Is this vinyl revival thing just a load of nonsense?

admin_exported

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There seem to more turntables in hi-fi shops than I've seen in about 20 years. Now don't get me wrong, I can understand someone who has a large collection of vinyl or someone collecting rare records wanting to make the most of their investment by buying a decent deck. What I don't understand is the craze teens have for new vinyl - a mate said recently that some kids believe that the only true way to listen to music is on record. Now records make sense when the original recording format is analogue, but with more and more music being recorded digitally I can only see records detracting from the original sound - why add in all kinds of mechanical problems into the delivery of music when they don't need to be present?

Am I the only one that thinks this way??
 

chebby

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The year-on-year sales of LPs have been increasing for the last six years (almost exponentially) as far as I can tell. (Over 40 percent increase last year for instance.) So I don't think it's a 'fad'.

Having said that, LP sales are still miniscule compared to CD and downloads.

To answer the question in your title...

No.

But I can't explain it, even as someone who loved playing LPs until just a couple of years ago.
 

CnoEvil

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I feel much the same as Chebby, having owned a good TT (20 years ago).

I have found a streaming solution that gives me enough pleasure that it quells the urge to return......though I can quite understand the seductive nature of vinyl (like a Siren luring you into a world of faffing).
 

tino

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Probably a retro cool fad amongst the kids. Like Converse trainers.

Having recorded some of my LPs recently I think the perfect solution would be to digitise (at high res) a vinyl record and play it back on a digital system. You would lose out on the tactility and manual engagement of the record playing experience, but conversely, you could get that 'famous' analogue sound complete with hiss, crackles and pops plus all of the convenience of selecting your music at the touch of a button. :grin:
 

Amyl Right Mate

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tino said:
I think the perfect solution would be to digitise (at high res) a vinyl record and play it back on a digital system. You would lose out on the tactility and manual engagement of the record playing experience, but conversely, you could get that 'famous' analogue sound complete with hiss, crackles and pops plus all of the convenience of selecting your music at the touch of a button. :grin:

Beck did that with Modern Guilt. The LP came with an MP3 download code - so far not so unusual... However, in this case the MP3s had been recorded from an actual vinyl pressing of album, using IIRC Pink Triangle TT and other assorted kit. I believe the 1st MP3 started with the sound of the needle dropping onto the run-in groove.
 
A

Anonymous

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Find the missing word? Digital to - - - - - - Converter.

Says it all really. :)
 

FennerMachine

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Good point FATS 2828!

Microphones and speakers are analogue.

Having an analogue recording medium and play back device makes sense.

I do prefer my CD player though, but my CD player cost almost ten times what my turntable cost!

A couple of friends of mine have good Hi-Fi systems with turntables & CD players.

It is a different presentation to the sound, more natural and organic. It evokes a different emotional response when you listen to vinyl as opposed to CD or MP3.

Then again lots of these descriptives for Hi-Fi (natural, punchy ...) are objective.

Unless you already have done so, go and have a good listening session with similarly priced record deck verses CD player and find out what the fuss is about. Pick some well recorded vinyl and CD's.
 

MrWatermelonMan

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I think a lot depends on the quality of the recording and reproduction.

A good vinyl recording sounds wonderful - natural / deep / warm / organic. I've done some like for like CD/vinyl comparisons and vinyl sounded nicer overall IMO and my wifes and friends opinion (I used them as a scientific control by not telling them when I was switching the amp between CD and vinyl). For example, Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly sounds gorgeous with deep and detailed notes on the original vinyl, but the CD (on the same label) sounds stunted, flat and sterile in comparison. Dark Side of the Moon was a mixed bag with the vocals sounding distictly better on vinyl but the music generally sounded more defined on the CD.

I'm sure there are factors which have a bearing on doing such like for like comparisons and the quality of final output generally, i.e. the process of digitally remastering original analogue recordings. I also have some vinyl records that sound awful, very poor recordings.

Generally, I prefer the sound of acoustic music on vinyl and electronic based music on CD. I also like the ritual of listening to records, but that maybe its just me reminiscing
 

drichardb

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For over 20 years now albums have been mastered in such a way as to make them sound louder and louder. Fortunately the techniques that get applied to CD cannot be used to the same extent on Vinyl as the medium is'nt capable of producing anywhere near the same kind of noise levels.

As a result the Vinyl version of a modern album will generally sound vastly superior to its CD equivalent. A good recent example is Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Stadium Arcadium. The CD sounds mushy and quite distorted whereas the vinyl is well defined, punchy and above all clear as a bell.

I dare say there have been other posts about the "loudness war" as its been called but it doesnt suprise me that more and more people are digging out their vinyl cos they are fed up of butchered CD's.

I'm itching to get hold of Mastodon's The Hunter on Vinyl, should be epic!
 

Helmut80

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drichardb said:
For over 20 years now albums have been mastered in such a way as to make them sound louder and louder. Fortunately the techniques that get applied to CD cannot be used to the same extent on Vinyl as the medium is'nt capable of producing anywhere near the same kind of noise levels.

As a result the Vinyl version of a modern album will generally sound vastly superior to its CD equivalent. A good recent example is Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Stadium Arcadium. The CD sounds mushy and quite distorted whereas the vinyl is well defined, punchy and above all clear as a bell.

I dare say there have been other posts about the "loudness war" as its been called but it doesnt suprise me that more and more people are digging out their vinyl cos they are fed up of butchered CD's.

I'm itching to get hold of Mastodon's The Hunter on Vinyl, should be epic!

first time I'm hearing this. I thought vinyl enthusiasts always say that modern LPs are pointless as the masering will have been digital rather than analogue.
 

shafesk

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RickP200 said:
There seem to more turntables in hi-fi shops than I've seen in about 20 years. Now don't get me wrong, I can understand someone who has a large collection of vinyl or someone collecting rare records wanting to make the most of their investment by buying a decent deck. What I don't understand is the craze teens have for new vinyl - a mate said recently that some kids believe that the only true way to listen to music is on record. Now records make sense when the original recording format is analogue, but with more and more music being recorded digitally I can only see records detracting from the original sound - why add in all kinds of mechanical problems into the delivery of music when they don't need to be present?

Am I the only one that thinks this way??

I do partly agree with you, I am one of those 'teens' you are talking about.....not a teen anymore though :( . I bought a Kings of Leon record which is digitally mastered and it sounded awful on vinyl but to me it does sound a bit better than the cd in direct comparison. I think the vinyl player removes some of the digital edge, I think many would agree. However, there are many artists that still master their records in analogue form, Norah Jones for example. So arguing that since all music nowadays is digitally recorded is I believe more subject to the genre, for example no use buying a pop record because of the way it is recorded. Jazz on the other hand makes more sense.
 

DandyCobalt

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It would be good if there was some industry-wide quality standard for vinyl (new releases at least).

Given that they always charge for vinyl at least double the price that a CD costs, and is only about £1 more to produce, I think that we're starting to reach "rip-off" stage.

Some new vinyl sounds great, and some sounds rubbish, but we punters can't know that until we get it on the turntable.

If I'm going to spend £20 on a new vinyl record, then it should be of a very good sound quality, and also tell us in the description if it has a mp3/wav download voucher (rarely the case).

Is there a "naming and shaming" thread in the vinyl section for "ripoff" new vinyl? At least it warns others.
 

The_Lhc

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RickP200 said:
There seem to more turntables in hi-fi shops than I've seen in about 20 years. Now don't get me wrong, I can understand someone who has a large collection of vinyl or someone collecting rare records wanting to make the most of their investment by buying a decent deck. What I don't understand is the craze teens have for new vinyl - a mate said recently that some kids believe that the only true way to listen to music is on record. Now records make sense when the original recording format is analogue, but with more and more music being recorded digitally I can only see records detracting from the original sound - why add in all kinds of mechanical problems into the delivery of music when they don't need to be present?

Am I the only one that thinks this way??

GAH! Look over there! Somebody's doing something I'm not interested in! Rather than stfu I'm going to tell them they're an idiot! Oi, you, Idiot, come back here I want to tell you how wrong you are! Come back...
 

The_Lhc

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Paul Hobbs said:
The_Lhc said:
Oi, you, Idiot, come back here I want to tell you how wrong you are! Come back...

Yep, that sounds about right (sounds remarkably like one of your 'gems') :rofl:

Breaking my self-imposed rule of not replying to you anymore: I would never have started a thread like this in the first place, if I'm not interested in something then I don't see the point in talking about it, which is why you'll generally never see me discussing TVs (I have a TV, so there's no need for to talk about them), or 3D (not interested in it) or CD players (don't have one, never will, nothing to discuss) etc. I don't see why the OP felt the need to start this thread, he's not interested in vinyl, that's fine, his choice, I have no opinion on that, but I don't see the need to criticize the format or people who listen to it just because he personally doesn't "get it".

That's right people, be afraid, *I'm* the voice of reason in this thread! A thread I will no longer be taking part in incidentally.
 

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