The Revenge Of Analog...
- Thread starter vmartell
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Without debating the merits of Digital over Analog-or vice versa, I think (for me, at least) Nostalgia played a large part in re-kindling my almost forgotten love of records played on a good stereo. As I grow older, I admit, I tend to long for those "Good Old Days" when I was much younger. Records, Cars with Stick Shifts (remember Three-on-the Tree?). And while I do live in a "Digital World", I like to escape back into Nostalgia whenever I can. Heck, I even still have an old VW Beetle! With a stick! 
t
t
vmartell
Active Member
Indeed, on my part, nostalgia was part of coming back to records... it is indeed a different way to appreciate recorded music....Without debating the merits of Digital over Analog-or vice versa, I think (for me, at least) Nostalgia played a large part in re-kindling my almost forgotten love of records played on a good stereo. As I grow older, I admit, I tend to long for those "Good Old Days" when I was much younger. Records, Cars with Stick Shifts (remember Three-on-the Tree?). And while I do live in a "Digital World", I like to escape back into Nostalgia whenever I can. Heck, I even still have an old VW Beetle! With a stick!
t
have to note, though, whatever you think, your approach, the participants in this forum try to do it right, within economy, beliefs, etc... the backlash and derision is against the Crosley crowd... normally dismisssed as "hipsters"
there is a documentary on vinyl resurgence on YouTube - one of many - Crosleys galore! And a young guy interviewed actually uttered the words "I have crappy speakers, so I am getting the real experience"!
Of course there will be derision...
Both done right, feels like a return to music as art, not background or diversion
v
likebike23
Addicted Member
Great article, it touches on some of the very reasons I have become interested in vinyl (and tapes). I love the hunt for records, and while I don't invest a lot of money, I have a fair amount of time and effort invested. This aspect of the hobby made me think that maybe the fact that this is totally lacking is a reason digital isn't appealing to me. Perhaps if there were a game like Pokemon Go where you "find" random digital albums with an app on your phone and can then play them like a record (uninterrupted sides) then I might find digital more appealing 
.
.
Last edited:
I have no personal nostalgia when it comes to vinyl. I was born in the early '80s, and I never saw my parents play a record (my father had a turntable, but it was in storage; my mother mostly listened to what my father listened to, which was '50s-60s oldies on the radio). My own personal listening devices were a Walkman and a Sony AM/FM/cassette boombox. In the early '90s, I asked for a CD boombox for Christmas, and received one along with a CD (The Beatles 1967-1970). I marveled at the improvement in sound quality and ease-of-use over cassettes.
Ironically, it was this which triggered a curiosity in me regarding the flat disc-shaped format which had preceded the CD. Well, that and seeing a picture of a Wurlitzer 1015 jukebox replica in a novelties catalog. I couldn't afford a jukebox, nor did I have the room for one, but I decided to see about getting myself some sort of record player. We had a couple of Emerson tabletop AM/FM/phono/8-track stereos in storage, and a bunch of records in the attic. Neither of said stereos worked very well, and the records weren't in great shape, but I became allured by the crackly sounds they made when being played, as well as how they looked as they spun while the music was playing.
As time went on, I got an additional Emerson tabletop stereo (this time with a (broken) cassette player instead of the 8-track, and a somewhat newer/better BSR record changer on top) which worked a little better, but I started to desire an actual stereo system. I asked for a Radio Shack stereo receiver for Christmas, and received one (an Optimus STA-300). My father dug his old turntable and cassette deck out of storage, and helped me buy a pair of Optimus full-range bookshelf speakers at the local Radio Shack. Over time, my meager collection of records grew, and at some point, it turned from a novelty into a full-blown interest in the sound quality of records.
I slowly began to upgrade the components of the stereo, replacing the Optimus receiver with a used Sony, and eventually inheriting the rest of my father's stereo system (Sansui integrated amp, Kenwood tuner, and Kenwood speakers). I started finding records at yard sales, and widening my interests in music. Within a few years, I discovered the world of vacuum tube audio, and with a turntable at the helm, built up my stereo system even further. So really, I'm in this hobby because of vinyl records, and will likely continue to be so because of them as well. I have digital music players, and have ripped some of my LPs to MP3 for listening in the car, but when it comes to sitting down and listening to music, it's vinyl all the way.
-Adam
Ironically, it was this which triggered a curiosity in me regarding the flat disc-shaped format which had preceded the CD. Well, that and seeing a picture of a Wurlitzer 1015 jukebox replica in a novelties catalog. I couldn't afford a jukebox, nor did I have the room for one, but I decided to see about getting myself some sort of record player. We had a couple of Emerson tabletop AM/FM/phono/8-track stereos in storage, and a bunch of records in the attic. Neither of said stereos worked very well, and the records weren't in great shape, but I became allured by the crackly sounds they made when being played, as well as how they looked as they spun while the music was playing.
As time went on, I got an additional Emerson tabletop stereo (this time with a (broken) cassette player instead of the 8-track, and a somewhat newer/better BSR record changer on top) which worked a little better, but I started to desire an actual stereo system. I asked for a Radio Shack stereo receiver for Christmas, and received one (an Optimus STA-300). My father dug his old turntable and cassette deck out of storage, and helped me buy a pair of Optimus full-range bookshelf speakers at the local Radio Shack. Over time, my meager collection of records grew, and at some point, it turned from a novelty into a full-blown interest in the sound quality of records.
I slowly began to upgrade the components of the stereo, replacing the Optimus receiver with a used Sony, and eventually inheriting the rest of my father's stereo system (Sansui integrated amp, Kenwood tuner, and Kenwood speakers). I started finding records at yard sales, and widening my interests in music. Within a few years, I discovered the world of vacuum tube audio, and with a turntable at the helm, built up my stereo system even further. So really, I'm in this hobby because of vinyl records, and will likely continue to be so because of them as well. I have digital music players, and have ripped some of my LPs to MP3 for listening in the car, but when it comes to sitting down and listening to music, it's vinyl all the way.
-Adam
Catcher10
Prog-tastic!
Since this is a hobby......all my extra cash for my hobby goes into analog/records/TT rig. I have no desire to allocate additional funds to replicate my records in high rez files, not everything is available in digital anyhow.
There is no nostalgia for me, I grew up with analog and vinyl so it is what I know. Actually CDs are nostalgia for me since I did jump on that bandwagon in the mid 80s but got off in mid 90s. Analog has been my constant......I will die with vinyl.
There is no nostalgia for me, I grew up with analog and vinyl so it is what I know. Actually CDs are nostalgia for me since I did jump on that bandwagon in the mid 80s but got off in mid 90s. Analog has been my constant......I will die with vinyl.
AvFan
Super Member
I liked the article and agreed with many of the points raised but one statement caught my attention:
"The revenge of analog and resurgence of vinyl has very little to do with sound quality. Just like the resurgence of paper, pencils, and film has little to do with the quality of the final product."
I wouldn't tell that to Ansel Adams or Robert Ludwig!
"The revenge of analog and resurgence of vinyl has very little to do with sound quality. Just like the resurgence of paper, pencils, and film has little to do with the quality of the final product."
I wouldn't tell that to Ansel Adams or Robert Ludwig!
vmartell
Active Member
HA
There is a comment in the CA review - someone mentioned that when talking about vinyl, that the book avoids talking about sound quality and considered that smart. I guest that makes a lot of sense - the book is about the strangely very modern need of seeking in the past an experience they cannot get on digital - to dwell on sound quality discussions, will detract and distract from that premise. Sound quality of course is very much one of the premises of this forum. I say this
Good digital > Crappy vinyl (Crosleys, I guess)
Good vinyl > Crappy digital (iphones with 320kbps itunes on crappy earbuds, I guess)
Just get a good system ! it can be had a reasonable prices - analog or digital!
v
Zeacon69
Sansui-G-
Well I'm 34 and didn't have a CD player until 1998, didn't care for it till I was able to use a PC to burn em in 2002 now it seems like a waste unless using the cd in some kind of compressed format to listen in car, always had analog sources, albums, cassettes, R2R, my late teen years even used a HI-Fi VCR for audio
HA
There is a comment in the CA review - someone mentioned that when talking about vinyl, that the book avoids talking about sound quality and considered that smart. I guest that makes a lot of sense - the book is about the strangely very modern need of seeking in the past an experience they cannot get on digital - to dwell on sound quality discussions, will detract and distract from that premise. Sound quality of course is very much one of the premises of this forum. I say this
Good digital > Crappy vinyl (Crosleys, I guess)
Good vinyl > Crappy digital (iphones with 320kbps itunes on crappy earbuds, I guess)
Just get a good system ! it can be had a reasonable prices - analog or digital!
v
I have both cds and vinyl. I grew up with vinyl and have a collection that is over 40 years old. To get decent sound from vinyl you have to have records that are in good condition and are handled with care.
You don't need to spend a lot on a turntable, but the cartridge and arm should be well matched and a phono pre-amp that is transparent, and also matched with the cartridge is a good idea.
Pretty basic. I would give up my cds before my records. Not sure I could find replacement copies of half of them.
Thanks for the link, very nice article. My journey has been long, and I have been a music lover since a child. For me, it is nostalgia. Better times, and how the music makes me feel and takes me back in time as if I had my own DeLorean to whisk me back (Like how I did that? 
) I feel the analog sound is part of the journey. Pops and crackles, what drives many an audiophile mad, I find comforting. Of course, too much of this makes me move to another record, but still, I find myself as a 12 year old putting records on my All-In-One Panasonic and my headphones laying in bed and falling asleep. My mother comes in, removes the headphones and turns off the stereo. Man, I do miss those days.
) I feel the analog sound is part of the journey. Pops and crackles, what drives many an audiophile mad, I find comforting. Of course, too much of this makes me move to another record, but still, I find myself as a 12 year old putting records on my All-In-One Panasonic and my headphones laying in bed and falling asleep. My mother comes in, removes the headphones and turns off the stereo. Man, I do miss those days.
AvFan
Super Member
HA
There is a comment in the CA review - someone mentioned that when talking about vinyl, that the book avoids talking about sound quality and considered that smart. I guest that makes a lot of sense - the book is about the strangely very modern need of seeking in the past an experience they cannot get on digital - to dwell on sound quality discussions, will detract and distract from that premise. Sound quality of course is very much one of the premises of this forum. I say this
Good digital > Crappy vinyl (Crosleys, I guess)
Good vinyl > Crappy digital (iphones with 320kbps itunes on crappy earbuds, I guess)
Just get a good system ! it can be had a reasonable prices - analog or digital!
"The revenge of analog and resurgence of vinyl has very little to do with sound quality. Just like the resurgence of paper, pencils, and film has little to do with the quality of the final product."
While the book that is the subject of the article supposedly avoids a discussion of sound quality the quote above was written by Chris Connaker, the founder of Computer Audiophile. I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the focus of his website and forum. I regularly read the articles on his site since I have digital music too (some I've bought and some I've recorded) and I'd like it to sound as good as my resources will allow. I appreciate Computer Audiophile because it welcomes differing views and I believe the comment you reference is by Micheal Fremer.
One of the things I found interesting is several of the comments described digital as more convenient. If that means portable, I certainly agree. But if you have a large digital library it requires more than a passing knowledge of IT to effectively manage it and the equipment it is stored on. Given ever changing standards I don't find that very convenient.
I have my iPod Classic connected to my stereo through a DAC (HRT iStreamer), over 6,000 songs (high bit rate) that I can wheel through, click and they are playing. Convenient? Yes.
But if I really want to enjoy the music, my albums are right there, and I can pick one out, set it on the turntable, and let it play. Not as "convenient", but the sound is much nicer.
But if I really want to enjoy the music, my albums are right there, and I can pick one out, set it on the turntable, and let it play. Not as "convenient", but the sound is much nicer.
vmartell
Active Member
Convenience is a big part - it is also how Analog - LP, and I guess others - affects the act of listening - is not that you cannot dedicate a set time and concentrated effort to digital music - you can, of course - but I find myself resorting to digital when it is not convenient to do LP side flipping, etc - that is, if I am playing some music while I an working or cooking (a pain to clean up your hands,etc then run to flip a side) then is always digital - when I have the time to sit down in front of my chair and just listen, then LP - unless of course, I don't have it in LP...
v
