• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Vinyl making me grumpy.....

I can totally understand where the OP is coming from.

I had a similar experience as I climbed up the ladder. Some recordings really started to show their shortcomings. It got to a point where I had to do like others did and started culling out record albums that didn't give me the listening experience I was after. I was honestly upset about it for a few months, inevitably chasing a dream that all my recordings will sound excellent. I had zero success trying to balance it all.

The success I did have was placing all the culled record albums into a box and relegated them to the garage system, where I actually do more listening (not critical, eye's closed euphoria listening but getting lost in the music and my work). Here I found out that it wasn't my system after all. It was the music production itself. My garage system (basic 70's Pioneer Receiver/Turntable w/conical stylus and CV Speakers) allowed the crappy mastering/production to be played loud without regard to fidelity. The way the artist intended it to be played if you will.

So in the end, I split my collection between the Main system and Garage system based on quality of mastering/production. That solved it all for me.

As far as I'm concerned, not all artist have control of the end result. So we have to be at the mercy of the Record Executives and the amount of time they choose to spend on quality mastering. All we can do is listen in the best way we can.

NOTE: This is all based on records that have no serious damage to them. Those records don't stand a chance staying in my collection. This is based on records that have no damage but the recording itself is "meh".
 
Yah, there are so many situations that can make vinyl sound dull to include the vinyl itself. Most of the American Record companies are trying to make vinyl as fast as they can, so what little standards existed are gone now. So many companies have gone to different methods of incorporating digital into the process. If you want better....Gramophone Records "Germany", Juno Records "England" and Sundazed Records "USA" !!!

Then check the THD of your amp....
 
Djcoolray said:
Yah, there are so many situations that can make vinyl sound dull to include the vinyl itself. Most of the American Record companies are trying to make vinyl as fast as they can, so what little standards existed are gone now. So many companies have gone to different methods of incorporating digital into the process. If you want better....Gramophone Records "Germany", Juno Records "England" and Sundazed Records "USA" !!!

Then check the THD of your amp....
Click to expand...

This is news to me, most all of my new LP's purchased in the last 5 years have been great, and most from US pressers.
 
I guess it all depends on whether you listen to enjoy the music or listen to judge the fidelity. After a wash & vacuum, there are precious few recordings so beat up or badly recorded that I don't enjoy the music and most of them are badly done classical compilations. I have reissues of 30's jazz bands that are a kick to listen to..... but the fidelity bites..... makes me smile anyway. That said, all the comments above about labels & reissues and systems too good for the music et al; I agree with all that. I still listen for the music first, fidelity second or maybe third.
 
Thunderbox said:
Maybe I am missing something but it just doesn't sound logical. Good equipment makes good recordings sound better and makes lesser recordings sound worse. Where do you have the line drawn where one sounds better and one sounds worse? I am guessing you are really saying good recordings sound much better but poorly recorded music doesn't improve as much.
Click to expand...
That's my experience. I think I have a reasonably resolving system and it has improved a lot over the last few years but in no case has this improvement made anything sound worse.
 
Last edited:
Bob in WI said:
I guess it all depends on whether you listen to enjoy the music or listen to judge the fidelity. After a wash & vacuum, there are precious few recordings so beat up or badly recorded that I don't enjoy the music and most of them are badly done classical compilations. I have reissues of 30's jazz bands that are a kick to listen to..... but the fidelity bites..... makes me smile anyway. That said, all the comments above about labels & reissues and systems too good for the music et al; I agree with all that. I still listen for the music first, fidelity second or maybe third.
Click to expand...

True, records that aren't good enough for focused listening can be just fine for background/low-fi systems. A console or garage system that's rolled off naturally eliminates noise.
 
Interesting additional feedback all. Glad to hear that I am also not unique in my experience.

And as someone who grew up with a 9V AM Transistor radio, and a portable cassette player, and who listened to records on my little suitcase player, followed by a stereo GE flip-down portable turntable, I can forgive a loss of fidelity in many cases.

However, when the loss of fidelity is so severe that it becomes distracting, when it it so bad you no longer hear the music, then it gives me issue. Especially when you've invested some scratch in trying to improve your vinyl experience; although CDs are great, they can sometimes lose the warm musicality delivered by vinyl.

Really, I guess my frustration is identical to the frustration that caused many people to move away from vinyl in the first place. When vinyl works, it is sublime. When it doesn't work (for whatever reason), it ruins the listening experience. Considering it is the least convenient media format to purchase, store, and maintain, there should be a sonic payoff. Sometimes there is. And sometimes I pay $8-$15 for a "graded" used copy of an album (like Deepest Purple), and it sounds like garbage. Which makes me grumpy.

But I will try the suggestion of a good wash for Deepest Purple tonight, and we'll see where that takes us. And yes, maybe culling the herd may be in order as well. I certainly have some records I hang on to for sentimental reasons, but these are seldom spun. However, life is too short to keep listening to the same damaged/poorly pressed record expecting it to somehow sound different each time you listen to it.
 
Bigboi33 said:
I was honestly upset about it for a few months, inevitably chasing a dream that all my recordings will sound excellent.
Click to expand...

Ain't this the truth, though. Us audio folks tend to believe that if you invest in a good vinyl rig, and practice good vinyl hygiene that everything will sound excellent. Then after we do, and everything doesn't sound excellent, we get grumpy. Like me.
 
I've had good success with Phoenix record cleaning solution in reducing/eliminating noise. It's inexpensive too.

My neighbor, who caught the bug from me, has purchased $50 double 45RPM pressings and found that the dollar bin original is just as good or better. You have to take the good with the bad.
 
I've only been (back) into audio for a couple years now so I'm stilling refining my system but I'm running a SL-1200 with a Denon DL-110 cart. I've collected about 500 nice albums from CL, yard sales, friends, thrifts, etc. and some new. I culled out anything even slightly scratched along the way or I would own thousands. I have found that some recordings are just duds and nothing we can do to fix it. So now I'm simply realistic about not being able to listen to everything on vinyl. That's fine with me, there are still plenty of albums to play and it will still grow over time. And other formats to listen to music on that I don't have on "good vinyl". I also started a "dud box" that I will sell off at some point. I'm not a big document-er but I'll log those before they go. Those 'duds' might sound good on someone else's system or to their ears. It's disappointing when that album you love sounds like crap on vinyl but I just get over it and listen to another album or different format.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom