The Vinyl Effect

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings (vinyl , 8-track, etc.)' started by velvetx, Nov 12, 2015.

  1. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Figure I would bring this up since I think it is very true at least from my listening perspective. The Vinyl Effect is something I describe as a type of music or band due to whatever reason you don't enjoy listening to (radio, flac, dsd). However, when you listen to the vinyl version you can't stop thinking about how good the music or band sounds. Now most vinyl aficionados will agree that not all recordings are equal so this could lead to one record pressing being spot on while another pressing having an issue. If you are one of the vinyl aficionados I was referring to please feel free to also list pressings if they do indeed make a difference in your experience.

    For me personally Jazz, Blues, and Classical music sound far superior on vinyl than listening to them via DSD, FLAC, or Radio. Hands down for me it's a superior experience as the sound stage opens up. The bass gets deeper and more personal. It's truly the only experience where I feel I can be in the crowd maybe 10-15ft away from Miles Davis and listen while he serenades me with musical perfection. With vinyl for these genres of music specifically heaven's gate opens up and I can listen for hours without even caring about the rest of the world. I feel vinyl truly allows you to appreciate further just how good certain musicians are. Paul Simon is another musician whose work I love but on vinyl it's a completely different experience. It's deeper and more enigmatic.

    In what ways does the Vinyl Effect effect you?
     
  2. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    My wallet.
     
  3. Chris1967

    Chris1967 Friend

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    Listening to vinyl is the most rewarding listening experience except of course attending the live performance.

    I don't know why this is, although technical digital media are superior, the listening experience of vinyl is unsurpassed (with the exception of reel to reel master tapes which are on par or sometimes better).

    Maybe it is a complex psychological effect how analog sound is perceived by the human brain... i really don't know.

    It is not necessarily that bad on the wallet... i listen mainly to classical music, and the second hand market be it shop/internet or flea market, thrift shop is full of fantastic bargains.

    Most of my collection of over 2000 vinyl records is secondhand, and plays beautifully.

    Also second hand record players can be acquired quite cheaply.

    Of course if you have the luxury of listening through a true hi end vinyl reproduction system, it is even better.
     
  4. EeePee

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  5. Shaffer

    Shaffer Acquaintance

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    As you can see in my avatar, I have an extensive record collection. 40 years worth of curating. Now, I buy perhaps a dozen album per year. Why? Three reasons: I have all the older music that I want, or more accurately the bulk of it, including the specific pressings. Secondly, my main interest lies in new music. By the time a new band gets its act together and releases an actual album, then gets lucky enough to find distribution, I'm already listening to their music via a Bandcamp FLAC file. At times years earlier. This being said, it's nice to see more and more bands offering LPs on Bandcamp. And, thirdly, CDs are as inexpensive now as LPs were in the '90s. If it's something I'm eyeing solely out of curiosity on a weekly record shopping trip, $4 is much easier to swallow than $25.

    Don't get me wrong; the sound quality of a BC file is rarely in the same league as the LP. Almost never. Given a choice between one of the better sounding LPs in my collection that I've heard over and over, and a file of music that's completely new to me, I'll always choose the latter. YMMV
     
  6. Johnman1116

    Johnman1116 New

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    i had a thought last night on whether or not vinyl was "worth it". Yea its one of those things where only i can make that call but just logically new CDs are significantly cheaper, theyre much more durable and worry free in terms being able to play them without worrying that you are literally destroying them plus setup is easier.

    The thing is, i've never really come across a CD appreciation thread. Do people still listen to CDs enthusiastically or have they moved onto streaming vs the Vinyl crowd that seem to be growing. Is it cause CDs arent as "hip" as vinyl? i'm still a newbie vinyl guy with about 20 records so i havent dedicated too much yet, but i find it much harder to justify buying $30 records vs $5 CDs,.
    anyway, anyone have similar thoughts or any thoughts at all?
    also for whatever reason, i can justify spending a couple hundred on a record player and setup but a $100 CD seems unreasonable lol.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I don't worry about destroying vinyl when I play them. Some of my records I've had for about 30 years, and they give me more satisfaction than the CD versions. Records are much harder to destroy or wear down than most people think. There was a time when radio stations played records. If you ever watched the sitcom WKRP, then you would have an idea. BTW, I still play CDs in a spinner.

    Unfortunately, it does make a minimal investment of couple thousand to get a decent vinyl rig that will beat CD. I don't understand the vinyl and hipster association. I live in El Lay and I personally know of no hipsters or millennials getting into vinyl. It's too expensive and inconvenient for them. In fact, the all people I personally know in real life who are into vinyl have electrical / software engineering backgrounds and are far more square than hip.

    Think of vinyl junkies like wine connoisseurs, except the vinyl habit is actually quite a bit cheaper since wine can only be used once. Vinyl is not cheap, but it's easily affordable for engineers who have made a good living for themselves doing geek stuff.
     
  8. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    You have no idea, Marv. My Facebook is littered with kids living in the city with dumpy vinyl setups.
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Prince and Iron Maiden are two artists I can think of whose recordings sound significantly better on vinyl.
     
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Different universe and karmic plane of existence. Like how a mosquito cannot comprehend a Degas because it is unaware that the brush strokes on the canvas are great art (to humans), I am not aware of hipsters with records players. They likely may exist, but my plane of existence does not allow me to see them or even form such a concept.
     
  11. Chris1967

    Chris1967 Friend

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    I have noticed that in the movies lately (and most probably for the last 20 years), when people listen to music it is mostly vinyl or portable ipod devices and nothing else.

    I have not seen people play CD's lately in the movies.

    Has this anything to do with the medium being "hip"? i don't really know.

    And i was pleasantly surprised to see many school kids and generally young people in a vinyl fair that i attended recently, buying vinyl records.
     
  12. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    We've got some great independent music stores in the northeast - and they are carrying almost as many new records as new cds. These stores have piles of used cds, but that's another story.

    I like to think the reemergence of records is a social response to music no longer being a physical thing. There is more certain joy in holding something you own, rather than just knowing its on a cloud. Records also have to be played in a physical location where many listen to digital on the go and it really just becomes a background soundtrack to life.

    Hipster starter pack is a flannel shirt, a beard, and a collection of David Bowie / Belle Sebastain records (love both artists btw). Urban Outfitters is hipster chapel selling all of the above (I'm sure I saw beard fertilizer there). See below as examples of market research into the subject.

    Hipster record player.jpg Hipster tape converter.jpg
     
  13. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Contentious opinion: I find modern digital masters of classical (the good stuff) to rival the quality of vinyl masters or better them in most cases. It's the only place where DR is preserved and they generally have a good understanding of how to master to recreate the space of the original performance.

    Edit for Nick: classical vinyl is a mixed bag and the good stuff is generally far out of print and really difficult to find.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Strange. I see some kind of plant stand in the first photo and an empty old box turned on its side in the second.
     
  15. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    I don't think it's that contentious. IMO classical music is in many ways the worst case scenario for vinyl playback. Big dynamic range (often near silence) to expose the smallest pressing issues or surface noise. Of course looking at it from the opposite side, when it's good it's REALLY GOOD. :)
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Classical was also an early adopter of digital - DDD in the early days didn't necessarily sound good (and converting DDD back to analog probably isn't ideal), although there were exceptions.
     
  17. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    To add another aspect of the vinyl effect is there are certain things that vinyl to me does really well. Obviously pressings do matter and not all are created equal anyway listening to Graceland remastered. On the CD version I notice that the bass body isn't as full and the sound stage is a bit cluttered. On the vinyl remaster it sounded amazing and the instruments sounded very organic. The tonality to me was very accurate and such an easy listen that you totally get lost in the music.

    This example causes me to rethink all that I know about audio as I am now examining different headphones and thinking about the vinyl effect. I have never before enjoyed the HD800 but now I find myself wanting the details of the different instruments. I really can't wait till I get my turntable in about a month and get everything setup.
     
  18. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    You should really go visit the Analog Room. I bet Brian has some real hard to find gems. 1/3 of his store is dedicated to classical and not much of it's new, but from his personal collection.
     
  19. Chris1967

    Chris1967 Friend

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    The vinyl effect is maximum when you listen through speakers. The three dimensionality and natural sound even in less than optimum presses and/or productions is far better than digital. At least the digital converters that i have the luxury of listening often at friends houses etc. (Rocna Wavedream and Yggdrasil inluded)

    Headphones have limitations in these spacial information and effect in which the analog surpasses the digital.

    I listen to both mediums, but mostly digital from headphones (hd800/he-500) and analog from my speaker system (B&W801matrix/MF550K's/ML380s)
     
  20. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    I can't have speakers in my house :(
     

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