Can anyone explain the vinyl renaissance?

[Sal1950]

I'm trying to practice some chord progression on my piano
and you guys are messin up my whole afternoon. LOL

 

[MattHooper]

That sounds great. I miss my days as (an amateur) musician.

I've had too much time on my hands lately - between sound gigs - but about to start on a feature film again so, mercifully, I won't be polluting this place as much. Time to give the server a break.

 

[Sal1950]

Because, as we've gone through before, that's just one concept of "Hi-Fi" but more important: I see this forum's main objective as producing "Accurate Knowledge Of Audio Gear" rather than enforcing a more strict "Devotion To A Specific Notion Of Hi-Fi."

That is exactly where you run off the tracks.
There is only ONE ideal for Hi Fi, that's High Fidelity To The Source.
Anything else is pursuing a path to a subjective preference.
That,s what Mikey teaches at Stereophile.

 

[Sal1950]

That sounds great. I miss my days as (an amateur) musician.

I've had too much time on my hands lately - between sound gigs - but about to start on a feature film again so, mercifully, I won't be polluting this place as much. Time to give the server a break.

I'm still simply an amateur noise maker.

 

[Spkrdctr]

I have quite the opposite experience. I still own all my old vinyl LPs - probably 1000 or more - and my old Pioneer PL12D turntable bought new in 1973. Once in a while I dust them off to hear again what it was like in the old days. But I'm disappointed each time I do it and the turntable quickly gets packed away again. Even lossy Spotify sounds unequvically better than vinyl. No contest. The much derided digital remasters of classic albums sound invariably way better to my ears than the original vinyl pressings that I still own. And getting up of the sofa every 20 minutes to change sides gets old very quickly ...

Your system is not resolving enough!

 

[MattHooper]

That is exactly where you run off the tracks.
There is only ONE ideal for Hi Fi, that's High Fidelity To The Source.
Anything else is pursuing a path to a subjective preference.
That,s what Mikey teaches at Stereophile.

Having seen these issues batted around for a long time here, I've seen that most here have explained they have no issue
with subjective preference - rather it's anti-science, anti-engineering b.s. we don't want spreading around.

Vinyl has been an example through many of these discussions: even most of the old time regulars, it seems to me, have expressed some
version of If you want to play vinyl, fine, whatever blows your skirt up. Just don't fall for, or promote, some of the myths about vinyl (e.g. that it's somehow more pure, or more accurate, higher quality sound than digital, etc). And turntables and vinyl playback has clearly been a subject of some technical interest and discussion, all within the context of vinyl's technical liabilities, and even some with accurate systems like to spin records now and again. Subjective preference really is allowed.

The fact an interest in vinyl playback (not infected with b.s.) is perfectly fine seems in tune with Amirm's viewpoint (even if it's not what he would choose to play). Which is why this forum actually has a subforum devoted to turntables, phono stages, cartridges

Maybe you should lobby Amirm to remove that subforum and to stop reviewing anything vinyl-playback related?

 

[JP]

Can't do that with cans. LOL

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[carewser]

While I haven't read all 407 posts so far, I've read dozens and I haven't seen anyone mention youtube so i'm wondering, am I the only one that uses youtube as their musical source?

If that's true I feel pretty special

 

[BJL]

I often listen to music and music videos on YouTube. It is a great resource. In fact, just tonight I was watching "Kyiv Calling" by Ukrainian punk band Beton, intense but great.

However, purely from the standpoint of audio quality, YouTube can't consistently match what's available on physical media. But you make a great point, there is a lot on YouTube that is otherwise not available, and it is a great way to check out a wide range of music from all over the world.

 

[killdozzer]

gives his reasons why he is still a vinyl enthusiast. So his responses address the OP

Right, so your decision doesn't come into play to explain why there's a revival of interest in LPs.

I don't think this is really true and contradicts one another. People who stuck to records are not a revival.

 

[killdozzer]

I think these types of "desire-jerkers" have a far bigger influence when it comes to new consumers and driving the sales than one individuals' unique experience (notice the Beatles and Amy Winehouse):

The sheer amount of these "fuller life promises" that pop up on the FB is outright silly:

I don't want to overload the thread, but the number of girls sitting on floors with turntables pics... I could post 10 just from this morning's feed.

 

[Robin L]

I don't think this is really true and contradicts one another. People who stuck to records are not a revival.

Perhaps I did not express what is really going on here. Matt did quit LPs for a while and came back. But more to the point, if someone doesn't use LPs and does nothing but bitch about LPs, they are not a part of the revival of interest in LPs. And responses like "it's wrong to even talk about LPs around here because it can be proven that compared to digital sources they underperform" which we got a lot of on this thread, don't explain why sales of LPs increase. Saying "LPs suck" doesn't answer the question.

 

[killdozzer]

Shouldn't you just be listening to headphones all the time then for the best accuracy possible?

I don't think so because of the trembling and vibrations you feel both in live shows and with nice big systems. This is very often cited as one huge shortcoming of headphones. As a joke, I still wait to see someone combine headphones with a sub! Sub just to shake you while you listen to headphones.

 

[killdozzer]

Perhaps I did not express what is really going on here. Matt did quit LPs for a while and came back. But more to the point, if someone doesn't use LPs and does nothing but bitch about LPs, they are not a part of the revival of interest in LPs. And responses like "it's wrong to even talk about LPs around here because it can be proven that compared to digital sources they underperform" which we got a lot of on this thread, don't explain why sales of LPs increase. Saying "LPs suck" doesn't answer the question.

OK, you're right. And even Matt's coming back to records could theoretically contribute to revival. And yes, this wasn't supposed to be the "what sounds better" thread. I guess it's hard to separate the two subjects because a very frequent answer is "I started buying/went back to bc they sound better", so this immediately prompts all the "what is better" duels. But "better" rarely drives the sales in our times. It's a lot about self-presentation and how one wishes others to see him. Talking to friends and random people at music shops, I've yet to see someone coming out with an unprovoked "oh, but I only listen to digital, there's no other medium", while I can't count all those who first want to establish they "belong" within this special group with access to secret higher knowledge of vinyl superiority.

I have a feeling you could adjust every vegan joke to suit the vinyl trend. Meaning I never met one who kept it to himself. It's often something they expect to represent them, like "tell me if you listen to vinyl and I'll tell you who you are".

And if I can repeat once again, I had more than few true records enthusiasts picking digital over records in blind listening and being convinced that what they picked IS a record. Simply expecting that what ever they hear to sound better must be a record.

 

[anmpr1]

I don't want to overload the thread, but the number of girls sitting on floors with turntables pics... I could post 10 just from this morning's feed.

Overloading the thread with pics of girls on the floor is certainly less objectionable than overloading a phono input. Also, notice the girl on the floor, in addition to her record player, has an oil lamp for her after hours lighting. Talk about retro. Totally hard-core.

 

[IPunchCholla]

OK, you're right. And even Matt's coming back to records could theoretically contribute to revival. And yes, this wasn't supposed to be the "what sounds better" thread. I guess it's hard to separate the two subjects because a very frequent answer is "I started buying/went back to bc they sound better", so this immediately prompts all the "what is better" duels. But "better" rarely drives the sales in our times. It's a lot about self-presentation and how one wishes others to see him. Talking to friends and random people at music shops, I've yet to see someone coming out with an unprovoked "oh, but I only listen to digital, there's no other medium", while I can't count all those who first want to establish they "belong" within this special group with access to secret higher knowledge of vinyl superiority.

I have a feeling you could adjust every vegan joke to suit the vinyl trend. Meaning I never met one who kept it to himself. It's often something they expect to represent them, like "tell me if you listen to vinyl and I'll tell you who you are".

And if I can repeat once again, I had more than few true records enthusiasts picking digital over records in blind listening and being convinced that what they picked IS a record. Simply expecting that what ever they hear to sound better must be a record.

How would you know if you met a vegan or vinyl enthusiast if they didn’t tell you? If you can figure out how to prove a negative, that would be awesome.

 

[JP]

How would you know if you met a vegan or vinyl enthusiast if they didn’t tell you? If you can figure out how to prove a negative, that would be awesome.

According to my MIL, vegans are very pale because they don't eat right.

 

[Robin L]

Overloading the thread with pics of girls on the floor is certainly less objectionable than overloading a phono input. Also, notice the girl on the floor, in addition to her record player, has an oil lamp for her after hours lighting. Talk about retro. Totally hard-core.

View attachment 198017

 

[MattHooper]

Talking to friends and random people at music shops, I've yet to see someone coming out with an unprovoked "oh, but I only listen to digital, there's no other medium", while I can't count all those who first want to establish they "belong" within this special group with access to secret higher knowledge of vinyl superiority.

On the flipside:

I've yet to see a thread on digital playback here where vinyl enthusiasts have entered to disparage digital playback and belittle the motivations of those who choose to play digital music over vinyl.

It seems only when we talk about vinyl, or anyone here...gasp!...even defends why they like it!.... we get people entering the thread with all sorts of barbs and cynical takes on the superficial reasons why people "really" spin vinyl.

(I'd also add that in my own anecdotal experience, not a single person I know who owns a turntable or who is in to vinyl espouses anything like what you described. They simply enjoy playing vinyl).

 

[MattHooper]

While I haven't read all 407 posts so far, I've read dozens and I haven't seen anyone mention youtube so i'm wondering, am I the only one that uses youtube as their musical source?

If that's true I feel pretty special

Well, it's a thread concerning vinyl so I think there's your answer.

That said: I use youtube for music all the time. I use it for music discovery constantly (and often to preview albums I might buy since practically everything, even the most obscure stuff, had made it on to youtube).

I also enjoy watching music videos on youtube in my home theater in surround sound. I do it all the time. Just last night I watched a bunch of live Rush performances as well as some other groups.