Vinyl Record Players?

Vinyl, as Uncle Erik will no doubt tell you, is good for very cheap music and music that is not available on digital formats.

As for the sound...it is an inherently inferior format to even the humble CD. Some find that inferiority pleasant to listen to, which would be OK were it not for the fact they sometimes want to impress upon you how vinyl is ANALOG and therefore BETTERER, normally accompanied by various horrible abuses of digital sampling theorem.

Records are awesome. They are real things, but playback requires tweaky mechanical instruments with motors, belts and pulleys, diamond tips, springs, weights, brushes, protractors, and scales. You might find a record at a garage sale, or have to hunt it down on e-bay, bidding against some insane collectors. They might surprise, or disappoint in the quality of the sound, and you may never find a good copy of that one long out of print LP. They are fiddly, demanding, inconvenient, inefficient use of space, fetishized, technically inferior, in need of maintenance, and can't be downloaded. Despite - or possibly, because of- these flaws. I love 'em. 

 

I'll make no argument for the superiority or any technical claims about vinyl records. Or air any opinion of sampling theory. I like both digital and analog; however, they are different experiences. Vinyl always has a bit of a ritual built into the playback because of it's mechanical nature. It's a different experience (I don't have a experience comparison graph for proof- this is subjective) to select a record, remove it from it's sleeve, place it on the deck, give it a little brush, and gently lower the stylus. Sometimes I like that ritual, other times itunes shuffles is just fine. But there's something cool about the physicality of the object in your hands.

Can you see yourself doing this?
Throw away the DAC and dip into the Vinyl.

I was there when this was the only format available.
With a great pressing in hand,a properly serviced turntable in house,yeah,I really do want to be this guy in the vid;albeit once more!

I've already passed my Vinyl gear and collection on to a younger person and he swears it it is much better than CD to his 23 year old ears.
It is a fastidious process to play the music,you must enjoy the involvement in the set up.
Turntables require some owner input to sound their best.

If all you know is hard drive/cd DAC playback,you may very well find the Vinyl experience to your liking.
Provided you are willing to put in some effort,the rewards are there for you to hear.
Before I tried high quality DAC's (Bryston/Electrocompaniet/Bel Canto),I likened the sound waves of CD to a faceful of mini ice cubes,whereas Vinyl was akin to a spray of fine mist....
Edited by 5aces - 2/2/12 at 6:59pm

I have heard some very good digital setups but in my opinion a good vinyl system is better.

 

That said be warned - vinyl can be a very addictive and expensive hobby. Don't let that put you off it can be affordable to start off.

 

Its also a tactile thing. (If you need to ask you don't understand)

 

There is room for both in my opinion.

Edited by Thing Fish - 2/2/12 at 6:31pm

I love the sound. In some ways, I think they sound better. But you have to have a very nice player and very nice audio equipment in order to hear an improvement over CD.

Vinyl can provide a very musical listening experience. But it inherently falls behind a well put together digital or CD (or SACD) based system when it comes to absolute resolution. The masters are important, some labels master their vinyl releases differently than their CD releases - and that can help mitigate the difference. You also have to worry more about the physical condition of an LP since that can seriously affect the sound quality - which I consider a limitation. 

 

With that said. They are different listening experiences. To say one is better than the other, ignores the fact that better doesn't always mean the same thing to everyone. I enjoy my vinyl collection very much. But it is a costly hobby, on top of what is already a costly hobby. 

I think it depends how you word it. If you say, "I believe such and such is better" or "This sounds better to me", that's a personal claim and it's fine. It's different if you're absolute about it and say, "Such and such is better."

Yes. I agree. 

Like a politician,framing the reference beforehand is paramount.
Better in audio = Greater in excellence or higher in quality.

There may be many views but only one set of facts and certainly with hearing,it is difficult to isolate all the facts relative to every individual.
On that basis,getting to a collective determination here using a logical process of qualifying the limitations of each format is a formidable task.
For simplicity,one could pronounce either format to be "more to my liking"

In lawyer legalise,it may be structured as such:
"It is not my opinion but my view that Vinyl is preferable over CD at this time..."

When dispensing an opinion,it is a personal matter,based intimate experiences.
Therein lies the minefied,as we all have our own unique paths to audiophilia.

I can report what I have seen and heard and never expect it to be accepted as fact.
Only the individual may construe a determination.
An evolving interpretation as change unfolds.

"Say---is that a certainty (based on absolute facts) or a determination (based on personal experiences)?"
In this matter,the wording could have been:"he determined Vinyl is better than CD"
Edited by 5aces - 2/3/12 at 5:24pm

To the OP, if you're looking to get into vinyl, I'd recommend the Pro-Ject Debut III or the Music Hall MMF 2.2 to start out.

Plenty of nice,used Thorens TD 145 MK II sometimes with cartridge,for under $300.
From 1976,belt drive,metal subplatter,spring suspension,TP 16 MK II tonearm and auto lift-off (so you can remain seated after the album has finished playing)
What a great introduction to experiment with vinyl.
The heavy platter mass and subchassis suspension make for skip free listening.
With a good cartridge and proper set up,you can look forward to some golden tones.
Now I want one myself...

 

 

 

I don't know, but my Michel Gyrodec set up is.   

 

 

I use digital all the time - two fingers to those noughts and ones evangelists who think that technology's advances make analogue vinyl obsolete 

 

If you need to ask the question, it might help if you could get around to hearing some vinyl LP set ups compared to CD/digital file sources, and then decide.  

 

I love the sound quality from mine.  Better than buying loads of digital hi-fi kit which just seems to have built in obsolescence, needing ongoing replacement

and keeping up with trends....

Are there any new quality turntables that have that feature?