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View Full Version : Convince me: Why should i go back to vinyl



Daniel
16-11-2008, 10:28
Iīve been toying with the the idea of buying a turntable.

Why

Because, I have some LPs that I cannot find in CD format. For instance, a 70īs, quite unknown, british band called "The Dukes".

Because, some of the CDs that I have sound worst or at less not as good as the LP. For instance, all "The Amazing Rhythm Aces" CDs seem to be taken from the LPs version and not from the masters.

Doubts

Yesterday I was listening to the last Robert Walterīs CD, and from the first track I could see the Hammond B3 sound flying in front of my eyes and I wondered if it was possible to achieve something better than that with the vinyl version. Remember: I have an Exemplar-Denon CD player that rocks.


Hassle

I remember, from the old days that I used to have a turntable back in Montevideo the hassle of:

1.- Cleaning up the records. My method was blowing over the surface of the LPs.

2.- Cleaning up the stylus. My method: touching my finger the stylus.

3.- Turning over side A to hear side B.

4.- Not having a remote control to skip tracks that I donīt like.

Tweaking

With tubes can be funny but with arms, cartridges could be expensive.

Calibrating

I used to have an elemental and simple Garrard turntable back in the 70s and I never calibrated anything. Maybe the antiskating control and you know what : I never heard any difference in sound. By the way: fantastic bass coming out from that Garrard.

Today it looks like you have to go to college to calibrate a turntable and I only want to listen to music.

Convince me

1.- Iīd like to know the reasons to go that avenue from the music lovers and not Hi-fi buffs.

2.- Iīd like to hear the devil whisper: the experience from those who went back to vinyl once and ended up with CDs again.

So, itīs all yours.

Chau.

John
16-11-2008, 11:34
Listen to a good turntable decide for yourself but for me vinyl is so much better. You do not even need to pay obscene money Either the Lenco or 1210 can get you there
No way round the set up and care issues but worth it as music so much better
Setting up a turntable can take time but unless you changing things around, once set up that is it

jonners
16-11-2008, 11:55
I used to play vinyl on a cheapish set-up years ago, and I was happy when CD appeared because it meant goodbye to the surface noise, clicks and pops etc. However I've recently returned to vinyl via a Technics SL1210/Denon DL110, and I'm amazed at how good some of my old LPs sound. Surface noise is much less intrusive than I ever remember, piano tone is way better, and the whole experience is much more involving than CD. Go for it! :)

John

Face The Music
16-11-2008, 12:58
What did it for me was comparing an identical album simultaneously on vinyl and cd and switching between the two with the preamp remote whilst listening.

I cued up Take Five (Dave Brubeck) on my Naim CD5 (a player with an apparantly pretty natural sound) and my Gyrodec and compared the two. Absolutely no contest!

The vinyl version was just so much more natural. Piano timbre was sweeter, recording acoustic was much more believable and the soundstage was way wider and deeper.

Some people comment that vinyl has a warmer sound than CD. I personally don't think the sound is warmer, I believe that the natural acoustics are more true to life and this gives the impression of a warm sound.

I have done this test blind as well and asked the wife and kids individually to listen to the two sources on various types of music and pick which one they prefer. They always pick vinyl every time and none of them have the slightest interest in hifi!

We do all have an interest in music though and all play the piano with varying degrees of success. Compared to real, live instruments I am convinced that vinyl wins every time.

Mike
16-11-2008, 16:09
Hi Andy,

Nice post!... And welcome to AoS. :)

I see from your signature you use a "home built 5 level Fraim"... Please do elaborate, it looks very impressive in you avatar and (I'm a tight arse) would be interested in something like that. :eyebrows:

Cheers...

Beechwoods
16-11-2008, 17:31
For me, it's being able to play stuff you can't find on CD. It is clear that a decent set-up doesn't emphasise surface noise, and that vinyl doesn't need to be blighted by rumble, as was the case on my old, cheapo TT. That said, my machine this time round is a Lenco L75, which has only cost me Ģ85 so far, including a basic vintage cart and stylus, so performance doesn't come at any cost, as John quite rightly points out.

At that kind of price you can't go wrong.

muffinman
16-11-2008, 18:35
Do i find LP better than CD - yes, but for me its more than an audible comparison
Being the only guy in the record store queue buying vinyl makes me feel great.
Personally i like having to listen to a whole side of an lp - i've paid enough for it!
I enjoy knowing i have the option of a break at the end of side one - do i flip the disc, do i put the kettle on, feed the dogs? the opportunites are endless!!!
No fast forwarding or track skipping - another bonus in my eyes
All decent record stores i deal with will allow return of a sub standard product. it's in their interest
I treat my vinyl with far more respect than i do my CDs - i would never dream of leaving an lp lying around unprotected whilst i listen to another.
Ultimately i find it more of a life choice - sad but true
An LP is for life, not just for.....

pure sound
16-11-2008, 23:02
This might be worth listening to (or getting from the BBC website after it has been aired)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fhp65

dmckean
16-11-2008, 23:27
To me it's all about getting the best versions of a particular recording that's available. Sometimes it's a vinyl record and sometimes it's a CD. Like you pointed out sometimes it's only available on vinyl or only available on CD. That's why I think you should spend an equal amount on your vinyl and digital front ends so you can enjoy them equally.

popol_vuh
17-11-2008, 09:38
Vinyl is undoubtedly a fetish in part. Yes, i agree that with a decent TT/phono preamp it'll sound more natural, more spacious, more "correct" than CD players in the same league and that's great.

But also, you have to be a certain kind of person to be into vinyl. You have to like to listen to albums in their entirety, without feeling the need to skip tracks, without disrupting your listening experience. You need to appreciate and love little rituals, like brushing the record, taking care of it, putting it on the plate and putting the needle on. To be able to appreciate good mechanical engineering. Appreciate the fact that you can refer to albums in "sides", which i love :). Appreciate calmness, time and dedication it takes to listen to vinyl. All of this, to me, connects me to music in an indirect way, it's showing respect to music. I believe that there is such thing as the "culture of music listening", which seems to be completely lost now with mp3, mp3 players, very quick passive listening where nothing spiritually happens. So vinyl IMO truly educates people in this respect and promotes the culture of music listening.

We shouldn't forget that a vinyl record really feels and looks like a record. CD is a poor substitute and immaterial files are just nothing. I like the physical aspect of this media, big nice covers, smell of old cardboard sleeves, the fact that older records in good condition are pretty much like old books - with their own life and past.

If one doesn't feel these things, then i suspect they can't really appreciate vinyl.

rhmbus
17-11-2008, 14:53
go for it, to even discuss returning to vinyl shows more than a passing interest in the format .You dont have to let us convince you(tho its handy to have someone to blame when it all goes T**s up as it does from time to time) . Best of luck from a long standing vinylista.
ray:mental:

Colin
17-11-2008, 21:14
we don't have to convince you, you just have to listen. That way it's your fault, rather ours when you get hooked. Just keep in mind that it is very hard to get those black discs into a server.

StanleyB
17-11-2008, 22:44
Just keep in mind that it is very hard to get those black discs into a server.
Depends. If they are 7" singles you can get them into a Wurlitzer 3500 server:ner:.