Vinyl

[Sgt. Pepper]

uncle fester said:

Vinyl - apologies if it's a naive question, but is there truly anything sonically different from vinyl vs streaming, or is it more the cool factor of having vinyl...  and IMO there is definitely a cool factor there.

I started a new thread to get off the Roth Train. I don't do it for the cool factor. I'm not a 20 something going retro and trying to be hip. I'm 53 and when I started listening to music you had albums, 8-tracks, cassettes and reel to reel (which were expensive). Do I own CD's of course I do.  Do they skip and have hiss, no. but if you have ever heard good quality vinyl on a good quality system your mind may be changed. I recently re-purchased all of the Frank Zappa (that are out, Beatles too) on 180 gram vinyl and when I played Joe's Garage and Over-Nite Sensation I was blown away at how much better it sounded than my compressed CD versions. I have never stopped buying vinyl. I go to used record stores all the time and have been since they went away in the late 80's or early 90's or so when ever it happened. Now it is making a comeback. The artwork is bigger, some had posters and lyrics your could actually see and read, and not just some little 4x4 small package.

It like the Martin/Gibson argument. You like what you like and don't like what you don't. If you only want to stream and listen to CD's that's okay.  

Edited June 30, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

Here is my vinyl.  And a bit of my Fender Jazz Bass. At last count I had close to 1000.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

7 minutes ago, ghost_of_fl said:

There is a reason vinyl has persisted in the digital age.  Like tube amps. 

Right how many sing the praises of SS amps? A few not many.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[merciful-evans]

wow,

I still have mine but they're stashed.

Haven't played em in 40 years!

 

vinyl.... not amps

Edited June 30, 2020 by merciful-evans

[Sgt. Pepper]

3 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

wow,

I still have mine but they're stashed.

Haven't played em in 40 years!

 

vinyl.... not amps

Send them my way I'll treat em nice.

[uncle fester]

Cool, thx.  I appreciate the picture of the sin waves ghost of fl posted on the other thread...  to me that's the best explanation I've seen and helps me put the rest into perspective.

With respect to 'does it make a difference' I think comes down to how much an enthusiast you are and if you're looking for that difference.  If you are, you can find it, and it's probably pretty satisfying, but if not...  then I'm betting the benefits would be lost on you.  Except the cool factor.  Definitely cool.  

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

1 hour ago, uncle fester said:

Cool, thx.  I appreciate the picture of the sin waves ghost of fl posted on the other thread...  to me that's the best explanation I've seen and helps me put the rest into perspective.

With respect to 'does it make a difference' I think comes down to how much an enthusiast you are and if you're looking for that difference.  If you are, you can find it, and it's probably pretty satisfying, but if not...  then I'm betting the benefits would be lost on you.  Except the cool factor.  Definitely cool.  

 

For you J-45 guys do you want to play a J-45 or do you want to play the Chinese Epi equivalent. Nothing wrong with either but I'm sure there's one you'd rather have.

[zigzag]

Yes, Sgt. Pepper's vinyl collection looks very similar to mine. I have 10 and a half Peaches crates, probably 800-1000 records, all from the late '60s to around 1990. Many in the US might remember Peaches Record Store out of Atlanta who supplied peach crates specifically for storing records. All of my vinyl is stored at a friend's house in an AC controlled storage room about 90 miles away, and my hi-fi/turntable is stored with me in an upstairs attic. I just don't have room for it all.

As bad as my hearing is, even hearing aids do not come close to providing me with normal hearing. Digital is adequate for me.

Edited June 30, 2020 by zigzag

[Sgt. Pepper]

40 minutes ago, zigzag said:

Yes, Sgt. Pepper's vinyl collection looks very similar to mine. I have 10 and a half Peaches crates, probably 800-1000 records, all from the late '60s to around 1990. Many in the US might remember Peaches Record Store out of Atlanta who supplied peach crates specifically for storing records. All of my vinyl is stored at a friend's house in an AC controlled storage room about 90 miles away, and my hi-fi/turntable is stored with me in an upstairs attic. I just don't have room for it all.

As bad as my hearing is, even hearing aids do not come close to providing me with normal hearing. Digital is adequate for me.

I've heard about Peaches. I know it's long gone. We had Tower Records by my house, long gone as well.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[brad1]

I haven't counted them in years, but I think it is around 600. Been collecting since age 11. I have some 45s too.  About 25 of those.  About 250 CDs.  And I still have about 75 cassette tapes, and a great tape player.  I have about 6 or 7 tapes with Dead shows recorded on them.

I can hear a difference. Always have been able too. But then my ears are different than most others. I seem to be able to hear things other folks can not.

But for me, it is much more than the music. Each album has it's own story. Where I bought it, what I was doing when I first heard it, or how I felt when I first heard something new or different.

I am also a very sentimental kind of person. So they contain stories and memories of most of my life.

Plus there is some kick *** rock and roll in there!

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by brad1

[Rabs]

There is a huge difference.

Analogue vs Digital...

In saying that Digital formats are getting better all the time.. Theres various HD formats you can download if you have a player than can play them.

A few years back now I was having a sort out of some junk in a cupboard and came across a tape recording of the very first gig I ever played.. I was intrigued so found a tape player (a walkman) and had a listen.. It was the first time in years I had heard a tape through headphones and it totally shocked me.. What I found was that while the recording itself was terrible (was recorded on a crappy old tape/radio player) there was a softness to the sound I had forgotten existed..

When you listen to downloads and even CDs (thats where it started), you totally loose the warmth of sound. Everything sounds sharp and harsh in comparison  to an analogue signal. And especially when listening through headphones.

Thats my experience anyway.

[kelly campbell]

I havent had any vinyl for 35 years but used to have quite a bit..I wonder though how has the quality of the  equipment improved now days?  The old days if you didnt have a really good system you got the popping etc on vinyl..has that gotten better on the lower end systems or do you still have to spend a good amount of money?  Does the average person really hear that much difference?  I dont know just asking the question.  I like both as  they both have advantages.

[kidblast]

I had a pretty good vinyl collection..  Till an air conditioner and the condensation it can create during summer months, unbeknownst to me soaked them,  YES.. I stupidly had them on the floor under the A/C...   I've never forgiven myself for being this stupid.... I tried to save as many as I could but I lost 70% of the collection.  

I never recovered it..  

There's no substitute for what happens when that needle runs through the album's groves.. 

 

[jdgm]

Still got mine though I've been selling a lot of it on Discogs for the last 3 years, have sold maybe....200?

Will eventually sell much more as I still have many favorite albums on CD and LP.  There is always some audible difference in the way the mix is presented on each.    To me, digital has great detail and depth but analog has a stronger kick forward out of the speakers plus a different colouration/warmth.  Like Brad, LPs are the diaries and memories of my life, going to hang onto them a bit longer.  Prices for good condition old LPs are through the roof for names like Hendrix, Zeppelin and Floyd as well as more obscure rock ones. 

Streaming is ok - all down to bit rate.  Sonically different to vinyl.  You could say the "average " person wouldn't hear any difference as they wouldn't be listening for it.  One time a friend played "Dixie Chicken" on MP3 and there was something very flat and lifeless about it to my ears as I knew the album well.  Can I tell the difference with music I haven't heard before?   Not really.  Plus, systems have changed and speakers have become much smaller.  I'm too old for earbuds.

Edited June 30, 2020 by jdgm

[Sgt. Pepper]

A doobie and The White Album and I'm in heaven. The new Giles Martin remixes are fantastic.

[Twang Gang]

I still have my vinyl collection which started in the sixties, and I have a decent turntable, amp, and speaker system.  Not great stuff, but adequate.  My question is where can I get a good cartridge and needle for a 45 year old turntable?  There have to be some online sellers for that stuff, but I could use a start in the right direction.  Thanks.

[Sgt. Pepper]

3 minutes ago, Twang Gang said:

I still have my vinyl collection which started in the sixties, and I have a decent turntable, amp, and speaker system.  Not great stuff, but adequate.  My question is where can I get a good cartridge and needle for a 45 year old turntable?  There have to be some online sellers for that stuff, but I could use a start in the right direction.  Thanks.

Audio Technica cartridges are good at a decent prices. It's like guitars. You can spend a little or alot.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

I got Fripp and Eno - No P-ussyfooting, and Todd Rundgren - Todd, Hermit and A Wizard the other day on 180 gram vinyl. Muy Bueno.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper