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Do you think that vinyl is making a comeback?

#41
Regardless of trends or 'comeback' status, vinyl records are alive and well in our home. Still have the same turntable I used in high school, it plays and sounds as good as ever.

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-7.shtml

For those of you who don't have phono inputs on you audio system and want to buy a conventional (non-usb) turntable, here is a phono preamp that sounds great:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#42
Some might ask, why would you need a phono preamp? Because a turntable doesn't sound right when you hook it up to line inputs. Info in RIAA equalization, which is a form of recorded pre-emphasis, and playback de-emphasis used on vinyl records (or 'encode / decode' of you prefer).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_equalization

The Discwasher has been an industry standard for cleaning vinyl records, here is a modern version available for purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/DISCWASHER-D4-Record-Cleaning-System/dp/B000000X4N

Edit : I read reviews on the new discwasher version... oops, seems they don't make 'em like they used to :(
 
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#45
I grew up with vinyl and cassettes, and would love to see vinyl making a comeback. My turntable and vinyl collection are long since gone, but it's definitely something that I would consider collecting again.

Nothing can match vinyl and the amount and size of the artwork that comes with it and the time you can spend pouring over it all.
I also love the cardboard sleeves and inner paper one, the way they feel and smell when you remove the vinyl. The whole aesthetic experience far outweighs that of cd's and digital downloads (which are my least favourite), in my opinion.

I don't see cd's being replaced completely. Lots of people prefer holding the piece of work in their hands, being able to study the art and text, and wouldn't like them to disappear.

It's great to be able to buy bands' cd's after their gigs and I hope that vinyl will become more of an addition to merch. Another reason for both mediums not to be taken over by digital downloads.
 
#46
Got a new turntable for Christmas and finally got to listen to some records in my collection that I never heard before. I’m really looking forward to buy some new stuff on vinyl again.

I really regret that I sold all my Slayer records and lots of other stuff back in the 90s.
 
#47
i try to buy "new" music on vinyl, and i sell more and more turntables, especially usb ones at work every week. my cd player just died so i'm having an enforced vinyl binge, and it's wicked. the whole vinyl revival could well just be a fashion thing, especially among younger people, but as long as i can get my hands on all those limited edition coloured splatter pressings, i don't mind. i grew up with vinyl, jeff wayne's war of the worlds and the wonderful inlay art is one of the overriding memories of my childhood, so i guess it comforts me in some kind of bizarre way.
 
#48
Vinyl's just crazy. If there's a move to vinyl, it's absolutely nothing but a last gasp anti-"pirating" marketing strategy to make music a physical commodity to be physically purchased and carried home again. Welcome to 1973. :scowl:

Like anyone's going to fall for that. :rolleyes:

Whatever you think about real or imaginary differences with vinyl, that physical commodification ploy is what this is actually about. Anything else is smokescreen. I mean, think about it -- who benefits most?

Listen, I remember vinyl from the first time around: It was absolutely horrible. I was doing broadcasting in NYC at the end of the vinyl era and the biggest hassle we faced was having records that would even play, straight out of the new sleeve, and that was using broadcast promos that presumably were less degraded pressings. The stuff in the stores was just atrocious. I grew to detest vinyl for its archaic limitations, noise, degradability and fragility. :spit:

Give me ones and zeroes any day.
 
#49
I was going to go back to vinyl but due to portability issues, I'm just going to take my walkman back out and dust off my casettes. Then I'm gonna toss out my HD Tv and get a 13" black and white since the Honeymooners look the same anyway...:rolleyes:
 
#50
I still buy records once in a while. certain genres i think sound cooler on vinyl like older reggae and country like Chet Atkins. I read an article in Wired that talked about the rise in vinyl sales and a decline in cd's. Im surprised DVD audio isnt bigger. I would love to hear more albums mixed in surround sound, its like opening a whole new 3D pallet of panning creativity for engineers. oh well
 
#52
Why don't "they" introduce a better version of vinyl? Or something similar. I'm 16 and absolutely hate digital music downloads. I don't buy vinyl simply because I don't have a vinyl player and I'd rather carry all my music on my iPod anyway but I do only buy the physical copy of music.

I'd love to see another format introduced that I can physically buy that gives superior sound quality, reliability, lovely album artwork etc all in one. Maybe I should keep dreaming?
 
#53
jdieh1 said:
Why don't "they" introduce a better version of vinyl? Or something similar. I'm 16 and absolutely hate digital music downloads. I don't buy vinyl simply because I don't have a vinyl player and I'd rather carry all my music on my iPod anyway but I do only buy the physical copy of music.

I'd love to see another format introduced that I can physically buy that gives superior sound quality, reliability, lovely album artwork etc all in one. Maybe I should keep dreaming?
Click to expand...

I always thought the way forward for vinyl was laser turntables - combining the best of analogue and digital technology. No wear on the record from the stylus, either. They never caught on though, mostly due to the the exorbitant price and the lack of manufacturers making them (as far as I know, ELP make the only one at the moment - Invalid Link Removed). I heard a demo of the ELP machine a few years back, and it sounded better than any CD, and I've heard some seriously high-end CD gear in my time.
 
#56
I enjoy listenning to vinyl, and recently got a quality USB out turntable and the results are pretty good migrating my old vinyl to digital (and I clean up the clicks and nonsense and sample high rates going in) for archiving, but I do not think general purpose consumer-grade release vinyl of old is making any sort of comeback nor will it... but nostalgia oft prevails, and due to the bankability & buzzworthiness, "Collector grade" vinyl is having a bit of a renaissance, with alot of labels cashing in on giving the quasi audiophile set to chirp on, buying more recent offerings on heavy weight 180-200 gram pressings just to seem "in the know". It's a fad, imo. I don't buy into the hype, but look forward to hearing how, say, OK Computer sounds in this format...(a family member ordered it for me for x-mas, I have yet to recieve it) But yeah, the prices are ridiculous for some of the remasters.

I do a little turntablism (I'm downright dreadful, to be honest) but prefer the convenience of my Pioneer CD turntable over ruining true vinyl. But I'm no purist.
 
#58
Ahh, yes, vinyl records...

Snap, crackle and pop sounds. Plus, all the surface noise (whooshing sound).

Warped records - Watch those woofers (and subwoofers) slam back and forth reproducing infrasonic signals. Don't forget about all the power those signals suck out of the amplifiers.

Dirty surfaces - Where's the Discwasher? Whoops, have to clean the stylus, too!

Static charges - More snap, crackle and pop sounds.

UGH!!! I was so happy when the Compact Disc format hit the market. Albums like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" never sounded better. The quiet passages were no longer superceded by all the noise. The dynamic range was like never heard before in a residential setting. Plus, the CD could be played over and over again without wear from reading it.

I sold my turntable and record collection over 10 years ago. Never once have I regretted that decision.
 
#60
The "Red Book" format used on Compact Discs is NOT compressed. However, if the source master is in a compressed format then that's where the loss occurs, not on the CD itself. Likewise, if someone burns an audio CD from those crapped, highly compressed online music downloads, then the CD will sound no better, no worse.

lawsonman said:
I still prefer the sound of analog recordings over the compressed CD sound.
Click to expand...
 

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