[The Jester]

So my super cheap vinyl setup was very wel received. She was very pleased with it and they were all super impressed with the sound quality of the speakers (dad and boyfriend too). There's just so much you can expect from a €5 turntable + €30 phono but the bonus Bluetooth on the TPA3116 amp takes it to another level entirely just from the phone. She is now a real high end chick

That was real rewarding.

Can’t do any better than introducing the young to Vinyl before they loose the top octave, either from overly loud IEM’s or crazy loud rock concerts, at least with something that sounds good everything can be heard at sane listening levels …

 

[FYFL]

I think they have to find it “cool” and visually appealing to peak their interest. I can’t think of any other attributes going for owning vinyl rig for young generation of today. At least at stage of getting their feet wet while exploring this format that is totally foreigner to them. Especially why attention span is continuously dropping. Particularly in that age group.
So perhaps there’s a logic behind those turntables that offer all those feature “rich” products. From connectivity like Bluetooth, USB or even streaming option to automated operation with plug and play out of the box ease of use.
Ofcause, with me being sort of a “purist”, it kind of makes my eyes roll but, I think it makes sense…..?
I just hope that media, in this case vinyl, becomes more affordable and accessible to those who are trying to take on this journey.


As to continuous listening journey, …. here’s a French “audiophile” label “The Lost Recordings“ that isn’t very well known (I think) but offers some rare titles/recordings that are also well done.

Emil Gilels, The Unreleased Recital At The CincertGebouw 1976.

 

[The Jester]

Hopefully Vinyl will appeal as being “different” enough to continue interest, growing up with parents CD based systems and whole house streaming being the norm finding your “own” music along with a different format might satisfy the “rebel” I remember from teen years …
mine was more “Rebel without a clue” though …

 

[FYFL]

I was a little more fortunate.
Quite early, I had opportunity to experience what might be considered a pinnacle of vinyl reproduction capabilities.
It was a bit "odd" and puzzling to understand, why would anyone pay so much and go through so much trouble (as well as inconvenience) to just enjoy the music? But I was hooked and I begun to dive deeper into "the why" and justification of "the worth" of such an "odd" way to enjoy music. Keep in mind that CD/digital was booming at that time.
Every time I have tried to dismiss it as a viable option, I was struck over the head with a reality stick as to how good it can sound when done right. But most importantly, how it was able to totally captivate my attention towards the music and not the nuances of associated gear that were part of that experience. And I wanted that experience in my own home.
Ofcause when I have learned about vinyl playback principles, I realized that everything matters and it can get costly. But at that point, it was too late. I was hooked.

 

[The Jester]

I came from Vinyl and cassette tape era, so digital never sounded quite right to me, especially the early CD players …

 

[FYFL]

I came from Vinyl and cassette tape era, so digital never sounded quite right to me, especially the early CD players …

Because it was new, we as a consumers thought it has to be better. "Digital" as a concept, just sounded so much more convincing to average person. Eventho, music in general lives in analog domain. From performance to recording, mastering and all the way up to receptor apparatus of human ability to hear sound, the ear.

CDs had a decent run for 20-30 years but it failed. Streaming took over and I believe it is here to stay in one form or the other. But vinyl, like those old American muscle cars or anything else with any craftsmanship quality and value, will be around. At least for quite a while.

I wasn't raised on vinyl per say, but the audio cassette tapes. Every kid had his/her finger over the "record" button while listening to their favorite music radio stations late at night. I remember those days quite vividly. Lol

 

[The Jester]

Hopefully there’s still a place for CD, there’s plenty of enthusiasts out there comparing different CD releases and mastering/remastering efforts and indeed there’s just as much difference as their Vinyl counterparts, so from a “collection” viewpoint I hope CD stays around for a while longer, with streaming I can’t see that sort of effort going into choosing what version to put on their servers, likely the one with the cheapest license fee ?
Having your own hard copy, preferably Vinyl but with some obscure or no longer in press titles, CD as an option …
Look at some of the “classic” albums like Dark Side Of The Moon on Discogs, and the sheer number of different vinyl and CD releases, and the early original release UK pressings commanding big dollars …
So for me the order of preference would be the “good” version on LP, then CD, then if possible a digital download purchase, with streaming as the last resort …

 

[FYFL]

Hopefully there’s still a place for CD, there’s plenty of enthusiasts out there comparing different CD releases and mastering/remastering efforts and indeed there’s just as much difference as their Vinyl counterparts, so from a “collection” viewpoint I hope CD stays around for a while longer, with streaming I can’t see that sort of effort going into choosing what version to put on their servers, likely the one with the cheapest license fee ?
Having your own hard copy, preferably Vinyl but with some obscure or no longer in press titles, CD as an option …
Look at some of the “classic” albums like Dark Side Of The Moon on Discogs, and the sheer number of different vinyl and CD releases, and the early original release UK pressings commanding big dollars …
So for me the order of preference would be the “good” version on LP, then CD, then if possible a digital download purchase, with streaming as the last resort …

Not sure how much truth is in it but, I've heard that CD collecting might become what's happening with vinyl. However, that will be determined by studio's support while world in moving rather quickly away from CD and towards streaming domination. Perhaps with time and new approach to revive it, there's a chance for it to be relative. If they paid more attention to sound/mastering quality and packaging, maybe even I would think about it a little more seriously. We will see.....

 

[The Jester]

Just arrived by courier, like the retro look …

 

[The Jester]

All setup but just 5 hours playing time so far but even that’s enough to confirm it’s a nice upgrade to the old Rega Exact, upgraded the RB303 that came with the RP6 to the later RB330 arm along with the white Rega drive belt,
All the mods done before the Garrott arrived made a nice improvement, including replacing the 3 wood screws that held the arm in place with stainless steel screws and locking nuts, already made a tensile aluminium 3mm arm spacer to suit the extra height of the Garrott and fitted that when swapping the cartridges, bit early for a final comparison yet but even so there’s noticeable improvements, both bass weight and detail improved which in itself is interesting as usually increasing one diminishes the other, treble has a lighter, slightly more delicate sound, but the biggest change was low level midrange detail, hard to describe sounds in isolation as it’s much a matter of personal taste but the most noticeable thing is even harder to relate but the sound just engages, more involving, somehow closer to the performance, if it doesn’t get any better than this I’m more than happy but hoping for continued improvement in the next 10-20 hours …

 

[hakunamakaka]

Not sure how much truth is in it but, I've heard that CD collecting might become what's happening with vinyl. However, that will be determined by studio's support while world in moving rather quickly away from CD and towards streaming domination. Perhaps with time and new approach to revive it, there's a chance for it to be relative. If they paid more attention to sound/mastering quality and packaging, maybe even I would think about it a little more seriously. We will see.....

Low mastering quality is a huge disappointment in modern music as a whole. I think they cut corners with simple software solutions to push release. Might be that I'm looking in the wrong places, but majority of the tracks that blew me away are oldies.

Even something that was released 1958 as Martin Danny Exotica is exceptional to lots of modern music

 

[The Jester]

Fortunately there seems to be the same number of talented artists/ musicians out there as there ever was, but thanks to the advanced production techniques, even down to auto tune to get the vocalists “on key”, the pool is a now lot bigger making them harder to find ?
Looking to the format Vinyl isn’t a magic cure for poor recordings but at least now thanks to music videos and streaming services it’s easier to “try before you buy”, back when Vinyl was the mainstream of home audio something that caught your attention on the radio was always a bit of a gamble, some sounded wonderful, others didn’t sound much different to the radio ..
Maybe the “ older recordings sound better” is just that only the “good stuff” from the last 50 years is still available ?

 

[]eep]

I think that there is as much talent out there as there ever was. But if you follow the word 'talent' you might find the answer there too.

A talent is a weight of precious metal, silver, and is quite substantial (100 pounds iirc). And where this connotates inherent capability is because of a parable. The parable goes like: there was a rich man who went away on a journey and gave 3 of his workers a huge amount of responsibility to take care of his inheritances. Each according to their capabities. First one got 10, 2nd got 3 and the last one got just 1. The first man built a business and thrived, the second used it in a bit safer enterprise and did well. The third one was afraid for the boss and buried for safekeeping. When the owner came back the first was praised and got a responsible job. The second was rewarded too, but the third servant got a trashing and got the boot because he was even too lazy to bring it to the bank to get some interest. So in the this story a talent is capital entrusted to you to work with. And therein lies the rub. Our culture has lost its grit. 50 years ago artists has to work hard. Now you just put your cute face on the internet and everyone adores you for your 'talent'.

When stereo was first introduced it was really expensive. Records cost a week's wages. A lot of attention was given to quality because there was money involved. Now it has to be economical.

 

[FYFL]

Low mastering quality is a huge disappointment in modern music as a whole. I think they cut corners with simple software solutions to push release. Might be that I'm looking in the wrong places, but majority of the tracks that blew me away are oldies.

Even something that was released 1958 as Martin Danny Exotica is exceptional to lots of modern music

Yup. I think we know the reasons “why”.
However, there are still many artists and others throughout production chain that really care about quality.
“Audiophile” targeted market is also a thing. And those products usually get special “treatment”. Especially when it come to vinyl.

 

[hakunamakaka]

Yup. I think we know the reasons “why”.
However, there are still many artists and others throughout production chain that really care about quality.
“Audiophile” targeted market is also a thing. And those products usually get special “treatment”. Especially when it come to vinyl.

Do you know any labels where I could look for well mastered music ?

Got myself a treat, but will not unpack it till replacement tubes arrive.

TAD 7025S 12ax7 are in my preamp