I still collect vinyl records even it’s expensive. I also have a decent collection of CDs, cassette tapes and 8 track tapes. I don’t only value music itself but having a physical collection of my favorite music.
I'm 50- something and have spent a fortune on vinyl and cassettes in my youth, all lost to neglect. Recently played a cassette on good vintage player. Was amazed at the sound quality after decades on mp3. Don't discount analog tapes yet, you just need a decent player. I now remember we used to tape record our vinyls to avoid scratches and wear on the grooves.
I had a teac tape player - allegedly good quality at the time - don’t miss it at all, but happy memories of taping stuff off the radio 1 evening session with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley (circa 1993) 😀
@@gingernutpreacher That is true. The machines themselves are a dying breed. Today only poor knockoffs are probably being produced. Even the skills of designing and manufacturing machines are probably fading from memory.
Growing up in my teen in 70’s and 80’ I got exposure to vinyl. I thought cds were like magic when the 1st came out, and the technology truly is amazing, and fascinating knowing how it works. However the feel of handling a large vinyl record album with its cool easy to see artwork makes vinyl more appealing to me. It gives me much satisfaction to pull that beautiful shiny vinyl disc out of its wrapper. Vinyl is truly amazing in how well it can sound if a good pressing and played on good equipment with a properly calibrated turntable. I must say I’ve gone back to vinyl, mainly because of the wonderful childhood memories it holds, as well as the warm natural sound of it. Heck, I don’t even mind that little crackle now and then, it gives the format character, rather than being something sterile sounding. I even enjoy washing my records, it gives me much more appreciation, and then encourages me to want to listen to the entire album after the investment spent in cleaning. Vinyl is special, enjoy your time thoroughly with it and share listening with everyone. ❤️ ✌️😎👍
Great video. Going to agree with most of what you said. I was the typical stubborn vinyl enthusiast in the mid ‘80s. I worked as a Saturday lad in a proper “top end” hifi shop and we regularly demonstrated our LP12’s and rega decks outperforming cd’s, convincing our customers not to convert to “evil” digital. So for years I bought tons of new and 2nd hand vinyl off my friends who were converting to cd’s. 1000’s of records and years later I sold the lot as generally owning my vast collection just got too inconvenient. The kids were throwing the rare valuable 1st pressings as frisbees, and as I was getting older I kept dropping my expensive stylus on the grooves and scratching the surfaces. Also the the mrs kept complaining of a “musky” smell in the house because of the sleeves, so off they went to another vinyl audiophile. With the £ I made I managed to settle an issue I had with the tax man, treat the mrs for her 40th birthday and get a very nice seperates streaming system. Did I regret buying those records? Well I learnt a lot about music and I made some decent cash with the sale, but at least I believe the records are hopefully being played by a new generation of enthusiast, whilst I can happily be satisfied with Qobuz as long as we have internet connection! The only problem now is it’s the mrs 50th and I haven’t got anything to sell to sort that dilemma!!
I've been an admirer of Depeche mode since their second single release; "New life", but I just don't understand what all the fuss is about with regards to "Violator". I think with a few exceptions; "Policy of truth" and "Waiting for the night", the record is almost as uninteresting as its Anton Corbijn cover. Also, largely due to the huge success of "Personal Jesus", it was the beginning of them turning into a guitar band that used electronics rather than the other way around.
@@MisAnnThorpe You've just validated what I said previously. Violator is the sound of a band that finally understood what a proper album is and how to make one.
@@apollomemories7399 Except that I liked them better when the guitar sounds they used tended to be bastardised beyond recognition! It's arguably their most consistent album. . . consistently dull, that is. On the huge worldwide hit; "Enjoy the silence", they used the most cliched of "baggy" dance beats imaginable. Predictably, the general public were drawn to it like a business of flies to a freshly laid steaming turd. Where is the experimentation of tracks like "Pimpf" or "I want you now" from their previous "Music for the masses" LP? I appreciate that my opinion may not be a popular one but I'd take "Dressed in black" over "Blue dress" or "Blasphemous rumours" over "Personal Jesus", every time.
To be honest, I do love vinyl however I have found myself buying CD’s so much more in recent times. The sheer cost of vinyl at the moment makes it not worth the enormous cost when compared to vinyl
I've got 2 new record's ( last 2 year's) but I buy nearly all of my vinyl off eBay like £2.50 to £5 at the most but I do buy CDs for the car and was surprised at how cheap it was in say 2003 a 12inh from HMV for 3.99 when a CD was a tenner now the cd is 5.99 and the vinyl at least £20
@@gingernutpreacher I'm in Australia and yes you can get records for like $10 , 15 mostly $20 and more I have an ultrasonic cleaner which helps . I doubt I'll ever hit the 500 mark unless I win tatts or buy a deceased estates collection .
I’ve been doing the same thing lately. I’m not noticing that much difference in sound quality between the two. Also the prices of used and original pressings have gotten a bit much for me.
To my way of understanding, the listening experience of vinyl with decent playback equipment is that you get a physical presence from the stylus and the amped signal that can't be found in digital. It's as if the air is charged by what's getting picked up off the grooves. But I still value my cds as I have a lot of exciting stuff that can't be found easily, and are cheaper now whether new or used.
Great discussion. Your opinions on vinyl closely match mine - nice to have, nice to hold, but too fragile and inconsistent in audio quality to be my main music source. Like you, I still buy used CDs and downloads in preference to streaming.
Thanks for the balanced and well said overview of collecting LP's. For me there is a place for listening to all formats for music. The attraction for collecting vinyl is very strong because of the tactile and physical nature of the media and the process of playing it. I rip all formats of my music to external hard drives and listen through my laptop and DAC, which is connected to my stereo system. Digital formats also allow for portability and listening on the go.
I listen mostly to LPs however I have over 2000 records and could never afford to replace them with anything else. If you are using good equipment and clean the records noise should not be a problem. I have some that I have had for over 30 years that sound great but I have some that other people owned that are not too good. Cleaning helped most of them.
I ultrasonic clean every record I own. Its a crazy long process since I vacuum it after that, spray it will distilled water, spin clean it in distilled water, and vacuum again. It annoys me when I can't remit those annoying pops and clicks. Still noise if its in the grooves. Granted I'm running an Rega Apheta 3 which is meant to extract everything from a record so I get there's gonna be some noise.
My teen years were in the 70's. I still own and listen to several albums I purchased back then even though most of them have a skip here and there and are not in the best of shape. I just can't see myself replacing them. I learned a few guitar licks and songs off them so many have very a sentimental attachment as even now at 62 I still play a bit. Kids today will never understand vinyl and the thought and care producers and bands took to arrange the order of the tracks. If you listen to an older album you must listen to it in full from side A to B to really understand the artist/band, their music and the album as a whole. My wife purchased me a couple new comp vinyls from Floyd and the Stones. I just can't bring myself to unwrap them even though I know the will probably sound great. I much prefer purchasing original first press albums and give them a listen.. even though at times they do not live up to the grading some idiots on ebay give them. Vinyl is just not listening to music.. it's a complete different experience :) There's my two cents.. you may keep the change.
I'm 67 years old and like you i like the original record's from the 70s. I bought a few new Pink Floyd records as long as you get the ones that say mastered from the originals analogue recordings they will sound like the ones from that time era so if your wife bought you those ones play them and enjoy them.
Biggest problem I find with vinyl is you have to spend alot of money to get on your turntable, phono stage and cartridge to match or beat the performance of a modestly priced DAC. Modern digital is so good I sold my turntable (I did keep the records though)
I have been collecting and listening to records for nearly 50 years now, I never gave up on the format when the CD arrived, most of my collection are first pressings from 1960s artists, recently my son bought me a new copy of Sgt Pepper and I played it back to back with my first pressing copy, there was no comparison, the new LP did not have the same tone or warmth, I was very disappointed with it, and will probably never play it again, yet my first pressing that has been played hundreds of times still plays and sounds perfect, if a record is cleaned regularly, handled, stored correctly and the most important piece of advice I can give to anyone starting out collecting records, change the stylus as recommended, your records will last a lifetime.
I have found exactly the same, comparing both new and old original pressings. I mistakenly purchased the Steven Wilson vinyl box set of Yes albums. I wanted in particular a new copy of Relayer which I dropped and damaged a while ago, this album was not available individually. The new pressing in one word, disappointed.. Dull, quiet, poor dynamics. I then took a chance and ordered an original pressing on EBay and lo and behold, a good clean virtually noise free copy and wow, does it play well! Leaves the Steven Wilson repressing for dust!
Well, as you point out, you sound very steeped in nostalgia (not to mention that you were possibly financially involved, with a collection of vinyl, that had cost you, literally, when CDs came along.) About the sound of old vinyl vs new vinyl, that may not be due to the vinyl. That may be due to remixing and/or mastering on the new versions.
Why would you clean a record regularly? If you take 1/4 as good of care as you claim, you shouldn't even have to clean it ever again if stored correctly. "Same tone or warmth" are subjective terms. People such as yourself claim superiority in the recording realm, as if it could never be repeated today. I dare you to name more than a couple things in 70 years that haven't improved...Please indulge us. If you listen and an album 100 times, I think its safe to say you have a massive bias towards that mastering and recording.
Kinda off topic, but one thing I discovered is that many tapes sound A LOT better than we remember. Kind of like you said we played tapes in their prime on a Walkman or boom box. Not exactly hi-fi right lol? ....but if you get a really nice tape deck like a Nakamichi or something and play them on many of the systems we use today you will find cassettes can sound truly FANTASTIC!! Just subbed :)
You are spot on with your point about the cost of new LPs. I hardly buy them now as they are asking silly money these days, and as you say, there should be at a minimum a free FLAC or WAV download included, or even the CD in plastic sleeve. Luckily, I collected my vinyl since 1985, never really stopped buying them, but right now I think they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market. I've gone over to buying cheap CDs or even buying downloads, but more and more I'm using Roon to play my ripped CDs and Tidal streams. I never feel happier though as when I'm playing vinyl, as it definitely gives you a greater connection to the music - and often sounds better too. I think the whole "they degrade" and "sound crackly" thing is exaggerated. If you keep your records and stylus clean and play them on a properly set up turntable, they should be easily playable for 300 or more plays without any noticeable degradation. And, let's face it, how many albums are you going to play that many times? Great video. Kind regards, Phil
I think this was a pretty evenhanded and pragmatic assessment. Since I can't take a turntable with me I usually stream most of the music I hear and buy it later to assuage my guilt over so much free listening. I have to admit that lately I've been enticed (suckered) into pre-ordering upcoming releases from band I've enjoyed in the past (on the colored vinyl, 'natch). I'm glad I don't live near a Rough Trade store as I would definitely waste even more money on this. Good video.
Getting my first turntable in many years, which motivated me to build a component stereo system provided me with an opportunity to hear my CDs better than I've heard them in several years. It's a win-win for me!
What a great video! Loved it! Thanks for sharing. I completely agree with your views and have exactly the same approach. Vinyl makes you really listen to an album... no skiping tracks or changing from album to album constantly. And that's what I love most about the format. My collection is mainly CD's (around 4000, and I'm still buying them) and a few hundred LP's (some from my youth and some recent purchases following the vinyl revival), and I believe I prefer to drop the stylus than press play, as an whole experience. I still prefer CD's (more convenient in every way), but one has to acknowledge the coolness of the vinyl "ritual". Funny enough I tend to listen to vinyl more for some types of music: mostly jazz and 50's to 70's pop/rock. For electronica, classical or even punk/metal/etc (and anything from the 90's...). I always prefer to listen to it on CD or streaming.
I am 68 and first HiFi system of sorts was purchased in 1972 and of course, the main music source was vinyl. Over the past 50 years, I have been lucky enough to have been able to afford to continually upgrade my audio system to the point now, when I can say it will be the last upgrade before my “Box”. My record deck and phono preamp would be described by some as exotic and with a price to match, but the sound reproduction I and particularly my music friends enjoy is extraordinary. To match, I have a large collection of vinyl going back to 1972. I am still buying new vinyl, mainly the new heavy vinyl half speed re cuts of old favourites, such as DSOTM by Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, I have examples of both the original vinyl and new where when played back to back, the original on SQ and dynamics wins hands down examples, Led Zeppelin II and Relayer by Yes. I bought the Steven Wilson boxed set of Vinyl Yes covering from the Yes Album to Relayer and wish I hadn’t bothered, the original vinyl is so superior. I am also returning to online vendors, one in four newly purchased vinyls due to pressing faults, surface noise or just poor sound quality. DSOTM by Pink Floyd is a lottery, it depends WHICH… European pressing plant it was manufactured at. The one I purchased 20 months ago which though, not bad on first listening eventually annoyed me enough to try for a repeat purchase is one example. This problem was even more exposed by a recent serious phono cartridge and phono preamp upgrade. The new copy delivered last week is in one word, stunning! At least equalling the quality of the SACD which I also own. The Queen boxed vinyl set was a fantastic buy! Bohemian Rhapsody is a joy to behold from the LP, also highly recommended are the Peter Gabriel half speed master albums
A really interesting take on vinyl. I've been collecting music since 1971 when I was 10. My collection has always been well cared for- my dad was an audiophile and instilled some good sound practical advice! The record were only ever played on high end equipment- they were never abused and one of dads most important tenets- DON'T LEND OUT YOUR RECORDS TO ANYONE! The very thought of buying a 2nd hand record sets my teeth on edge! One of the quickest ways to ruin your stylus!!! I like almost everyone else made the switch to CD in 1986 and quickly built up my CD collection- they were very expensive when first introduced to the market! Cassette tape was only ever used to copy albums/singles, make mix tapes for the car or for my Walkman- £100 new in 1981 and cutting edge revolutionary technology! I had a very large vinyl collection and CD collection but rarely listened to the vinyl after 86 as it was too much hassle compared to the digital format. I embraced Minidisc when it was launched as a replacement for cassettes and it again was revolutionary- you no longer needed to record music in real time- the process was speeded up and far more convenient. I never sold any of my collection as every disc had a special memory. My vinyl collection was now just gathering dust so I sold the turntable around 1990 and the vinyl was relegated to the attic. I embraced MP3 and the I-pod I-tunes revolution. The digital downloads didn't hold the same emotional connection- having the physical format meant so much more. I embraced SACD/SHMCD/Blu Spec and other audiophile formats and improved manufacturing developments. When the vinyl revival began a few years I ago I thought it was complete madness- a bit like bringing back the dial up modem or leeches in mainstream medicine. Why? I retired last year and decided to make an expensive upgrade to my hi-fi system for my "final' system that would see me through my sunset years. I decided to invest in a turntable once again to reactivate my unloved collection in the loft. I did my research and decided I was only going to play my existing collection- I have no intention of buying new vinyl- that seemed pointless. The turntable would be an added bonus rather than. the most important element of my new system. While carrying out my research I discovered all these vinyl/audiophile channels on YT. I could not believe the amount of absolute nonsense I was listening to. Hearing folks talk of VINYLS was horrendous! Then I was subjected to videos showing me how to melt my vinyl records in a domestic oven- leave them between two panes of heavy glass in full sunlight, clean them with WD40/Washing Up liquid or slather them with PVA glue. Had the world gone mad? Then there were record clamps priced at hundreds of pounds and various record cleaning contraptions at ridiculous prices. How one earth could anyone get a record in such a state in the first place and who in their right mind would spend crazy sums to clean something worth only a few. pounds in the first place? What final result do they expect. Why risk playing such a dirty damaged record on your turntable NUTS! How on earth did the record buying public survive without all this kit in the golden age of vinyl back in the 70s and early 80s? Since buying my new hi fi kit I've used my turntable only a handful of times- it's just too much bloody hassle! Turning over a disc every 20 minutes- cleaning the record yada yada. The one development I resisted was streaming. The idea of renting music- I couldn't reconcile myself to it. Then the penny finally dropped. For the price of just ONE CD every month I could access a music library of 80 million tracks in just a couple of clicks. I could stream in HI RES- All from my I-phone and MacBook Pro!!!! It the the world's biggest ever jukebox. I Realised I could never have the space or finances to buy such a collection. I could listen to every new album released in any week without the risk of making a bad purchase. It has certainly changed the way I listen to music- I can take far more risks and experiment- disappearing down rabbit holes and explores new genres and adjacent genres- WITHOUT LEAVING MY CHAIR. I don't have to spend time searching through my CD collection for that one misplaced disc! Streaming is just one element of my music experience. I stream in the car and on the move. I can stream while at home and of course I can listen to my vast CD and vinyl collection. It's not a binary choice! I'm happy to live in multi format music eco system.
I agree with streaming…you go on voyages of discovery that is simply not possible with physical formats. However it can be a two edged sword as I find myself jumping from track to track without playing the album, giving it time to grow on me, or even listening to end of a track as I skip to the next. So in my “cake and eat it” I love streaming AND I love my vinyl records where I appreciate the art, the sound and listening to the entire album, partly because I can’t be bothered getting up to move to another track, only to discover tracks I’d never listened to, or learned to love, while appreciating the intent of the album. My rule of thumb for sound quality; if it was recorded/mastered in analogue it will likely sound best in analogue and if it was recorded/mastered digitally it will likely sound best in a digital format - of course there are exceptions.
@@neilgaydon5430 I agree Neil, streaming does indeed create a very different listening experience- flitting from track to track sometimes after just a few seconds- but of course this is not new- I certainly did that when listening to MP3 files on my laptop or I-pod. It's a bit like an "all you can eat fro £10" buffet. It is certainly great for discovering new music and taking a chance on new artists or those you may have passed by. I just cannot understand the "either or" nonsense that many ascribe to- vinyl OR CD, Vinyl OR streaming.Most folks happily live in a multi format eco system.
Like you, I never lend LPs out! Learned this the hard way back in the early 70s. And handle records like the Crown Jewels, which is why some 50+ year old vinyl in my collection still sounds fantastic and even better on my modern deck and phono preamp.
I think you're so full of baloney. You're a salesman. You claim your original vinyl collection was only ever played on high-end systems - nothing wrong with that - but then you go on to say that you embraced Minidisc! Seriously? If your claim of SACD/SHMCD/Blu Spec was credible, the very second you made claim to saisfaction with mp3 and i-tunes is extremely suspect. How the hell could that be possible? And it goes on. And here you are, at least 60 years old, yet, you want to hear "every new album released in any week"! You're blowing bubbles up your own backside, mate. Get outta here with your "multi format music eco system" b/s. You're a complete tool.
@@knockshinnoch1950 I completely disagree. There is simply nothing worse than - or even being in the audible vacinity of such a person - hopping from track to track after a few seconds. Nothing irritates me more than people with the attention span of a newt. I'm reminded of the friend of my daughter's who writes "reviews" on songs she's heard after listening to all of 30-seconds of them. You'd be just as well listening to a bunch of audio snippets of advertising off the telly music. There's simply no way you'd have the intellectual capacity to sit and listen from beginning to end to any album by the likes of Popol Vuh.
I had two brothers, both vinyl deejays in the 1970's. Both have passed away now, and I inherited their sizable vinyl collections. This does not include my own vinyl colection which is sizeable enough as it is! I hadn't played any of my vinyl in over 25 years and theirs even longer. in 2016 I bought myself a brand new turntable and never looked back since. That was 3 turntables ago now. I bought and beautifuly restored and upgraded a Thorens TD166 Mk2 from ebay to better than new condition and then more recently to a Rega P6 with a moving coil cartridge. The reproduction now is so good that you can easily distingush records that were poorly mixed from turntables/cartridges of the past. I now clean and restore old records by ultrasonic cleaning, which really rewinds the years of accumulated dirt and grime, and brings many old secondhand and old records back to a very good state. Especially restoring my late brothers records that had a very hard life! I still get CD's, SACD's and Blu-Ray audio discs for 5.1 surround listening of records I am liable to frequently play, but Vinyl is my real love. It's a performance and ritual of playing vinyl records I enjoy.
I have a lot of cd's that are mostly used in my vehicle and sometimes at home. But vinyl is my main choice at home. I am a hands on type of person...to me there is something about the process of spinning an album. I also enjoy the process of setting up and adjusting the tonearm and cartridge to get the best performance out of them.
I work for a small indie label, due to issues with supply and manufacturing these past 2 years, our costs have gone up, which has scuppered the feasibility of releasing smaller vinyl products at a reasonable price. I am in the minority at the label, as while appreciating vinyl for all the reasons you mention, great video by the way, I view the market nowadays as out of reach for most people. Paying 25 or 30 pounds for an album is a lot and unnecessary, when we have access to objectively higher quality formats. I understand the desire to own an object, associated with the music, but maybe there is a way to affordably bridge that gap, without having to produce and supply the now ludicrously inflated vinyl units. It's difficult though, as the perceived value is associated with the ritual of the needle drop. There have been many attempts to produce physical media in other ways, like a cd in book, usb distribution and so on, yet none of these methods have really captured the market. I have no answer, and can see the interest becoming more niche and expensive to pursue.
I built a pretty nice vinyl collection in the 70's. Life happened and the quality of the music I was into dropped in the 80s. Cds came out and I grew a sizable collection of those but never was thrilled with the sound. When the Best Buy version of Pettys Live Anthology came out and included a vinyl record I patched up my Technics record player. Now I have over 1000 records far surpassing my cd collection. You know what's cool about records? Any player can play records from the 50's and 60's. Also record players are like a musical instrument themselves and with enough cash spent on platters and cartridges can change the sound of your collection
Personally, I find vinyl to be superior to both CDs and audio streams (with caveats below). CDs and audio streams are mastered to remove the very high & low ends, and they are then compressed to fit on the media or improve the down streaming speeds. Let me submit a tale. I'm a big fan of Telarc's 1812 Overture. I first bought the LP decades back, but as CDs were becoming more prevalent, I purchased the CD, too. I stored the LP with my others in a dark, cool room. I eventually decided to compare the two. I first played the CD, and all was well. When I played the LP, it blew the speakers in my setup during the cannon fire. For me, the LP had a wider dynamic range. As I said, caveats apply here: Use a decent turntable and cartridge/stylus. Avoid el-cheapo turntables in big-box stores. Fluance, U-turn, Pro-Ject, Audio-Technica and others offer compelling alternatives. Clean the LP before & after each play, using an anti-static brush Remove any static from the LP using a ZeroStat gun (or similar) Clean the stylus with a good stylus brush & cleaner before and after each play. Always store your LP in a proper inner sleeve (aka "rice sleeves") like those from MoFi and others. Avoid PVC sleeves. Protect the jacket using outer jackets. If you want to avoid jacket rings, store the LP (in its inner sleeve) behind the jacket in the outer sleeve. That's all that I'd like to contribute. Enjoy your music!
I am just getting into vinyl. It's work, which is a dirty word for most, but I like that. I like maintaining things properly and enjoy the fact that everything I need is in my equipment and that record. At first glance I have to say there is something more complete about the sound with vinyl. Working with a Dual 1019 currently, but I know I will move to other tables eventually. Not a bad place to start though.
When CDs are produced well, they're as great as sound quality can get. Bad mastering and dynamic compression is a real problem, but that's not the CD's fault.
@@monsieurlehigh4912: We disagree, friend. The audio on all CDs is compressed. LPs are pure analog (unless the source was mastered digitally). Pure analog LPs deliver the truest sound, in my opinion.
@@TBNTX I am a fan of the ECM label (just for instance), and some of these albums I own both on vinyl and on CD, and there's no advantage of the vinyl here in my book, because the CDs are produced super carefully. But when it comes to many albums from other genres and labels, the CDs are mostly fucked up because of bad (re)mastering. It's the idiots sitting in the studios when a CD sounds bad.
Been collecting records since the 70s here. What can turn many off is the needed maintenance to the vinyl itself. Many don’t realize that you need to clean a record even before you play it for the first time, as material can be left behind from the manufacturing process. After that just periodic cleaning should do you fine. I have records that are 70 years old that still sound new. What is more interesting to me is that a large number of new collectors don’t ever even play their records or even own a record player. Also cassettes that are recorded well and played on a good component player can sound every bit as good as a cd. The problem is most people only ever heard them on cheap walkmans (and there are fantastic sounding but pricey walkmans), a boom box or a car cassette deck. Not on a good home deck through a good amplifier and quality speakers.
I had a 4500 LP collection and I still own a quite expensive handmade turntable with a special arm and cartridge; and with that a good if not ridiculously expensive pre-pre amp, and I loved it; I had a Nitty-Gritty LP washer and washed all my LP's and bought new, expensive inner-sleeves for all of them. But a trans-atlantic move made me leave it all behind, on extended loan to my family, and honestly; I don't miss it one bit. Well, perhaps one bit: nothing's as beautiful in HiFi as an LP spinning at 33 1/3, with a cartridge tracking .. But I realised that the sound from CD's is often better, and above all, they are play and forget; open the tray place the CD in it, hit start and listen to music, without worrying about dust, or static electricity, or the needle, or anti-skating, or any other of the myriad things to constantly tweak with LP's. And you can get great diital sound for much less than what LP's cost, in total, especially now I see them going for ridiculous money in hipster-boutiques. No, I'm sticking to digital from now on.
I've been collecting LPs since 1977, however there were times when I'd sell part of my collection in order to exchange them (at the time) for CDs. In addition, over the years I've been pruning my LP collection so albums that may have been a mistake to buy, or no longer get my rocks off, are traded for store credit so that I can afford that expensive Japanese import, or sold on eBay, Discogs, etc. This way my relatively small collection of 650LPs is kept "lean and mean", instead of riddled with stupid crap. Frankly, I'm not aiming to beat anybody's collection in terms of quantity, and in fact in the future I will probably try to wind it down to around 500. I don't know - I doubt that. - those people that own thousands and tens of thousands of LPs have even bothered to play them at least once throughout. And to listen to a record is the whole point of owning it, isn't it? Quality? The CD is more convenient, but "cold". The LP is not as dynamically accurate as a CD but it yields more satisfaction when playing it because it demands your attention.
It seems that in today's culture, many people like to embrace their hoarding instincts and label it as collecting. At the end of the day, it has more to do with showing off what they've been up to with others on social media, be it here on RUclips or elsewhere than it is about using and enjoying that which they've just bought. Strange days. Though I'm not a format warrior by any means, I actually think that many people would enjoy better quality playback via CD than LP given the budget they have to spend on equipment. I love my LP's, and have a fairly decent vinyl front-end, but my CD player is awesome as well. In my experience if the music isn't demanding your attention, then it's likely the fault of the equipment involved rather than the format itself. My goal has always been able to enjoy the music regardless of the format.
I started buying albums in 1974, when there were no suitable alternatives. Here’s what I find interesting: When CDs came out in the early 80’s, you could hear the cymbals that the vinyl just didn’t have the range to reproduce. There were three letter codes on CDs ( A for analog(ue), D for digital) describing the recording, mixing and mastering processes. So, AAD meant the recording was analog, the mixing was analogue, and the mastering was digital. There were vinyl holdouts, but for most of us, we went to CDs. However, when I recently delved into the the current vinyl market, I was struck by the Mobile Fidelity (Mo-Fi) “scandal” that they have a digital step in their process. These were the albums that vinyl ‘influencers’ pointed to as the best sounding LPs. So, the interesting part is that today’s controversy is the opposite of what it was in early CD production, when people wanted more digital steps. Listening to vinyl is relaxing and has several points in its favor as you pointed out: 1. Listening to an album side is a complete experience with bands concentrating on how they would sound as a whole. 2. The artwork and size of the jackets was levels above the artwork you could fit to the relatively puny CD cases. 3. The ritual of playing an album, which takes some time, helps prepare your mind for a pleasurable listening experience. One last thought: The transition from CDs to digital streaming was worse, as the lossy mp3 format, in lower sampling rates, noticeably degraded the digital advantages. With increasing sample rates, this has been somewhat mitigated, but it clearly muddied the digital advantage. Thanks for your thoughtful take on albums. I hope you enjoy listening to music for many years to come!
@@AudioFixation Thanks for answering. What blows my mind is the “grass is greener” syndrome through the generations. For people interested in creating and producing music now, some of the more used effects plugins are ‘lo-fi’, which actually add the things we tried to get rid of 50 years ago. Wow and flutter plagued tape recording and playback, rather than being added for effect! Now sound produced in computer workstations is so clean and pure, that people add imperfections to make them sound ‘human’. To me, it’s a nice problem to have! I think the ultimate best display of CD brilliance is ‘In the Digital Mood’ by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. For listening to albums, I like Black Sabbath and other bands that sound good even with the higher frequencies missing (plus all my old albums as when I get one out, it brings back old memories). Cheers!
Excellent presentation. Here in the US, used records can be found at a very reasonable price. The trick is to widen one's curiosity and consequently one's taste. Read about music and buy records that present the better players in each genre. Repetition lets your mind become accustomed to the sound of each type of music. When I was 17, I bought John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The first time I played it, I thought, "What a waste of money." One month later I was a Coltrane fanatic.
I buy vinyl sometimes but rarely play it I usually get special editions like ziggy on gold vinyl. About a month ago bought the new Fontaines album Skinty Fia on 180 gram 45rpm played it once, stream is more convenient.
Interesting video. Me personally, I love my CD's and will continue to buy them. I can never understand this attitude of 'if it's on CD, one can't listen to it from start to finish on a good set up. I do that that with all my discs. My only negative with the cd is as you mentioned regarding the artwork on that size of format. Maybe the CD should be relaunched but in bigger covers. 😊
I’ve recently reached a similar conclusion, primarily because of purchasing new releases on vinyl and being disappointed with the quality. Then I remembered the first time I heard a CD around 1985. Record companies were already phasing out vinyl back then in favor of cassettes. My first copy of Dark Side of the Moon was on cassette. My copy of Animals on cassette faded out halfway through pigs and continued on side two. To this day, whenever I hear that song, I expect it to fade at a certain point. So in ‘85 when I heard CDs it was amazing. Second hand they’re still amazing. I will still buy vinyl but the price has to be right. I have a DAC and stream high res on a subscription service which is another dream come true for my inner 14 year old. It’s really the best time to be a music fan.
Totally agree with you; never been a better time to be a music obsessive. Heck, you can even buy cassette tapes if you really want to publish yourself 🤣
That's quite incorrect actually. In fact, by 1985, in the western world - not India/Asia/Middle-East/Africa/South America - cassettes were also being phased out. By 1985, the CD was by principle the most heavily marketed and supported format. You only have to look at back-issue copies of music magazine's adverts and it's all pushing the CD format. Given that you were already used to the misery of cassette tapes (I could make better sounding tapes of my own records than any record company cassette that I ever heard) then you probably never got into the enjoyment of appreciating the cover sleeves, so it's no wonder you like streaming music. I altogether hate that, it's utterly soulless. My inner 14 year old will never forget the day in 1973, with unwrapping a brand new copy of The Dark Side Of The Moon, to find not one, but two posters within and two stickers, and of course, all the lyrics printed between the two inner sleeves of the gatefold cover. In my view, streaming is for people who don't actually like music very much, nor understand what it is exactly that they are listening to and are simply following "trending suggestions", and just want something in the background to kill the silence. Streaming is the worst thing that ever happened to music.
Couldn’t agree more. Ive really enjoyed, the Album goodies ie sleeves, art, posters, Japanese Vinyl Obi’s, inserts, tour pics, even comic books like my Captain Fantastic Elton John Album. Plus the sound is just fuller than any other media. 🤙👍🤘 Great vid. Got you a new Sub 👍
My first record was a 45 of the Beach Boys Surfin USA and never looked back on my vinyl collection eversince as a young boy in the 60s onwards. Just a quick tip:- You must use a different wider needle for original older vinyls circa mid 90s onwards because the grooves are wider than modern day records and will not sound or play properly and cause potential damage to the needle/cartridge and the record.
I ended up hating vinyls by the end of the 80s and embraced CDs. Now I'm back to Vinyl because I realised I didn't pay attention to music as I used to, and that I couldn't listen to music for long periods of time because of ear fatigue, and that never happened to me when I listened to vinyl, to cassettes, or to early CDs. The CD may have more dynamic range, but excess of info is not processed easily by the ears and the brain, so mastering and mixing are becoming a lost art. I still download digital because I cannot afford buying too many vinyls. So I alternate both listening experiences and still I prefer the moments I spend dedicating my time to vinyl. I hope quality control improves and that vinyl become more accessible.
I completely agree with all of your comments. I love the way vinyl sounds and never truly appreciated some artists until I heard them on vinyl. Snow Patrol for example, I never truly appreciated their music outside of their hits until I listened to them on vinyl. The complexity of their music is lost to streaming. I for one still have my entry level Sony player. I am still to be convinced that I should upgrade my system to one with less functions for more money. It's 2022 and as I see it there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to purchase a multifunctional fully automatic high quality record player that fits into the 21st century lifestyle.
Very interesting! I like to hear from those who got interested in records during their resurgence. I've loved music since I was a little boy and started buying 45s when I was 5, way back in 1956. There were no other options other than AM radio. When other formats came along, I kept my records, though I bought cassettes and CDs. I'm still buying records. I bought some at a thrift just last week. However, I don't buy new records because of cost. I love the thrill of the hunt crate digging and can buy 10-20 records that way instead of one new record. I imagine there are many like you who became fascinated with the medium but the realities of records soon caught up. Thanks for giving me a look at the world of someone new to the hobby.
I just got 3x 70’s pressings, all sound amazing, and 4 $5 bargain bin Vinyl that also sound mint. 2 Genesis Phil Collins era, a Steely Dan, and a Peter Frampton. Everything is about 40 years or older. I would assume your player is fucked, or your vinyls are totally shit. Making your comment disengenuous, or ignorant.
In my youth, the music format was on 8 tracks, cassette and vinyl record. I build up my collection of vinyl record from early 70's to mid 80's which I have today 512 vinyl albums, and some are double or triple set. Then I switch to CD from mid 80's to today, which I got 832 CDs, and 105 music DVDs. My small collection of albums. However even today I still enjoy playing one or two vinyl record a day on my old very good turntable bought in 1978. He is right, vinyl record does wear out in time, and if you are not careful, they will warp as well if you expose them to heat, leave them sitting flat down instead up right. This goes as well for CD and DVD, they can be damage too. Conclusion, I enjoyed listening to entire album from the 1st track to the last regardless the format. I got an old habit, when I buy record, I have to listen in full for a minimum of 3 time in a month to start enjoying the entire album concept. Enjoy your music.
Tyvm, Really enjoyed your vid. I would love to do vinyl as I think it would be a fun and enjoyable experience much like comic books but what keeps me from it is the limitations of it. With the vast amount of music artists and genre's I listen to; vinyl would be a big investment for a small niche group of music that I know would get used initially but would eventually become another paper weight much like my PS5 that has no games to play on it, lol. If I could get at least 50% of my music on vinyl I'd be all in but the reality is it would maybe fit about 5-10% and doesn't justify the hardware and time investment for my use case.
Nostalgia be damned. I grew up with vinyl in the 1960s and 70s and I'm glad to see the back of the noisy and fussy format. But I do resent the increasingly terrible approaches to compression and EQ in mastering (and remastering) that have been used in popular music over the past 25 years.
Agree there's too much artificiality in current mastering. Add to that digital "crutches" such as Auto-Tune that enhance the sound of a singer who may be a bit pitch challenged.
Well mastered CDs will always trump vinyl, especially SACDs. I got into the vinyl craze around 10 years ago but quickly realized that I prefer digital audio. Uncompressed digital audio, straight from the source is pure and free from things like surface noise, clicks, pops and crackles.
If you want your records to last, get a micro-line stylus. The shape of the stylus when set up right will run in the grooves more evenly, and is better at combatting inner groove distortion. Better contact with the grooves means less wear and tear on your records. I’m looking at upgrading my turntable to an Audio Technica LP140X, which comes with an AT XP3 cartridge, which is a more than decent cartridge to get started, but I’ll be upgrading to an AT540ML with the RigB upgrade, which doesn’t come standard with that particular cartridge. The AT540ML is a brilliant cartridge that not only tracks evenly, but also has excellent stereo separation and sounds amazing!
I still buy records, mostly from bandcamp artists, I like supporting new talent and maybe, just maybe, I'll end up collecting a future classic. However, I rarely listen to records, 99% of the time I'm streaming and even though my vinyl rig is quite good, my digital end (that's roughly half the cost) still beats it sound quality wise most of the time. The thing is, with certain pressings/recordings the vinyl magic comes through and it's unlike any other medium. I've gone through the mental gymnastics of whether I should sell it and put more into digital but I'm certain now that it'll be part of the system for the foreseeable future.
Hi sir I would just add one important point to your discussion , the difference a high quality deck can make to the listing experience . It’s surprising how much surface noise will disappear when a top quality cartridge is used in conjunction with low resentence deck . And I’m afraid this is the biggest problem with vinyl, it fails to give of its best without a high level of investment . I have been a hifi fan since the early 70s and have owned quite a few record decks over the years , but even I have been amazed by how much better the modern decks are compared to yesteryear particularly when you get into £1500 to £2000 pound range . But obviously no small amount of money by anyones peoples standards , so I would not give on the format yet . And if and when funds allow up grade your deck, and definitely your phono stage and grab the vinyl dragon firmly by the tail. Best wishes and kind regards to your good self 😀👍👍👍
In the 70's when I got into HiFi, music records were the easiest accessibility quality format, only surpassed by live broadcasts via FM radio. But, as you mentioned, they were fragile and the devices used to play them were delicate too. I remember waking up one morning after a skinful, to a bent stylus on my Shure M75ED type 2 after a late night listening session. Or another time whilst turning over my new Stranglers album, having a sneezing fit and covering side 2 in snot. Later I bought a Transcriptors Skeleton turntable and the arm got bent in storage when I had to serve overseas and could not take it with me. So once cassette technology improved, as I bought an LP (singles were "Strewth Spit") I used to record it on to CrO2 tape and the LP went away. Now I use digital only in the form of Flac's, CD's and a small collection of SACD and DVDA. I can't spill beer on them, get them dusty, scratch them or mar them by any other, cruel form of destiny. They sound great every time and by choosing carefully the right components my system produces a nice warm sounding repeatable performance. I can even doze off and not wake up to shhhhh click shhhhh click shhhh click as the record goes round and round on the exit groove.
Snot bent needles too drunk from beer to lift the tonearm. Yea staying away from vinyl is a good idea!! My technics 1200GR and cartridge cost me over $2,000.00 I have no issues. I have alot of 💿 cd's too. I don't drink so no spilling worries.
I agree with most of what you said but I think you overstated the degradation of of the format. I have original pressings of multiple records that are 40+ years old and sound amazing and they all appear to have been played regularly. Though this probably depends greatly on the quality of the turntable being used over time. The only real annoyance I have with the sound quality of vinyl is inner groove distortion. I have a handful of records where it renders the music unenjoyable to listen to. Find the Cost of Freedom on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s So Far is particularly bad. In fact I replaced my original copy because I thought it was defective.
Once you said you were on the Picard side I knew I was in for some good stuff, I myself collect tapes, cd's, vinyl, and downloads. However I can get my hands on it really, but if I can get it on a big beautiful gatefold I'm in
Thanks for you interesting take on vinyl records. I grew up with Vinyl and always enjoyed collecting and playing records as I upgraded my hi fi system over the decades. When CD's came along I was very interested in them of course but the players were very expensive and you could only buy new CD's from a small and expensive range of titles, so I waited. By the early 1990's CD players were much cheaper and many more CD titles were available at lower prices, especially second-hand ones, so I got into it. I have not bothered buying new vinyl records since the 1990's, as they are too expensive compared to CD's. I still occasionally buy used vinyl as well as new and used CD's and still enjoy both formats, although I find CD's are more convenient as I have gotten older and they always sound as good as the day I first acquired them. I haven't bothered joining music or movie streaming services, as I can usually listen for free, to anything on RUclips that I don't have a hard copy of, although the ads are a nuisance. I dislike paying monthly fees for anything, except for the essential services I need.
I am 60 now,so grew up listening to records... Went full circle And Back to vinyl... There's just something tactile about it something to do with effort… Also, I have kids that are around 30 and when we're in the car they can't seem to listen to a whole song from start to finish… With an album you are obliged to sit through four to ten songs… Is a different listening experience altogether...
I love my records mostly bought new & 2nd hand in the 80s & 90s & covers all eras of modern music but since mp3 ripping I don't use them much any more except to look at & appreciate for their art.
I cannot think of a better phenomenon to which Karl Marx's Theory of the Commodity Fetish applies than the crazy fetishisation around vinyl records. I grew up in the 80s too and bought plenty of vinyl. But back then we never gave it a second thought as far as the packaging and the equipment and the record itself went. That all had pretty much only use value. All that mattered was the music. We didn't give pay attention to anything else except the lyrics sheet maybe. We didn't take special pleasure in the "ritual" of placing the record and putting down the tone arm and especially not in having to turn the record over. We didn't handle our records with reverence and care. And when CDs came along, we couldn't wait to ditch our dowdy, fiddly, ugly record players and submerge ourselves in the glorious, vastly superior, crystal-clear sound of digital audio. It was just So. Much. Better. Tbh, I like to pull out a record for a spin now and then just for old times sake but I'd never ever exchange it for the superior quality and incredible convenience of digital. (To be clear, I'm not criticizing anyone for enjoying vinyl. If you love vinyl, fantastic! We all need as much happiness as we can get nowadays. I just find the vinyl comeback a fascinating phenomenon.)
I wish they would produce a ‘vinyl’ version of the mix used for the vinyl master press process, but in a digital download? Or digital master made from an actual new record played on a reference turntable etc.
Eh... they do already. But, not for mainstream stuff where the audience is clueless. It's bands such as King Crimson and Jethro Tull - proper audiophile stuff where you'll find that within their numerous box sets.
Great video. I agree, don't buy vinyl as an investment, buy it to enjoy the music. If you take really good care of your records they will retain most of their value, and maybe more, years down the road. I don't even take the shrink wrap off most of my albums if I can help it.
As a man of 74 years, I started my life listening to vinyl whilst sitting on my father's knee. That was in 1951. The record was Smetana's 'Ma Vlast' and I was three years old. I still have most of my late father's record collection, many of them on Decca FFRR recordings - all Mono recordings. There are also quite a few Decca FFSS Stereo records. Despite their age, they were always well looked after and thoroughly cleaned with a soft cotton handkerchief and Distilled Water. The Stylus was also cleaned thoroughly before and after use and replaced at the recommended intervals, so the quality is still there and surface noise is barely noticeable. Lets face it, you'd hear a lot more noise in a Concert Hall, with people coughing and sneezing, with the added 'attraction' of the occasional bum note; something you rarely get on a vinyl record. I started buying my own LP's when I was still a schoolboy - Joe Brown; Cliff Richard and Shadows; Rolling Stones and several other '60's and '70's bands, such as Byrds; Steeleye Span and Moody Blues. At the same time, my musical interests started to change, and I got into Folk, especially British musicians. As with my father, I always looked after my records and played them on quality equipment, so most of them are in near-mint condition. As for CD's, I've never appreciated them, as they never sound 'right' to my ears; a sensation much like having my ears stuffed with cotton wool. As I was recently explaining to a teenager who had recently discovered his Grandfather's record collection, Sound ( Music ) is an Analogue wave, but Digital is not and the way they record and Master CD's, destroys the original notes. A Musical Note is a Sound-wave. Digitising it chops each note into bits, which then need to be reconstituted by your CD player, via a Digital to Analogue Converter. The original Claim by Phillips and Sony, was the promise of Perfect Sound Forever... to which I can only say, 'Balderdash and Hogwash'. As I was never a fan of noisy Discos, my ears haven't been ruined by excessive Bass and neither have I ever worked in a noisy environment, so I trust my ears to tell me the truth about what I'm hearing. You will never convince me - nor millions like me - that CD's are superior to Vinyl LP's. CD's always sound 'flat' to my ears. My speakers are driven by a Valve Amplifier and the Bass from LP's is something my friends and neighbours comment on. I don't get the same effect from CD's, which always sound 'Hard' to me ears. I can listen to Vinyl all day, but an hour of CD, is all I can tolerate.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of vinyl. The only issue I take with your review is your judgment regarding tapes. They do not sound bad - far from it. While not comparable to vinyl, there is a huge group of tape fans out there resurrecting old decks. Still, liked your video and tone a lot! 👍
I've always had vinyl ( I'm a 60's child) I love the physical aspect of it. The sleeve, lyrics, the needle on the record, even the scratches. All add to the experience. When I owned my first CD Player, in 87, I was blown away by the quality and records seemed very dated. I still buy them, but not often due to the huge expense. I buy them usually to support bands that I like as most streaming platforms pay them a pitiful amount of money. Love the Kraftwerk Album/Computerworld. One of my favourite 80's albums :) Loving your channel mate with some seriously interesting stuff on :)
Best thing I ever did was sell all my vinyl and invest in some KEF LS50 ii wireless speakers and start streaming HI-RES audio. I’ve found so much new music it’s unbelievable, artists I would never have known if it weren’t for streaming.
Love your nod to Depeche Mode there; 'Violator' is one of my all time favourite albums although you also mention both Bowie and U2 there who are also classics!
Increased Hiss is built up static charge. Most people thinks ststic noise is pop and clicks, but that is when it has gone too far. Most Surface noise and "hiss" is actually continually discharging static. Most of it can with fairly small means be combatted (antistatic inner sleeves used after a thourough cleaning and a few shots with an Antistatic gun is the most important steps).
I love all formats, vinyl, cd, tape and download and collect them all. Each is different and has good and bad points. The biggest down sides of vinyl for me are the cost and the need for expensive equipment to get the best out of the format. Storage is another big problem. I disagree though with your comments that it’s hard to set up, I find it easy but saying that I have been into it for 50 years.
The ability to play any song, at any time you wish is an absolute miracle. Impossible with any physical format. I was born in 1980 and as if I waited all my life for the moment when SD cards went over 64gb and became affordable. I see my smartphone as an absolute miracle. Don't need anything printed or physical to enjoy music. I wait for the day technology becomes invisible, and the song we want to hear, we just imagine and it plays in our ears.
Of course there's the third more convenient option, just like the old days, an amplifier with a dedicated phono input. Negating the need and expense of a separate pre-amp.
I bought a yamaha amp last year and it has a phono input. No DAC. Just pure analog. I doubt most stereo manufacturers will get rid of dedicated phono and cd inputs despite the fickle consumers out there.
The trouble with dedicated Phono inputs, is they were somewhat basic, depending on the brand. Those that used dedicated transistors in the R.I.A.A. Pre-amp were - and are - superior to those that used integrated chips. I discovered this the hard way. This led me to experiment with different phono stages, which led me to a Valve Phono Pre-amp. Chalk and Cheese. After that, I binned all my Trannies for Valves. My whole system, from Cartridge to Speakers, is Valves, all running in pure Class A, so no 'switching' nasties. I can drive at full power, without 'Clipping' destroying my speakers, or the amp.
After buying vinyl all the time in the late 80’s I soon changed over to cd when they came available. I got slightly bk into vinyl a few years bk but it didn’t last long.Fed up of expensive vinyl and bad quality of it compared to when I first bought it.I was buying new vinyl and used to think what it would sound like on cd so ended up buying cds again. Ok the artwork looks better on vinyl than cd but I buy music for the music not the size of the artwork and the hype of sitting bk and reading the lyrics and all that soppy stuff. I do like used old school vinyl and will buy a Album from the 80’s 90’s if I see one I fancy,it does depends how much it is though. I like used vinyl as you kinda expect it to sound used and that’s the all point.But new vinyl no thanks.I bought Iron Maidens 2016 album the book of souls on amazon knowing I would’nt have any issues sending it bk if there was problems with it.I ended up exchanging it three times due to imperfection on the record. All this Ltd edition coloured vinyl,splattered vinyl etc does my head in.It seems just to be for the youngsters to get into. I see kids buying vinyl in hmv which isn’t a bad thing I spose but it’s like £30 for a record you could buy going on three albums on for that price. Anyway I’ll only buy new vinyl now if I can’t get it on cd. With cds I don’t have to bother bout storage,buying anti static inner sleeves,plastic sleeves to keep the covers nice over time.I just pop the disc in and listen to the music and not listen out for clicks and pops after spending £30 for a brand new record.I want to listen to how the band hear the music back after recording it in the studio.There not having to listen to surface noise,pips,clicks etc.
The whole vinyl thing is ridiculous. CDs have a much better dynamic range, can have much more bass, and an overall better frequency range. The problem with CDs is that they are too good, compared to vinyl. The technical spec tell it all. For vinyl enthusisasts the whole think is about nostalgia and emotion. Their arguments are not based in logc. (PS: His desciption of vinyl sounding "fuzzy and warm" says it all. By the way, warm can be accomplished with EQing a digital recording. Compression can also be used on digital recordings. But I say, why do this, to simulate the sound of vinyl? Learn to like a more pure sound, like what digital offers.) Watch, over time, as the whole vinyl craze collpses as people come to their senses. About this video, thank you for making it. You were fair with this subject, and with good information. Good job. Additional note: Many people look for ways to be snooty. They look for things that will make them "special." The vinyl thing appeals to that motivation. They won't admit to this, of course, but it's patently obvious.
With vinyl, as a teenager in the mid 1970s, our family record player used to damage the first track on both sides of a vinyl album, that's before you found the record was not pressed properly. It played singles fine. Once I had a cassette player I had all my albums on that format, although I was often saddened by the lack of imagination of the product i.e. the 1977 vinyl The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl has sleeve notes by producer Sir George Martin. The tape does not. Also the general sound quality was not great until 1987 when chrome cassettes came onto the market around the same time CDs were taking off. Vinyl albums also show the cover and additional artwork in the best light, although the disc can scratch so easily. CDs helped to exorcise many demons for me as I knew I could play them without knowing they would be damaged. The comeback of vinyl delights me. It gives the customer more choice. I dare the record companies to release prominent singles on a 78 format. I bet they would sell. We are very lucky that we live in an age when so much material is available with many vintage albums being re-issued with bonus tracks. Happy record hunting everyone!
I appreciate what you say about listening to the album as a whole. One of my favorite bands is The Who. I can listen to "Pinball Wizard" on any greatest hits CD compilation, however, listening to the full "Tommy" LP is a stunning experience. You're spot on with that observation.
These days, my vinyl purchases are limited to the audiophile releases that fill holes In my collection. I prefer analog sound but I agree that it feels indulgent in the current environment.
Thanks for that take on vinyl. I was thinking about adding a turntable and all the gubbins to my set up, but your thoughts have stayed my hand somewhat.
When I buy a brand new record, I usually record it to (reel to reel) tape on the first or second playing. This way I can have a recording that is almost as good quality as the record, but I do not wear out the record playing it and do not need to flip the tape as often as I would need to flip the record.
Buying vinyl right now, and it's been kind of fun to see what albums are good as a whole, instead of individual tracks, as I've been accustomed to for over a decade now. Actually surprised at how many good albums are still being made. One of my GOATs is Nine Inch Nail's The Fragile, because it's fairly huge AND good.
It's all about the music really, for lots of people only interested in commercial and popular music digital and streaming is fine. If however, you really get a taste for anything more specialised, reggae, soul, jazz and the incredible depth and breadth of those genres you won't get far without a record collection and something to play it with. I buy compact discs too and have far more problems with damage and deterioration than with my records.
Why I love vinyl records…. 1. Just the look of the record cover and the text inside or on the back describing the artist.. 2. Having to remove the record and placing it on the turntable. 3. Setting up the turntable and turning on the amplifier 4. Cleaning the record before playing it to remove as many clicks and pops as possible. 5. Placing the tone arm over the track you want to listen to and lowering it to start the music. 6. Adjusting the bass and treble and volume of course. 7. Although I download music on CD mp3 files..my cd player doesn’t tell me what artist is about to play..the mp3 files are There just isn’t the interaction with CDs. My 84 year old ears can still hear the beautiful music that I play on my system
As I had commented on another video; I restored my brother’s old 1985 JVC belt drive turntable by replacing the belt, getting a more modern cardtridge, and making the necessary adjustments for optimum playback. It sounded great but I decided I’m sticking with CD mainly due to cost and the superior sound quality. I’m keeping the turntable on my set-up regardless and might experiment with vinyl sometime in the future.
The record companies need to get a little more competitive with their pricing. A LOT more, actually! I bought a run of Depeche Mode vinyl from Speak and Spell to Songs of Faith, etc., and it cost a fortune. I'm a Kraftwerk fan, too, and bought the new coloured vinyl editions of everything up to Computer World, and Tour de France. It's weird how the more "cold" sounding bands can sound brilliant on vinyl!
I think the biggest problem with vinyl nowadays is it’s popularity which has got beyond saturation point! Meaning my hobby of 30 years, (yes 30 years and i’m 45 now!) which was originally a cheap one, especially in the 90’s with cd’s and everyone throwing vinyl at you, because it was considered confined to the history books good and proper has now become more precious than the crown jewels! As for old original copies of classic albums i’ve seen antiques go cheaper since everyone’s jumped on the bandwagon, after a few hipsters a decade ago said “oh you want to do vinyl it’s got soooo much soul to it” I have to remortgage my house to have a copy of dark side of the moon with both posters in!! Cheers hipsters!! Love you too!!!!
Playing a record with a decent cartridge with a tracking force of less than 3 grams will do no damage or cause no degradation to audio quality in more than 200 plays. The problems you seem to be encountering are with dust and particulates in the grooves. Cleaning your records properly will mitigate such problems. There are many excellent record cleaners available ranging from manual wet cleaners for under £80 to ultrasonic machines costing over £2000.
I totally agree. I still have quite a few LPs which I bought in the 70s and 80s but haven't played them for decades as I have them all on CD and ripped to FLAC. I don't even have a record player (or whatever they're called these days ;) )
Nice video man. I have the project carbon as well and am very happy with it. There's a blue ontoforon cartridge that snaps right in without any adjustments. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny IMO-at least on my setup. I also was having issues with static that more or less disappeared when I got the acrylic platter. Just passing on as I was concerned I was wasting money before purchasing, but was very pleased.
I am with you. I can't decide whether I prefer CDs or vinyl. I tend to prefer CDs for price, longevity and sound quality. But I can't help myself from buying vinyl every time I see it in a shop.
Further to my previous and a bit off-topic, I have a couple of Reel-to-Reel tape recorders; an Akai M8 which has Valves in it and an Akai 4000D, which is Transistorised. Amoungst the many Quarter-inch tapes I have - both Mono and Stereo - I have 'Dark Side of the Moon'. When it comes to quality of sound, it beats CD into a cocked hat and from my perspective, also has the edge over my Vinyl copy. I have a Mono recording of Ella Fitzgerald in Berlin, dated 1956 and the sound quality on that is amazing. I also have recordings of Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole on Mono tape and again, sound quality is brilliant, as is the Atmosphere of the venues. Maybe we should start a revival of Reel-to-Reel tape. Now, where is my Ferrograph Studio 8?
great critique of this interesting subject! Youve hit on the most important issues. As a DJ who grew up in the 80s Ive switched format a few times but now find myself back collecting vinyl and investing in Technics 1200s for home use. Getting great sound out of vinyl takes time and money(cartridges/needles/pr-amps/turntable stands etc) and effort - but there in lies the fun! Ironically i use software to process my DJ Mp3s to add warmth! Crate digging for bargains is a true joy and adds to any holiday i go on. Discogs and record fairs take this to another level! the hope is that value of my collection will appreciate which is probably as risky a concept as bitcoin!
Great video. I am a first-time viewer of your channel. I like the balanced treatment you gave to the formats. I do agree and am also currently collecting SACD's, which is what the CD's should have been and we would not be talking about harshness. The format has been around as Sony's brainchild since 1990. Their presence is astonishing...as long as the mixing engineer is doing the mix properly. I have been in vinyl collecting since I was 6 years old (still have those childrens records that my parents gave) and I have never wandered too far from the format. All that you say about the format, I can agree on, sadly, as it makes for a dull conversation. I still enjoy collecting them and it's emotional. Yes, the warmth of the music (read: lack of full dimensional sound) is so lovely, but the participation of the experience can't be beat. From breaking the seal and looking at the cover art, pulling the record out for the first time...the smell of a new record...putting it on the turntable for the first time and lowering the stylus. I feel my stylus enjoys playing something new as well...like driving down an unfamiliar road for the first...sitting listening to the recording while burying oneself into the cover notes and inserts...wonderful. It's purely emotional. There are no technical advantages. Emotions are what drives us to do things and experience things. Sure, my CD's sound "clean" and "pure" and so fully dynamic with sound that would make a stylus jump clear out of the groove. But where's the cover jacket to dream over? Where is the interaction with technology such as cleaning the record and then dropping the stylus into the groove and waiting for the performance to begin? Love it...I keep on spinning!
I've bought at least 1 vinyl record a week since I was 14. And now at 65 I've around 10,000 records.
I still collect vinyl records even it’s expensive. I also have a decent collection of CDs, cassette tapes and 8 track tapes. I don’t only value music itself but having a physical collection of my favorite music.
I'm 50- something and have spent a fortune on vinyl and cassettes in my youth, all lost to neglect. Recently played a cassette on good vintage player. Was amazed at the sound quality after decades on mp3. Don't discount analog tapes yet, you just need a decent player. I now remember we used to tape record our vinyls to avoid scratches and wear on the grooves.
I had a teac tape player - allegedly good quality at the time - don’t miss it at all, but happy memories of taping stuff off the radio 1 evening session with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley (circa 1993) 😀
Spot on but getting a good new tape player is impossible there are ok one's by teca but competed to MP3 it can sound much better
@@gingernutpreacher That is true. The machines themselves are a dying breed. Today only poor knockoffs are probably being produced. Even the skills of designing and manufacturing machines are probably fading from memory.
My thoughts entirely!
Why are you still listening to MP3?
Growing up in my teen in 70’s and 80’ I got exposure to vinyl. I thought cds were like magic when the 1st came out, and the technology truly is amazing, and fascinating knowing how it works. However the feel of handling a large vinyl record album with its cool easy to see artwork makes vinyl more appealing to me. It gives me much satisfaction to pull that beautiful shiny vinyl disc out of its wrapper. Vinyl is truly amazing in how well it can sound if a good pressing and played on good equipment with a properly calibrated turntable. I must say I’ve gone back to vinyl, mainly because of the wonderful childhood memories it holds, as well as the warm natural sound of it. Heck, I don’t even mind that little crackle now and then, it gives the format character, rather than being something sterile sounding. I even enjoy washing my records, it gives me much more appreciation, and then encourages me to want to listen to the entire album after the investment spent in cleaning. Vinyl is special, enjoy your time thoroughly with it and share listening with everyone. ❤️
✌️😎👍
Great video. Going to agree with most of what you said.
I was the typical stubborn vinyl enthusiast in the mid ‘80s. I worked as a Saturday lad in a proper “top end” hifi shop and we regularly demonstrated our LP12’s and rega decks outperforming cd’s, convincing our customers not to convert to “evil” digital. So for years I bought tons of new and 2nd hand vinyl off my friends who were converting to cd’s. 1000’s of records and years later I sold the lot as generally owning my vast collection just got too inconvenient.
The kids were throwing the rare valuable 1st pressings as frisbees, and as I was getting older I kept dropping my expensive stylus on the grooves and scratching the surfaces. Also the the mrs kept complaining of a “musky” smell in the house because of the sleeves, so off they went to another vinyl audiophile. With the £ I made I managed to settle an issue I had with the tax man, treat the mrs for her 40th birthday and get a very nice seperates streaming system.
Did I regret buying those records? Well I learnt a lot about music and I made some decent cash with the sale, but at least I believe the records are hopefully being played by a new generation of enthusiast, whilst I can happily be satisfied with Qobuz as long as we have internet connection!
The only problem now is it’s the mrs 50th and I haven’t got anything to sell to sort that dilemma!!
Great video. And Violator is right up there in my top 5 as well. I'm primarily a classic rock listener but Violator is such an incredible album.
Me too. I had thought DM to be a teeny girls band, a joke, and then a girlfriend played me Violator.
I've been an admirer of Depeche mode since their second single release; "New life", but I just don't understand what all the fuss is about with regards to "Violator". I think with a few exceptions; "Policy of truth" and "Waiting for the night", the record is almost as uninteresting as its Anton Corbijn cover. Also, largely due to the huge success of "Personal Jesus", it was the beginning of them turning into a guitar band that used electronics rather than the other way around.
@@MisAnnThorpe You've just validated what I said previously.
Violator is the sound of a band that finally understood what a proper album is and how to make one.
@@apollomemories7399 Except that I liked them better when the guitar sounds they used tended to be bastardised beyond recognition! It's arguably their most consistent album. . . consistently dull, that is. On the huge worldwide hit; "Enjoy the silence", they used the most cliched of "baggy" dance beats imaginable. Predictably, the general public were drawn to it like a business of flies to a freshly laid steaming turd. Where is the experimentation of tracks like "Pimpf" or "I want you now" from their previous "Music for the masses" LP? I appreciate that my opinion may not be a popular one but I'd take "Dressed in black" over "Blue dress" or "Blasphemous rumours" over "Personal Jesus", every time.
To be honest, I do love vinyl however I have found myself buying CD’s so much more in recent times. The sheer cost of vinyl at the moment makes it not worth the enormous cost when compared to vinyl
Do you mean - when compared to CD's?
Seriously thinking about getting out of vinyl . I do love the medium buy yeah the cost is getting crazy now .
I've got 2 new record's ( last 2 year's) but I buy nearly all of my vinyl off eBay like £2.50 to £5 at the most but I do buy CDs for the car and was surprised at how cheap it was in say 2003 a 12inh from HMV for 3.99 when a CD was a tenner now the cd is 5.99 and the vinyl at least £20
@@gingernutpreacher I'm in Australia and yes you can get records for like $10 , 15 mostly $20 and more I have an ultrasonic cleaner which helps . I doubt I'll ever hit the 500 mark unless I win tatts or buy a deceased estates collection .
I’ve been doing the same thing lately. I’m not noticing that much difference in sound quality between the two. Also the prices of used and original pressings have gotten a bit much for me.
To my way of understanding, the listening experience of vinyl with decent playback equipment is that you get a physical presence from the stylus and the amped signal that can't be found in digital. It's as if the air is charged by what's getting picked up off the grooves.
But I still value my cds as I have a lot of exciting stuff that can't be found easily, and are cheaper now whether new or used.
Great discussion. Your opinions on vinyl closely match mine - nice to have, nice to hold, but too fragile and inconsistent in audio quality to be my main music source. Like you, I still buy used CDs and downloads in preference to streaming.
Same here vinyl is a joy but carn't listen to it in my car
Thanks for the balanced and well said overview of collecting LP's. For me there is a place for listening to all formats for music. The attraction for collecting vinyl is very strong because of the tactile and physical nature of the media and the process of playing it. I rip all formats of my music to external hard drives and listen through my laptop and DAC, which is connected to my stereo system. Digital formats also allow for portability and listening on the go.
I listen mostly to LPs however I have over 2000 records and could never afford to replace them with anything else. If you are using good equipment and clean the records noise should not be a problem. I have some that I have had for over 30 years that sound great but I have some that other people owned that are not too good. Cleaning helped most of them.
I ultrasonic clean every record I own. Its a crazy long process since I vacuum it after that, spray it will distilled water, spin clean it in distilled water, and vacuum again. It annoys me when I can't remit those annoying pops and clicks. Still noise if its in the grooves. Granted I'm running an Rega Apheta 3 which is meant to extract everything from a record so I get there's gonna be some noise.
You can also pay basically $150 a year and play them in lossless through apple music. So you can "replace" them.
My teen years were in the 70's. I still own and listen to several albums I purchased back then even though most of them have a skip here and there and are not in the best of shape. I just can't see myself replacing them. I learned a few guitar licks and songs off them so many have very a sentimental attachment as even now at 62 I still play a bit. Kids today will never understand vinyl and the thought and care producers and bands took to arrange the order of the tracks. If you listen to an older album you must listen to it in full from side A to B to really understand the artist/band, their music and the album as a whole. My wife purchased me a couple new comp vinyls from Floyd and the Stones. I just can't bring myself to unwrap them even though I know the will probably sound great. I much prefer purchasing original first press albums and give them a listen.. even though at times they do not live up to the grading some idiots on ebay give them. Vinyl is just not listening to music.. it's a complete different experience :) There's my two cents.. you may keep the change.
I'm 67 years old and like you i like the original record's from the 70s. I bought a few new Pink Floyd records as long as you get the ones that say mastered from the originals analogue recordings they will sound like the ones from that time era so if your wife bought you those ones play them and enjoy them.
same here , I have 1500 vinyl LP's
Biggest problem I find with vinyl is you have to spend alot of money to get on your turntable, phono stage and cartridge to match or beat the performance of a modestly priced DAC. Modern digital is so good I sold my turntable (I did keep the records though)
I have been collecting and listening to records for nearly 50 years now, I never gave up on the format when the CD arrived, most of my collection are first pressings from 1960s artists, recently my son bought me a new copy of Sgt Pepper and I played it back to back with my first pressing copy, there was no comparison, the new LP did not have the same tone or warmth, I was very disappointed with it, and will probably never play it again, yet my first pressing that has been played hundreds of times still plays and sounds perfect, if a record is cleaned regularly, handled, stored correctly and the most important piece of advice I can give to anyone starting out collecting records, change the stylus as recommended, your records will last a lifetime.
I have found exactly the same, comparing both new and old original pressings.
I mistakenly purchased the Steven Wilson vinyl box set of Yes albums. I wanted in particular a new copy of Relayer which I dropped and damaged a while ago, this album was not available individually.
The new pressing in one word, disappointed..
Dull, quiet, poor dynamics.
I then took a chance and ordered an original pressing on EBay and lo and behold, a good clean virtually noise free copy and wow, does it play well! Leaves the Steven Wilson repressing for dust!
Well, as you point out, you sound very steeped in nostalgia (not to mention that you were possibly financially involved, with a collection of vinyl, that had cost you, literally, when CDs came along.) About the sound of old vinyl vs new vinyl, that may not be due to the vinyl. That may be due to remixing and/or mastering on the new versions.
Why would you clean a record regularly? If you take 1/4 as good of care as you claim, you shouldn't even have to clean it ever again if stored correctly. "Same tone or warmth" are subjective terms. People such as yourself claim superiority in the recording realm, as if it could never be repeated today. I dare you to name more than a couple things in 70 years that haven't improved...Please indulge us. If you listen and an album 100 times, I think its safe to say you have a massive bias towards that mastering and recording.
Original pressing vinyl is one thing.. Just about any record before the CD age.. but any repressing is just a copy of what the CD would be
Not always true. Some releases are mastered specifically for vinyl.
Kinda off topic, but one thing I discovered is that many tapes sound A LOT better than we remember. Kind of like you said we played tapes in their prime on a Walkman or boom box. Not exactly hi-fi right lol? ....but if you get a really nice tape deck like a Nakamichi or something and play them on many of the systems we use today you will find cassettes can sound truly FANTASTIC!! Just subbed :)
You are spot on with your point about the cost of new LPs. I hardly buy them now as they are asking silly money these days, and as you say, there should be at a minimum a free FLAC or WAV download included, or even the CD in plastic sleeve. Luckily, I collected my vinyl since 1985, never really stopped buying them, but right now I think they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market. I've gone over to buying cheap CDs or even buying downloads, but more and more I'm using Roon to play my ripped CDs and Tidal streams. I never feel happier though as when I'm playing vinyl, as it definitely gives you a greater connection to the music - and often sounds better too. I think the whole "they degrade" and "sound crackly" thing is exaggerated. If you keep your records and stylus clean and play them on a properly set up turntable, they should be easily playable for 300 or more plays without any noticeable degradation. And, let's face it, how many albums are you going to play that many times? Great video. Kind regards, Phil
Thanks for your interesting take on it Phil. Yeah , 300 plays sounds ok when you put it like that, but still....
I find the quality of sound degrades at about the 3/4 mark of each side as the needle accumulates dust.
@@robphilpott43 Not if you clean them properly.
I think this was a pretty evenhanded and pragmatic assessment. Since I can't take a turntable with me I usually stream most of the music I hear and buy it later to assuage my guilt over so much free listening. I have to admit that lately I've been enticed (suckered) into pre-ordering upcoming releases from band I've enjoyed in the past (on the colored vinyl, 'natch). I'm glad I don't live near a Rough Trade store as I would definitely waste even more money on this. Good video.
Yep. I know what you mean about pre-ordering “deluxe versions”….
Getting my first turntable in many years, which motivated me to build a component stereo system provided me with an opportunity to hear my CDs better than I've heard them in several years. It's a win-win for me!
What a great video! Loved it! Thanks for sharing. I completely agree with your views and have exactly the same approach. Vinyl makes you really listen to an album... no skiping tracks or changing from album to album constantly. And that's what I love most about the format. My collection is mainly CD's (around 4000, and I'm still buying them) and a few hundred LP's (some from my youth and some recent purchases following the vinyl revival), and I believe I prefer to drop the stylus than press play, as an whole experience. I still prefer CD's (more convenient in every way), but one has to acknowledge the coolness of the vinyl "ritual". Funny enough I tend to listen to vinyl more for some types of music: mostly jazz and 50's to 70's pop/rock. For electronica, classical or even punk/metal/etc (and anything from the 90's...). I always prefer to listen to it on CD or streaming.
I am 68 and first HiFi system of sorts was purchased in 1972 and of course, the main music source was vinyl.
Over the past 50 years, I have been lucky enough to have been able to afford to continually upgrade my audio system to the point now, when I can say it will be the last upgrade before my “Box”.
My record deck and phono preamp would be described by some as exotic and with a price to match, but the sound reproduction I and particularly my music friends enjoy is extraordinary.
To match, I have a large collection of vinyl going back to 1972. I am still buying new vinyl, mainly the new heavy vinyl half speed re cuts of old favourites, such as DSOTM by Pink Floyd.
Unfortunately, I have examples of both the original vinyl and new where when played back to back, the original on SQ and dynamics wins hands down examples, Led Zeppelin II and Relayer by Yes. I bought the Steven Wilson boxed set of Vinyl Yes covering from the Yes Album to Relayer and wish I hadn’t bothered, the original vinyl is so superior.
I am also returning to online vendors, one in four newly purchased vinyls due to pressing faults, surface noise or just poor sound quality.
DSOTM by Pink Floyd is a lottery, it depends WHICH… European pressing plant it was manufactured at.
The one I purchased 20 months ago which though, not bad on first listening eventually annoyed me enough to try for a repeat purchase is one example. This problem was even more exposed by a recent serious phono cartridge and phono preamp upgrade.
The new copy delivered last week is in one word, stunning! At least equalling the quality of the SACD which I also own.
The Queen boxed vinyl set was a fantastic buy! Bohemian Rhapsody is a joy to behold from the LP, also highly recommended are the Peter Gabriel half speed master albums
A really interesting take on vinyl. I've been collecting music since 1971 when I was 10. My collection has always been well cared for- my dad was an audiophile and instilled some good sound practical advice! The record were only ever played on high end equipment- they were never abused and one of dads most important tenets- DON'T LEND OUT YOUR RECORDS TO ANYONE! The very thought of buying a 2nd hand record sets my teeth on edge! One of the quickest ways to ruin your stylus!!! I like almost everyone else made the switch to CD in 1986 and quickly built up my CD collection- they were very expensive when first introduced to the market! Cassette tape was only ever used to copy albums/singles, make mix tapes for the car or for my Walkman- £100 new in 1981 and cutting edge revolutionary technology! I had a very large vinyl collection and CD collection but rarely listened to the vinyl after 86 as it was too much hassle compared to the digital format. I embraced Minidisc when it was launched as a replacement for cassettes and it again was revolutionary- you no longer needed to record music in real time- the process was speeded up and far more convenient. I never sold any of my collection as every disc had a special memory. My vinyl collection was now just gathering dust so I sold the turntable around 1990 and the vinyl was relegated to the attic. I embraced MP3 and the I-pod I-tunes revolution. The digital downloads didn't hold the same emotional connection- having the physical format meant so much more. I embraced SACD/SHMCD/Blu Spec and other audiophile formats and improved manufacturing developments. When the vinyl revival began a few years I ago I thought it was complete madness- a bit like bringing back the dial up modem or leeches in mainstream medicine. Why?
I retired last year and decided to make an expensive upgrade to my hi-fi system for my "final' system that would see me through my sunset years. I decided to invest in a turntable once again to reactivate my unloved collection in the loft. I did my research and decided I was only going to play my existing collection- I have no intention of buying new vinyl- that seemed pointless. The turntable would be an added bonus rather than. the most important element of my new system. While carrying out my research I discovered all these vinyl/audiophile channels on YT. I could not believe the amount of absolute nonsense I was listening to. Hearing folks talk of VINYLS was horrendous! Then I was subjected to videos showing me how to melt my vinyl records in a domestic oven- leave them between two panes of heavy glass in full sunlight, clean them with WD40/Washing Up liquid or slather them with PVA glue. Had the world gone mad? Then there were record clamps priced at hundreds of pounds and various record cleaning contraptions at ridiculous prices. How one earth could anyone get a record in such a state in the first place and who in their right mind would spend crazy sums to clean something worth only a few. pounds in the first place? What final result do they expect. Why risk playing such a dirty damaged record on your turntable NUTS! How on earth did the record buying public survive without all this kit in the golden age of vinyl back in the 70s and early 80s?
Since buying my new hi fi kit I've used my turntable only a handful of times- it's just too much bloody hassle! Turning over a disc every 20 minutes- cleaning the record yada yada. The one development I resisted was streaming. The idea of renting music- I couldn't reconcile myself to it. Then the penny finally dropped. For the price of just ONE CD every month I could access a music library of 80 million tracks in just a couple of clicks. I could stream in HI RES- All from my I-phone and MacBook Pro!!!! It the the world's biggest ever jukebox. I Realised I could never have the space or finances to buy such a collection. I could listen to every new album released in any week without the risk of making a bad purchase. It has certainly changed the way I listen to music- I can take far more risks and experiment- disappearing down rabbit holes and explores new genres and adjacent genres- WITHOUT LEAVING MY CHAIR. I don't have to spend time searching through my CD collection for that one misplaced disc! Streaming is just one element of my music experience. I stream in the car and on the move. I can stream while at home and of course I can listen to my vast CD and vinyl collection. It's not a binary choice! I'm happy to live in multi format music eco system.
I agree with streaming…you go on voyages of discovery that is simply not possible with physical formats. However it can be a two edged sword as I find myself jumping from track to track without playing the album, giving it time to grow on me, or even listening to end of a track as I skip to the next. So in my “cake and eat it” I love streaming AND I love my vinyl records where I appreciate the art, the sound and listening to the entire album, partly because I can’t be bothered getting up to move to another track, only to discover tracks I’d never listened to, or learned to love, while appreciating the intent of the album. My rule of thumb for sound quality; if it was recorded/mastered in analogue it will likely sound best in analogue and if it was recorded/mastered digitally it will likely sound best in a digital format - of course there are exceptions.
@@neilgaydon5430 I agree Neil, streaming does indeed create a very different listening experience- flitting from track to track sometimes after just a few seconds- but of course this is not new- I certainly did that when listening to MP3 files on my laptop or I-pod. It's a bit like an "all you can eat fro £10" buffet. It is certainly great for discovering new music and taking a chance on new artists or those you may have passed by. I just cannot understand the "either or" nonsense that many ascribe to- vinyl OR CD, Vinyl OR streaming.Most folks happily live in a multi format eco system.
Like you, I never lend LPs out!
Learned this the hard way back in the early 70s.
And handle records like the Crown Jewels, which is why some 50+ year old vinyl in my collection still sounds fantastic and even better on my modern deck and phono preamp.
I think you're so full of baloney. You're a salesman. You claim your original vinyl collection was only ever played on high-end systems - nothing wrong with that - but then you go on to say that you embraced Minidisc! Seriously?
If your claim of SACD/SHMCD/Blu Spec was credible, the very second you made claim to saisfaction with mp3 and i-tunes is extremely suspect. How the hell could that be possible? And it goes on. And here you are, at least 60 years old, yet, you want to hear "every new album released in any week"! You're blowing bubbles up your own backside, mate.
Get outta here with your "multi format music eco system" b/s. You're a complete tool.
@@knockshinnoch1950 I completely disagree. There is simply nothing worse than - or even being in the audible vacinity of such a person - hopping from track to track after a few seconds. Nothing irritates me more than people with the attention span of a newt. I'm reminded of the friend of my daughter's who writes "reviews" on songs she's heard after listening to all of 30-seconds of them. You'd be just as well listening to a bunch of audio snippets of advertising off the telly music. There's simply no way you'd have the intellectual capacity to sit and listen from beginning to end to any album by the likes of Popol Vuh.
I had two brothers, both vinyl deejays in the 1970's. Both have passed away now, and I inherited their sizable vinyl collections. This does not include my own vinyl colection which is sizeable enough as it is! I hadn't played any of my vinyl in over 25 years and theirs even longer. in 2016 I bought myself a brand new turntable and never looked back since. That was 3 turntables ago now. I bought and beautifuly restored and upgraded a Thorens TD166 Mk2 from ebay to better than new condition and then more recently to a Rega P6 with a moving coil cartridge. The reproduction now is so good that you can easily distingush records that were poorly mixed from turntables/cartridges of the past. I now clean and restore old records by ultrasonic cleaning, which really rewinds the years of accumulated dirt and grime, and brings many old secondhand and old records back to a very good state. Especially restoring my late brothers records that had a very hard life!
I still get CD's, SACD's and Blu-Ray audio discs for 5.1 surround listening of records I am liable to frequently play, but Vinyl is my real love. It's a performance and ritual of playing vinyl records I enjoy.
Dude, you said it perfectly. I've been collecting LPs for 45 years and you made me feel like I've done the right way to listen to music. Great...
I have a lot of cd's that are mostly used in my vehicle and sometimes at home. But vinyl is my main choice at home. I am a hands on type of person...to me there is something about the process of spinning an album. I also enjoy the process of setting up and adjusting the tonearm and cartridge to get the best performance out of them.
I work for a small indie label, due to issues with supply and manufacturing these past 2 years, our costs have gone up, which has scuppered the feasibility of releasing smaller vinyl products at a reasonable price. I am in the minority at the label, as while appreciating vinyl for all the reasons you mention, great video by the way, I view the market nowadays as out of reach for most people. Paying 25 or 30 pounds for an album is a lot and unnecessary, when we have access to objectively higher quality formats. I understand the desire to own an object, associated with the music, but maybe there is a way to affordably bridge that gap, without having to produce and supply the now ludicrously inflated vinyl units. It's difficult though, as the perceived value is associated with the ritual of the needle drop. There have been many attempts to produce physical media in other ways, like a cd in book, usb distribution and so on, yet none of these methods have really captured the market. I have no answer, and can see the interest becoming more niche and expensive to pursue.
Thanks for your really interesting take on it!
I built a pretty nice vinyl collection in the 70's. Life happened and the quality of the music I was into dropped in the 80s. Cds came out and I grew a sizable collection of those but never was thrilled with the sound. When the Best Buy version of Pettys Live Anthology came out and included a vinyl record I patched up my Technics record player. Now I have over 1000 records far surpassing my cd collection.
You know what's cool about records? Any player can play records from the 50's and 60's. Also record players are like a musical instrument themselves and with enough cash spent on platters and cartridges can change the sound of your collection
Sounds like an awesome collection you’ve got there Donald!
The same can be said regarding CD. With enough money spent on a CD set-up with a decent DAC the sound can be gorgeous.
Personally, I find vinyl to be superior to both CDs and audio streams (with caveats below). CDs and audio streams are mastered to remove the very high & low ends, and they are then compressed to fit on the media or improve the down streaming speeds. Let me submit a tale.
I'm a big fan of Telarc's 1812 Overture. I first bought the LP decades back, but as CDs were becoming more prevalent, I purchased the CD, too. I stored the LP with my others in a dark, cool room. I eventually decided to compare the two. I first played the CD, and all was well. When I played the LP, it blew the speakers in my setup during the cannon fire. For me, the LP had a wider dynamic range.
As I said, caveats apply here:
Use a decent turntable and cartridge/stylus. Avoid el-cheapo turntables in big-box stores. Fluance, U-turn, Pro-Ject, Audio-Technica and others offer compelling alternatives.
Clean the LP before & after each play, using an anti-static brush
Remove any static from the LP using a ZeroStat gun (or similar)
Clean the stylus with a good stylus brush & cleaner before and after each play.
Always store your LP in a proper inner sleeve (aka "rice sleeves") like those from MoFi and others. Avoid PVC sleeves.
Protect the jacket using outer jackets. If you want to avoid jacket rings, store the LP (in its inner sleeve) behind the jacket in the outer sleeve.
That's all that I'd like to contribute. Enjoy your music!
I am just getting into vinyl. It's work, which is a dirty word for most, but I like that. I like maintaining things properly and enjoy the fact that everything I need is in my equipment and that record. At first glance I have to say there is something more complete about the sound with vinyl. Working with a Dual 1019 currently, but I know I will move to other tables eventually. Not a bad place to start though.
When CDs are produced well, they're as great as sound quality can get. Bad mastering and dynamic compression is a real problem, but that's not the CD's fault.
@@monsieurlehigh4912: We disagree, friend. The audio on all CDs is compressed. LPs are pure analog (unless the source was mastered digitally). Pure analog LPs deliver the truest sound, in my opinion.
@@TBNTX I am a fan of the ECM label (just for instance), and some of these albums I own both on vinyl and on CD, and there's no advantage of the vinyl here in my book, because the CDs are produced super carefully.
But when it comes to many albums from other genres and labels, the CDs are mostly fucked up because of bad (re)mastering. It's the idiots sitting in the studios when a CD sounds bad.
Been collecting records since the 70s here. What can turn many off is the needed maintenance to the vinyl itself. Many don’t realize that you need to clean a record even before you play it for the first time, as material can be left behind from the manufacturing process. After that just periodic cleaning should do you fine. I have records that are 70 years old that still sound new.
What is more interesting to me is that a large number of new collectors don’t ever even play their records or even own a record player.
Also cassettes that are recorded well and played on a good component player can sound every bit as good as a cd. The problem is most people only ever heard them on cheap walkmans (and there are fantastic sounding but pricey walkmans), a boom box or a car cassette deck. Not on a good home deck through a good amplifier and quality speakers.
I had a 4500 LP collection and I still own a quite expensive handmade turntable with a special arm and cartridge; and with that a good if not ridiculously expensive pre-pre amp, and I loved it; I had a Nitty-Gritty LP washer and washed all my LP's and bought new, expensive inner-sleeves for all of them. But a trans-atlantic move made me leave it all behind, on extended loan to my family, and honestly; I don't miss it one bit. Well, perhaps one bit: nothing's as beautiful in HiFi as an LP spinning at 33 1/3, with a cartridge tracking .. But I realised that the sound from CD's is often better, and above all, they are play and forget; open the tray place the CD in it, hit start and listen to music, without worrying about dust, or static electricity, or the needle, or anti-skating, or any other of the myriad things to constantly tweak with LP's. And you can get great diital sound for much less than what LP's cost, in total, especially now I see them going for ridiculous money in hipster-boutiques. No, I'm sticking to digital from now on.
I've been collecting LPs since 1977, however there were times when I'd sell part of my collection in order to exchange them (at the time) for CDs. In addition, over the years I've been pruning my LP collection so albums that may have been a mistake to buy, or no longer get my rocks off, are traded for store credit so that I can afford that expensive Japanese import, or sold on eBay, Discogs, etc. This way my relatively small collection of 650LPs is kept "lean and mean", instead of riddled with stupid crap. Frankly, I'm not aiming to beat anybody's collection in terms of quantity, and in fact in the future I will probably try to wind it down to around 500. I don't know - I doubt that. - those people that own thousands and tens of thousands of LPs have even bothered to play them at least once throughout. And to listen to a record is the whole point of owning it, isn't it? Quality? The CD is more convenient, but "cold". The LP is not as dynamically accurate as a CD but it yields more satisfaction when playing it because it demands your attention.
It seems that in today's culture, many people like to embrace their hoarding instincts and label it as collecting. At the end of the day, it has more to do with showing off what they've been up to with others on social media, be it here on RUclips or elsewhere than it is about using and enjoying that which they've just bought. Strange days.
Though I'm not a format warrior by any means, I actually think that many people would enjoy better quality playback via CD than LP given the budget they have to spend on equipment. I love my LP's, and have a fairly decent vinyl front-end, but my CD player is awesome as well. In my experience if the music isn't demanding your attention, then it's likely the fault of the equipment involved rather than the format itself. My goal has always been able to enjoy the music regardless of the format.
I started buying albums in 1974, when there were no suitable alternatives.
Here’s what I find interesting:
When CDs came out in the early 80’s, you could hear the cymbals that the vinyl just didn’t have the range to reproduce. There were three letter codes on CDs ( A for analog(ue), D for digital) describing the recording, mixing and mastering processes. So, AAD meant the recording was analog, the mixing was analogue, and the mastering was digital. There were vinyl holdouts, but for most of us, we went to CDs.
However, when I recently delved into the the current vinyl market, I was struck by the Mobile Fidelity (Mo-Fi) “scandal” that they have a digital step in their process. These were the albums that vinyl ‘influencers’ pointed to as the best sounding LPs. So, the interesting part is that today’s controversy is the opposite of what it was in early CD production, when people wanted more digital steps.
Listening to vinyl is relaxing and has several points in its favor as you pointed out: 1. Listening to an album side is a complete experience with bands concentrating on how they would sound as a whole. 2. The artwork and size of the jackets was levels above the artwork you could fit to the relatively puny CD cases. 3. The ritual of playing an album, which takes some time, helps prepare your mind for a pleasurable listening experience.
One last thought: The transition from CDs to digital streaming was worse, as the lossy mp3 format, in lower sampling rates, noticeably degraded the digital advantages. With increasing sample rates, this has been somewhat mitigated, but it clearly muddied the digital advantage.
Thanks for your thoughtful take on albums. I hope you enjoy listening to music for many years to come!
Thanks for taking the time to make such a thoughtful post Scott! Really interesting to hear that you were a CD enthusiast from the early days!
@@AudioFixation Thanks for answering.
What blows my mind is the “grass is greener” syndrome through the generations. For people interested in creating and producing music now, some of the more used effects plugins are ‘lo-fi’, which actually add the things we tried to get rid of 50 years ago. Wow and flutter plagued tape recording and playback, rather than being added for effect! Now sound produced in computer workstations is so clean and pure, that people add imperfections to make them sound ‘human’. To me, it’s a nice problem to have!
I think the ultimate best display of CD brilliance is ‘In the Digital Mood’ by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
For listening to albums, I like Black Sabbath and other bands that sound good even with the higher frequencies missing (plus all my old albums as when I get one out, it brings back old memories). Cheers!
Excellent presentation. Here in the US, used records can be found at a very reasonable price. The trick is to widen one's curiosity and consequently one's taste. Read about music and buy records that present the better players in each genre. Repetition lets your mind become accustomed to the sound of each type of music. When I was 17, I bought John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The first time I played it, I thought, "What a waste of money." One month later I was a Coltrane fanatic.
I buy vinyl sometimes but rarely play it
I usually get special editions like ziggy on gold vinyl.
About a month ago bought the new Fontaines album Skinty Fia on 180 gram 45rpm played it once, stream is more convenient.
Interesting video. Me personally, I love my CD's and will continue to buy them. I can never understand this attitude of 'if it's on CD, one can't listen to it from start to finish on a good set up. I do that that with all my discs. My only negative with the cd is as you mentioned regarding the artwork on that size of format. Maybe the CD should be relaunched but in bigger covers. 😊
We used to have laser discs. Which were that I guess haha
I’ve recently reached a similar conclusion, primarily because of purchasing new releases on vinyl and being disappointed with the quality. Then I remembered the first time I heard a CD around 1985. Record companies were already phasing out vinyl back then in favor of cassettes. My first copy of Dark Side of the Moon was on cassette. My copy of Animals on cassette faded out halfway through pigs and continued on side two. To this day, whenever I hear that song, I expect it to fade at a certain point. So in ‘85 when I heard CDs it was amazing. Second hand they’re still amazing. I will still buy vinyl but the price has to be right. I have a DAC and stream high res on a subscription service which is another dream come true for my inner 14 year old. It’s really the best time to be a music fan.
Totally agree with you; never been a better time to be a music obsessive. Heck, you can even buy cassette tapes if you really want to publish yourself 🤣
That's quite incorrect actually. In fact, by 1985, in the western world - not India/Asia/Middle-East/Africa/South America - cassettes were also being phased out. By 1985, the CD was by principle the most heavily marketed and supported format. You only have to look at back-issue copies of music magazine's adverts and it's all pushing the CD format. Given that you were already used to the misery of cassette tapes (I could make better sounding tapes of my own records than any record company cassette that I ever heard) then you probably never got into the enjoyment of appreciating the cover sleeves, so it's no wonder you like streaming music. I altogether hate that, it's utterly soulless. My inner 14 year old will never forget the day in 1973, with unwrapping a brand new copy of The Dark Side Of The Moon, to find not one, but two posters within and two stickers, and of course, all the lyrics printed between the two inner sleeves of the gatefold cover. In my view, streaming is for people who don't actually like music very much, nor understand what it is exactly that they are listening to and are simply following "trending suggestions", and just want something in the background to kill the silence. Streaming is the worst thing that ever happened to music.
@@apollomemories7399 Music lovers love music regardless of the format!!!
@@democritus37 You're deluded.
Grew up with a walkman. Now, vinyl and bandcamp for me.
Couldn’t agree more. Ive really enjoyed, the Album goodies ie sleeves, art, posters, Japanese Vinyl Obi’s, inserts, tour pics, even comic books like my Captain Fantastic Elton John Album. Plus the sound is just fuller than any other media. 🤙👍🤘 Great vid. Got you a new Sub 👍
🙌🏾 great to have you on board!
My first record was a 45 of the Beach Boys Surfin USA and never looked back on my vinyl collection eversince as a young boy in the 60s onwards.
Just a quick tip:- You must use a different wider needle for original older vinyls circa mid 90s onwards because the grooves are wider than modern day records and will not sound or play properly and cause potential damage to the needle/cartridge and the record.
Thanks for that tip!
Mate!! Every album you mentioned is in my collection. Great video. I love hearing other peoples passion for music! Good work brother.
I liked your presentation and your pros and cons about vinyl. I feel the same
I ended up hating vinyls by the end of the 80s and embraced CDs. Now I'm back to Vinyl because I realised I didn't pay attention to music as I used to, and that I couldn't listen to music for long periods of time because of ear fatigue, and that never happened to me when I listened to vinyl, to cassettes, or to early CDs.
The CD may have more dynamic range, but excess of info is not processed easily by the ears and the brain, so mastering and mixing are becoming a lost art.
I still download digital because I cannot afford buying too many vinyls.
So I alternate both listening experiences and still I prefer the moments I spend dedicating my time to vinyl.
I hope quality control improves and that vinyl become more accessible.
The 12" single / EP will always be king over the LP for me.
I completely agree with all of your comments. I love the way vinyl sounds and never truly appreciated some artists until I heard them on vinyl. Snow Patrol for example, I never truly appreciated their music outside of their hits until I listened to them on vinyl. The complexity of their music is lost to streaming. I for one still have my entry level Sony player. I am still to be convinced that I should upgrade my system to one with less functions for more money. It's 2022 and as I see it there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to purchase a multifunctional fully automatic high quality record player that fits into the 21st century lifestyle.
Very interesting! I like to hear from those who got interested in records during their resurgence.
I've loved music since I was a little boy and started buying 45s when I was 5, way back in 1956. There were no other options other than AM radio. When other formats came along, I kept my records, though I bought cassettes and CDs. I'm still buying records. I bought some at a thrift just last week. However, I don't buy new records because of cost. I love the thrill of the hunt crate digging and can buy 10-20 records that way instead of one new record.
I imagine there are many like you who became fascinated with the medium but the realities of records soon caught up. Thanks for giving me a look at the world of someone new to the hobby.
If you really love expensive, hissy, rumbly, clicky, muffled, distorted sound that deteriorates every time you play it, then you can’t beat vinyl.
You either have a terrible player or don't take care of your records lol.
I just got 3x 70’s pressings, all sound amazing, and 4 $5 bargain bin Vinyl that also sound mint. 2 Genesis Phil Collins era, a Steely Dan, and a Peter Frampton. Everything is about 40 years or older. I would assume your player is fucked, or your vinyls are totally shit. Making your comment disengenuous, or ignorant.
@@DrSinisster I think you need to calm down, you’re getting little over excited. It’s just a joke.
In my youth, the music format was on 8 tracks, cassette and vinyl record. I build up my collection of vinyl record from early 70's to mid 80's which I have today 512 vinyl albums, and some are double or triple set. Then I switch to CD from mid 80's to today, which I got 832 CDs, and 105 music DVDs. My small collection of albums.
However even today I still enjoy playing one or two vinyl record a day on my old very good turntable bought in 1978. He is right, vinyl record does wear out in time, and if you are not careful, they will warp as well if you expose them to heat, leave them sitting flat down instead up right. This goes as well for CD and DVD, they can be damage too.
Conclusion, I enjoyed listening to entire album from the 1st track to the last regardless the format. I got an old habit, when I buy record, I have to listen in full for a minimum of 3 time in a month to start enjoying the entire album concept. Enjoy your music.
Tyvm, Really enjoyed your vid. I would love to do vinyl as I think it would be a fun and enjoyable experience much like comic books but what keeps me from it is the limitations of it. With the vast amount of music artists and genre's I listen to; vinyl would be a big investment for a small niche group of music that I know would get used initially but would eventually become another paper weight much like my PS5 that has no games to play on it, lol. If I could get at least 50% of my music on vinyl I'd be all in but the reality is it would maybe fit about 5-10% and doesn't justify the hardware and time investment for my use case.
Totally get that! So expensive to get into vinyl!
Nostalgia be damned. I grew up with vinyl in the 1960s and 70s and I'm glad to see the back of the noisy and fussy format.
But I do resent the increasingly terrible approaches to compression and EQ in mastering (and remastering) that have been used in popular music over the past 25 years.
Well said
Agree there's too much artificiality in current mastering. Add to that digital "crutches" such as Auto-Tune that enhance the sound of a singer who may be a bit pitch challenged.
Well mastered CDs will always trump vinyl, especially SACDs.
I got into the vinyl craze around 10 years ago but quickly realized that I prefer digital audio.
Uncompressed digital audio, straight from the source is pure and free from things like surface noise, clicks, pops and crackles.
I still love records, cassettes and cd's. No streaming for me. I don't care what the naysayers say!! 🎸🎸🎸
cringe
@@mikechivy how is supporting artists via physical media cringey? That's the very best way to support the music industry. Big props to this guy!
If you want your records to last, get a micro-line stylus. The shape of the stylus when set up right will run in the grooves more evenly, and is better at combatting inner groove distortion. Better contact with the grooves means less wear and tear on your records. I’m looking at upgrading my turntable to an Audio Technica LP140X, which comes with an AT XP3 cartridge, which is a more than decent cartridge to get started, but I’ll be upgrading to an AT540ML with the RigB upgrade, which doesn’t come standard with that particular cartridge. The AT540ML is a brilliant cartridge that not only tracks evenly, but also has excellent stereo separation and sounds amazing!
I still buy records, mostly from bandcamp artists, I like supporting new talent and maybe, just maybe, I'll end up collecting a future classic. However, I rarely listen to records, 99% of the time I'm streaming and even though my vinyl rig is quite good, my digital end (that's roughly half the cost) still beats it sound quality wise most of the time. The thing is, with certain pressings/recordings the vinyl magic comes through and it's unlike any other medium. I've gone through the mental gymnastics of whether I should sell it and put more into digital but I'm certain now that it'll be part of the system for the foreseeable future.
Hi sir I would just add one important point to your discussion , the difference a high quality deck can make to the listing experience . It’s surprising how much surface noise will disappear when a top quality cartridge is used in conjunction with low resentence deck . And I’m afraid this is the biggest problem with vinyl, it fails to give of its best without a high level of investment . I have been a hifi fan since the early 70s and have owned quite a few record decks over the years , but even I have been amazed by how much better the modern decks are compared to yesteryear particularly when you get into £1500 to £2000 pound range . But obviously no small amount of money by anyones peoples standards , so I would not give on the format yet . And if and when funds allow up grade your deck, and definitely your phono stage and grab the vinyl dragon firmly by the tail. Best wishes and kind regards to your good self 😀👍👍👍
In the 70's when I got into HiFi, music records were the easiest accessibility quality format, only surpassed by live broadcasts via FM radio. But, as you mentioned, they were fragile and the devices used to play them were delicate too. I remember waking up one morning after a skinful, to a bent stylus on my Shure M75ED type 2 after a late night listening session. Or another time whilst turning over my new Stranglers album, having a sneezing fit and covering side 2 in snot. Later I bought a Transcriptors Skeleton turntable and the arm got bent in storage when I had to serve overseas and could not take it with me. So once cassette technology improved, as I bought an LP (singles were "Strewth Spit") I used to record it on to CrO2 tape and the LP went away.
Now I use digital only in the form of Flac's, CD's and a small collection of SACD and DVDA. I can't spill beer on them, get them dusty, scratch them or mar them by any other, cruel form of destiny. They sound great every time and by choosing carefully the right components my system produces a nice warm sounding repeatable performance. I can even doze off and not wake up to shhhhh click shhhhh click shhhh click as the record goes round and round on the exit groove.
Snot bent needles too drunk from beer to lift the tonearm. Yea staying away from vinyl is a good idea!! My technics 1200GR and cartridge cost me over $2,000.00 I have no issues. I have alot of 💿 cd's too. I don't drink so no spilling worries.
I agree with most of what you said but I think you overstated the degradation of of the format. I have original pressings of multiple records that are 40+ years old and sound amazing and they all appear to have been played regularly. Though this probably depends greatly on the quality of the turntable being used over time.
The only real annoyance I have with the sound quality of vinyl is inner groove distortion. I have a handful of records where it renders the music unenjoyable to listen to. Find the Cost of Freedom on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s So Far is particularly bad. In fact I replaced my original copy because I thought it was defective.
Once you said you were on the Picard side I knew I was in for some good stuff, I myself collect tapes, cd's, vinyl, and downloads. However I can get my hands on it really, but if I can get it on a big beautiful gatefold I'm in
Thanks for you interesting take on vinyl records. I grew up with Vinyl and always enjoyed collecting and playing records as I upgraded my hi fi system over the decades. When CD's came along I was very interested in them of course but the players were very expensive and you could only buy new CD's from a small and expensive range of titles, so I waited. By the early 1990's CD players were much cheaper and many more CD titles were available at lower prices, especially second-hand ones, so I got into it. I have not bothered buying new vinyl records since the 1990's, as they are too expensive compared to CD's. I still occasionally buy used vinyl as well as new and used CD's and still enjoy both formats, although I find CD's are more convenient as I have gotten older and they always sound as good as the day I first acquired them. I haven't bothered joining music or movie streaming services, as I can usually listen for free, to anything on RUclips that I don't have a hard copy of, although the ads are a nuisance. I dislike paying monthly fees for anything, except for the essential services I need.
I am 60 now,so grew up listening to records...
Went full circle
And
Back to vinyl...
There's just something tactile about it something to do with effort… Also, I have kids that are around 30 and when we're in the car they can't seem to listen to a whole song from start to finish… With an album you are obliged to sit through four to ten songs… Is a different listening experience altogether...
Great video! You answered many of your question as well as any others! Having over 500 LPs Im hoping records dont go the wayside anytime soon!
I love my records mostly bought new & 2nd hand in the 80s & 90s & covers all eras of modern music but since mp3 ripping I don't use them much any more except to look at & appreciate for their art.
I cannot think of a better phenomenon to which Karl Marx's Theory of the Commodity Fetish applies than the crazy fetishisation around vinyl records. I grew up in the 80s too and bought plenty of vinyl. But back then we never gave it a second thought as far as the packaging and the equipment and the record itself went. That all had pretty much only use value. All that mattered was the music. We didn't give pay attention to anything else except the lyrics sheet maybe. We didn't take special pleasure in the "ritual" of placing the record and putting down the tone arm and especially not in having to turn the record over. We didn't handle our records with reverence and care. And when CDs came along, we couldn't wait to ditch our dowdy, fiddly, ugly record players and submerge ourselves in the glorious, vastly superior, crystal-clear sound of digital audio. It was just So. Much. Better. Tbh, I like to pull out a record for a spin now and then just for old times sake but I'd never ever exchange it for the superior quality and incredible convenience of digital. (To be clear, I'm not criticizing anyone for enjoying vinyl. If you love vinyl, fantastic! We all need as much happiness as we can get nowadays. I just find the vinyl comeback a fascinating phenomenon.)
What a great video dude! Enjoyed it very much. Nice conversation.
Thanks!
I wish they would produce a ‘vinyl’ version of the mix used for the vinyl master press process, but in a digital download? Or digital master made from an actual new record played on a reference turntable etc.
Eh... they do already. But, not for mainstream stuff where the audience is clueless. It's bands such as King Crimson and Jethro Tull - proper audiophile stuff where you'll find that within their numerous box sets.
Great video. I agree, don't buy vinyl as an investment, buy it to enjoy the music. If you take really good care of your records they will retain most of their value, and maybe more, years down the road. I don't even take the shrink wrap off most of my albums if I can help it.
As a man of 74 years, I started my life listening to vinyl whilst sitting on my father's knee. That was in 1951. The record was Smetana's 'Ma Vlast' and I was three years old. I still have most of my late father's record collection, many of them on Decca FFRR recordings - all Mono recordings. There are also quite a few Decca FFSS Stereo records. Despite their age, they were always well looked after and thoroughly cleaned with a soft cotton handkerchief and Distilled Water. The Stylus was also cleaned thoroughly before and after use and replaced at the recommended intervals, so the quality is still there and surface noise is barely noticeable. Lets face it, you'd hear a lot more noise in a Concert Hall, with people coughing and sneezing, with the added 'attraction' of the occasional bum note; something you rarely get on a vinyl record. I started buying my own LP's when I was still a schoolboy - Joe Brown; Cliff Richard and Shadows; Rolling Stones and several other '60's and '70's bands, such as Byrds; Steeleye Span and Moody Blues. At the same time, my musical interests started to change, and I got into Folk, especially British musicians. As with my father, I always looked after my records and played them on quality equipment, so most of them are in near-mint condition. As for CD's, I've never appreciated them, as they never sound 'right' to my ears; a sensation much like having my ears stuffed with cotton wool. As I was recently explaining to a teenager who had recently discovered his Grandfather's record collection, Sound ( Music ) is an Analogue wave, but Digital is not and the way they record and Master CD's, destroys the original notes. A Musical Note is a Sound-wave. Digitising it chops each note into bits, which then need to be reconstituted by your CD player, via a Digital to Analogue Converter. The original Claim by Phillips and Sony, was the promise of Perfect Sound Forever... to which I can only say, 'Balderdash and Hogwash'. As I was never a fan of noisy Discos, my ears haven't been ruined by excessive Bass and neither have I ever worked in a noisy environment, so I trust my ears to tell me the truth about what I'm hearing. You will never convince me - nor millions like me - that CD's are superior to Vinyl LP's. CD's always sound 'flat' to my ears. My speakers are driven by a Valve Amplifier and the Bass from LP's is something my friends and neighbours comment on. I don't get the same effect from CD's, which always sound 'Hard' to me ears. I can listen to Vinyl all day, but an hour of CD, is all I can tolerate.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of vinyl. The only issue I take with your review is your judgment regarding tapes. They do not sound bad - far from it. While not comparable to vinyl, there is a huge group of tape fans out there resurrecting old decks. Still, liked your video and tone a lot! 👍
I've always had vinyl ( I'm a 60's child) I love the physical aspect of it. The sleeve, lyrics, the needle on the record, even the scratches. All add to the experience. When I owned my first CD Player, in 87, I was blown away by the quality and records seemed very dated. I still buy them, but not often due to the huge expense. I buy them usually to support bands that I like as most streaming platforms pay them a pitiful amount of money. Love the Kraftwerk Album/Computerworld. One of my favourite 80's albums :) Loving your channel mate with some seriously interesting stuff on :)
Best thing I ever did was sell all my vinyl and invest in some KEF LS50 ii wireless speakers and start streaming HI-RES audio. I’ve found so much new music it’s unbelievable, artists I would never have known if it weren’t for streaming.
Love your nod to Depeche Mode there; 'Violator' is one of my all time favourite albums although you also mention both Bowie and U2 there who are also classics!
Increased Hiss is built up static charge. Most people thinks ststic noise is pop and clicks, but that is when it has gone too far. Most Surface noise and "hiss" is actually continually discharging static. Most of it can with fairly small means be combatted (antistatic inner sleeves used after a thourough cleaning and a few shots with an Antistatic gun is the most important steps).
I love all formats, vinyl, cd, tape and download and collect them all. Each is different and has good and bad points. The biggest down sides of vinyl for me are the cost and the need for expensive equipment to get the best out of the format. Storage is another big problem. I disagree though with your comments that it’s hard to set up, I find it easy but saying that I have been into it for 50 years.
The ability to play any song, at any time you wish is an absolute miracle. Impossible with any physical format. I was born in 1980 and as if I waited all my life for the moment when SD cards went over 64gb and became affordable. I see my smartphone as an absolute miracle.
Don't need anything printed or physical to enjoy music. I wait for the day technology becomes invisible, and the song we want to hear, we just imagine and it plays in our ears.
Of course there's the third more convenient option, just like the old days, an amplifier with a dedicated phono input. Negating the need and expense of a separate pre-amp.
I bought a yamaha amp last year and it has a phono input. No DAC. Just pure analog. I doubt most stereo manufacturers will get rid of dedicated phono and cd inputs despite the fickle consumers out there.
The trouble with dedicated Phono inputs, is they were somewhat basic, depending on the brand. Those that used dedicated transistors in the R.I.A.A. Pre-amp were - and are - superior to those that used integrated chips. I discovered this the hard way. This led me to experiment with different phono stages, which led me to a Valve Phono Pre-amp. Chalk and Cheese. After that, I binned all my Trannies for Valves. My whole system, from Cartridge to Speakers, is Valves, all running in pure Class A, so no 'switching' nasties. I can drive at full power, without 'Clipping' destroying my speakers, or the amp.
After buying vinyl all the time in the late 80’s I soon changed over to cd when they came available.
I got slightly bk into vinyl a few years bk but it didn’t last long.Fed up of expensive vinyl and bad quality of it compared to when I first bought it.I was buying new vinyl and used to think what it would sound like on cd so ended up buying cds again.
Ok the artwork looks better on vinyl than cd but I buy music for the music not the size of the artwork and the hype of sitting bk and reading the lyrics and all that soppy stuff.
I do like used old school vinyl and will buy a
Album from the 80’s 90’s if I see one I fancy,it does depends how much it is though.
I like used vinyl as you kinda expect it to sound used and that’s the all point.But new vinyl no thanks.I bought Iron Maidens 2016 album the book of souls on amazon knowing I would’nt have any issues sending it bk if there was problems with it.I ended up exchanging it three times due to imperfection on the record.
All this Ltd edition coloured vinyl,splattered vinyl etc does my head in.It seems just to be for the youngsters to get into.
I see kids buying vinyl in hmv which isn’t a bad thing I spose but it’s like £30 for a record you could buy going on three albums on for that price.
Anyway I’ll only buy new vinyl now if I can’t get it on cd.
With cds I don’t have to bother bout storage,buying anti static inner sleeves,plastic sleeves to keep the covers nice over time.I just pop the disc in and listen to the music and not listen out for clicks and pops after spending £30 for a brand new record.I want to listen to how the band hear the music back after recording it in the studio.There not having to listen to surface noise,pips,clicks etc.
I disagree; cds need outer sleeves.
The whole vinyl thing is ridiculous. CDs have a much better dynamic range, can have much more bass, and an overall better frequency range. The problem with CDs is that they are too good, compared to vinyl. The technical spec tell it all. For vinyl enthusisasts the whole think is about nostalgia and emotion. Their arguments are not based in logc. (PS: His desciption of vinyl sounding "fuzzy and warm" says it all. By the way, warm can be accomplished with EQing a digital recording. Compression can also be used on digital recordings. But I say, why do this, to simulate the sound of vinyl? Learn to like a more pure sound, like what digital offers.) Watch, over time, as the whole vinyl craze collpses as people come to their senses. About this video, thank you for making it. You were fair with this subject, and with good information. Good job. Additional note: Many people look for ways to be snooty. They look for things that will make them "special." The vinyl thing appeals to that motivation. They won't admit to this, of course, but it's patently obvious.
Well said. The ‘snooty factor’ is very high with vinyl, so much so that vinyl enthusiasts are prepared to be price gouged for it.
With vinyl, as a teenager in the mid 1970s, our family record player used to damage the first track on both sides of a vinyl album, that's before you found the record was not pressed properly. It played singles fine. Once I had a cassette player I had all my albums on that format, although I was often saddened by the lack of imagination of the product i.e. the 1977 vinyl The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl has sleeve notes by producer Sir George Martin. The tape does not. Also the general sound quality was not great until 1987 when chrome cassettes came onto the market around the same time CDs were taking off. Vinyl albums also show the cover and additional artwork in the best light, although the disc can scratch so easily. CDs helped to exorcise many demons for me as I knew I could play them without knowing they would be damaged. The comeback of vinyl delights me. It gives the customer more choice. I dare the record companies to release prominent singles on a 78 format. I bet they would sell. We are very lucky that we live in an age when so much material is available with many vintage albums being re-issued with bonus tracks. Happy record hunting everyone!
I appreciate what you say about listening to the album as a whole. One of my favorite bands is The Who. I can listen to "Pinball Wizard" on any greatest hits CD compilation, however, listening to the full "Tommy" LP is a stunning experience. You're spot on with that observation.
These days, my vinyl purchases are limited to the audiophile releases that fill holes In my collection. I prefer analog sound but I agree that it feels indulgent in the current environment.
Thanks for that take on vinyl. I was thinking about adding a turntable and all the gubbins to my set up, but your thoughts have stayed my hand somewhat.
When I buy a brand new record, I usually record it to (reel to reel) tape on the first or second playing. This way I can have a recording that is almost as good quality as the record, but I do not wear out the record playing it and do not need to flip the tape as often as I would need to flip the record.
My ultimate format would be a CD in a record gatefold. I love CD sound but prefer vinyl packaging. Great video
Buying vinyl right now, and it's been kind of fun to see what albums are good as a whole, instead of individual tracks, as I've been accustomed to for over a decade now.
Actually surprised at how many good albums are still being made. One of my GOATs is Nine Inch Nail's The Fragile, because it's fairly huge AND good.
In reference to cassette tapes, have you try a mid-high range tape deck? Makes a world of difference.
It's all about the music really, for lots of people only interested in commercial and popular music digital and streaming is fine. If however, you really get a taste for anything more specialised, reggae, soul, jazz and the incredible depth and breadth of those genres you won't get far without a record collection and something to play it with. I buy compact discs too and have far more problems with damage and deterioration than with my records.
Why I love vinyl records….
1. Just the look of the record cover and the text inside or on the back describing the artist..
2. Having to remove the record and placing it on the turntable.
3. Setting up the turntable and turning on the amplifier
4. Cleaning the record before playing it to remove as many clicks and pops as possible.
5. Placing the tone arm over the track you want to listen to and lowering it to start the music.
6. Adjusting the bass and treble and volume of course.
7. Although I download music on CD mp3 files..my cd player doesn’t tell me what artist is about to play..the mp3 files are There just isn’t the interaction with CDs.
My 84 year old ears can still hear the beautiful music that I play on my system
As I had commented on another video; I restored my brother’s old 1985 JVC belt drive turntable by replacing the belt, getting a more modern cardtridge, and making the necessary adjustments for optimum playback. It sounded great but I decided I’m sticking with CD mainly due to cost and the superior sound quality. I’m keeping the turntable on my set-up regardless and might experiment with vinyl sometime in the future.
The record companies need to get a little more competitive with their pricing. A LOT more, actually! I bought a run of Depeche Mode vinyl from Speak and Spell to Songs of Faith, etc., and it cost a fortune. I'm a Kraftwerk fan, too, and bought the new coloured vinyl editions of everything up to Computer World, and Tour de France. It's weird how the more "cold" sounding bands can sound brilliant on vinyl!
I think the biggest problem with vinyl nowadays is it’s popularity which has got beyond saturation point! Meaning my hobby of 30 years, (yes 30 years and i’m 45 now!) which was originally a cheap one, especially in the 90’s with cd’s and everyone throwing vinyl at you, because it was considered confined to the history books good and proper has now become more precious than the crown jewels! As for old original copies of classic albums i’ve seen antiques go cheaper since everyone’s jumped on the bandwagon, after a few hipsters a decade ago said “oh you want to do vinyl it’s got soooo much soul to it” I have to remortgage my house to have a copy of dark side of the moon with both posters in!! Cheers hipsters!! Love you too!!!!
Playing a record with a decent cartridge with a tracking force of less than 3 grams will do no damage or cause no degradation to audio quality in more than 200 plays. The problems you seem to be encountering are with dust and particulates in the grooves. Cleaning your records properly will mitigate such problems. There are many excellent record cleaners available ranging from manual wet cleaners for under £80 to ultrasonic machines costing over £2000.
I listen to vinyl, love the whole physical act. I also listen to CDs and Tidal
Happy listening to you all. 🎶
I totally agree. I still have quite a few LPs which I bought in the 70s and 80s but haven't played them for decades as I have them all on CD and ripped to FLAC. I don't even have a record player (or whatever they're called these days ;) )
Best vinyl vs digital discussion yet - very thoughtfully and objectively presented.
People are fucking high if you don’t like putting on an album and being mesmerized at the cover. Love it
Nice video man.
I have the project carbon as well and am very happy with it. There's a blue ontoforon cartridge that snaps right in without any adjustments. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny IMO-at least on my setup. I also was having issues with static that more or less disappeared when I got the acrylic platter. Just passing on as I was concerned I was wasting money before purchasing, but was very pleased.
Thanks for the tips!
I am with you. I can't decide whether I prefer CDs or vinyl. I tend to prefer CDs for price, longevity and sound quality. But I can't help myself from buying vinyl every time I see it in a shop.
Vinyl is a nice memory involving waiting for months even years for a new album, smelling, observing the album cover for hours and of course listening!
Further to my previous and a bit off-topic, I have a couple of Reel-to-Reel tape recorders; an Akai M8 which has Valves in it and an Akai 4000D, which is Transistorised. Amoungst the many Quarter-inch tapes I have - both Mono and Stereo - I have 'Dark Side of the Moon'. When it comes to quality of sound, it beats CD into a cocked hat and from my perspective, also has the edge over my Vinyl copy. I have a Mono recording of Ella Fitzgerald in Berlin, dated 1956 and the sound quality on that is amazing. I also have recordings of Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole on Mono tape and again, sound quality is brilliant, as is the Atmosphere of the venues. Maybe we should start a revival of Reel-to-Reel tape. Now, where is my Ferrograph Studio 8?
great critique of this interesting subject! Youve hit on the most important issues. As a DJ who grew up in the 80s Ive switched format a few times but now find myself back collecting vinyl and investing in Technics 1200s for home use. Getting great sound out of vinyl takes time and money(cartridges/needles/pr-amps/turntable stands etc) and effort - but there in lies the fun! Ironically i use software to process my DJ Mp3s to add warmth!
Crate digging for bargains is a true joy and adds to any holiday i go on.
Discogs and record fairs take this to another level! the hope is that value of my collection will appreciate which is probably as risky a concept as bitcoin!
Great video. I am a first-time viewer of your channel. I like the balanced treatment you gave to the formats. I do agree and am also currently collecting SACD's, which is what the CD's should have been and we would not be talking about harshness. The format has been around as Sony's brainchild since 1990. Their presence is astonishing...as long as the mixing engineer is doing the mix properly. I have been in vinyl collecting since I was 6 years old (still have those childrens records that my parents gave) and I have never wandered too far from the format. All that you say about the format, I can agree on, sadly, as it makes for a dull conversation. I still enjoy collecting them and it's emotional. Yes, the warmth of the music (read: lack of full dimensional sound) is so lovely, but the participation of the experience can't be beat. From breaking the seal and looking at the cover art, pulling the record out for the first time...the smell of a new record...putting it on the turntable for the first time and lowering the stylus. I feel my stylus enjoys playing something new as well...like driving down an unfamiliar road for the first...sitting listening to the recording while burying oneself into the cover notes and inserts...wonderful.
It's purely emotional. There are no technical advantages. Emotions are what drives us to do things and experience things. Sure, my CD's sound "clean" and "pure" and so fully dynamic with sound that would make a stylus jump clear out of the groove. But where's the cover jacket to dream over? Where is the interaction with technology such as cleaning the record and then dropping the stylus into the groove and waiting for the performance to begin? Love it...I keep on spinning!