Anyone out there still using vinyl?

[jagman]

Just forked out a s**t load of money on a new HiFi system. (Quad 22ls Sony 555ES amp and Pioneer 757 DVDA/CD player). I got all my CD's out and played them and guess what? I got bored! I have a stack of old vinyls and thought I'd renovate my old Revolver turntable (1985, new belt, Goldring 1042 cartridge) to do a final transfer to MP3 before I got rid and create some space. I can't do it! The sound is fantasic. That old feeling of immersion is back and it's not just nostalgia. My current favorite album is Zero7 and an Orb remix. Were we conned with the digital age?

[Trolldeg]

well, in the world of electronic dance music, the vinyl is alive and kicking.

[Dr. Shoe]

Awww! I thought the thread was going to be about the more flexible stuff.

I use plenty of that!

[Francis]

I still have a load of vinyl 33's and 45's, and even though I now have nearly all those songs mp3'd I can't bring myself to dispose of the records. I guess it comes from an attachment to your youth (or what's left of it) and fishing the record out of it's sleeve and then removing it from it's inner lining to gently place it on a deck, moving the arm and gently placing that on the record just has a place in our hearts that warms us. far from the press, click, whirr, drop,push, whirr, click, press that you do with cd's, or even my most of my cases, double click, nothing will replace that manual interface between music and person that only vinyl can do. I guess it's the old romantic in some of us

[nhoj62]

in clubland vinyl is kill, it is not dead it just went underground! seriously for those who mix music, DJ`s etc, it is the only thing to use, as francis said it is the feel of the thing that u just don`t get with cd`s and the like. later nhoj62

[Firefox]

I would not be able to tell the difference in sound between a good quality version in any of the formats. I think much of it is down to nostalgia or being subconscioulsy familiar with a period release of a track.

[asdf174]

I still use vinyl. But I'm learning to DJ to.

[ShockQueen]

I still have LOADS of 12" singles and albums from years gone by that someday I'd love to be able to convert to MP3 format, since a lot of my music has gone out of print and/or was never available IN a digital format to begin with. I'm sure there's a way to do it....I just haven't found it, or found time to try it yet. I'll get it....it's only a matter of time. I still love listening to my old ELO and 12" dance mixes of my faves.....ahhhhhh....those were the best years....the 70's and 80's.... OK...I'll stop now...hee hee hee :drinking:

[mk4625]

I have a few things that don't exist on cd yet, mostly soundtrack albums from the early to mid 60s and radio performances of classical pieces. I've also kept the first 4 King Crimson albums for their full size artwork. Finally I have a 12 inch 45 of Joy Division's "Atmosphere" which I think sounds better than the cd.

I don't think I'd buy any more vinyl since I'm trying to find a reason to throw away my turntable. Maybe I'd get the Decorators' Red Sky Over Wembley since it has never been issued on cd. Indeed that band seems to be completely forgotten today.

[jagman]

Firefox: I think its more subtle than nostalgia. I tried two tests I've got the 30th Anniversary Dark Side on CD an vinyl and they do sound different though I'm not sure its that pronounced. The second test was with a Sid Lawrence playing Glen Miller. I've got a choice of sending the analogue direct or via the DSPs. There was a definite repositioning of instruments that suprised a group of us. ShockQueen: I'm using an external sound card Creative Extigy but not all MP3 players seem to support the higher bit rate. I also use Syntrillium Cool Edit to clean up the worst cases. mk4625: Have you seen the Strawbs 'Grave New World' album art work. It got to be tops. Respect for the King Crimson Finally, anyone got any experience of valve mono blocks?

[mk4625]

I remember that album. It's very 70s prog, with the mellotrons and all. That was after Wakeman left the group if I remember correctly.

Roger Dean's covers also make the early Yes, Osibisa, and Greenslade albums worth keeping even if you have since bought the cd versions.

Firefox: I think its more subtle than nostalgia. I tried two tests

I've got the 30th Anniversary Dark Side on CD an vinyl and they do sound different though I'm not sure its that pronounced.

The second test was with a Sid Lawrence playing Glen Miller. I've got a choice of sending the analogue direct or via the DSPs. There was a definite repositioning of instruments that suprised a group of us.

ShockQueen: I'm using an external sound card Creative Extigy but not all MP3 players seem to support the higher bit rate. I also use Syntrillium Cool Edit to clean up the worst cases.

mk4625: Have you seen the Strawbs 'Grave New World' album art work. It got to be tops. Respect for the King Crimson

Finally, anyone got any experience of valve mono blocks?

[Van]

I have about 2000 LPs and continue to buy when I find anything of interest in garage sales, etc. I avoid "specialist" or collectors shop because the prices are out of proportion. There is a feeling - "chaleur" i would say in French -in vynil that I do not find with CD. It just sounds better. Listebn to a Prestige, Impulse or Blue Note jazz album and feel the heat. Finally, a lot of "classic rock " albums are beaufiful and collectable, the music is great and the artwork was often splendid. And you don't need a magnifying glass to read the text on the sleeve. Vanessa

[mk4625]

They do sound better but a pristine copy or audiophile edition is sometimes prohibitively expensive. Also the cds often include material that was not on the original albums, e.g. Coltrane's The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions and Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall.

There is a feeling - "chaleur" i would say in French -in vynil that I do not find with CD. It just sounds better. Listebn to a Prestige, Impulse or Blue Note jazz album and feel the heat.

[dressboots]

Yes. Lots of older releases still not available in CD format. Older turntables may not work well with new amps. Old amps had a "booster" built in for the sound signal that the new ones do not. I purchased a new one to go with my new amp last winter. The turtable has the booster built into it. High quailty vinyl disks are indistinguishable from CD's but they were about twice as expensive as the regular ones. Example: Vangelis "Antactica". CD's are way easier to use and store in much less space and in general have higher sound quality, thus my almost complete conversion to them some years ago.

[Trolldeg]

I'm saving up to a pair of these..

[Fog]

There's something of ritual involved in playing vinyl that you just can't get with CDs, the whole business of playing vinyl and the care you have to take over it. But, despite that CDs often don't come close. This came over to me starkly whilst listening to Vaughan Williams 8, the classic Boult version, with a score, looking at the bassoon line and hearing nothing. Out came the vinyl, not the original Decca, I'm sorry to say but a cheap Ace of Clubs re-issue, and lo and behold, the bassoons were there. I can't explain that. Perhaps a lot of it has to do with the mixing. I won't be chucking my vinyl out in a hurry!

[asdf174]

Numark is a good brand. Thats what I use at home. I have a pair of Numark TT1520's. But if you want to be serious go with Vestax or Technics. I personaly think Vestax is a tad bit more inovative with thier turntables.

[Trolldeg]

Serious? Have you read the reviews of the TTX1? And no offense, but that Vestax-deck looks like a toy..

[asdf174]

I don't doubt numark at all like I said I use a pair of Numark TT1520's and if your just starting their a good brand. As far as the TTX1 goes, well I've actully used a piar. There good turntables. I kept loosing the pitch easy though. But that was just from lack of skill on my part. Its a good deck I can't deny that. I wish I didn't have a beat counter on it. But thats just because I have high standards when it comes to DJs using real skill. But like I said thats just me.

But the most populuar for years (like 30) have been Techinics and you can ask any DJ and they will tell you that.

And Vestax is another brand.. Vestax stuff does look like a toy, but their really inovative like makeing decks such as the QFO which has a mixer built into it, then there is the PVT-e2 Pivot table. This turntable can stand verticly giveing the DJ and easier angle to mix at. Its because of new and innovative stuff like that, I like them.

Then there is the PDX-2000 MK II which has won awards. A lot of artist (mostly scratchers from what I've seen) Use Vestax. DJ Q Bert, and Mix Master Mike are two of the artist that support them and those are two extremly good scratchers. I think Vestax is mostly well known for makeing Dekcs with real good torque. But I'm not sure. But I do know that their the only ones that have been able to offer Technics any true competition.

And as far as technics go, well, their just the industry standard. Chances are just about any club you go to will have a pair of technics set ups. Thier just industry standard and for good reason. Mostly because of just quality craftmenship and rock steady pitch control. Like I said Numark is good. I As is Gemini. But they're seen as being brands that mostly people who are just starting (like me) use. Mostly because they make a lot of package kits. Most DJs agree that those kits suck. And this is going of stuff I've read on my own, and heard straight from other DJ's.

I mean http://www.technics1210.com http://www.vestax.com. (So you can check out the specs on their decks.) http://www.sistersf.com (in the glossery section it goes into a little about each brand. Not to much detail though.) Read for yourself.

They may look like toys but their innovative and good.

I know that dosen't even have a beat counter on it, but I'm aganst using beat counters anyway. Like I said I'm just starting so I don't have that much info, but I do know what I've read. And from what I've read Technics is the best but I like Vestax a tad bit better.

[Paul (North-East)]

Vinyl can sound as good as cd (sometimes better) if you have a good turntable to play it on. I had too much on vinyl to replace it all on cd so I still use it a lot. Sometimes I think the bottom end can suffer a bit on cd if care has not been taken in the remastering process. Both are far superior to mp3 which I hope is not the future of music. Cheers, Paul.

[Van]

You can't beat the sound of a well pressed LP played on a good Hi Fi. As a jazz fan (in addition to blues, rock and quite a few other things), there is no way I shall part with my Impulse, Blue Note or Prestige albums to name a few labels. And LP are so much more fun to handle (big sleeves and all) than those ridiculous slice of plactic sold at outrageous prices. Guess I must be some kind of vynil fetichist ... Cheers Vanessa

[PJ]

I have a small collection of 33-1/3 and 45 rpm vinyl records from the 1960's through the 1980's. I still play them on a 30 year old turntable and stereo system that I purchased overseas when I was in the military. Any one remember QUAD stereo from the 1970's? I also have some of my parents very old LP records from the 1920's and 1930's. They are not as flexible as my vinyl records because they are thicker.

[Fog]

I've just got my linn LP12 back from the repairers, it had a nasty accident when my daughter stupidly mistook it for something she could scratch on. So that was the end of the power supply and motor. Had it replaced with an Origin Live off board power supply and the results are amazing.

[Shafted]

Have have some albums on both CD and vinyl, and to be truthful the vinyl sounds better. It's a known fact that vinyl has a much broader dynamic range then CDs. CDs could have been just as good, but they chose a 16-bit 44KHz format rather than the 24-bit format that digital mastering produced at the time. This resulted in a lost in dynamic range. Analog masters had to undergo a process of dynamic compression in order for a CD to reproduce properly both the loud and the soft passages of the music. It's very obvious the difference when you hear the two formats side by side.

[Trolldeg]

[verngentleheels]

I agree - fired up the turntable this weekend and the dynamic range is much better - all this does remind me of the direct to disc debates of the late 70s where the purists complained about the compressing effects and lack of clarity of tape compared to cutting the master directly! Vern

[asdf174]

Kinda jelous. I want a pair of those. What kind of stuff do you mix, or are you more along the lines of a hip hop scratcher?

[Trolldeg]

Kinda jelous. I want a pair of those. What kind of stuff do you mix, or are you more along the lines of a hip hop scratcher?

I mostly mix techno (can fix a mix if you want to hear), a bit of house, and perhaps someday drum n bass..

picked up 13 12"s today, for about 2,5 euros each, mostly techno..

[asdf174]

I mostly mix techno (can fix a mix if you want to hear), a bit of house, and perhaps someday drum n bass..

picked up 13 12"s today, for about 2,5 euros each, mostly techno..

That is cool. I would love to hear a mix when you get the chance to put one together. I'm trying to learn how to do it all right now. I've been playing around mostly with progresssive stuff though. I'm waiting for a vynil to come in that I ordered. Steve Porter, Vodka Cranberries.

[Trolldeg]

ok, you can check out my latest house mix:

http://www.kompakt.se/audio/aCap_-_summer_house_mix.mp3