Does anyone still play records?

batari · 26-07-2011 06:14PM

Got a half decent collection myself, bit of everything an a fair few rarities in there too. bought a pioneer record player about ten years ago with the plan being to add the cd, radio and tape deck over time....still just the record player, but it can be hooked to the dvd surround sound so that'll do!

Kensington · 26-07-2011 06:33PM

DublinWriter wrote: »

Digitial is *not* the best because it has to first deconstruct sound from an analogue signal to a digital data stream in order to record (i.e. sample) and then reconstruct that digital data back to analogue in order to reconstruct the initial sound.

Analogue is far more subtle because it's doesn't have to chop up and reconstruct sound based on very discreet numerical data.

Once you sample at a rate of at least twice the maximum frequency component you want to capture, then you can accurately re-construct the signal. Look up Nyquist theorem.

When you capture something in the analog domain, you will never accurately capture the waveform, you will never be able to re-produce the captured waveform exactly, you will never be able to make an exact replica of it and you will never reproduce the same waveform twice.

With digital, once you sample at a high enough rate (at least twice the maximum frequency component you want to capture, Nyquist theorem), on high quality gear, then you can accurately reproduce the original waveform.
Furthermore, you'll be able to perfectly reproduce the captured waveform, you can make perfect replicas of the captured waveform and you will play back the exact same waveform every time.

mike65 wrote: »

Hard to believe anyone could think differently, one picture tells the story

A common argument bandied about which is a bit meaningless.
A digital waveform is not fed into an amplifier like that - you run it through a decent low-pass smoothing filter first and you'll get back your original "analog" waveform in the top of that diagram. That's what is fed into the amp.

Look at an "analog" waveform closely and it's not smooth either. It'll be jagged with noise, particularly with vinyl.

Naikon · 26-07-2011 06:38PM

Analogue will always produce a more accurate representation of the original sound. You have to convert to digital. Digital representations do not exist in nature. Therefore by definition, digital sound is the poor cousin. It's simple.

Kensington · 26-07-2011 06:41PM

Naikon wrote: »

Analogue will always produce a more accurate representation of the original sound. You have to convert to digital. Digital representations do not exist in nature. Therefore by definition, digital sound is the poor cousin. It's simple.

If that's what you'd like to believe then fair enough

Naikon · 26-07-2011 06:52PM

Kensington wrote: »

If that's what you'd like to believe then fair enough

It's not as black and white, but low quality sampling will degrade the original signal. If you are sampling at a rate expected for typical audio compression, why bother digitizing? Apart from storage and manipulation benefits:)

Edit - I do agree, nothing will beat digital when it comes to exact replication. I would not say digital always "sounds better" though. Your point is valid.

Toby Take a Bow · 26-07-2011 07:00PM

Not sure about the mathematical (?) or specifics about digital or analogue, but I much prefer the sound of vinyl. However, vinyl is so much more expensive than cds/downloading. If I really, really like an album, I'll buy it on vinyl (that is, whenever I get a job, I'll buy the vinyl).

jos28 · 26-07-2011 07:44PM

Bought the husband one of these for Christmas
http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog_v2.cgi?type=product&id=26383
It connects to the laptop or directly to his sound system. The man has been in heaven listening to his old lps. Black Sabbath, This Lizzy, Genesis, Yes..........
The artwork on some of the covers is amazing.

Logical Fallacy · 26-07-2011 08:28PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I recently had the pleasure of listening to Deep Purples "Deep Purple in Rock" and "Machine Head" on a friends record player. It sounded phenomenal, I'm not saying it was better than the CD versions I have, but it somehow sounded more authentic and natural, I preferred it.

So does anyone here still use vinyl records, or think they sound better than their CD counterparts? Do the aul boardsies still have their records and give them a spin every now and again?

Yeah, i have tonnes of vinyl.

Wolfe Tone · 26-07-2011 09:04PM

jos28 wrote: »

Bought the husband one of these for Christmas
http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog_v2.cgi?type=product&id=26383
It connects to the laptop or directly to his sound system. The man has been in heaven listening to his old lps. Black Sabbath, This Lizzy, Genesis, Yes..........
The artwork on some of the covers is amazing.

Thats class, I will have to get myself a record player, I thought I would have to break the bank to get one.

I have a newfound respect for my old man after digging through his old collection

Mike 1972 · 26-07-2011 09:17PM

Dont have much vinyl but Ive a lot of cassettes hopefully Ill get them converted to MP3 before my deck dies since Its almost impossible to buy a decent replacement these days (Its actually easier to buy a record deck even one that plays 78's FFS)

I dont for one minute buy the "sounds better than CD" argument but Im fuked if Im buying all my music again.

7sr2z3fely84g5 · 26-07-2011 09:17PM

Aldi/lidl often has usb vinyl player offers.

Mike 1972 · 26-07-2011 09:29PM

Absurdum wrote: »

someone needs to invent a vinyl car stereo NOW dammit

Someone did.

the idea never caught on though

Possibly because the market for something which scratches ones records everytime they hit even a tiny bump in the road is rather limited.

starlit · 26-07-2011 09:30PM

no but play cd's yes.

jos28 · 26-07-2011 09:32PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Thats class, I will have to get myself a record player, I thought I would have to break the bank to get one.

I have a newfound respect for my old man after digging through his old collection

He was chuffed with it, it includes software to transfer the stuff to your pc and then on to your mp3 or whatever.

Wolfe Tone · 26-07-2011 09:33PM

Raina Loose Vaccination wrote: »

Aldi/lidl often has usb vinyl player offers.

Thats cool, bet I would be waiting a million years for that though!

ball · 26-07-2011 09:41PM

Raina Loose Vaccination wrote: »

Aldi/lidl often has usb vinyl player offers.

I got one in Maplin about a year ago for around €50. Have it hooked up to my stereo.

I wouldn't say I "still" play records, as I've only really started listening to them a few years ago, but I think the sound off them is much better than from a CD.

CoalBucket · 26-07-2011 09:41PM

Playing records :eek:

Yer so in the past, i got a snazzy new cassette player for all my music needs

7sr2z3fely84g5 · 26-07-2011 10:17PM

Alternative method is to connect your non usb type vinyl player to your pc and record through pc,numberous guides on net can be found.

Ficheall · 26-07-2011 10:28PM

Minding vinyl is more depressing though. I'd a lovely "City to City" album, but a friend of mine was playing it and scratched it and now "Mattie's Rag"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGT71dIKr4w

is un-listenable to, which ruins the whole buzz somewhat. I then bought another copy and it was in the player when the house was burgled and the LP player stolen

Sigh.

Then I bought a Gerry Rafferty cd and I must grudgingly admit that I've had no problems with it yet...

The Princess Bride · 26-07-2011 10:38PM

Have a few records from the 80s that I still listen to from time to time
Stevie Nicks,Chicago,Alison Moyet,Bee Gees and a brill one Soft Metal-(it ain't heavy) which I haven't been able to get on cd-
I (cunningly;))bought a record player/cd/radio/tape thingy for mrthe80s for Christmas,and I think I've used it more than him:D

mcwhirter · 26-07-2011 10:53PM

Yes, can't beat the analogue sound, digital is only good for convenience.

Keep away from aldi/lidl stuff though, they will wreck your records.

Solnskaya · 26-07-2011 11:01PM

Sisters of Mercy - "Floodlands" on 12" Vinyl- my audio holy grail. Got it, play it, love it. CD's suck.

tony 2 tone · 26-07-2011 11:26PM

Still play them, have a collection of old and new stuff, new stuff is a lot of albums I have already on CD. I have most Therapy? vinyl releases, and other nuggets like the Judgement Night sound track and Whipping Boy's Heartworm.

bren2001 · 02-08-2011 08:47PM

Ive started to buy some of my favourite bands on vinyl, i download the album for free then buy the vinyl, i dont want to rob from bands so feel this is a happy compromise. Granted I only buy vinyl of my favourite bands

RoundyMooney · 02-08-2011 09:46PM

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

i've only read op's post but for the record guys, vinyl sounds ten times better than a cd does. it's all about sound compression.

Well, you're kinda right, I'm not going to get into the whole vinyl vs. digital debate, because we could be here all night, suffice to say, a good turntable and a pristine record will give anything a run for its money, and an awful lot of audiophoolery is just that. (Someone did a blind test on an audio journalist or two a while back, playing them an SACD, an LP, and an mp3 back to back to see which was "worst". I don't think any of them chose the mp3!)

Where I do agree with you is when it comes to compression. There's been an all out war in the last few years to make stuff sound louder and louder, which absolutely kills the dynamics of the audio. LPs are immune to this because they either predate it, or tend to be mastered differently, as well as the fact that you can't overmodulate the groove!

Anyway, stick on your headphones, unless you've decent speakers, folks, and watch these (in HD obviously:)), to see what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EScPiP2QjXM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTBoMlsw-0I

hidinginthebush · 02-08-2011 09:54PM

I have a question for the audiophiles out there, would modern music sound no different regardless of format, since it gets recorded digitally, hence the signal will be quantised, not the pure wave that old-fashioned analog recording would capture?

RoundyMooney · 02-08-2011 10:03PM

hidinginthebush wrote: »

I have a question for the audiophiles out there, would modern music sound no different regardless of format, since it gets recorded digitally, hence the signal will be quantised, not the pure wave that old-fashioned analog recording would capture?

If I understand you, all else being equal, no. Watch the last video above, and you'll see that digital media (like CDs) will allow for godawful compression, whereas vinyl won't. Of course, a CD or even an mp3, can simply be mastered with proper dynamic levelling, which makes a huge difference.

mp3's which are the media of choice these days, are not a pure digital representation of the source anyway, they are compressed (but it is data compression, a totally different thing, and works on the principle of stripping out the stuff that you wouldn't hear anyway). The first mp3 encoder was the size of a couple of filing cabinets!

I'm not a sound engineer btw, more in the electronic end of things, so someone feel free to correct me if I've gotten anything arseways.

Kensington · 02-08-2011 10:21PM

hidinginthebush wrote: »

I have a question for the audiophiles out there, would modern music sound no different regardless of format, since it gets recorded digitally, hence the signal will be quantised, not the pure wave that old-fashioned analog recording would capture?

A CD has a finite "loudness" (amplitude) level and you can drive the volume of a CD recording right up to this point no problem. It may not sound great, but it's possible to do. A CD player will be able to read it.

A vinyl record can't do this. If you "turn the volume up" too high when recording a vinyl record, the needle will literally jump off the record because it can't track the groove. Even with "fairly loud" vinyl, cheaper cartridges and needles will encounter problems playing them back. So, bearing this in mind, you end up having to master the vinyl release of a track to be "quieter" to avoid the risk of problems.

This ends up then that you have the "loud" CD version and the "quieter" vinyl version. It's not that digital is bad - it's not. A CD can easily meet the quality of a vinyl record IF it is mastered properly.

nlgbbbblth · 02-08-2011 10:31PM

I have been buying records since 1981 and have no intention of stopping ever.

USB turntables are very poor - avoid.

Currently using a Thorens TD-150 MK II with a Stanton cartridge and an elliptical stylus.

For all your stylus and cartridge wants go to
http://www.musonic.co.uk/

Around 1986/87 people started to make waves about CDs taking over and consigning vinyl to the grave. Despite the record companies' best efforts (and things got tricky from about 1992 - 1999) they failed. What actually happened was that cassette sales soared ahead of vinyl during the second half of the 1980s and CDs didn't get a firm foothold until 1991/92. Cassettes always sucked. I only bought one in my life and that was by accident on Amazon.com marketplace.

I have no problem with CDs and have bought loads over the years but vinyl will always be my format of choice.

Not keen on vinyl reissues - much prefer to seek out an original pressing.

Heading to Utrecht in November - world's biggest record fair.
http://www.recordplanet.nl/

hidinginthebush · 03-08-2011 10:35AM

So it's more a case that cd's are genereally not mastered with dynamic range in mind, whereas LP's are?

[goes to borrow dad's LP player]

Does anyone still play records?

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