Personally, I'd like a home for technical discussion on analog sources. Vinyl is plagued with just as much BS as the rest of audio, and it'd be good for there to be a place where the real technical aspects can be discussed. This doesn't work well on most other forums as most of the membership doesn't understand it or isn't interested in it, and when there's an issue the moderators really aren't equipped to navigate it. While presently a minority, there are some folks that are open to learning; It's a gateway.
On the other hand, I've pretty much written-off ASR as the home for analog technical discussions, which is a shame as a good number of the technical members here do have a lot they could share. The Biff Tanner welcoming duo pretty much makes it a non-starter, which seems to be their intended purpose. Call me funny, but I just don't think a 2x4 to the forehead of 'vinyl is bad and you're an idiot for listening to it' is all that welcoming, regardless of how open-minded a person may ultimately be. As a person who understands the shortcomings of the format, the delivery is so obtuse and ignorant that it thwarts my desire to participate.
I would like to see that as well.
We have had some excellent threads in which your contributions have been integral, and it does get old when our standard handful of 'Vinyl Sucks' members feel the need to take a big stinky dump in the middle of what is an otherwise evidence based, enjoyable discussion.
Dealing with new members who show up and act a certain way is one thing, dealing with our 'OG' members is another. For those who have been part of this place from near the beginning we (admins) tend to view them as effectively having Tenure, and are very reluctant to get involved. I don't want my job to be looking after our members with thousands of posts, but I also don't want anyone to feel discouraged from exploring what is certainly a significant part of the hi-fi world.
I like playing records. I know the limitations.
I would like there to be an evidence based place to learn more about how to work with those limitations without being castigated for enjoying an outdated format, so if you are all up for it, so am I. If I have to buck up and have a private word with a member or two so we can try to get this working a little better, I can manage that. For those of you who tend to be swinging that 2x4 @JP mentioned, maybe ease up.
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