Don't like vinyl

Cancel your mind.

Last night I listened to Side 1 of April Wine, Harder..Faster. I know, not a very good live band, and they were confined to two good albums, but comparing the vinyl to the CD burn is folly. In fact, most of the albums I have - if not all - from the 60's to early 1990's would sound better on vinyl. Of course, I have few albums from the 1990's due to the lack thereof. There was also the loudness wars that pretty much bounce most digital recordings from that era. Albums from the 2000's are much closer sounding to the digital counterparts.

Isn't it great to have so many choices, lol.

All that from a simple misplaced cancel request!
I now have a good picture of how this forum operates!

You must be kidding.....most cars don’t or won’t have CD players, and they are a lagging indicator . No mfg will add them-I believe vinyl outsells cds now.

The music world is crazy vinyl  was dead when cds came out .Now Cds are out and vinyl back again.But cds will come back.i wonder if streaming  will kill it all...

Vuch and mikebrewster77 are right

You are an idiot 

But I guess I love vinyl since I was 14 ,I collected 1,500 lps.Then like 6 years ago I sold them for 1,800 ,I had alot of good stuff.I always cleaned my albums with disc washer brush and even had this spray which said would put a protective finish on them ,always took good care of them.i have since bought 800 cleaned them and put them in new inner sleves and new plastic covers. BUT I'm done ....lol

Not sure, maybe they are broken in after time?

I can't say I think they sound better, but they sound the same to me. I have bought a few used ones and they don't sound as good as the ones I originally bought. I think most people in general do not take very good care of their records. I use MFSL sleeves and several years ago started using jacket sleeves (not nearly as important) and a month or so ago got box sleeves for my UHQRs and a Kind of Blue box set. (Even less important since they already have the box, inner spongy packaging sheets, inner jackets, and record protectors). Outer boxes were getting worn. 

sokogear
Mobile Fidelity claimed their records sounded better the more they were played

>>>>>I cannot imagine why that would be.

Mobile Fidelity claimed their records sounded better the more they were played with the Japanese vinyl they used. I never noticed any degradation in almost 40 years. I take care of my records though, and store them perfectly vertically. No liquid cleaners, just a dust brush, and 95+% of my records were purchased new.

I love the the fact that I can obtain vinyl at garage sales cheap. Most of them aren't in great shape, but compared to the cost of streaming, it's really a pretty good deal. I also like the fact that having a turntable means being able to play some obscure things that you can't find elsewhere. I do have a decent Technics SL 1200 family turntable with a few different cartridges to choose from, so it helps that I can make even pretty beat up records sound pretty good. But I still think CDs sound the best, along with lossless digital files (24/48 and up). When I'm into the music though, I really don't notice vinyl record flaws. Speaking of good deals, what about used CDs that play as well as the day they were made?!

I like (not love) vinyl and I don't even have an expensive set up. But to clarify, my collection is limited to LP's & 45's I heard as a youngster and teenager. (My mother belonged to Columbia Record Club for a while). Had a ton of fun spending allowance money at the record shop. Honestly though, not fond of having to listen to every single song or having to get up and flip to hear the other side. Call me a "lazy listener" I'm not ashamed. 20% vinyl, 80% my trusty computer (90% FLAC/10% mp3 files). Differences of opinion are a part of life. Argue the superiority of one source over the other from here to kingdom come, I can't hear you, I'm too busy having fun listening to my music :)

If it works....depends on the table

@Surferandy, that is interesting. I dont have those worries but I hear you. Who wants to mess up valuable styli or records? There are some mechanical tone arm lifts you can add to your deck. Fifty bucks for a well known one guarantees the arm will lift at the end of side. Maybe that would help.

Years ago I went into records store ,looking for vinyl ,He said look up they were all nailed to the ceiling . That same store today is 85 percent vinyl and not on the ceiling!

I do suffer from end of side anxiety, knowing that very soon I will have to stand and operate a delicate piece of equipment. Pick up a vinyl disc without inflicting thumbprints, store that disc, select and fit another without spilling my drink.

Vinyl records use doesn't look outdated to me.https://www.statista.com/statistics/188822/lp-album-sales-in-the-united-states-since-2009/
For me, I prefer the warmer, more musical and lively soundstage that records bring out.

Then your vinyl set up needs to be better. Phono stage maybe? Better arm? Cartridge. Quantity doesn't equal quality.

I have a large assortment of tube and solidstate gear.  Maybe 5 sets of speakers.  Two turntables, multiple CD players & DACs.  Hundreds of LPs and CDs, and two streaming subscriptions. 

The source I use least?  Vinyl.  Streaming is just so convenient.  And I find my best CDs and best streaming options sound better than vinyl. 

Using the turntable and getting it set up correctly can be fun.   But it can feel like a waste of time when at the end the fidelity isn't as good.

A young man in his forties stopped by to purchase some power cables the other day and wanted to hear the stereo system in my workshop. It consists of an Audio Research LS22, a pair of Audio Research Classic 150's, a 1972 all manual belt drive JVC turntable with an original Grado Cartridge, and a Tubes for HIFI phono preamp. His system consists of all late model digital equipment. He had never heard an album played on a turntable before. I'm not sure if he will ever be the same again as he was completely blown away at the sound. 

Both sound good when played on good equipment. I don't  stream ,and never will .But I said the same thing about cds..

Naugahyde is the way to go...

@widmerpool 
That's a fine initial analogy to cast iron pans. But now this former chef has to push your argument further.

There are things, you see, that cast iron pans do better than any other cooking medium. Like searing, roasting spices, blistering tomatoes or chilis, etc, etc. No better vessel for making cornbread. , For its area of specialization, there is nothing outdated about the format. But assuming it can be used for everything is indeed an error, and those who do are probably wrapped up in nostalgia.

My own batterie de cusine includes a large number of tin-lined copper, some cast iron, some multi-ply stainless (what a crap material) and one higher end non-stick which supposedly doesn't off-gas like most non-stick surfaces, and some black steel which has its place also, as well as two woks. If I could have only two types of pans, they would be cast iron and tin-lined copper. Each in its way has never been equaled by more modern cookware--and each requires more skill, knowledge and upkeep from the person cooking, which are their drawbacks.

Which brings us to media. The two best general purpose media (let's leave R2R aside) are vinyl and high quality digital downloads. Each is not easy to use or acquire. Streaming on Tidal or Spotify or Qobuz?  Very easy, somewhat like teflon pans. Pleasant enough. But the quality is a tick down and if you have a developed ear, you're willing to invest effort. 

High end digital? You have to seek it out just like vinyl. Download it. Ensure the metadata is correct. Back it up. Buy it. Deal with a screen to play it. Spend mental energy when using that screen not to get sucked into something else, or not to remove your attention from the music you are listening to. Occasionally reboot the system or clear out caches to address instability in the computer system behind it. 

I don't believe that there are any cost-free or positive only formats. I do believe that most people refuse to consider the full costs of digital playback, of which distraction is a very real price we all pay. To say nothing of how much healthier it is to get our butts out of a chair every 20 minutes to flip an album. I wonder if we will be able to figure out the health costs of long digital listening sessions where we don't get up and stretch. 

I have no interest in defending a particular type of media over another in part because it depends not only on what you like, but also how you use and relate to music.

I do have an interest that people apply proper analysis to the full ecosystem of what it takes to play a given form of media. Truth still matters to me. As someone who streams, has a nice vinyl connection (my primary mode for deep listening) and competent playback system, uses a cd player on occasion, and even enjoys hi throughput internet radio, there's a place for all. 

Listening to vinyl is the audio equivalent of cooking in cast iron pans. You feel all tactile and nostalgic and love the involvement of compensating for an outdated format.

Streaming is pretty good, but not even close to how good my records sound most of the time. I wish it wasn’t true.

CYA

Not a fan of antiques, eh?

Vinyl looks a little bit like leather but squeaks when I walk. 

Excellent first post @kashani ….however when driving that restored car keep your eyes on the road to avoid the pothole. Not as easy with Vinyl...when you close your eyes to enjoy the music. Every once in a blue moon,  when that scratch is heard - I try to replace the album. Fortunately having kept most of my records in good shape that is not a problem I encounter.  

I listen to digital while at work during the day and it fills in quite nicely.

I like vinyl my main source of recorded music.
But if you don't like it don't listen to it.  Not worth a blog entry

Hey fuzztone Bob,
Do you know why Dolly Partons feet are so small?
Nothing grows good in the shade.

I have two nice TT's so that I can listen to my record collection, not because I am a fanatic who gives a hoot about whether you bought a more expensive source of one type to tout its superiority over your cheaper device.

Listening to digital music is like to driving a modern car, it is comfortable and does everything well whereas listening to vinyl is like driving a restored classic car, you have to pamper it and make sure everything is working correctly, then it'll reward you with a satisfying grin. Until you hit a pothole.

This is so tedious. Why does this even keep coming up? You like what you like. You have your stats to prove why you like what you like; others have their counterargument as well. Great! Then go bloody enjoy it but why make a post inviting a debate that's been raging for nearly fourth years? Just enjoy your setup mate. We could all make every audio forum a lot cleaner if we agreed to stop arguing about something that we all know will never be resolved to one's favour in our lifetime. 

Generally I've turned into a digital/streaming type guy but a decent percentage of the time I'll randomly pull an LP out of my collection and say yeah!

We're no longer in 1982. Digital music is actually quite good now and while folks enjoy playing with vinyl for its tangible, possibly nostalgic charms, I'm ok with the tangible charms nicely recorded music gives on today's digital recording. And, try as you may, 'entry level' vinyl will not give you the kind of sound you'll get out of digital recordings on today's modestly priced rig.
You have to throw some good money at equipment & media, not to mention considerable effort, just to equal that cheap & easy 2020 splendor in your laptop or digital player. 

Vinyl is a inferior format. But it is fun to see if it possible to make it to sound decent. And it is intriguing to play when it never sounds the same each time. Unlike my CD records pressed from 1983 and onward, never have sounded better with new DAC from today. And sounds exactly the same each time I play it. Maybe that is boring nothing new is happening..
My brain tell me that I waste time and money on the vinyl format but my heart love it.

I used to wash the record and then leave it to dry in a dish rack. None of the commercial sprays worked as well and I couldn't afford one of the highly regarded and expensive cleaning machines.

@mazian: 30 minutes? What does that process entail for you? It doesn’t take me 30 minutes to clean a record.

I don't like vinyl because the clicks and plops almost give me a nervous breakdown. Cleaning helps temporarily but who wants to spend 30mins washing and drying a disc every time you want to play it.

Do not like vinyl do streaming and pretend it sounds better.Vinyl will always be king if you have a state of the art turntable (I have one).

Do not be so perfectionists ...... at the end of the day the music is what counts .... like a life .. !! No matter how you live it ..!!

Bob

Dolly Parton with a flat chest.

Leave fake tits out of this.
Never been a fan of Ms. Parton.  We drove right past Dollywood be many times.

Just have Dolly read a story to your grandkid.
Check out her Imagination Library.

You are actually are making a convoluted case for the superiority of DSD. An $800 recorder can make an indistinguishable copy of vinyl playback including its compression and added noise.
If you prefer the ritual of dropping a needle and the knowledge that you are wearing down the recording AND playback rig with each play, enjoy it while it lasts.

You want some free 78s?

aewarren:  Well said!  Even when the plan is to have some background music, I am drawn to "the chair" if the TT is spinning a record.  I have pondered this often and can come up with no reasonable explanation.

It's hard for me to imagine my system without a turntable. There are so many things that go into it. Getting the albums, cleaning them, the TT, the tone arm, the cartridge, setting all of those things up properly, upgrading, treating the room. In the end, the sound is rewarding well worth the effort. CD's are awesome for background music or in the car. Albums are for critical listening.

I enjoy my vinyl but hardest substance known to man placed on top of some of some of the softest, not exactly technology to impress 500 years from now. What happened to the wax cylinder enthusiasts?