Stereophile: 78rpms are better

[RexrothPigeon]

The New York Times also did a story about the Hot Club [gift link]:

A Sacred Space Where 90-Year-Old Jazz Records Reign

At the Hot Club of New York, patrons revisit the music’s past by spinning shellac 78 RPM discs of recordings made in the 1910s to ’50s.

www.nytimes.com

Going all well akshually and harumphing about the relative sound quality of 78s totally misses the coolness of the place from my perspective. Some of the greatest music ever recorded is on 78s and communing with that sound and history in a dedicated boite is extremely groovy!

Yes, it's definitely cool. So cool, in fact, that the last thing it needs is for credulous doofuses to ascribe qualities to it that it simply can't possess. Why can't audiophiles just say "hey this is awesome and I felt good listening to music here" without needing to add bullshit claims?

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

This YooToob channel, from Japan, has 17 thousand 78s posted. I always like to watch the RME spectrum analyzer while playing. The bandwidth on these is very limited compared to modern recordings, but there's more dynamic range seen on the VU meters than many modern pop/rock recordings. To my ears, they're difficult to listen to, so I always look for a de-noised and EQ'd version of any I'm interested in.

 

[BeeKay]

Herb Reichert, seriously?

The man‘s a legend. He just should not be doing hardware reviews for stereophile.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Oh and the three coolest things about shellac.

2) it's exuded by a beetle.

So, you're saying 78's can be now be classified as a 'renewable' resource ?

When dissolved in alcohol (typically denatured ethanol) for application, shellac yields a coating of good durability and hardness.

A renewable resource that my heirs can 'repurpose' instead of throwing out ?

78s and a waxwing and you can make them sound really good. Obviously not as good as what followed but still very enjoyable

Imagine what a Waxwing could do for wax cylinders.

The New York Times also did a story about the Hot Club [gift link]:

A Sacred Space Where 90-Year-Old Jazz Records Reign

At the Hot Club of New York, patrons revisit the music’s past by spinning shellac 78 RPM discs of recordings made in the 1910s to ’50s.

www.nytimes.com

Going all well akshually and harumphing about the relative sound quality of 78s totally misses the coolness of the place from my perspective. Some of the greatest music ever recorded is on 78s and communing with that sound and history in a dedicated boite is extremely groovy!

I wonder if that NYT article incentivized Mr. Reichert to visit The Hot Club.

IF so, I look forward to his perspective on recordings embossed on cardboard (gift link):

Cereal Box Records Sound Horrible. They Still Look Incredible.

Decades ago, singles were printed on cereal boxes as cutout prizes. Now, a dedicated few are working to save these cardboard treasures from extinction.

www.nytimes.com

Imagine a listening (breakfast ?) club where one can hear Bobby Sherman, The Monkees, and The Jackson 5 while enjoying a bowl of Cap'n Crunch !

 

[TLEDDY]

In my youth (I am 84) w had an RCA wind-up 78 player. I did not know that using bamboo needles instead of steel was a tweak! Only lasted a few records, but I thought it sounded better.

Anyone else recall that?

 

[Mart68]

Pal of mine has a wind up HMV gramophone and some 78s. He played a couple for me one time. It was diabolical. If there were any advantages or redeeming features they were lost on me. I think if I was going to be subjected to a whole evening of it I'd rather shoot myself.

I'm sure Herb is a pleasant enough bloke but when it comes to hi-fi he's away with the fairies.

 

[mhardy6647]

Cactus thorn styli needles were a thing in the glory days of 78s... and they remain a thing today.

https://www.sound-smith.com/reviews/soundsmith%E2%80%99s-hyperion-phono-cartridge-cactus-needle-cantilever

The Stereophile review, from 2011, quoted in (and referenced by) the link above states:

"We listened to some music. The sound was not prickly or thorny at all. It was clean, clear, and immediate—bold and well-controlled—with vibrant colors and good senses of rhythm, touch, and scale."
- Stephen Mejias, Stereophile

... just to take @Power Pop 23's sustainability line of thought presented earlier to its (il)logical extreme.

Oh, and as @TLEDDY mentioned bamboo (which is somewhere between sustainable and an invasive weed, depending on one's geographic location): bamboo (if I understand correctly) has the interesting property of containing high concentrations of silica (mostly in the leaves, but also in the stalk). Makes it a b!tch to cut, but it does add to its durability.

 

[pinger]

And I think it also begs the question of what "high fidelity" really means. In terms of background noise, speed stability and bandwidth, 78s are, by and large, not "high fidelity". But in terms of dynamics and presence these 78s are "high fidelity" in a way that most recordings are not.

Not into jazz at all but that place looks very cool. Its nice when folks hang onto traditions.

 

[mhardy6647]

I had modest collection of 78s which I have given away over the years to friends with -- shall we say -- immodest collections of 78s.

I do wish I'd hung on to a few. To me, the most interesting ones weren't the valuable and sought-after artifacts of early years (e.g., some of the jazz recordings mentioned and implied already in this thread). One day on the swap pile at the good ol' Harvard, MA town dump (actually a transfer station, but the term dump runs deep in the Yankee psyche ), I found a few 1950s 10-inch 78 versions of well-known pop/"rock" artists (e.g., Elvis).
I did not know until that day that it took quite some time for RCA's 7" 45 rpm discs to completely supplant 78s as the kids' medium of choice to acquire the hit singles of the day.

I also like the albums of the 78 era. Due to their (short) run time, it took a bunch of 78s (even 12 inch ones) to hold an opera (or even a significant excerpt of one). Long-form works came boxed in rather nice albums in those days.

 

[HalSF]

Yes, it's definitely cool. So cool, in fact, that the last thing it needs is for credulous doofuses to ascribe qualities to it that it simply can't possess. Why can't audiophiles just say "hey this is awesome and I felt good listening to music here" without needing to add bullshit claims?

For sure, competitive format-war framing is often dubious and hyperbolic and silly.

On the other hand infusing 78s with a little glamor and vintage allure and hype — awesomeness as you say — is propaganda I can get behind. Some people can’t even tolerate *mono* much less crackly shellac because it sounds “wrong,” and pushing back against the notion that 78s have terrible sound quality and are unlistenable to modern ears is a net plus I think.

 

[Robin L]

In my youth (I am 84) w had an RCA wind-up 78 player. I did not know that using bamboo needles instead of steel was a tweak! Only lasted a few records, but I thought it sounded better.

Anyone else recall that?

Rare Records sold both steel and bamboo needles, Edison cylinders and players as well.

I recall a store (bookstore?) in Glendale that had a beautiful acoustic 78 player with a big brass horn. Naturally frequency response was limited but somehow the sound had uncanny presence, like nothing I've heard before or since.

As children, we had a 78 rpm (also 45 rpm), acoustic record player, used steel needles. There were still plenty of children's 78s 65 years ago.

 

[ivayvr]

Ole Herbie is a known joker! Some (most?) of his statements are out worldly.
By his own admission, some of the listening sessions included use of various substances. His style could be a result of that (sensory overload).
The other option may be that he is having a blast, seeing how many suckers fall for his statements.
That is well aligned with the idea of Stereophile that only a chosen few can reach the real hearing and understanding of the music.
Without that, why and how would we believe their reviews and reviewers?

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Let's not forget that vinyl microgroove 78s also exist: I have one by the "Audiophile" label, and both sonically and musically, it's a hoot.

Nearby record store sometimes has (shellac) 78s in their freebie bin, and recently, I found a bunch by The Ink Spots: Alas, the disk containing "Java Jive" was missing.

In many ways they were the fathers of doo-wop. My dad sang Java Jive in the shower.

 

[JeffS7444]

Oh, and as @TLEDDY mentioned bamboo (which is somewhere between sustainable and an invasive weed, depending on one's geographic location): bamboo (if I understand correctly) has the interesting property of containing high concentrations of silica (mostly in the leaves, but also in the stalk). Makes it a b!tch to cut, but it does add to its durability.

 

[mhardy6647]

... and it goes without saying that pandas are sturdy and durable.
OK, having said it, I guess I should amend that to it almost goes without saying.

 

[Robin L]

In many ways they were the fathers of doo-wop. My dad sang Java Jive in the shower.

I had the 78 of "Earth Angel" by the Penguins. Classic doo-wop, nothing special sonically.

Also had the 78 of "Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine" by Harry 'the Hipster Gibson'. Love the flip side—"I Stay Brown All Year Long". Made needledrops of those discs and others from Aunt Vi's collection, mostly big-band dance records. She was about 90 when she passed, fifteen years ago.