Analog Rant

MylesBAstor · Jan 12, 2014

rbbert said:
If you haven't artists say this about their recordings on systems with digital sources, you really don't get out enough, because I've heard that on any number of occasions, and I hardly get out at all!

Guys let's not turn this into the usual analog vs digital bashing thread. This is about those individuals who went out of their way to trash analog in the hope of helping digital succeed. In fact, these were the same people who were trying to convince us that MC HT was the future. Now all of a sudden-and it's all about the almighty dollar-they've discovered religion errrr.... Analog and are all of a sudden experts on the subject.

XV-1 · Jan 12, 2014

I never lost the faith in lp's.

Quite amusing that some of my LP's I bought in the early 90's with just a blank black cover with a CD sticker stuck on the front are worth 20 fold and above to what I paid for them.

I have a bit of a laugh when I see recent vinyl adopters, most of them due to dissatisfaction with CD or lured by the small vinyl peer group pressure either paying absurd prices for out of print vinyl or salivating on every new vinyl reissue.

better late than never I guess

Alrainbow · Jan 12, 2014

It's actually not . We all will whatever we need to get what you want to here don't you. So it's the same story as before.
We all pay what we have to , to get what we want. And if they come out with a new vinyl of some kind we will be salivating to own one . Lol. Am I wrong ?
Al

Mosin · Jan 12, 2014

BruceD said:
Yes Win I was standing across from her when she said that in Ralph Karsten's room--Jim Aud and another gentleman was present-- did she repeat it in your room too-- great!

BD

Yep. we played the entire album. When it finished, she signed it, and gave it to me. I don't remember exactly who was in the room, except Jason Victor Serinus from Stereophile. He mentioned it in his show report.

XV-1 · Jan 12, 2014

Alrainbow said:
It's actually not . We all will whatever we need to get what you want to here don't you. So it's the same story as before.
We all pay what we have to , to get what we want. And if they come out with a new vinyl of some kind we will be salivating to own one . Lol. Am I wrong ?
Al

Perhaps

I have been sucked into the " lp reissue " cycle that seems to be afflicting the industry now days when you are buying the same album for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time as each reissue is supposedly sooo much better than the previous one.

The Beatles box set on lp is one example. I have all the Beatles lp's - most are UK pressings and they all sound wonderful. I too got caught up in the " ltd edition" and hype of the Beatles reissues. I got a nice Euro pressing and have played the box once or twice. However a lot of the box is disappointing from a sonic, but more importantly an emotional POV. for me $500 bucks down the drain.

The recent Fleetwood Mac and Cat Stevens audiophile reissues are examples of how I resisted the hype. I went back and listened to my Fleetwood Mac and Cat Steven's lp's and they sound wonderful, and will still sound wonderful regardless of another reissue. No need for me to buy the albums AGAIN.

Save some $$ for new release vinyl

I am a sucker for Elvis and have been buying all the Friday Music reissues, even thou I have multiple copies of almost every Elvis album. They do sound great thou in comparison to a lot of my other pressings.

rbbert · Jan 12, 2014

MylesBAstor said:
Guys let's not turn this into the usual analog vs digital bashing thread. This is about those individuals who went out of their way to trash analog in the hope of helping digital succeed. In fact, these were the same people who were trying to convince us that MC HT was the future. Now all of a sudden-and it's all about the almighty dollar-they've discovered religion errrr.... Analog and are all of a sudden experts on the subject.

I'm not particularly a fan of MC HT, but I do enjoy my current HT setup more than that old Sony projection TV with VHS and 2 speakers.
More to the point, though, I think the greater public interest in HT has enabled some audio companies to survive when they might have gone under if they had to depend on just the 2-channel market (even including mid-fi), and that's probably a good thing for the industry as a whole.

But basically I appreciate and agree with your post.

JackD201 · Jan 14, 2014

It looks like I'll be analog playable in just two more weeks. Man, living without vinyl these last few months has given me a peak of what recovering heroine addicts must go through. I can't friggin' wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe Galbraith · Jan 15, 2014

I was at the Princeton Record Exchange over the holidays and observed the numbers of people going through the "new arrivals" bins of used LPs. I commented to the counter people on my way out that there were probably a lot of people in there buying back vinyl that they sold to them a while ago. They laughed but agreed that they are now in the recycling business of selling music back to people after buying it from them. (No doubt at a tidy little profit) I also noticed that due to the competition for product, PREX has raised their used prices by quite a bit. They also are selling more new, sealed music than ever before.

Grooves · Feb 5, 2014

Boy, I wish I had your luck at not having to return LP's Myles. I just sent back 3 of 6 because of a scratch, and two for noisy pressings. I could easily name you a dozen presings that were absolutely the worst I have ever heard and their mostly newer releases. My biggest diappointment was my Rickie Lee Jones- POP POP 2-LP from Alto. What a mess. Clearly it must have been the last pressing on a worn out stamper. It certainly makes me wonder about quality control.

BobM · Feb 5, 2014

I love my vinyl. I'm sure many of you have experienced what I am going to relate ...

The "guys" come over and we initiall hang out with a beer and listen to some CD's. They bring their favorites and all sounds very good. Then I put on a record and it is game over. No CD's get played anymore after that.

Bruce B · Feb 5, 2014

BobM said:
I love my vinyl. I'm sure many of you have experienced what I am going to relate ...

The "guys" come over and we initiall hang out with a beer and listen to some CD's. They bring their favorites and all sounds very good. Then I put on a record and it is game over. No CD's get played anymore after that.

I get the same reaction with tape after we've played the vinyl!

Phelonious Ponk · Feb 5, 2014

Lovely to have this running along side the "tubes are better" thread.

Tim

mep · Feb 5, 2014

Phelonious Ponk said:
Lovely to have this running along side the "tubes are better" thread.

Tim

I know. We should have just called it the "analog and tubes are better thread" and been done with it.

microstrip · Feb 5, 2014

mep said:
I know. We should have just called it the "analog and tubes are better thread" and been done with it.

Actually my tubed RIAA phono unit has jFETs in the input ...

mep · Feb 5, 2014

microstrip said:
Actually my tubed RIAA phono unit has jFETs in the input ...

And a damn good thing if you are using a LO MC cartridge!

MylesBAstor · Feb 5, 2014

Grooves said:
Boy, I wish I had your luck at not having to return LP's Myles. I just sent back 3 of 6 because of a scratch, and two for noisy pressings. I could easily name you a dozen presings that were absolutely the worst I have ever heard and their mostly newer releases. My biggest diappointment was my Rickie Lee Jones- POP POP 2-LP from Alto. What a mess. Clearly it must have been the last pressing on a worn out stamper. It certainly makes me wonder about quality control.

Sorry to hear

Funny, my Alto Pop Pop is fine (as were all the other Alto Editions that I bought new). So your theory may have legs.

MylesBAstor · Feb 5, 2014

Bruce B said:
I get the same reaction with tape after we've played the vinyl!

A lot less now with the new VPI table

MylesBAstor · Feb 5, 2014

mep said:
I know. We should have just called it the "analog and tubes are better thread" and been done with it.

Except my rant had nothing to do with analog is better but those individuals who are now jumping back on the analog bandwagon and pretending to be experts.

Don C · Mar 29, 2014

I agree that there are many "newly enlightened" vinyl "experts" (i.e. Drips under Pressure) on the High End scene.

The old die hard pros already have purchased many records, built collections, and knew record care and turntable/arm setup since the 70's.

This thread topic preaches to the choir!

Today you have to learn optimal turntable/arm setup on your own, as it a "lost" art. No store can do that.

After 1990 many records were reissues of questionable quality, due to the "lost art" of record manufacturing, and aged or lost master tapes.

Today there are almost no classical reissues. Too many popular reissues that every hard core collector already has. And too much digital sourced vinyl. Although much Jazz has been reissued since.

New records are now pressed in 5000 unit lots for the world market.

Too many $50 45 RPM records that require getting up to flip the record every 12 minutes.

Used record stores are "picked clean", with the good vinyl going to the clerk or on Ebay.

The days of "plentiful choice" of near mint records at cheap prices ended in the early 90's.

It is very hard to build a great 2000 Lp collection now, for those starting out.

If you now have a big lifetime collection of minty Lp's rejoice! You are set! Great turntables, arms and MC cartridges are better than ever.

Will this last? I do not know, or care. I am set till I pass!
.

Johnny Vinyl · Mar 29, 2014

I can name you a half-dozen dealers in Toronto, within an hour's drive or so, that still do TT/Cart setups.
I can name you at least the same number , if not close to double, the number of good quality record shops that have excellent product to avail yourself to.
You don't have to have 2,000 LP's to have a good collection. Most of those are likely just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Better to cull and seek out some others.

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