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Can anyone explain the vinyl renaissance?

Of course, the levels on streaming services are normalised using EBU R128, so the music providers can't "game" the service through releasing ever more louder / compressed versions.
Is volume usually normalised by default? With Apple Music, I’m pretty sure sound check is disabled by default. And lowering the level to -16 LUFSi or whatever it is dosen’t fix all the issues with bricked mastering. But that’s fine. Stereo streaming is sometimes mastered for listening in the car and other noisy environments, etc.. OK then. Digital versions offered as an alternative to that seems to be spatial audio. I’d suggest LPs with better mastering can often be an alternative too, but the consensus seems to be forming here that sound quality isn’t a factor in the continued interest in LPs. And the only data I have to contradict that consensus is subjective and anecdotal.
 
That is exactly what I do with my vinyl records. Once digitized I never play back the record. I also remove all clicks/pops, the surface noise and eq it with Izotope RX and Ozone. However, I don’t treasure my vinyl. Once digitized I view it as a sunk cost.

As my longtime vinyl enthusiast pal says:

If you’re digitizing your vinyl, you’ve given up.

:/)
 
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I think vinyl is like Rolex watches. It allows for unlimited cost in pursuing mechanical perfection. It’s a status thing.

The vast majority of people buying records are not pursuing mechanical perfection.

That’s a niche audiophile thing.

And even though I myself bought an expensive turntable both on its looks and on its performance, at least when I got into it, it had nothing to do with seeking status. Nobody I know cared that I owned it turntable or what kind of turntable. It was entirely to please myself. Same with my stereo system. I bought my loudspeakers based both on performance and looks. Because I am going to be the one listening to them and looking at them.
 
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So, the pinnacle of what a record can do is NOT an answer to the OP's question.
Not a person on here is debating that. We all know digital is the superior format, but just because it’s the better format does not necessarily it contains the best content.
 
And that is their choice. Do you understand what I am saying? I am not trying to take that choice away from them.

You are repeating back to me what I already stated minus the part where vinyl sales are increasing - so no the point is not moot.
Vinyl sales and CD sales are both a drop in the bucket though. Its for the most part a few diehards, old guys like most of us in here, and trendy to somewhat younger people.

The thing is, as much as I "wish" it was all back, CD and Vinyl are NOT what 98% of normal people that just want to hear music are buying.
Its a fringe thing now.

(( Im not against what you are saying but anything Physical, is just wishful thinking now))
 
As my longtime vinyl enthusiast pal says:

If you’re digitizing your vinyl, you’ve given up.

:/)
I have given up on the vinyl format. If I had the option to purchase a digital version of the vinyl-optimized master—potentially with additional benefits due to the superior capabilities of digital—I would definitely choose that. Unfortunately, that option isn't available, so I'm left with vinyl.
 
I know and have already mentioned that:



We really need to get a common understanding of what is being said, or we will keep repeating the same things….oh wait 531 pages;).
I'm not aware of anything new posted to this thread in the previous 311 pages. :p
 
Classical records from the "Golden Age" (1950s-1960s) deployed gain riding - an assistant engineer following the musical score and adjusting level to keep the signal level above the noise floor and below clipping. That's never considered a distortion, though it can be a more severe form of limiting than electronic/digital limiting.
Gain riding a more severe form of limiting? How? Even flicking the fader fast is still much slower than the attack and release speed of a limiter. It’s the speed of the gain change that distorts the signal. Gain riding is more similar to a opto compressor.

I agree with you if your point is that (some) limiters are designed to sound transparent despite cutting a lot of dB’s off, whereas gain riding has more audible tells.

Of course, the levels on streaming services are normalised using EBU R128, so the music providers can't "game" the service through releasing ever more louder / compressed versions.
The “gaming” (getting records as loud as possible) is shifting from the mastering stage to the production stage. There’s more influence there over the perceived loudness vs EBU R128 measured loudness.

Is volume usually normalised by default?
Yes for Apple Music and Spotify
 
Gain riding a more severe form of limiting? How? Even flicking the fader fast is still much slower than the attack and release speed of a limiter. It’s the speed of the gain change that distorts the signal. Gain riding is more similar to a opto compressor.

I agree with you if your point is that (some) limiters are designed to sound transparent despite cutting a lot of dB’s off, whereas gain riding has more audible tells.
Gain riding can have more audible tells. Limiting can be very useful with keeping peak levels of percussion "in bounds".
 
Ok, can you point me to that?
This report is from 2022; page 22 (page 17 of the PDF) has the top reasons people gave for buying vinyl. They only print the top six answers and sound quality didn’t make the cut.


There was another survey done in 2022 by MusicWatch, but the full report is $995 and I’m not invested enough in the debate to pony up for it. Their synopsis doesn’t provide a ranking of reasons, but does mention that people who’ve been buying records for more than ten years (42% of responders) do indicate that the sound of vinyl is among those reasons, while the 58% who started buying more recently are more drawn to the physical object itself, the artwork, supporting the artists, etc.

 
Thanks will see if I can find a copy for cheap, mostly for interest.

A vinyl record I personally would like to see measured is the new album Rack by The Jesus Lizard, one of my favorite bands.

The digital release is unfortunately crushed hard in mastering to DR5, which is of course totally unnecessary as their type of music will hardly compete on the top charts, even though it was the number 14 most-selling vinyl, at least for a week.
When a somewhat odd noise rock band like The Jesus Lizard takes one of the top spot in a vinyl selling chart, it tells me that the overall number of vinyl records sold must be fairly low. :)

I was really close to buy a turntable just for this album. But when I was at my local HiFi store to buy it the store owner stopped me saying that the Planar 3 would never match the sound quality of my Linn Akurate DSM streamer, so I changed my mind. :D

If you ever get the idea of buying this record on vinyl, please let me know how it measures. ;)

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I will give this a try.

PS Are you back from vacation or still enjoying the sun?

Yes, try it out.

I will go home tonight from the nice weather in Thailand. I have been here since December 12, so it will be hard to get back to the cold winter in Sweden (but it will be unusually “hot” for this time of year with +5°C tomorrow). :)
 
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This report is from 2022; page 22 (page 17 of the PDF) has the top reasons people gave for buying vinyl. They only print the top six answers and sound quality didn’t make the cut.


Thanks for the report, was an interesting read. Of the top six 1, 3 and 5 apply to me but not in those orders.

There was another survey done in 2022 by MusicWatch, but the full report is $995 and I’m not invested enough in the debate to pony up for it.
Don’t blame you, neither would I.

Their synopsis doesn’t provide a ranking of reasons, but does mention that people who’ve been buying records for more than ten years (42% of responders) do indicate that the sound of vinyl is among those reasons, while the 58% who started buying more recently are more drawn to the physical object itself, the artwork, supporting the artists, etc.

So others like me do exist - 42%. Given the small vinyl sales number, that likely amounts to around 27 individuals.

(yes, I made that up):p
 
The key benefit Vinyl and tape had for me was that it 'encouraged' me to listen to a full side of an LP rather than track skip.
I suspect that you know why :0)

I do still have a vinyl playback facility, but I would have to hoof it over to the rest of the stereo and reconnect it to listen to it, which I do once every couple of years to see if it is still working!
 
I was really close to buy a turntable just for this album. But when I was at my local HiFi store to buy it the store owner stopped me saying that the Planar 3 would never match the sound quality of my Linn Akurate DSM streamer, so I changed my mind. :D
I had 2 full and different turntable systems. Had because one TT recently died. That one was my first record player from the early 80s and it is much cheaper than my current turntable. I ripped an album using both to gauge the difference so years ago. I will send you a samples from both to judge the difference.
If you ever get the idea of buying this record on vinyl, please let me know how it measures. ;)
Let me take a listen and if I like it, I will buy it and measure it. :)
I have been here since December 12, so it will be hard to get back to the cold winter in Sweden (but it will be unusually “hot” for this time of year with +5°C tomorrow). :)
Wow, it’s practically summer! Who says global warming is fake news...
 
Gain riding can have more audible tells. Limiting can be very useful with keeping peak levels of percussion "in bounds".
The classical that I find to have a somewhat limited DR, seems to be a lot of the old RCA Living Stereo stuff.
I mean it sounds good in a way, especially for the time period, but with somewhat limited range.

I think that is part of the reason, some love those so much.
 
Well, long thread and I will admit I didn't go through a lot of it.

I also can't speak for others with the "vinyl revival", I can only speak for myself.

A lot of my vinyl I have from when I was growing up. Some of it is new (or newer).

Honestly, I enjoy trying to get the most out of the format while always expecting to have "artifacts" in the playback. It's kind of like challenging myself to get it as good as I can, without going overboard on the money side of the house. I don't think I have much more than 2500-3000 grand in all my equipment, including the Sansui 8080DB. I'm a DIY-er (in all things) and enjoy learning new skills, so I buy things "not working" and fix them. I'd rather spend money on tools and equipment and learn how to do it myself rather than give someone that "tool money" to do it for me. It's just the way I've always been.

I'm also a RUSH fan. Have been since I was 9 years old in 1974. Started collection them and it was vinyl back then. Bought the first album at the local record store in 74 with "chores" money. Just sort of carried on the trend with the band. I also enjoy the artwork and reading the inserts. My aging eyes sure appreciate the larger format of vinyl album jackets for looking over compared to those (increasingly) "tiny" CD inserts......:rolleyes:


Made a wall display of most of their stuff:

fr_6.jpg


fr_5.jpg


I also enjoy rebuilding the mechanically operated Dual tables and woodworking, so it's that for me too. I was a auto technician, an aviation technician, a flight engineer and ended off my working career in SAR on Helos. I dig anything mechanical and enjoy learning the "electronic" side of the house as well. welding, fabricating. machining, paint bodywork, upholstery...all of it. Machines are fun for me, it's just my natural gift.

It's all just a bit of fun really. I like to be challenged and learn. At least it is fun for me.

Now, the younger generation (s)? Don't know why they're getting into vinyl. Trendy maybe? To be different maybe? Maybe remember parents with turntables?

Dunno....I'm glad they are though. Makes it easier for me to indulge my own....errr..."eccentricities"...;)
 
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Sure looks like you’re having fun!

I'm also a RUSH fan. Have been since I was 9 years old in 1974. Started collection them and it was vinyl back then. Bought the first album at the local record store in 74 with "chores" money. Just sort of carried on the trend with the band.

Same here (I’m a Canuck). Huge fan, I saw them in concert a number of times starting with the hemispheres tour. I was one of those who got off the Rush train after signals, after which for me, they lost their songwriting Mojo.

I’ve been listening to the CDs of their albums on and off for decades, though not as a fanatical fan would at that point. One of the things I really enjoyed when I got back into records with picking up the wonderful remastered vinyl releases of their albums. They sound amazing and frankly to seem to sort of blast through the speakers with more energy than the CD versions did. Getting the LPs actually got me back pretty heavily into rush, which was a blast.
 
Another example of a good reason for me to keep vinyl playback around is on the way from France this evening: the 4X LP version Taucher's album "Ebbe & Flut".

It isn't the same as the 2X CD version that came out at the same time. The streaming version on e.g. Apple Music is missing a key 12+ minute track and has track lengths up to a couple of minutes shorter than the same titles on the LP.

The streaming version seems to be based on the CD release if track lengths are anything to go by, but there are differences even there. The takeaway is that the only way to get a decent quality version of what was released on LP is to get the LP.
 
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