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Why I don't think I'll ever return to vinyl - brief rant

I am not a vinyl guy. I have a half decent turntable and a half decent cartridge and a mid-fi at best phono preamp.

But I do get the bug every now and again and will buy a vinyl album. These are mostly from new-ish artists. I buy them from their websites hoping to support them. Sometimes I am rewarded. Mac Saturn’s only album sounds really good. The Tesky Brother’s album Run Home Slow sounds amazing and is better than the CD and streaming options. I suspect it is less compressed.

Well, the bug bit again recently and I bought the Red Clay Stray’s double live album recorded at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It was $45 on their website. There is no CD for this album. The vinyl is thin. The edges are rough. They had some type of dusty residue on them. At then end of one of the album sides there was a spot that looked like some sort of stain or smudge. I cleaned the records and got all the residue off of them. But the one side with the stain on it, that produces an audible pop, would not come clean. The pop persists. It is at the very end of a song, mostly in the crowd noise but it still sucks.

I contacted ’support’ on their website but never got a reply. No big deal. Its $45 and it supports a band that I like.

But that sure puts me off from buying more vinyl.

n80
n80 OP
2,167 posts
 

I was not attempting to provoke anyone or question anyone else's choices about their preferred medium.

That's why I identified it as a rant, which is usually a way of getting something off one's chest and maybe looking for a little commiseration.

I do appreciate those who have recommended alternate buying resources and I will certainly keep that in mind if the bug bites again.

I will admit that I am one who is somewhat intolerant of the incidental clicks and pops generally associated with vinyl. But for the record, pun intended, the problem I described was not a click or a simple pop. It is a loud pop. A flaw in the pressing or manufacture of the disk.

kerrybh
716 posts
 

@n80 Sorry for the bad experience-shouldn't happen with new vinyl. I find that well mastered vinyl in really good condition beats streaming-my other source-but only by a very narrow margin. The convenience and variety of streaming is nothing short of amazing. I enjoy vinyl for the sound quality but also the ritual-physical media, the joy of finding a real gem in a dusty crate, etc. Doesn't sound like you are there-we all like different aspects of the hobby. If I were in your shoes, I'd consider foregoing vinyl altogether and put your resources toward optimizing your digital system, rather than maintaining a "half decent" vinyl rig that won't really be worth the extra effort that comes with vinyl. Vinyl can be a touch better-my opinion-but it comes with its own set of aggravations which are not for everyone. Enjoy the (digital) music!

cleeds
6,628 posts
 

Let me get this straight. The OP says, "I am not a vinyl guy," then buys vinyl for his "half decent turntable and a half decent cartridge and a mid-fi at best phono preamp," then doesn't like the record, then creates a thread saying, "I don't think I'll ever return to vinyl."

That's a heckuva journey.

 

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
8,222 posts
 

@n80 there are multiple factors contributing to pops and clicks you hear with vinyl.
1. vinyl quality of course 

2. Shape of the stylus - microline diamond will dig deeper into the groove and provide more details with less surface noise. I’ve seen surface scratches completely ignored by my microline stylus cartridge - zero effect

3. phono stage - huge contributor to sound quality and noise levels exposed to your components downstream. I’ve had phono stages where the same record was dead quiet on one and distractingly noisy on the other.

tooblue
2,110 posts
 

Sorry for your loss, I'll keep it short as the tubes are warming up and the turntable is spinning and I feel the need for some vinyl. Enjoy the music

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