Is the resurgence of vinyl LP's a fad?

[Rodolfo]

Today's Washington Post has a Record Day article on how LPs are manufactured. Sorry, no link; but it is a very interesting, video-enhanced piece/look on a process that is much less automated than I had imagined it was these days. I viewed on my phone, but hope to get a better look later.

 

[podknocker]

Who benefits from the resurgence of vinyl... a 100 year old medium, much of which is now being pressed from digital masters that weren't even meant for vinyl pressing?

I say the record companies (and possibly artists) who will increase their profits from a disc that has a retail cost of around 40% more than a CD and will solve the problem of streaming for them (which both artists and the record corporations hate).
The environment surely won't benefit (although servers are not exactly environmentally friendly either).

125 years ago electric (along with steam) was the dominant power for personal vehicles (cars) until the Model T came out. Even after the Model T came out, Henry Ford's wife (Clara) continued to drive a 1914 Detroit Electric.

We're going backwards in every respect... 20 years from now will folks be shunning texting, TikTok'ing, 'X' ing etc. (or perhaps even the entire idea of the internet)? Will corded phones become the new 'thing'?

After all, who wants to e-mail / twitter when you can buy a nice fountain pen, carefully compose a letter to someone (paying attention to spelling and grammar) and place it in a mailbox with a pretty stamp on it? The anticipation and waiting for a reply is so satisfying!

People who don't realise LPs don't sound as good as modern formats have fallen for the hype and are on the bandwagon of ignorance and delusion. I don't care if you prefer LP over formats released this century, but the fact is and it is a fact, LPs don't give anywhere the same sound quality as CD, or high res files online. Carry on caressing and enjoying your large LPs and sleevenotes, but you are missing out on so much quality. The Luddites on this forum are so entrenched in their LP mindset, that they refuse to even consider a newer format. It's a shame some are so set in their ways and won't consider a new technology. All I see is 'well it's my choice' etc. Yes, it is, nobody is trying to steal your ancient LPs, but you are getting worse sound quality. It's bewildering to me. I can't understand it.

 

[Rodolfo]

People who don't realise LPs don't sound as good as modern formats have fallen for the hype and are on the bandwagon of ignorance and delusion. I don't care if you prefer LP over formats released this century, but the fact is and it is a fact, LPs don't give anywhere the same sound quality as CD, or high res files online. Carry on caressing and enjoying your large LPs and sleevenotes, but you are missing out on so much quality. The Luddites on this forum are so entrenched in their LP mindset, that they refuse to even consider a newer format. It's a shame some are so set in their ways and won't consider a new technology. All I see is 'well it's my choice' etc. Yes, it is, nobody is trying to steal your ancient LPs, but you are getting worse sound quality. It's bewildering to me. I can't understand it.

Maybe the "ignorance and delusion" is missing that listeners aren't narrowly and simply focused on which medium reproduces the superior sound quality. Maybe many listeners "realise" much more complexly than you are able to imagine or value. By the way, the CD itself is a 20th-century "technology: I've been caressing and enjoying some of my little ones for 40 years!

 

[skinnypuppy71]

People who don't realise LPs don't sound as good as modern formats have fallen for the hype and are on the bandwagon of ignorance and delusion. I don't care if you prefer LP over formats released this century, but the fact is and it is a fact, LPs don't give anywhere the same sound quality as CD, or high res files online. Carry on caressing and enjoying your large LPs and sleevenotes, but you are missing out on so much quality. The Luddites on this forum are so entrenched in their LP mindset, that they refuse to even consider a newer format. It's a shame some are so set in their ways and won't consider a new technology. All I see is 'well it's my choice' etc. Yes, it is, nobody is trying to steal your ancient LPs, but you are getting worse sound quality. It's bewildering to me. I can't understand it.

You miss the point pod knocker....I listen to cd's, I stream music from tidal via my roon core....I also have a turntable, and listen to my lp's....some of them sound absolutely fabulous.....but I don't make it into a competition as to what sounds best....streaming is absolutely a bore...and I prefer a more hands on approach to my music listening....and vinyl itches that scratch.

 

[speedthing]

I like both CD and Vinyl ive never really been into streaming its just not my thing. Im a big collector of vinyl some of the stuff I collect is from a period in British music called NWOBHM New Wave Of British Heavy Metal this was a real cottage industry in this county in the late 70's early 80's. These bands self financed their records maybe a single if they had enough money an album these where very small runs 250 maybe 500 copies. So there is no master tape for them as masters where just recorded over and used for another recording there is no digital footprint for these recordings so a vinyl copy of a single or an album is all that exists of them.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

..oh...and sound quality purely resides in the recording and mastering of the original material.....the format chosen to listen on is almost a moot point..(Tapes are crap)....

 

[Gray]

(Tapes are crap)....

Much of what I listen to, whether vinyl, CD, streamed or even on the radio, has come via tape.
And even tape cassettes; the best - on the better machines, could be far from crap.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Much of what I listen to, whether vinyl, CD, streamed or even on the radio, has come via tape.
And even tape cassettes; the best - on the better machines, could be far from crap.

Sorry....not all tapes are crap, but they could drive you up the wall....rew/fwd,....stop /play /eject, then.. chewed up 🤣🤣🤣

 

[abacus]

What most people forget is that there are many music albums that did not make it to later formats (Just like many 78s didn't make it to vinyl and CDs did not make it to streaming), or were remastered very poorly, thus making the original the best.
The vast majority of vinyl over the years were mastered using analogue tape machines, so putting them onto CDs or streaming offers zero improvement.

Bill

 

[Steve983]

What do you mean back....

Haha! I've never stopped buying cd's although I must admit to buying more downloads this year too - mostly of the FLAC and sometimes hi-res variety.

 

[speedthing]

Also there are people like me that are record collectors ive been going to record fairs for years there are also people that like to have a physical copy of the music they own.

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

Vinyl has the bonus of the cover art that a lot of people like and is lost with streaming.

There are all-in-ones streaming amplifiers that can output video via HDMI, so it is easy to connect to an OLED TV, where you can view the Artist's cover art in high definition along with an advanced combination of video and static animations of the displayed picture through the device's UI, to avoid any screen burn-in if it occurs.

 

[podknocker]

There are all-in-ones streaming amplifiers that can output video via HDMI, so it is easy to connect to an OLED TV, where you can view the Artist's cover art in high definition along with an advanced combination of video and static animations of the displayed picture through the device's UI, to avoid any screen burn-in if it occurs.

Yes, the HIFI Rose RS520 allows you to play the art/video on the large front screen and output this to a TV if you prefer.

 

[podknocker]

I've never said LPs sound dreadful, by the way. They sound decent on a decent system, but there is a large chunk of vinyl fanatics out there, still insisting LPs can sound as good as a newer format. They can't. Many CD masterings are dreadful and don't allow CD to shine, but there is more headroom and quality in the CD format, but sadly this is wasted, due to lack of thought when transferring data to CD. A new, high res recording, in a state of the art studio, will give you an enormous amount of detail and superior technical specs, such as low noise and distortion, high dynamic range and perfect pitch stability etc. A new recording, captured as a digital file, will hold more information than vinyl will allow. An LP cannot capture, or reproduce the same amount of information as a CD, or a file your digital music player would recognise. I can understand the physicality and tactility of vinyl appealing to many and going to record fairs to hunt for a bargain. I'm not trying to stop people doing this, but modern formats sound better. Again, it seems strange that Philips and Sony would invest so much back in the late 70s, working on a format, expecting it to sound inferior to the ancient LPs. This is not the case and CDs sound amazing. I've stopped buying them as I now listen from online sources.

 

[nopiano]

I don’t think vinyl LPs are yet 100 years old. Records definitely are in some guise or another, however. Without googling I can’t recall what came before Shellac, which I knew as 78s. Wax cylinders, metal discs and suchlike definitely existed. (Most formats were available in wonderful little museum in the Cotswolds but I believe it shut before Covid. Glad I saw it when I did.)

The remarkable thing for me is that LPs have outlived the plastic tape masters that we once imagined were indestructible. But the tapes have either turned to goo, or been destroyed by fire for the most part. The LPs made from them still play beautifully. The irony for a supposedly delicate format!

 

[Gray]

Sorry....not all tapes are crap, but they could drive you up the wall....rew/fwd,....stop /play /eject, then.. chewed up 🤣🤣🤣

Certainly true that so much had to be right for cassettes to sound less than crap though 👍
Head alignment, record bias, playback EQ, successful noise reduction, stable speed....
(No wonder the best decks were expensive).

 

[davidf]

43.2 million LPs sold in the USA alone in 2023 & 100+ million globally
Vinyl is dead
View attachment 6525

I expected it to plateau after 2018 - instead, it was increased by larger margins.

 

[manicm]

I've never said LPs sound dreadful, by the way. They sound decent on a decent system, but there is a large chunk of vinyl fanatics out there, still insisting LPs can sound as good as a newer format. They can't. Many CD masterings are dreadful and don't allow CD to shine, but there is more headroom and quality in the CD format, but sadly this is wasted, due to lack of thought when transferring data to CD. A new, high res recording, in a state of the art studio, will give you an enormous amount of detail and superior technical specs, such as low noise and distortion, high dynamic range and perfect pitch stability etc. A new recording, captured as a digital file, will hold more information than vinyl will allow. An LP cannot capture, or reproduce the same amount of information as a CD, or a file your digital music player would recognise. I can understand the physicality and tactility of vinyl appealing to many and going to record fairs to hunt for a bargain. I'm not trying to stop people doing this, but modern formats sound better. Again, it seems strange that Philips and Sony would invest so much back in the late 70s, working on a format, expecting it to sound inferior to the ancient LPs. This is not the case and CDs sound amazing. I've stopped buying them as I now listen from online sources.

Vinyl does sound better than digital for many, and that's because of its euphonic qualities because of inherent mechanical distortion - it can and will never be perfect by design.

About 10 years ago was the last time I heard vinyl and I was startled when I played my old Talking Heads Naked LP. I used it to test the new stylus I installed on my father's Technics deck.

I fully understand the vinyl fad, but for many of us like myself it's too much of a faff. And I do miss the sound and artwork. The biggest failing of recording companies is CD packaging. I don't actually care for the vinyl itself.

 

[Steve983]

If people are enjoying what they are hearing (in whatever format) that's probably the main thing.

 

[DCarmi]

The Luddites on this forum are so entrenched in their LP mindset, that they refuse to even consider a newer format.

The CD format is 42 years old. The Stereo LP is only 25 years older!
Personally, I am fairly platform agnostic. I love my LPs, have loads of CDs and stream. For me, each has its pros and cons, so I'll continue to mix and match.

 

[Jasonovich]

I use to have a thing about vinyl back in the day but it's like breaking up with an old girlfriend, always better to keep that door shut.

There is also diminishing returns, a good turntable design, will sound cleaner and more spacious than those found in bargain basements but it is insane, so many people have drank the cool aid, and would not hesitate pouring ££££££ for the best arm, best cartridge, best plinth and so easy to spend thousands and I'm not convince the benefits are in proportion to the costs.

I sound a little disingenuous, as I've recently spent in excess of £2.5K on building my new PC, what's that to do with the price of cheese you ask?
Dunno, but it's so easy to get hooked on the Vinyl Mystical Train.

What is after all, a simple device that amplifies vibration from a stylus, sugar coated in colouration.
In light of my own misgivings regarding vinyl, I do get it, absolutely and who am I to judge? Many people prefer this medium bar none and if it pulls all the right cords, then that's what really matters. HiFi should be a wide berth and I'm glad there are so many formats that allow you to enjoy the music.

 

[Revolutions]

there is a large chunk of vinyl fanatics out there, still insisting LPs can sound as good as a newer format.

I’ve yet to see anyone on here claim that, and it doesn’t do your argument justice to refer to “loads of people” without a specific reference.

there’s an interesting conversation to be had around the definition of “better sound quality”, but the whole premise is subjective from the start, so it would just go around in circles ad infinitum.

 

[podknocker]

Vinyl does sound better than digital for many, and that's because of its euphonic qualities because of inherent mechanical distortion - it can and will never be perfect by design.

About 10 years ago was the last time I heard vinyl and I was startled when I played my old Talking Heads Naked LP. I used it to test the new stylus I installed on my father's Technics deck.

I fully understand the vinyl fad, but for many of us like myself it's too much of a faff. And I do miss the sound and artwork. The biggest failing of recording companies is CD packaging. I don't actually care for the vinyl itself.

Haha! People prefer the sound of distortion and the inaccurate reproduction of music, via an old, tired format? I rest my case.

 

[podknocker]

I’ve yet to see anyone on here claim that, and it doesn’t do your argument justice to refer to “loads of people” without a specific reference.

there’s an interesting conversation to be had around the definition of “better sound quality”, but the whole premise is subjective from the start, so it would just go around in circles ad infinitum.

Why not conduct a poll? We'll soon see how many people think ancient LPs sound better than CD. They'd all be wrong by the way.

 

[daveh75]

Must be that time of the month again where podknocker obnoxiously trolls TT users before deactivating his account and skulking off for a bit when called out, only to return to start the cycle all over again..