc.

The only downside is that it is a chore to keep changing them, so you have to be in the mood. I do feel pretty guilty for not using it much, but still pretty awesome the times I do.

Oh and the other downside is that new or old albums are pretty pricey.

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#2550310 26-Aug-2020 19:46

I always seem to be attracted to expensive hobbies 😂

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#2550311 26-Aug-2020 19:47

I still have my LP collection from the 70's and 80's and the Sansui turntable plus the Yamaha RS540 casette deck. I give them all a run from time to time. You do need to have time to sit down and enjoy them.

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#2550364 26-Aug-2020 21:14

Technofreak:
I still have my LP collection from the 70's and 80's and the Sansui turntable plus the Yamaha RS540 casette deck. I give them all a run from time to time. You do need to have time to sit down and enjoy them.

One of my favourite records is the film theme from The Godfather, played on a German Dual 1249 player and sound from my old Tannoy Monitor Gold speakers is priceless, beautiful deep bass and sweet sound. Summer evenings looking out over the water and playing records is bliss. There’s a romance to vinyl. Keeping them all and hoping for a comeback. Sure I listen to music via Spotify and Bluetooth speakers but it’s not the same.

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#2550400 26-Aug-2020 23:34

Movieman:

I always seem to be attracted to expensive hobbies 😂

It's like the cartoon that does the rounds...

"The thing that drew me to records was the expense and the inconvenience".

1101

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#2550520 27-Aug-2020 10:24

The so called better sound its sometimes all in your mind (not your ears) . The same way some claim to hear improved audio quality from audiophile $300 fuses (yes, fuses) , and audiophile $800 power cables .
Many many years back , the BBC did double blind tests and found that slightly DEGRADING the sound quality gave a seemingly perceived improvement .

A local Ak radio station did an on air comparison of Record , CD & a super gold standard remaster $$$$
Most people ringing in were claiming the record sounded better . Poppycock. You wouldnt be able to notice the difference given all the processing, compression, b/w limiting etc in a radio broadcast
Power of suggestion is powerful indeed.

People who expected CD's to sound better might hear that as well. When I had a really good system, friends said no way would records sound as good as the CD currently playing.
So I put on a record (same album as CD) and showed that records can as sound good : IF you are lucky to get a clean record pressing with no warps, clicks, pops etc

The real issues with vinyl is the often poor quality of the actual records .
They were mass produced, for the masses . The masses didnt expect highest quality so they often didnt get that.
clip , pop, click click , pop, rumble , click, click

Im only keeping my Turntable for the few records cant get on other formats .
But I do really like the old school mechanical look of TT's . Thats something missing from modern formats
click pop click clik clik clik pop :-)

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#2550549 27-Aug-2020 10:51

I really should be into vinyl. I'm of an age where I grew up with vinyl, I truly love listening to music, I have the disposable income for nice toys. But I just can't bring myself to buy back into it. The convenience of modern music delivery systems these days just far outweigh any perceived benefits of vinyl.

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#2550567 27-Aug-2020 11:04

My speakers are studio monitor quality so the sound coming out of them is near perfect. If records are properly stored and clean, the sound is smooth. Clicks and noise comes from low quality stylus as well as scratched records. Many of the older playing devices are sought after by aficionados because of their quality which modern mass produced turntables from China can’t compete with.

Owning a vintage car doesn’t preclude one from also driving a Tesla and it’s the same with music. Both have their charms.

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#2550650 27-Aug-2020 12:25

I'm about 90% sure that I will buy a turntable for my system, but still get put off by people saying that many new records have static pops etc.

Do you vinyl users clean your new records before playing. And, if so, will an anti-static brush do the job?

1101

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#2550652 27-Aug-2020 12:26

Eva888: Clicks and noise comes from low quality stylus as well as scratched records..

Rega3 TT, Project TT , Ortofon Cart/stylus (VMS, OM)
NEW RECORDS (at the time)
clik clik pop clik clik

A Brand new record had manufacturing defect. Replaced it , 2nd had the same exact defect in the same spot (I could actually see it).
the shop couldnt hear it in the noisy shop on their gear .
Thats when I decided vinyl was a lost cause .
I still have a old fully manual Pioneer TT (with a good cart) , its fairly descent .

And my wooden floor isnt ideal for TT if walking too heavily around in the room . :-)

1101

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#2550654 27-Aug-2020 12:37

Movieman:

I'm about 90% sure that I will buy a turntable for my system, but still get put off by people saying that many new records have static pops etc.

Do you vinyl users clean your new records before playing. And, if so, will an anti-static brush do the job?

Plenty of YT vids on cleaning records
You will need a stylus cleaner & anti static record brush .
Not all vinyl is bad, but you really dont know untill you take it home & try it . It will be heartbreaking to spend $40 and find
its a crappy pressing, or a pressing that wasnt even sourced from master tapes .

I would look on trademe for a used Pro-ject TT or similar (something not too old) , rather than buy something new .
You can get a bargain if not in a hurry , but some old TT's are listed for silly money .
You may have to replace a rubber belt eventually , but thats no biggie .

If buying ONLY to get a so called better sound, I would seriously re-consider .

edit : Ive also had bad 'pressings' of CD's (slightly distorted) , but only 2 in all the many hundreds Ive bought.

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#2550686 27-Aug-2020 13:31

Thanks 1101 for your unbiased posts.

The more I read about vinyl collecting, crackling and popping, the high cost of buying new or used records, turntables, inner and outer sleeves, cleaning stuff, etc., the more my initial keenness has waned. I believe that sooner, rather than later, the music lovers of the world, will dump vinyl again, and take up whatever new (or old) technology of the day.

My son just bought an Ed Sheeran (+ Plus) coloured vinyl album. He lives in the UK, and we were having a chat through messenger, when I told him I read that some new records have pops etc. He said that he had heard a pop or two with the new Ed Sheeran album when he played it for the first time.

CD's have hardly any of that to worry about, and they are easier to store, and probably only need a wipe occasionally. I also have a CD player in my car, which is another plus for the CD

The possibility of me now buying into vinyl, has slipped to around 50%.

33coupe

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#2550707 27-Aug-2020 14:21

I have brand new records (over 3 years old now) and they still dont pop / crackle at all. it might do if there's some dust (but minimal noise), i usually just give them a light brush before playing. I have records from the 60's that dont do it either (thank you previous owner for looking after them)

I wasnt able to test one before buying, but if you can I would recommend it. It's only the inconvenience of getting up to change album for me, absolutely love it when it's on though.

dclegg

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#2550755 27-Aug-2020 15:37

I'm a huge vinyl junkie. And like you, I'm always suckered into the coloured vinyl variants. In fact, I nearly doubled the price of an album purchase last year as I had to ship it from the UK, which had exorbitant shipping costs compared to the US store I would've been able to purchase it from otherwise. All so I could get the limited edition blue marble edition.

For me the attraction to vinyl is all about the more involved listening experience. You chuck yourself down on the couch and gaze at the album artwork while listening. This is something that is harder to do with the little CD booklets, and non-existent with file based formats.

For anyone that's interested, my current collection can be viewed here.

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#2550757 27-Aug-2020 15:42

Movieman:

Anyone looking for a cassette player? Here ya go 😀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jc8K9qutds

Only $799 at RapalloAV! That's a whole lot of nostalgia-bucks there.. I'll give them kudos though, it certainly has captured the vintage aesthetic.

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