Can anyone explain the vinyl renaissance?

[Robin L]

I don’t see metal heads marching against classical music lovers.

I think it's long past time that they did.

 

[thecheapseats]

...I have no qualm whatsoever with anyone who even flat out hates vinyl, so long as they are speaking for themselves (and aren't overreaching with claimed facts). "For me vinyl sucks, it's antiquated technology, it's a lower fidelity medium than digital, it's a hassle, it suffers all sorts of technical and sonic liabilities like noise artifacts, raised noise floor, I hate ticks and pops and crackle, it's limited in dynamic and frequency range, I hate wow and flutter, setting up cartridges, keeping records clean...etc...it all sucks, sucks, sucks!"

To that my attitude is: Ok, cool. I totally understand. Those are all liabilities that ruin it for you, and it would be really silly for YOU to play vinyl records....

and that is what in some cases is 'the' misunderstanding in these discussions... I listen to vinyl for the content of the performances - I don't care about the fidelity... do I wish was better? - never enters my mind - I simply don't care...

 

[Robin L]

and that is what in some cases is 'the' misunderstanding in these discussions... I listen to vinyl for the content of the performances - I don't care about the fidelity... do I wish was better? - never enters my mind - I simply don't care...

Some of my favorite LPs were of field recordings of various sorts, such as acapella performances of folksong from North England, recorded in the 1950s. Not available on CD of course. You can only imagine what they sounded like.

 

[Galliardist]

That's how I feel. CDs as physical objects for me hold no charm. And DACs are just..well...a sort of black box that sits there mysteriously spitting out music.
The combo of the physical feel, aesthetics of a nice record, and the conceptual satisfaction in how it works, tactile interaction with the turntable, and sort of playing your part in how it works caring for the record, adjusting the cartridge, or just placing the needle physically in to the grooves that hold the music, is hard to beat.

I have several CDs with booklets and a couple with books, as well as a book on historical instruments that came with 7 CDs of examples that are way above the average LP for printing quality, information and illustration.

CDs can have value if well packaged.

 

[Anton D]

I have several CDs with booklets and a couple with books, as well as a book on historical instruments that came with 7 CDs of examples that are way above the average LP for printing quality, information and illustration.

CDs can have value if well packaged.

Agreed!

The only thing that gets my goat is when the CD packet won't fit my CD drawers.

 

[MattHooper]

and that is what in some cases is 'the' misunderstanding in these discussions... I listen to vinyl for the content of the performances - I don't care about the fidelity... do I wish was better? - never enters my mind - I simply don't care...

When you state your position clearly, as you did, then I don't think there are any misunderstandings.

I've seen others express a similar reason for playing records. I get it. I think most of us can relate to when we just care about hearing particular music, and
we don't go concentrating on the medium or equipment. I dial up music to listen to on my plinky little iphone speakers all the time (and some of those are
music tracks that aren't available on records or streaming or CD). I don't care that it's far from high fidelity; it's the music.

 

[IPunchCholla]

I keep talking myself out of buying this. I mean, I already own the music in digital format, but the tangible goodies keep calling me.

 

[Anton D]

When you state your position clearly, as you did, then I don't think there are any misunderstandings.

I've seen others express a similar reason for playing records. I get it. I think most of us can relate to when we just care about hearing particular music, and
we don't go concentrating on the medium or equipment. I dial up music to listen to on my plinky little iphone speakers all the time (and some of those are
music tracks that aren't available on records or streaming or CD). I don't care that it's far from high fidelity; it's the music.

My car is where my voice sounds best singing along...it ain't Hi Fi, but it is joyful.

 

[Robin L]

I have several CDs with booklets and a couple with books, as well as a book on historical instruments that came with 7 CDs of examples that are way above the average LP for printing quality, information and illustration.

CDs can have value if well packaged.

One of the best in my collection, comes with a fat book full of info and photos. Designed much like the albums of the 78 era, mostly consisting of 1930's and 1940's Billie Holiday:

 

[Anton D]

I keep talking myself out of buying this. I mean, I already own the music in digital format, but the tangible goodies keep calling me.

I'll be the devil on your shoulder...go for it!

It looks lovely.

 

[Newman]

Not a scientific answer. Numbers, we require numbers, it's audio 'science,' remember. You're being a subjectivist.

Ahh, so it was a trick question, a bait? So you are here on ASR…to troll? To mock anyone who treats your questions as serious?

So much for non-snarky: liar.

Taunting people to buy a sarcasm detector also doesn’t reflect well on you, BTW. Just drop the sarcasm and you won’t be so obviously a smart-alec.

 

[Newman]

I'm not sure Anton's post was clear about what he was asking for.

Littered with rhetorical snarks, it couldn’t be clearer. Plus, his snarking and name-calling at an attempted honest answer to the so-called ‘non-snarky’ small part of his post, and the intent is clear enough. Except not to you, apparently.

 

[Galliardist]

Agreed!

The only thing that gets my goat is when the CD packet won't fit my CD drawers.

Mine are in cardboard boxes at the moment so fit!

 

[Newman]

Yes, very sad, many people are saying that. Many.

Everywhere they go, it's Mike Fremer 'hypmotizing' them. They have no free will or ability to listen for themselves, they are just being given Orwellian style orders from the great and powerful Fremer. Money, wasted. Socrates warned us about kids these days. Pop culture, hipsters, (digital) media. It's a wonder they can still afford Starbuck's and avocado toast.

Sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm

Thank you for your (typical) contribution.

 

[Newman]

@Anton D If this is how you want to proceed, then I’ll just keep calling you stupid until a mod tells me to stop or you get thread-banned for trolling.

Hear Bloody Hear! The endless rolling sneering sarcasm is disgusting.

 

[Anton D]

Hear Bloody Hear! The endless rolling sneering sarcasm is disgusting.

You are looking in a mirror, my good audio friend.

 

[cinemakinoeye]

I think vinyl is the most beautiful physical medium that ever has existed, and it's no surprise at all that it's seen by the big masses as the true audiophile format. Just think about this large disc you have to put on a rolling plate, keep it clean, and handle it with delicacy when you put down the needle into the groove, and when you have done all that, you most likely listen through that record to the end and just appreciate the music. Vinyl is way sexier than anything else in HiFi and that is a fact. I'm just too lazy to bother with it.

Well said! I love the visual experience of vinyl, there is something beautiful about the grooves, the needle dancing in response and producing a signal that becomes music, however, the fidelity of a properly mastered track without clicks, pops, limited dynamic range, distortion, and surface noise reminds me of the pure joy of music listening without the artifacts. I’ve often thought of creating an art installation in which you can spin records, but the system only uses the record as a time code guide and it plays a clean digital track. I miss the album art. I miss the ritual of going to record stores and getting recommendations. I miss the visuals. But I was never a fan of the sonics of records and used to fantasize of a digital future from a sonic perspective. The introduction of the CD was musical nirvana for me as it fulfilled a dream (I do acknowledge early bad mastering of CD releases gave CDs a bad rap in the early days, but we got past that). And I am glad that digital future is here.

 

[Anton D]

Well said! I love the visual experience of vinyl, there is something beautiful about then grooves, the needle dancing in response and producing a signal that becomes music, however, the fidelity of a properly mastered track without clicks, pops, limited dynamic range, distortion, and surface noise reminds me of the pure joy of music listening without the artifacts. I’ve often thought of creating at art installation in which you can spin records, but then system only uses the record as a time code guide and it plays a clean digital track. I miss the album art. I miss the ritual of going to record stores and getting recommendations. I miss the visuals. But I was never a fan of the sonics and used to fantasize of a digital future. And I am glad that digital future is here.

The loss of bricks and mortar stores is sad. I worked in one through my teen years and it felt like all I had to do was be at work and I would eventually meet 'everybody!'

It seems we have fewer small wine shops, too. (I guess true for many things.)

 

[thecheapseats]

...The only thing that gets my goat is when the CD packet won't fit my CD drawers...

turning ownership preferences on their ear for those with the LP hobby (re-stated->it's not my hobby) - would be the one thing I miss about LP vinyl packaging v.s. cd or other formats to include more measurable resolution items for those who are inclined to keep track of such things... it seems the lower the noise floor - the smaller or (total absense of) attribution text becomes over time... even when spelled wrong the physical size/font size of my name in credits was always larger on LP packaging and liner notes...

 

[Robin L]

The loss of bricks and mortar stores is sad. I worked in one through my teen years and it felt like all I had to do was be at work and I would eventually meet 'everybody!'

It seems we have fewer small wine shops, too. (I guess true for many things.)

I mostly worked at brick and mortar LP/CD shops for most of my adult life, including Wherehouse, Tower and Borders. One---The Music Offering---was one of the world centers for Early Music, located in Berkeley, right across the street from Zellerbach Hall and Sproul Plaza. I may not have met everybody in the world of Early Music, but I met a whole lot of them. Managed to be recording engineer for more than a few of them as well. My time at the Musical Offering was during the transition from LP to CD for Classical music lovers. Amoeba was a few blocks away on Telegraph, still had a roaring business in LPs, particularly Rock and Jazz. This was from the late 1980s through the 1990s. When Tower Records got a mad influx of Classical LP cut-outs in the 1980s while I was working there, I scooped up at least 100 at $1 a pop. Loads of Fonit Cetra Furtwängler.