Tell us about your stereo!

[coltrane2]

add that the soundstage is 3 times better on LP

Yeah, I kinda got some sense of that from the other records I spun earlier this week. Cracks and pops do grate a bit though after all these years of listening to crackle free music . I guess that's about keeping the record in good condition, but not always possible when you're buying second hand vinyl (even good quality second hand vinyl).

I don't think there's any right or wrong; with digital your trading away the personal interaction, your soundstage point and artwork that is big enough to qualify as part of the experience. With Vinyl unless your system is super, super high end, that warmth that people point to is actually distortion and convenience (train journey with a portable record deck anyone?).

For me, good quality (256 Kbps +) MP3 and vinyl both have their place.

 

[mrJim]

A good way to hear the difference is to select a vinyl and rip it to digital format. The surface noise typically associated with vinyl will expose the difference.

when I listen to vinyl played on my TT if there is surface noise it really doesn't feel like its embedded into the music, more like a layer above. its more like its in front of the music and can be put aside

rip the same vinyl to MP3 and that surface noise now sounds like its embedded in the music

now rip that same vinyl aimed at 24bit/192 WAV and you begin to hear the same separation as playing the original vinyl record.

in the end all the formats have their place, and its all about the individual and what he/she needs or enjoys.

 

[LG]

I read Coltrane2's post, and disagree strongly about the 'warmth'.

You are talking about two completely different animals, analog which is the actual transfer of physical sound to electrical impulses. But it works the same as your ear, which converts motion/sound waves to electrical impulses. All digital formats use a binary code and assign values to every note, then the decoder converts them to electrical impulses which you hear though your speakers or headphones.

After mucking about with all this stuff for a decade+ now I feel comfortable in saying a vinyl recording made before the 90's of all our old classic music have a warmth and feel that is missing on the digital counterpart.

I could fill this thread with individual examples but that would take too long. (There are also some top notch CD's as well, Supertramp for example sound excellent on CD.)

And I have never had a problem with portable music, I don't mind convenience and own a Walkman cassette player, my problem comes with corporations forcing all of us to use lossy formats because it's easier for them to make more money.

I want them to continue to offer HQ digital files and Vinyl if possible, after all you can always convert them to whatever size files you want later but you can't do the reverse a lossy format is a lossy format.

Mentioned this before but will say it again. Many experts with the best equipment have done extensive work with the analog/digital signals. The vinyl rips I have on my HD's are amazing quality. Most of them are done at 24-96(DVD standard) because they felt the 16-44(CD redbook) was not capable of capturing the information in a vinyl recording's groove. Some others' have gone a step further and done 24-192(Blu Ray) rips because they believe it is the closest they can get to preserving an analog record which the CD format just can't do to their satisfaction.

 

[gcczep]

Differences...

Yeah, I kinda got some sense of that from the other records I spun earlier this week. Cracks and pops do grate a bit though after all these years of listening to crackle free music. I guess that's about keeping the record in good condition, but not always possible when you're buying second hand vinyl (even good quality second hand vinyl).

I don't think there's any right or wrong; with digital your trading away the personal interaction, your soundstage point and artwork that is big enough to qualify as part of the experience. With Vinyl unless your system is super, super high end, that warmth that people point to is actually distortion and convenience (train journey with a portable record deck anyone?).

For me, good quality (256 Kbps +) MP3 and vinyl both have their place.

The vinyl I've listened to have more definition than the CD versions so I wouldn't say it is distortion. I don't have what some classify as a high end rig either. The sound is clean plus it fleshes out other instruments that are a bit buried in the digital medium. I've encountered this anomaly in more than a few instances so far.

I do agree that it is fun checking out the artwork again even the picture inner sleeves. The crackles don't bother me as much as the music eventually goes over it.

 

[gcczep]

Came across this at a local thrift shop...the Akai GXC-570D:

It's in very good shape...not mint perfect with some slight scuffs in the wood casing.



Test play of a Jimi Hendrix cassette "Kiss The Sky"...



All the functions work. A real trip with the sensor touch keys. The lights for the buttons and meters are fine. Top door hides more controls and adjustments. The audio quality is clean, no wobbles, no speed variations. Playback is quiet. I'll set some time to clean the heads, rollers and capstans. Now have to find a manual...

 

[mrJim]

^^ nice find what a score

 

[2LITTLETIME]

Still bloody amazed by my speakers and if they broke i would buy the same again.Just played some Tull and rory gallagher-amazing-obviously some albums sound worse than others due to their production.some old jazz stuff sounds fab.keep on rocking-now back to baker st muse..............................................................

 

[gcczep]

1/29/14...

^^ nice find what a score

Thanks Jim. The plexiglass door has a nice whirring sound when it opens. It doesn't have metal tape capability but it is not a deal breaker since I only have one reel of such. The scuffs on the wood are tinny ones on the edge but there is a scratch on the face which isn't a big deal to me. Heavy thing too.

How are your M40's? Are they fully broken in yet?

 

[gcczep]

Sounding off...

Still bloody amazed by my speakers and if they broke i would buy the same again.Just played some Tull and rory gallagher-amazing-obviously some albums sound worse than others due to their production.some old jazz stuff sounds fab.keep on rocking-now back to baker st muse..............................................................

I doubt you'd mess them up unless you're driving the set at arena levels. Good to hear [no pun intended] they're singing to you and enjoyable.

 

[mrJim]

Thanks Jim. The plexiglass door has a nice whirring sound when it opens. It doesn't have metal tape capability but it is not a deal breaker since I only have one reel of such. The scuffs on the wood are tinny ones on the edge but there is a scratch on the face which isn't a big deal to me. Heavy thing too.

How are your M40's? Are they fully broken in yet?

I have always wondered about break in and its been some time since I have had a completely new speaker of this level, but I can say my ears are telling me they are producing more down low more recently. up top is clear as the day brought them home.

Jim