The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 16:37 last edited by
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 16:41 last edited by
There's a vague analogy in computer games, where lots of them have retro "pixel" graphics. There, it is mostly due to cost and artistic talent constraints, though it is always advertised as an aesthetic choice. The buying public seems to accept that explanation happily, or at least they claim to. Personally, I prefer good graphics. I don't think I'm the vinyl type.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 16:42 last edited by George K
This guy takes a similar stab at cassettes, and compares 24-bit streaming to compact discs.
ETA - It reminds me of the meme, "Yeah, I like vinyl, not just because of the expense, but because of the inconvenience."
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 16:50 last edited by Doctor Phibes
It never ceases to amaze how many things were "so much better" when we were young, even though they were in reality actually somewhat lacking, and in some cases a load of crap.
Just from stuff I do - old (highly inconsistent) saxophones, old (highly inconsistent) guitars, old records, old tapes, valve amplifiers.... I could go on.
Of course, nostalgia used to be better back then, too.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 17:17 last edited by
It ain’t just nostalgia.
The boy got a tube amp (Vox) a few months back and asked for a turntable for Christmas.
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It ain’t just nostalgia.
The boy got a tube amp (Vox) a few months back and asked for a turntable for Christmas.
wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 17:26 last edited by Doctor Phibes@jon-nyc said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It ain’t just nostalgia.
The boy got a tube amp (Vox) a few months back and asked for a turntable for Christmas.
OK, nostalgia coupled with brainwashing
Humbly speaking as somebody who used to play in a band equipped with what would now be quite valuable vintage Vox AC 30's, I'd say it is a little hard to justify. The modern gear nowadays does stuff we could only dream of, and it doesn't break down all the time.
Sure, there's a place for a tube amp, as long as you want to play really loud. Other than that....
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 17:36 last edited by
That is the use case here.
He has electronic amps too.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 17:47 last edited by
@jon-nyc said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
That is the use case here.
He has electronic amps too.
OK, that's fair enough, however it's kind of funny when you see people using a valve amp in the house, where they don't get anywhere near to their sweet-spot volume-wise.
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It never ceases to amaze how many things were "so much better" when we were young, even though they were in reality actually somewhat lacking, and in some cases a load of crap.
Just from stuff I do - old (highly inconsistent) saxophones, old (highly inconsistent) guitars, old records, old tapes, valve amplifiers.... I could go on.
Of course, nostalgia used to be better back then, too.
wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 18:47 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It never ceases to amaze how many things were "so much better" when we were young, even though they were in reality actually somewhat lacking, and in some cases a load of crap.
Both you and this guy are missing the point. This isn't a left-brain function kind of a thing.
Even the folks who are getting into vinyl because of the tones aren't getting into vinyl because of the tones.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It never ceases to amaze how many things were "so much better" when we were young, even though they were in reality actually somewhat lacking, and in some cases a load of crap.
Both you and this guy are missing the point. This isn't a left-brain function kind of a thing.
Even the folks who are getting into vinyl because of the tones aren't getting into vinyl because of the tones.
wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 19:33 last edited by Doctor Phibes@Aqua-Letifer said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
Both you and this guy are missing the point. This isn't a left-brain function kind of a thing.
Even the folks who are getting into vinyl because of the tones aren't getting into vinyl because of the tones.
No, I do get it. My brother in law has owned and run a record shop (high street plus online) in the UK since 2007, and he actually makes a pretty decent living. I understand the appeal of opening a proper record and playing it on a turntable. It's a bit like rolling your own cigarettes, except of course they do actually taste better. A big chunk of my youth was spent buying the things, and streaming music really doesn't compare at all.
However, I've heard plenty of people say that vinyl sounds better. I've seen people claim it's more "authentic" because there was no analog-to-digital conversion, which adversely affects sound quality due to the digitization process. Which is bollocks.
As far as amplifiers go, I love the smell of valves in the morning. They are very cool, and when I retire I'm going to build a guitar amplifier. But, I might not actually use it.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
Both you and this guy are missing the point. This isn't a left-brain function kind of a thing.
Even the folks who are getting into vinyl because of the tones aren't getting into vinyl because of the tones.
No, I do get it. My brother in law has owned and run a record shop (high street plus online) in the UK since 2007, and he actually makes a pretty decent living. I understand the appeal of opening a proper record and playing it on a turntable. It's a bit like rolling your own cigarettes, except of course they do actually taste better. A big chunk of my youth was spent buying the things, and streaming music really doesn't compare at all.
However, I've heard plenty of people say that vinyl sounds better. I've seen people claim it's more "authentic" because there was no analog-to-digital conversion, which adversely affects sound quality due to the digitization process. Which is bollocks.
As far as amplifiers go, I love the smell of valves in the morning. They are very cool, and when I retire I'm going to build a guitar amplifier. But, I might not actually use it.
wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 20:52 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It's a bit like rolling your own cigarettes, except of course they do actually taste better. A big chunk of my youth was spent buying the things, and streaming music really doesn't compare at all.
Buyers who claim warmer tones, a more "pure" sound etc. are exactly right in the same way that a cold beer after spending an afternoon mowing half an acre just tastes better than a cold beer drunk after an afternoon of sweet fuckall on Instagram. Analyzing the chemical compounds of the beer to sneer at such claims absolutely does miss the point.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 21:28 last edited by
Yes, the smell of fried dust on the vacuum tubes brings something special to the music.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 22:01 last edited by
Heh - Yeah, there's something to be said for a warm sound - and yes, some records are great - BUT they also get damaged. I managed a record club on my campus - and albums back then weren't always of a reliable quality.
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wrote on 13 Dec 2024, 22:21 last edited by
They had records back then?
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wrote on 14 Dec 2024, 05:16 last edited by Renauda
In semi-retirement I worked part time in a high end Hi-Fi shop that also maintained a CD and vinyl section specializing in classical, jazz and roots music. Classical and jazz consumers almost never looked at the vinyl section let alone buy any of it. They had no interest in returning to vinyl. The vinyl section was kept alive by people over 55 who sought out the reissues of the same rock and pop albums they owned back in the 1960’s and 70’s. That was it.
Yesterday I dropped by the store to say hello. CD section is gone altogether, the classical and jazz clients bought Blusound nodes and switched to CD and HQ subscription streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz. The vinyl section is still there (much reduced) and the now over 60 demographic continues to buy reissues of 60s and 70s rock and pop (and a few Sinatra) on vinyl to play on their expensive hi-fi turntables and home sound systems.
I was told young people look for pop music cassettes and more recently, CDs. Go figure.
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@jon-nyc said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It ain’t just nostalgia.
The boy got a tube amp (Vox) a few months back and asked for a turntable for Christmas.
OK, nostalgia coupled with brainwashing
Humbly speaking as somebody who used to play in a band equipped with what would now be quite valuable vintage Vox AC 30's, I'd say it is a little hard to justify. The modern gear nowadays does stuff we could only dream of, and it doesn't break down all the time.
Sure, there's a place for a tube amp, as long as you want to play really loud. Other than that....
wrote on 14 Dec 2024, 05:40 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
@jon-nyc said in The Vinyl Revival - So wrong on so many levels:
It ain’t just nostalgia.
The boy got a tube amp (Vox) a few months back and asked for a turntable for Christmas.
:Humbly speaking as somebody who used to play in a band equipped with what would now be quite valuable vintage Vox AC 30's, I'd say it is a little hard to justify. The modern gear nowadays does stuff we could only dream of, and it doesn't break down all the time.
Ayup. $2500 in gear that you probably have already bought for other reasons will outperform $200K of gear in 1990.
