Request for new Forum - Vinyl

[StephenJK]

What do you propose we do with a Vinyl forum? 

 

I can see a place for having accurate technical or setup information, but you wouldn't or couldn't replace Vinyl Engine.  

 

I can also see being able to respond to questions other people may have, presuming there's enough people who hang out here that are able and willing to do that.  

 

Or do you see it as a place to post reviews of LPs that you believe have some merit due to their content or quality?

 

 

[StephenJK]

16 hours ago, wgscott said:

Dead, obsolete technology.  

 

 

There's always analogue planetoid.

You obviously have no interest, others may.

[StephenJK]

2 hours ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

Capturing turntable output digitally has taught me in exquisite detail just how lacking vinyl tech is compared to modern digital.  But many, many recordings have never crossed the digital divide and it's always good when someone is able to make a high quality transfer.  I look at it as an archiving task that might benefit future generations of audiophiles.

My father gave me his Jazz LPs that he had collected when he was young and single in Montreal after the war.  

 

This was 10” LPs from the late 40’s and to the mid 50’s.  Albums that cost $4.75 way back then. 

 

Most of them were virtually unplayable despite having been cleaned with a Keith Monks machine by Oakwood Audio in Winnipeg in the early 80’s in exchange for being able to record them on tape.

 

Years later I was finally able to put together the system to not only record them digitally but also to run them through software to remove what wgscott calls snap, crackle and pop.

 

There’s music that you just can’t find any other way, be it Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five,  Bix Beiderbecke, Jonah Jones or Meade Lux Lewis and Lous Bellson - it’s magical stuff.

 

You see the same songs played with different interpretations by incredibly accomplished and talented musicians in so many ways. 

 

It’s all about the music.

 

 

[StephenJK]

As an aside from the previous post I learned that The Masked Cucumber is a French comic strip dating back to 1965.  

 

I grew up in Quebec with Bob Morane, Tintin and Les Aventures de Asterix - some time later with Metal Hurlant (Heavy Metal) but Le Concombre Masque is a new one.

 

 

 

 

[StephenJK]

I was going to write a heartfelt and impassioned plea on how LPs are still relevant and are what got us to where we are today.  

 

But it’s clear that on this site that would fall on deaf ears.  

 

And you know what?  It only matters to people who think it does.  And to those of us who think that way, remember this.  

 

We don’t mock your mini stereo systems with your exotic power supplies and your fancy USB cables and your endless comparisons of the same digital file in different formats and bit depths. 

 

There should be room at Audiophile Style for all of us.  If you don’t care about LPs, fine.  But don’t mock and denigrate those who do.

[StephenJK]

3 hours ago, med_designer said:

I messaged Chris about this very topic earlier this year. With the name change to Audiophile Style it seems appropriate to at least discuss the pros/cons of the inclusion of vinyl specific forums. Sub topics could include:

 

• Tonearms: pivoted and linear tracking
• Cartridges: moving magnet, moving coil, moving iron. 
• Turntables: direct drive vs. belt drive, suspended vs non-suspended designs, plinth materials etc.
• Preamps: solid state vs. tube
• Pressings: new vs. old (not all new pressings are bad, in many are quite good). This could also include mastering source discussions
• Care and Maintenance: All kinds of opportunities to discuss and argue here
• Setup: This topic can get into the weeds very quickly but could be used to discuss various approaches to setup based on the capabilities of the equipment in use as well as the what tools and experience the end user has. Someone may just want to know the how's and why's of a properly setup turntable.

 

I spend the last year or so putting together a very nice vinyl rig that works for me. Is it better than my digital rig? If I am being honest perhaps not all the time but in some cases it is more enjoyable than the same album on any form of digital and in other cases the digital clearly wins. Two examples:

 

• Brian Eno: Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks:  I have had this on CD for years and love this record. There is a new vinyl pressing with extra material so I picked up a copy and directly compared the two. In this case the CD wins. There is just too many quiet parts to this recording and my particular copy of vinyl has a few too many loud pops to be enjoyable. However, the vibe of the recording on vinyl is very good and probably captures more of the original intent.
• U2: Achtung Baby: Picked up a promo copy before pressed before the final mixes made it to CD. in this case the vinyl wins hands down. Much more body, punch, and balls than the CD or any digital counterpart. Great vibe. Quiet vinyl with no defects. This is now my go to reference for this album.

 

The point is vinyl gives one options they may not have now.

• Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. Those not really interest should not bother.
• Is it expensive? Yes it can get silly expensive but for the most part a good vinyl rig will be similar to a good digital gig. Perhaps  a bit more.
• Is it worth it? I think so, but how deep down the rabbit hole one goes will have an impact on your enjoyment. It is a commitment.
• Is there a need for good discussion? Yes, and while there are other forums one can join, having it all in one place where users can directly cross reference information would be valuable. Consider those just wanting to get into a basic vinyl rig with their existing computer based gear or those wanting to capture the signal from vinyl for playback from their music server. 

With has much discussion that has gone on in these threads of all kinds of topics one would think tweak happy audiophile types would really enjoy getting into the multitude of options and philosophies regarding a vinyl playback system. One thing I can absolutely guarantee. Be it an old time stereo enthusiasts or millennials getting their vinyl fix, none of them have any interest in MQA but would have interest in learning more about the sub-hobby of vinyl playback in the stereo ecosystem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

i think that with the caustic and mocking response from this site, you may as well just post a link to the Audio Asylum.

 

 

[StephenJK]

I don’t feel the need to justify or explain where, when and why LP playback still has considerable relevance. 

 

It would seem that most of you posting here have either never had a turntable, or a very poor one with LPs to match and presume that same experience for others.  That’s a very closed minded opinion to say the least.  

 

And who listens to music through headphones?  What a diminutive experience.  And you hear snap, crackle and pop?  Try something other than your old records from the basement that you used to play on that old Dual record changer.

 

I’m disappointed that people who are willing to engage in lively debate on anything to do with bits and bytes completely discount what got us to where we are today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StephenJK]

20 hours ago, Hugo9000 said:

What a rude and dismissive post.  At least three of us who mentioned the issue of headphones were pretty clearly not opposed to a new sub-forum.  You dismiss headphone listening out of hand?  "And who listens to music through headphones?  What a diminutive experience."  lol

 

A single speck of dust landing on a virgin record can cause a 'pop' so why was it necessary to insult people's records, and accuse them of having an old record changer?  Wow.

 

Most of my listening is with loudspeakers, but I do use my headphones occasionally, and there are many people who use headphones exclusively by choice or necessity.  You have such an arrogant attitude about others who may have different setups or tastes, and you wonder that there are others who reject your own preferences or situation?  Your above post attack is about as closed-minded and insulting as any I've seen on AS.

 

My own very tiny collection consists of pristine LPs, and I don't listen to them at all, with headphones or loudspeakers, but I was posting here because I thought it was valid to add another sub-forum.

I’ll reply to this last person who read my comments and then move on.

 

Your lack of tolerance and willingness to consider that anything other than your opinion has any validity speaks volumes.

 

And, when I respond to your many many insults and criticisms in a lively fashion you take great offence and run for your thesaurus.  

 

in the words of the Central Scrutinizer, “Who gives a fuck anyways”?