The disturbing other side of an LP - Why vinyl hype is destroying the record?

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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It seems too much success can be a problem according to Thaddeus Herrmann. I could never imagine that the quality LP industry was depending so much on just a few people.

Read it all at http://www.factmag.com/2015/05/07/pressed-to-the-edge-vinyl/

The article focuses mainly on the European situation - it would be nice to know about what is happening in the US.
 

Johnny Vinyl

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May 16, 2010
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Thanks for posting this. I enjoyed the read. I doubt the situation is very much different, although there has been an increase in capacity. Hopefully this helps the Indie labels a bit, although I'm not overly confident.
 

Groucho

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It ties in with a theory of mine: that when audiophiles buy into 'hype' they taint their own future experiences. By enthusiastically working themselves into a frenzy over vinyl they are simultaneously attenuating their own enjoyment of digital audio - the medium through which they could enjoy the most varied selection of music at the lowest cost and, as this article points out, will probably remain the only outlet for most recordings.
 

Al M.

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It ties in with a theory of mine: that when audiophiles buy into 'hype' they taint their own future experiences. By enthusiastically working themselves into a frenzy over vinyl they are simultaneously attenuating their own enjoyment of digital audio - the medium through which they could enjoy the most varied selection of music at the lowest cost and, as this article points out, will probably remain the only outlet for most recordings.

Except that the current vinyl hype is not audiophile driven.

Having said that, while I can appreciate vinyl, I am more than happy to stick with digital, more specifically 16/44 Redbook CD where all the music is.
 

Groucho

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Except that the current vinyl hype is not audiophile driven.

It depends on your definition of audiophile. Anyone who buys into vinyl because of an expectation of the sound is an audiophile.

It took seconds to find this in a major British newspaper:
...a new vanguard of youth is becoming initiated to the warm, rich sound that only vinyl can offer
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...tore-Day-five-of-the-best-record-players.html

Clearly the warm sound (real or imagined) is a major selling point for vinyl.
 

Al M.

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It depends on your definition of audiophile. Anyone who buys into vinyl because of an expectation of the sound is an audiophile.

Point taken.
 

Groucho

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Yes, it's a great article. Written without any standard audiophile axe to grind, it dissects analogue audio in great detail, suggesting that it is a very complex, and even desirable, effect. But also that it's unpredictable and that you wouldn't want it applied to every recording. A subject for another topic, it also highlights that the effects are so complex and multi-layered that you can't adequately represent them with a few naive measurement values.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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It depends on your definition of audiophile. Anyone who buys into vinyl because of an expectation of the sound is an audiophile.

It took seconds to find this in a major British newspaper:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...tore-Day-five-of-the-best-record-players.html

..a new vanguard of youth is becoming initiated to the warm, rich sound that only vinyl can offer

Clearly the warm sound (real or imagined) is a major selling point for vinyl.

IMHO many audiophiles buy vinyl on the rich sound of the best recordings, not the warm sound. Two very different thinks.
 

FrantzM

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Apr 20, 2010
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IMHO many audiophiles buy vinyl on the rich sound of the best recordings, not the warm sound. Two very different thinks.

semantics ... ;)
 

Cascais

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Nov 5, 2012
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Since LPs have come back from the dead, it's not surprising that production has problems although my acquisitions in Europe (mostly classic jazz on DOL and Waxtime) have been of good quality. The lack of mass production facilities might not be that serious since vinyl will probably continue to be a niche product although the young seem to be the most numerous buyers. However I heard that new pressing machines were being produced in Canada, so who knows? The market will sort out the problems and I hope that sales keep soaring. Viva vínil!
 

Cascais

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semantics ... ;)

Any turntable will give you warm sound because it isn't digital, but only the best will give you warmth + detail + transparency = realistic sound.
 

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