I don't know... I'm a fan of vinyl myself. But there is a bit of maintenance and cleaning involved.
I think most people could get their phone out of their pocket and click on their favourite playlist within a number of seconds. ( and that includes connecting the Bluetooth thing to the stereo ).
What I can't argue is that it won't sound awful coming from a smartphone
I have my entire cd collection on my PC which is fine, but I think iPods are now only just able to hold all of it in one go. Not sure about top end phones doing same...but certainly budget smart phones are too limited on capacity. It's still a hassle to copy music to different devices as well.
Vinyl never went out of fashion in my house. The VAST majority of my 'hardcopy' music is on vinyl, and gets played regularly
Since about 1990-ish, there hasn't been a great deal that I've liked enough to buy an album, so in my collection, vinyl albums outnumber CDs by well over 10 to 1.
I thought it was great in the late 80s, when people were mostly changing over to CDs, and getting rid of vinyl for next to nothing - I bought heaps of older stuff, ridiculously cheaply, from car boot sales.
Vinyl can often sound better for various reasons, CDs can be simply badly mastered, or over processed, changing them from how they sounded originally, or have too much compression applied.
This sort of thing would only matter to hardcore audiophiles, who I find to be a tiresome bunch and sometimes even a bit deluded and arrogant, personally.
I have a record player that only cost about £60. It is in a lovely retro style and sounds great to my ears. I'm sure most regular people would have no complaints either.
This sort of thing would only matter to hardcore audiophiles, who I find to be a tiresome bunch and sometimes even a bit deluded and arrogant, personally.
I have a record player that only cost about £60. It is in a lovely retro style and sounds great to my ears. I'm sure most regular people would have no complaints either.
Well, it's not the sort of money I would spend. For 20-50k (for the sake of argument) I'd rather spend the money on something else, or obviously a much cheaper setup.
My daughter loves vinyl (or records as I call them) and has built up a collection although the price of some of them is shocking! She has thousands of songs on her Ipod and phone but I think she likes the records as she actually "has" them if you know what I mean. Flicking through the songs on her Ipod isn't the same as flicking through the albums on her shelf.
I grew up with cassettes and records, but I'll stick with digital thanks. With analogue I always feel a slight tension that something is going to go wrong, but with digital you know it's going to play all the way through without a sudden dropout, pops and clicks, distortion, hiss etc.
I enjoy my music just as much on the PC, mp3 player, phone with reasonable earbuds. It still surprises me just how good vinyl and cassettes can sound, but I can digitise that and capture the same quality and it's so much more convenient. I can hear mp3 sounding lousy at low bit rates, but with the right LAME settings I simply can't tell the difference from the source WAV. I'm delighted with the state of music tech at the moment.
Well, it's not the sort of money I would spend. For 20-50k (for the sake of argument) I'd rather spend the money on something else, or obviously a much cheaper setup.
I suppose everyone has things they do that seem crazy to the rest of us. I would say I'm obsessed with music but audiophiles take their obsession to rather bizarre levels imho.
I grew up with cassettes and records, but I'll stick with digital thanks. With analogue I always feel a slight tension that something is going to go wrong, but with digital you know it's going to play all the way through without a sudden dropout, pops and clicks, distortion, hiss etc.
I enjoy my music just as much on the PC, mp3 player, phone with reasonable earbuds. It still surprises me just how good vinyl and cassettes can sound, but I can digitise that and capture the same quality and it's so much more convenient. I can hear mp3 sounding lousy at low bit rates, but with the right LAME settings I simply can't tell the difference from the source WAV. I'm delighted with the state of music tech at the moment.
There does seem to be a healthy market for good quality entry-level turntables. Even Richer Sounds sells Project turntables and has a tie-in with HMV so you can get £10 discount on a turntable when you buy a vinyl album.
On the other hand, there's a famous London hi-fi shop I walk past every so often. One day I went in and asked if they could recommend me some new speakers. The salesman basically told me I couldn't afford anything they sell. He said the British aren't interested in hi-fi and their customers are all wealthy Russians. So I left. Shortly afterwards the shop announced that it's closing down.
I think it's like the current craze for craft beer. Many people are happy to drink mass-produced lager and don't see the point of paying extra for craft beer. But some prefer the taste of specialist beers in the same way that others prefer the sound of vinyl. There's an element of fashion and pretentiousness in their appeal but when the hype dies down, some people will still choose to pay a bit more for beer that tastes better and music that sounds better. But people charging silly money will find there aren't enough suckers out there to pay the rent.
I'm afraid my memories of vinyl and the equipment required to play the discs are largely negative.
I and some of my friends must have spent a small fortune on numerous turntables, arms and magnetic cartridges in the 1970s in an attempt to minimise distortion, rumble and other annoying noises which plagued vinyl playback.
Then suddenly along came CDs which brought what I considered to be a massive improvement in overall sound quality along with a staggering dynamic range.
It's true that many CDs nowadays are over compressed and can sound really bad but surely that's a production problem. The medium itself is remarkably transparent and capable of fantastic results when it's done properly.
Wish i'd kept my hifi, wish cds hadnt come out. I bought one of the first cd players which were awful sounding .
Records had a better sound, more listenable. not harsh at all. More detail to in the midrange and better bass. My CD player now hasnt much bass at all. And its a good one
The main problem with vinyl is that you need some serious serious equipment to get the best out of it.
And the cost can be very high, we are talking about Krell and Michell here for example.
[snipped]
Not necessarily. My husband does spoil himself by having a Thorens*, but he always advises that one should build gradually. Build your collection gradually. Build your knowledge gradually. Build your preferences gradually. Etc.
For that to happen, it's best to go with a budget- or entry-level player and speakers to begin with.
It won't hurt your wallet so much if you build gradually. Otherwise you'd have spent too money on something you won't enjoy or use much.
*Let's be honest, he wouldn't have that if it wasn't for our savings meant for our kids' university education. This was done without my knowledge, too. Unsurprisingly, it didn't go down well when I found out roughly a year later.
*Let's be honest, he wouldn't have that if it wasn't for our savings meant for our kids' university tuition fees. This was done without my knowledge, too.
That's shocking! I can't believe the immaturity and selfieshness of some.
Never having grown up with vinyl it's not really for me but I'm not sure it ever went away. I admit it sounds better but guess it depends upon whether listeners value warmth and character of sound quality over convenience and ease of use.
That's shocking! I can't believe the immaturity and selfieshness of some.
Hope you gave him what for and then some, Takae.
Heh. I wasn't that surprised, to be honest, because he did amazingly well in keeping his indulgence at bay for our kids. Well, at least until he cracked that time. He'd have at least five high-end players and god knows what else if we didn't have them.
Heh. I wasn't that surprised, to be honest, because he did amazingly well in keeping his indulgence at bay for our kids. Well, at least until he cracked that time. He'd have at least five high-end players and god knows what else if we didn't have them.
This is a why I have thousands of records stored in my inlaws garage. When I changed to a digital set-up, I just couldn't give up my collection. I suspected vinyl would never completely disappear.
Whilst digital music is quick, cheap and more portable, it can never better vinyl. For me, clicking "buy" on my Mac doesn't come close to the days when I'd hop into central London to buy some tunes - those rare promos/white label finds, crate digging at Greenwich Market, listening to a stack of 12"s down Blackmarket Records, etc. - you felt more emotionally involved in the purchase. Today though, it's just too clinical and whilst I can bring just a USB stick or laptop out to DJ, I have found memories of dragging two or three heavy record boxes out with me.....or the days when bringing your own decks, etc. was needed. DJing on vinyl requires more skill, too.....and on that note, if I may, a bit of shameless self-promotion; https://www.mixcloud.com/ElectroGrooveMonkey/live-at-the-ministry-of-sound-november-2000/
Yes the days of my youth, going into London on a Saturday to see what new 12" imports they had in. I too have kept my vinyl collection purely for sentimental reasons though I live in hope some might be worth a few bob one day.
I live in hope some might be worth a few bob one day.
I have two records I paid a pretty penny for a few years ago that have now skyrocketed in value because the artist made a big comeback last year. I'd never sell them but I do feel a tiny bit smug it has to be said!
I have two records I paid a pretty penny for a few years ago that have now skyrocketed in value because the artist made a big comeback last year. I'd never sell them but I do feel a tiny bit smug it has to be said!
I spent upwards of £50 on some official (i.e. not promos) singles and EPs, some of which won't ever be pressed again - I won't sell them either but I'm sure they would have increased in value by a fair bit.
Vinyl can often sound better for various reasons, CDs can be simply badly mastered, or over processed, changing them from how they sounded originally, or have too much compression applied.
This exactly. Modern rock/pop CDs especially are often mastered to sound as loud as possible. The music is all compressed to maximum volume, robbing it of its dynamic range (this is sometimes called 'brickwall' mastering). The worst offenders are the Oasis CDs of the 90s and other such stuff. The music sounds mushy, because it can't switch between quiet and loud, its all just loud!
So what about vinyl? Well, you can't apply the same EQ to a record pressing as a CD. The record wouldn't track well, so the record producers can't brickwall it as much.
Just type in 'loudness wars' into youtube, there's loads of great videos showing how the sound quality of digital releases has slumped into decline.
Records these days will always remain a niche market. People aren't even playing their new records, they just collect them for nostalgic reasons. Records today are too damn expensive!
How many of you realise that your records of today aren't even proper analogue. It's all transferred from the digital masters. You are buying a CD in the guise of a record. You have to go and look for second-hand records from yesteryear which will of course be well worn and not as good as new. No thanks,.too much hassle.
I own a reasonable hi-fi set-up but I only play CDs. I had tons of records in the 1970s and early 80s and quite frankly, I'm glad to see the back of them. In other words, I've been there, seen it, done it and got the t/shirt. They start to become cumbersome as the collection grows.
When CDs came along it was like a revelation. Crystal clear sound with great dynamic range. No more hissing, rumble, scratches pops and crackles.
No more cleaning of the record for dust and finger marks and heaven forbid one of your records is slightly warped and every time you place the stylus on the record you are wearing the grooves down with each successive playing. None of these problems with CDs.
CDs are tiny compared to the monster 12 inch black plastic records and so much easier to move around and store.
Comments
I have my entire cd collection on my PC which is fine, but I think iPods are now only just able to hold all of it in one go. Not sure about top end phones doing same...but certainly budget smart phones are too limited on capacity. It's still a hassle to copy music to different devices as well.
Since about 1990-ish, there hasn't been a great deal that I've liked enough to buy an album, so in my collection, vinyl albums outnumber CDs by well over 10 to 1.
I thought it was great in the late 80s, when people were mostly changing over to CDs, and getting rid of vinyl for next to nothing - I bought heaps of older stuff, ridiculously cheaply, from car boot sales.
Oh yes. We're talking lottery money here for some of the equipment I've listed.
But you could get yourself a Rega Planar 3 as the turntable, plus a mid range amp and speakers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rega_Planar_3
This sort of thing would only matter to hardcore audiophiles, who I find to be a tiresome bunch and sometimes even a bit deluded and arrogant, personally.
I have a record player that only cost about £60. It is in a lovely retro style and sounds great to my ears. I'm sure most regular people would have no complaints either.
Well, it's not the sort of money I would spend. For 20-50k (for the sake of argument) I'd rather spend the money on something else, or obviously a much cheaper setup.
I enjoy my music just as much on the PC, mp3 player, phone with reasonable earbuds. It still surprises me just how good vinyl and cassettes can sound, but I can digitise that and capture the same quality and it's so much more convenient. I can hear mp3 sounding lousy at low bit rates, but with the right LAME settings I simply can't tell the difference from the source WAV. I'm delighted with the state of music tech at the moment.
I suppose everyone has things they do that seem crazy to the rest of us. I would say I'm obsessed with music but audiophiles take their obsession to rather bizarre levels imho.
You could also record stuff using FLAC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC
On the other hand, there's a famous London hi-fi shop I walk past every so often. One day I went in and asked if they could recommend me some new speakers. The salesman basically told me I couldn't afford anything they sell. He said the British aren't interested in hi-fi and their customers are all wealthy Russians. So I left. Shortly afterwards the shop announced that it's closing down.
I think it's like the current craze for craft beer. Many people are happy to drink mass-produced lager and don't see the point of paying extra for craft beer. But some prefer the taste of specialist beers in the same way that others prefer the sound of vinyl. There's an element of fashion and pretentiousness in their appeal but when the hype dies down, some people will still choose to pay a bit more for beer that tastes better and music that sounds better. But people charging silly money will find there aren't enough suckers out there to pay the rent.
I and some of my friends must have spent a small fortune on numerous turntables, arms and magnetic cartridges in the 1970s in an attempt to minimise distortion, rumble and other annoying noises which plagued vinyl playback.
Then suddenly along came CDs which brought what I considered to be a massive improvement in overall sound quality along with a staggering dynamic range.
It's true that many CDs nowadays are over compressed and can sound really bad but surely that's a production problem. The medium itself is remarkably transparent and capable of fantastic results when it's done properly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsHWeSYd8R8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzr55Bvrt-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiDbkaaF_k4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAW-6nijoVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3mqNbgXxXE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiJzLfxWooo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-TxIs7K_14
Records had a better sound, more listenable. not harsh at all. More detail to in the midrange and better bass. My CD player now hasnt much bass at all. And its a good one
Not necessarily. My husband does spoil himself by having a Thorens*, but he always advises that one should build gradually. Build your collection gradually. Build your knowledge gradually. Build your preferences gradually. Etc.
For that to happen, it's best to go with a budget- or entry-level player and speakers to begin with.
It won't hurt your wallet so much if you build gradually. Otherwise you'd have spent too money on something you won't enjoy or use much.
*Let's be honest, he wouldn't have that if it wasn't for our savings meant for our kids' university education. This was done without my knowledge, too. Unsurprisingly, it didn't go down well when I found out roughly a year later.
That's shocking! I can't believe the immaturity and selfieshness of some.
Hope you gave him what for and then some, Takae.
Heh. I wasn't that surprised, to be honest, because he did amazingly well in keeping his indulgence at bay for our kids. Well, at least until he cracked that time. He'd have at least five high-end players and god knows what else if we didn't have them.
You have so much more patience than I do.
Whilst digital music is quick, cheap and more portable, it can never better vinyl. For me, clicking "buy" on my Mac doesn't come close to the days when I'd hop into central London to buy some tunes - those rare promos/white label finds, crate digging at Greenwich Market, listening to a stack of 12"s down Blackmarket Records, etc. - you felt more emotionally involved in the purchase. Today though, it's just too clinical and whilst I can bring just a USB stick or laptop out to DJ, I have found memories of dragging two or three heavy record boxes out with me.....or the days when bringing your own decks, etc. was needed. DJing on vinyl requires more skill, too.....and on that note, if I may, a bit of shameless self-promotion; https://www.mixcloud.com/ElectroGrooveMonkey/live-at-the-ministry-of-sound-november-2000/
I have two records I paid a pretty penny for a few years ago that have now skyrocketed in value because the artist made a big comeback last year. I'd never sell them but I do feel a tiny bit smug it has to be said!
I spent upwards of £50 on some official (i.e. not promos) singles and EPs, some of which won't ever be pressed again - I won't sell them either but I'm sure they would have increased in value by a fair bit.
This exactly. Modern rock/pop CDs especially are often mastered to sound as loud as possible. The music is all compressed to maximum volume, robbing it of its dynamic range (this is sometimes called 'brickwall' mastering). The worst offenders are the Oasis CDs of the 90s and other such stuff. The music sounds mushy, because it can't switch between quiet and loud, its all just loud!
So what about vinyl? Well, you can't apply the same EQ to a record pressing as a CD. The record wouldn't track well, so the record producers can't brickwall it as much.
Just type in 'loudness wars' into youtube, there's loads of great videos showing how the sound quality of digital releases has slumped into decline.
How many of you realise that your records of today aren't even proper analogue. It's all transferred from the digital masters. You are buying a CD in the guise of a record. You have to go and look for second-hand records from yesteryear which will of course be well worn and not as good as new. No thanks,.too much hassle.
I own a reasonable hi-fi set-up but I only play CDs. I had tons of records in the 1970s and early 80s and quite frankly, I'm glad to see the back of them. In other words, I've been there, seen it, done it and got the t/shirt. They start to become cumbersome as the collection grows.
When CDs came along it was like a revelation. Crystal clear sound with great dynamic range. No more hissing, rumble, scratches pops and crackles.
No more cleaning of the record for dust and finger marks and heaven forbid one of your records is slightly warped and every time you place the stylus on the record you are wearing the grooves down with each successive playing. None of these problems with CDs.
CDs are tiny compared to the monster 12 inch black plastic records and so much easier to move around and store.