Do you have an LP Player / Turntable?

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Gaear, When you convert an LP to a CD what you actualy do is to record digitally an analog signal, therefore you cannot capture the complete sound wave, which means that the quality of the sound is lower.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm

EDIT: Anyway, the whole vinyl vs cd issue is not just about sound quality. Listening to a vinyl is a ritual and CDs or any other digital means cannot replace that, no matter how convenient they may are.

 

BOC - That is exactly the point I was trying to make regarding 16-bit technology from the 1980s. There is also HDCD, which is 20-bit technology and IMO, better than 16-bit Red Book CDs. Unfortunately, record companies are reluctant to use the newer technologies, for whatever reason. But your article may be correct that DVD audio will become the new standard, replacing older, obsolete 16-bit standards at some point in the near future.

EDIT: It's not a question of conveniece but practical listening. Vinyl records are just that, vinyl. The music is reproduced with one of the hardest known components, diamonds. That means that somewhere in the listening chain one will win out over the other over time and extended listening. My bet is on the diamond needle. Add to that the dirt and dust that affects the sound quality and it's not just the conveniece but a matter of sonic ability to reproduce the actual music. I agree that vinyl records sound better than current CD standards, all things being equal, but that doesn't mean that it will always be that way, at least with the increase in better, emerging technologies.

 

Chandos, "cannot replace that" refers to the ritual ( taking the record out of the sleeve, studying the details of the cover, reading the special thanks etc) of listening a vinyl and not to the sound quality of the vinyl.

 

Yes, but it's the same signal that is being sent to your receiver when you play your LP, therefore you are recording the same signal that creates the sound you love so much in your LPs. The only limitation would be in whether the recording itself truncates the frequencies, which, if you were recording to 44.1 kHz, I guess it would. I still wonder how much of an impact that really has though.

Sure, and like I said, to each his own. I'm just looking for ways for you to not wear down your media.

@Chandos, that's a fairly convincing explanation. I'm still not sure about the nature of these frequencies outside the range of human hearing though. Wouldn't they by definition be imperceptible? In what way would they change the perceived audio if they can't be perceived? (Not trying to be cute, just posing the conundrum as I see it. Like you I find these sorts of discussions compelling in a variety of ways.)

 

That's easy, give me money to buy them twice .

 

I quote Gen. George Patton: "I don't like to pay for the same real estate twice."

You are right - Nothing can replace that experience, IMO as well (at least in the current CD package).

I agree, that is the debate at the moment, since blind testing has proven inconclusive in noticing the differences. IMO, it is what DMC remarked:

In my experience with live, acousitc sound, what DMC is saying seems true, at least from a somewhat subjective point of view.

 

I have the same one as Chandos, but I don't use it often because the sound quality is very poor - I think there is something wrong with my speakers because even at the max volume it is barely audible. I checked connections, etc, and tested the speakers on my computer (they work). Not sure what is the problem. But since I got it a year ago, I don't think I can return it for a working one. I keep telling myself to get it checked out but I never do.

Also, most of the records I have are very limited (only 200-1500 printed of each one), so I am reluctant to wear them out haha.

 

Since it is on your PC it is more than likely sound card/audio settings in your OS. Mine works fine but it took some tinkering in W7 to make it work right. But I had none in XP, it fired right up.

 

Do those units have a built-in amp? It almost sounds like you're just getting straight unamplified sound. You might check your line-in volume too for that matter.

What app do you guys use to record/playback on your PC?

 

I use Audacity. Good program.

I suspect not. The output level is very, very low and requires full volume in software settings. And there is no manual volume control on the unit itself, at least none that I could find (that would have been a dead give-away). The guy in the YouTube clip was right in that I received no instructions at all with my unit.

 

I heard that a turntable generates hypersonic resonance that makes us people slightly aroused or whatever. You can't hear it or capture it digitally. Blabla. Too bad I can't seem to find the source of that info again.

One of my best friends bought a record of Nirvana that is pressed only on one side. There are 46 copies of it. He bought it for 6 usd. I guess that's a good bargain.

I'll be aiming for jazz, blues and some vintage stuff (Songs like Guilty, by Al Bowlly) or classical music that's been used a lot in jazz etc (like Summertime from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess). I'm not much into rock and pop, but there are lots of exceptions.
I'll also be searching on musicstack.com, if that's any good.

 

I can recall when I was in Kindergarten, my mother gave me a turntable. This was the "manual-type" wherein I have to constantly spin a lever to play the vinyl disc of The Carpenter's Top of the World. So I pretty much control the tempo, I spin slow, Karen sings likes she's chocking on something and when I spin fast, Karen is a chipmunk. Anyway, a few months later, it burned down along with our house.

 

Did you spin it so fast it turned into a tinderbox?
Still a pity, man!

 

Here's an interesting (and lengthy) discussion on the whole LP vs. CD matter by some people who seem pretty well-informed about it all: http://www.maintitles.net/forum/dis...s-mp3-topic-heaven-for-all-the-audio-loonies/

 

G B Techics I had an awe'some system. No turn table now But alot of albums only ever played once (except for No of the beast) (That was thrashed) Waiting for a turntable too return.. So I can load them up for evryone too enjoy....Listerning to Tull at the moment..

---------- Added 1 hours, 12 minutes and 33 seconds later... ----------

Jhonny Horton Sink the Bismark, Or thr Battle of New Orleans North to Alaska
Or Kate Bush

 

I was playing it straight from player to speakers, without a computer attached. Is it not supposed to do that? That would be silly for a record player. I know it is able to connect to the computer, but I didn't know it was necessary.

 

You've got to run the signal through an amp (like your stereo receiver) in order to drive the speakers.

 

Victrola

My grandparents had the first Victrola in the state of Kansas. This was a big piece of furniture. 6 feet long, 44 inches high and 3 feet deep. The horn or speaker pulled up from the center section and the turntable was turned by a spring which was wound by an external crank on the left end of the console.
All recordings were at 78 rpms. The steel needles had to be change about every ten songs. I have a lot of their records which are clay discs. My prized disk is a 6 inch clay disc 3/8 of an inch thick, recorded on only one side, entitled The Three Bears and was recorded in 1909. It plays at 78 rpm and a child used to listen to it when ever we visited. I have a Sony turntable but it only has 45 and 33 rpms. The great thing about this was you could play it when there was NO electricty

 

There's no way I could ever be bothered with LPs now that I have Spotify.