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I'm interested in getting some feedback on those who have given up vinyl playback for streaming primarily:
1. Do you miss playing vinyl for any reason? Do you sometimes get wistful for that ol' sensory experience of holding a disc in your hand?
2. Do you miss not having a record cover with artwork that you can fondle?
3. Is it as satisfying to get a download as to receive a FedEx delivery with a brand new record? Do you miss the anticipation of wondering whether the package will be on your stoop that day?
4. Do you miss nothing about the vinyl experience, the hassles of getting a VG disc which were clearly advertised as NM, the ever present hassles of warped, decentered, poorly pressed discs that require a return, the pure inconvenience of the whole annoying process of getting up from your comfortable seat every 15 minutes, the obsessiveness of record cleaning?
Disclaimer: I happen to love vinyl and play it exclusively. But don't let that stop you. Be brutally honest. I promise to take all responses with the utmost calm and equanimity.
Follow Ups:
Here is the thing about records besides the cleaning, resonances, low frequency feedback, groove noise, tonearm adjustments, record warps, expensive cartridges, phono stages, LP storage space, side changes every 1/2 hour...it goes on and on!
The thing is a record will never sound the same way twice due to wear. Every time you play a record there is wear to both the stylus and the record. The stylus itself wears out the record while it itself is wearing out. As the groove noise increases with time you can never get that original state back.
There is nothing to compare when I put a CD on the very first time. I could not believe that total silence until the music started. The first time in my life I had ever experienced anything like it after all those records since I was 14 years old. I always wanted that and would never go back, especially now at 68. And that silence stays. The CD never changes. 50 plays are always as good as the very first.
One reason I love music is it allows me to forget life's annoyances. I do not need some of those annoyances to be part of the music. That is why I hate records!
I've downsized and have further to go, because I know it is inevitable. Sold my record cleaner, but that is the part I liked the least. Getting rid of my noisy records. The rest will be like getting rid of one's children. I may hold on a bit longer. Many fine listening experiences still ahead, so I see no reason to downsize completely unless forced to by circumstances.
Interesting set of responses you received here!
Having never stopped listening to records since the early 1960's, there forms callus on the soul that enables me to clean and flip LP's without thinking about it as some sort of hateful burden. It's like many other aspects of day-to-day living - you dwell on it too long and flossing your teeth becomes an intolerable effort. You gotta let that go...
I have 'thinned the herd' of my record collection down to around 2500 LPs at this point; a comfortable number for various reasons. These are the soundtrack of my entire life. I surely won't replace them with any digital form. That's probably over 20,000 individual "song" titles, plus another 10,00 in my CD library. At $1.29 a 'song' from iTunes or similar I'm sitting on a FORTUNE! Just kidding... The idea of purchasing digital copies of just 1 or 2 songs from each of my treasured albums is unthinkable- it would make the soundtrack of my life sound like it came from K-Tel! Listening to an entire album, critically, from beginning to end is my cup of tea and will remain so.
When CD's came out around 1984, remember people rushing out to replace their LP's? Sure glad I avoided both that and the music-downloading "rushes!" Eventually, when CD's go away, I'll re-adapt but my uptake of new recordings is slowing steeply as I get into my 60's. Yours will too, probably.
On the upshot, I like a good record as well as a good CD - the enjoyment is much more about the musicianship, focus, engineering and overall chutzpah that went into the recording than the presence/absence of "pops and ticks" or "digital artifacts." I also listen regularly to some streamed music, which I see as a great substitute for FM radio listening at a similar level of broadcast quality.
One doesn't have to "miss" anything.
I am now 75 and have always listened to a lot of music. Now that I am streaming on Tidal I am probably back to listening to the most music that I ever have. Also discovering music I have never heard before.
Alan
because I still do. Along with listening to listener-supported analog FM, CDs and DADs ripped to an external hard drive (with the discs still shelf-stored here for copyright compliance), and hi-rez downloads fed to three different systems here.
Regular use of an RCM minimizes clicks and pops, and I don't mind getting up every 15 or 20 minutes to turn over or change a black disc, as I can use whatever little "exercise" that involves. Though the runtime for ripped or downloaded program may involve longer get-up-and-down intervals, I do the same with them, leaving remote use strictly for video operations.
Having grown up with vinyl beginning in the mid-1950s, handling and maintenance are second-nature--I'm tempted to say "trivial"--tasks that I don't give a second thought to. And my waistline thanks me for it.
Does getting a download excite me as much as having a FedEx or UPS driver hand me a newly-acquired LP? Sure... if the end product "delivers" both performance-wise and sonically.
Jim
http://jimtranr.com
But it's a big pain in the butt, too.
'Vinyl sounds better'. Well, all you are saying is you like the distortions of vinyl. Sounds better? I think not.
"'Vinyl sounds better'. Well, all you are saying is you like the distortions of vinyl. Sounds better? I think not."
Some do some don't. You need the right gear get the good distortions and minimize the bad ones. All in all for me it adds up to much better quality sound.
One of the things that struck me about vinyl playback (after 20 years of CD) was the startling *immediacy* of sound. For instance, for the first time I could actually hear two clarinetists taking turns playing a repetitive pattern of the same notes.
For me, it totally blew away the "warm and fuzzy" myth.
I don't know if vinyl sounds better, but I do know that with the exception of some early CDs that "bronzed," every CD I own sounds just like it did when I bought it, good or bad. But vinyl inevitably shows its age after a certain number of playings.
I play LPs almost exclusively.
I had hundreds of CDs and SACDs and a very fine CD Player but in the past 10 years I played them less and less, bought only LPs then stopped playing CDs at all. A few years ago I copied all my CDs to a hard drive and gave them away to Salvation Army.
2 years ago when I became nearly immobile my kids gave me a Bluetooth receiver and put me on their Itunes plan so I could play music from the couch. Even with the instant choice of new music on Itunes and my 350 CDs on My Music, I still fought the pain and played LPs. Nuts, right?
Gravitating away from CDs and back to records might be a "hands on" thing as I build all my gear and play an instrument but that doesn't explain why I don't use the Streaming more. I'm Old School and don't mind surface noise but wish it weren't there. I don't read Liner Notes more than once, brushing the record and stylus I could do without, and as above my Arthritis makes getting up to choose and change records painful. Maybe It's an old age set in my ways thing.
I do like to use my hands. Want to see the 60 Watt mono blocks I limped up and down the stairs with and used as an excuse to drive 6000 miles to visit my friend Steve Brown for his help with them?
I tried to see your system in Inmate Systems... What is your TT and speakers? I'll bet it sounds glorious!!
Doug
Just a little something I threw together, over a 2 year period ;-)
Diyaudio.com update on the Mullard 5-20 circuit
Then my pal Steve Brown, the Wizard of Happy Valley, built his take on the JE Labs Line Stage which, once heard,I had to do also.
His phono stage, a Cinemag SUT and VPI Traveler with ZYX Bloom cartridge is the front end. Speakers are Horn/Bass Reflex 4 Pis.
Yeah, the sounds are pretty good.
I deserted vinyl 25 years ago at least. I've never looked back. There
have been about half a dozen vinyl records I've not been able to find on
CD over the years, but I'm OK with that.
I don't miss vinyl in the least. It's inconvenient, expensive, and
suffers from a whole host of problems which I and others have enumerated
extensively and often over the years. And, you can't play vinyl in
your car or on a portable player.
And, CDs have gotten appreciably better over the years and decades.
The early ones were not well done. And until RCA sold out to Columbia/
Sony, their remastering for CD was ATROCIOUS. Today, the digititus
that plagued early CDs is largely gone. And, only a small percentage
of good music is available on vinyl.
I haven't moved to digital downloads yet, and might not. CDs are
just fine with me.
if i were to give up vinyl. What would I miss? better sound on favorite recordings.
I had nine boxes of classical LPs that I collected from the 60s to the mid-80s. I transposed a bunch to CD that I didn't think would come out on CD, then I put the rest in the closet.
A few months ago, I went through them and picked out a few that I thought were worth something (a few RCA shaded dog classical albums, including one never opened and still wrapped in plastic, a live performance by pianist Arthur Loesser "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" with program notes that he typed himself) and gave away the rest to a stranger who is just getting into vinyl and was willing to haul them away.
I don't miss the inevitable clicks and pops, the cleaning rituals, the stylus that wears out, and the massive space needed for storage.
at least with Classical, and depending upon manufacturer.
I am strictly into classical, classical unlike pop and rock offers some truly quiet passages, whisper like, and that is where pop and clicks really compete with music.
Vahe
For me, the minor "clicks and pops" from LPs in excellent condition really become a problem only on today's high-end headphones, or for those who can afford them, high-end speakers. Even then, the other sonic shortcomings of old LPs, even those in perfect condition, (tape hiss, distortion, compressed dynamics and frequency range, and for 78s, unstable and inaccurate pitch), are far worse to my ears.
1. No. Though I thought I would.
2. No. My tablet has become an interactive Lp cover.
3. No. It's more relaxing to download; no defective records to return.
4. No. Though record cleaning and changing sides is not as big a hassle as it's often made out to be. At my age, I have to pee every half hour anyway.The only thing I miss the Lp treasure hunt, especially when visiting larger cities.
Some plus points about downloading: hi res has passes this vinyl lover's listening test, though if pressed I'd still give a slight edge to vinyl's massed string sound. 2) I have the ability to purchase one track and sample performance and recording before purchasing the rest of a performance.
Edits: 02/03/17
Is that something like what they used to call an 8-track tape or floppy disk ;)
2. Do you miss not having a record cover with artwork that you can fondle?It's very difficult to miss not having something. :-)
-Bob
Edits: 02/04/17
Not really. I puzzled over this for a while. See what you make of this:
Interesting! But slave to logic that I am, I've got to stick with what the words mean, bottom-up theories of language evolution notwithstanding. I may be one of the last holdouts, but that's my story, and I'm sticking with it. :-)
-Bob
Hey- even Hemingway used it:
If he had run that by me, I'd have gladly fixed it for him.
(I hope you're having as much fun with this as I am!)
-Bob
"1. Do you miss playing vinyl for any reason? Do you sometimes get wistful for that ol' sensory experience of holding a disc in your hand?"
No.
"2. Do you miss not having a record cover with artwork that you can fondle?"
No.
"3. Is it as satisfying to get a download as to receive a FedEx delivery with a brand new record? Do you miss the anticipation of wondering whether the package will be on your stoop that day?"
I get CDs in the mail and that is nice. I buy and download some music and can it ripped and tagged right away. I'm listening to my purchases within minutes. That's nice too.
"4. Do you miss nothing about the vinyl experience, the hassles of getting a VG disc which were clearly advertised as NM, the ever present hassles of warped, decentered, poorly pressed discs that require a return, the pure inconvenience of the whole annoying process of getting up from your comfortable seat every 15 minutes, the obsessiveness of record cleaning?"
I had LPs before audiophiles started calling them vinyl. They weren't that great then for the reasons you mention and more. The main difference now is that you can spend vast amounts on the gear. No thanks.
I buy used CDs on Amazon described as "very good" or like - new" or new ones if they are about the same price. If I have a problem ripping a CD, I get my money back.
my blog: http://carsmusicandnature.blogspot.com/
The beater turntable I was using conked a few months ago, and I've been searching for a replacement. In the meantime, there is one LP I would like to hear again--Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutti" with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. A CD replacement is prohibitively expensive, but so are most turntables for someone who listens to vinyl only occasionally.
Amazon has a "used - very good" copy for $ 4.96 plus $ 3.99 shipping of this CD:
https://smile.amazon.com/Elisabeth-Schwarzkopf-Giuseppe-Philharmonia-Orchestra/dp/B000TDDHI0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1486163955&sr=8-4&keywords=Mozart+Schwarzkopf
my blog: http://carsmusicandnature.blogspot.com/
Thanks--looking into this.
It was such a relief going digital. All my playlists on my computer - complete control from my seat.
Sound quality is good enough. I don't stream. i've just loaded all the music I want onto my Mac.
I grew up with vinyl, I gave up vinyl the first time I listened to my first CD, that TOTAL silence was frightening, I could not believe that there would ever be music without all that click and pop, distortion and all the other ills that represents vinyl at its best.
Granted the first generation of CD'd were awful, but I managed to survive all the digital haze, today I am almost exclusively into SACD's, no downloads thank you, on a good player these do sound very natural.
Now, how do I get rid of all the classical vinyl that I collected over the years, nobody wants them.
Oh, well !!!!!!
and never did, even for a moment, though I adopted most of the newer formats too.
The main reason: I want music on vinyl that was never reissued in a digital format.
A (very) secondary reason: Though digital reissues routinely sound better than the vinyl originals (to me, YMMV) they often do not, and sometimes remastering results in significant changes that might not have been preferred by the artists.
No to all your questions. Had 4000 lps at one time. Now only stream from Tidal. I now have hundreds of thousands of albums to choose from and my current digital setup sounds as good if not better than LP and I had a very expensive turntable, cartridge, phono amp setup
Alan
Still have a couple TT set up (one on either side of the TV).
One problem is no place to set up a record cleaning machine. In our old place in Utah (3,000 Sq Ft) I had so many bathrooms it was easy to commandeer one exclusively for record cleaning. Second problem is not really great record store in town selling classical at giveaway pricing as was the case with Randy's Records in Salt Lake City (average selling price of $2.99 with many near mint at $0.99).
Of all the fond memories you bring up, nothing trumped that first pop or click that showed up on your favorite albums, regardless of how well you cleaned and handled them.I do miss the full size covers. They were like cereal boxes, no matter how often you read them you still did it over and over as you listened to the music. Those small CD booklets give me a headache.
Edits: 02/03/17
I gave up vinyl, but I still prefer to have a CD. I have not yet embraced streaming. I grew up with vinyl. It was all we had then, and though it is 'hip' these days to still use vinyl, I do not at all miss the ticks and pops, limited dynamic range, distortions, and all of the other headaches that is part of the vinyl experience. A good CP player sounds very good. I will leave vinyl to those who still think it is superior.
+1
"Freedom is irrelevant. Self-determination is irrelevant. You must comply." The Borg
1. Do you miss playing vinyl for any reason?
Yes - see below.
Do you sometimes get wistful for that ol' sensory experience of holding a disc in your hand?
No
2. Do you miss not having a record cover with artwork that you can fondle?
I still buy mostly CDs to Rip into my computer, so a have a mini version of the cover and artwork, but yes I miss that part of the LP experience.
3. Is it as satisfying to get a download as to receive a FedEx delivery with a brand new record?
Downloading is fun in its own way. I still get CDs delivered. I really miss record stores to browse in person.
Do you miss the anticipation of wondering whether the package will be on your stoop that day?
I still have it for ordered CDs, but I tend to be too busy to dwell on it.
4. Do you miss nothing about the vinyl experience, the hassles of getting a VG disc which were clearly advertised as NM, the ever present hassles of warped, decentered, poorly pressed discs that require a return, the pure inconvenience of the whole annoying process of getting up from your comfortable seat every 15 minutes, the obsessiveness of record cleaning?
I do not miss any of that, but fiddling with vinyl and the TT is merely replaced by ripping, downloading, storing, getting the album artwork in the library, format conversion...
"I really miss record stores to browse in person"
Streaming for me is like having the record store experience and I used to spend hours at Rose records in Chicago
Alan
I also miss browsing the record store. These days, most of the music you find at stores is popular, rap and hip hop crap. If you wand decent music, you are pretty much limited to on line. Amazon is my best friend.
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