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What if I HAVE TO use a Victrola turntable?

I own a lot of records that came from tag sales and the dump. I suspect most of them were played on equipment similar to the OPs, but, even wihtout serious cleaning, most sound okay, and many are excellent. I suspect that using a smaller stylus gets to the part of the groove that was never touched by the large conicals used in such equipment, but it is also quit possible the records simply weren't played all that much - not everyone is as obsessive about music as we are.
That said, I will note that the many used copies of Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow that I have had have all been terrible - tar and bong water in the grooves and played constantly. And that is before we get to the fake stereo remix and Dynaflex. So I bought the Sundazed mono reissue for what seems like lots of money back in those innocent days, and it was a huge improvement. That is, until my daughter carried it off to her lair... I was too proud of her taste to complain about it.
 
Nat said:
I own a lot of records that came from tag sales and the dump. I suspect most of them were played on equipment similar to the OPs, but, even wihtout serious cleaning, most sound okay, and many are excellent. I suspect that using a smaller stylus gets to the part of the groove that was never touched by the large conicals used in such equipment, but it is also quit possible the records simply weren't played all that much - not everyone is as obsessive about music as we are.
That said, I will note that the many used copies of Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow that I have had have all been terrible - tar and bong water in the grooves and played constantly. And that is before we get to the fake stereo remix and Dynaflex. So I bought the Sundazed mono reissue for what seems like lots of money back in those innocent days, and it was a huge improvement. That is, until my daughter carried it off to her lair... I was too proud of her taste to complain about it.
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Surrealistic Pillow's never been fake Stereo. The mix is echoey and very reverberant. The mono is vastly superior. Find another Sundazed Mono LP if you can in nice condition and enjoy!
 
KentTeffeteller said:
Simply put, don't play good records on that Victrola. Why not a Barzilay type cablnet to install your separate components in which is missus acceptable. If you must use the Victrola, CD is recommended.
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If you have albums you really love, buy new copies for yourself and give her the old ones to play on her vinyl chewing machine...
 
A thought: You could select a "sacrificial" test record, something in good condition that plays well, and play that record a LOT, I mean, like 25 or 30 times. Watch and listen for wear and tear to the grooves - fading of the reflective sheen on those tracks vs. the others, any degradation in sound quality - and check the stylus after, say, every 5 or so plays for signs of black vinyl residue - any sign(s) that the stylus is in fact causing even a tiny amount of damage. (Dust and "groove crud" will likely be visible, too, so look carefully.) If the record is in identical condition and plays the same at the end of the trial as it started, you're probably fine playing your collection. Yes, this of course causes "wear" on the stylus, but it'll give you some confidence (or not) that it's okay.
 
OBMG74 said:
Relationships ARE harder than rocket science...
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I'm wondering how much of this might be personal, a bit of the war between the sexes. If that is present there is no amendable solution. She obviously, seems to have a certain amount of disdain for equipment, just wondering where it is centered. How about some 901 series speakers, those are eloquent, but of course they require all that other stuff, equipment. I imagine she'd be hard on a delicate stylus. Can she cook...
 
KentTeffeteller said:
Surrealistic Pillow's never been fake Stereo. The mix is echoey and very reverberant. The mono is vastly superior. Find another Sundazed Mono LP if you can in nice condition and enjoy!
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pretty sure the bong water sound is just part of the recording though. It sounds like they made it in a basement using a cheap tape deck. Even the CDs of that album have a grainy hissy sound to them.
 
That mix and recording was RCA Hollywood, Dave Hassinger at the controls. Not someone's basement. No cheap tape decks used, Ampex 300 and 350 used.
 
gadget73 said:
whatever they used, it still sounds like it was recorded using bad equipment in a poor setting. Maybe that was on purpose.
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It was recorded by and for acid heads, so to speak. It had that sound, like Quicksilver Messenger Service. It was recorded and mixed to have that sound. Honestly, at the time I liked the way it sounded, kind of metallic sounding too, maybe it had a spring reverb somewhere in the mix. My Plastic Fantastic Lover.
 
spicer said:
It was recorded by and for acid heads, so to speak. It had that sound, like Quicksilver Messenger Service. It was recorded and mixed to have that sound. Honestly, at the time I liked the way it sounded, kind of metallic sounding too, maybe it had a spring reverb somewhere in the mix. My Plastic Fantastic Lover.
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This used EMT reverb. Does have the Acid sound.
 
I like the album, but its not one I feel benefits from an overly revealing stereo. It sounds better on my console stereo with the record changer.
 
Some of you are reading way too far into this. I'm content enough to let her enjoy a new hobby and I like the music in the background, it doesn't sound horrible honestly and it's not worth dashing her new toy over a few bargain records. The testing mentioned by DC has been done in the past: not to sound like a "broken record" (or rather perhaps a stylus without enough tracking force LOL) but VWestlife has a video doing this once per day for like months on different tables, with no real negative impact to the vinyl from what he could tell
 
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