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Can you imagine a world without vinyl?

Can you imagine a world without vinyl?
I have been into vinyl for 49 years - since the age of 8 & cannot imagine a world without vinyl.
I started out buying 45's & graduated to 33's (what is now considered LP's).
I have seen 8 tracks come & go, still have a kazillion cassettes, reel to reel & digital cassettes - have both the best redbook player & SACD players available, but must listen to my "LP's" at least 2 hours a day.
I play CD's about 6 hours a day as background music while I'm working, but must get off my butt every now & then & "just listen to real music".
I admit to being a vinyl junkie - wih 7 turntables, 11 cartridges & 8 arms along with 35K albums & 15K 45's.
For all you guys who ask - Is vinyl worth it - the answer is yes!
Just play any CD, cassette, or digital tape with the same version on vinyl & see/hear for yourself.
May take more time & energy (care) to play, but worth it's weight in gold.
Like Mikey says "Try it, you'll like it!"
I love it!
paladin

Showing 5 responses by tvad

tvad
9,467 posts
 

01-29-07: Tgrisham
Another view? Yes, I could live without vinyl. The cost of high end vinyl and LPs of sufficient quality is too high. We can approach vinyl for less money. I am tired of the surface noise and lack of frequency response at both ends. If I bought a turntable and cartridge worth many thousands, a phono stage worth thousands and bought new LP pressings at $25+ each to replace all my records, I could surpass CDPs.
I agree with Tgrisham. He stated it very well, IMO.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Gregm makes an excellent point that I neglected, which is an owner's existing vinyl collection. A substantial vinyl collection (user defined...as the definition varies from individual to individual) will warrant a larger expenditure on an analog playback system.

Regarding acquiring new music, it's helpful to compare apples to apples. For example, anyone can easily and quickly buy new or used CDs that are of equal quality.

On the other hand, finding and buying quiet and clean used vinyl takes time (driving, looking through bins, searching second hand stores and garage sales, etc). Low cost, good vinyl can be found, but not as readily as low cost, quiet digital. So, the cost of acquiring acceptably quiet vinyl (cost = time and dollars) is considerably higher than the cost of finding and purchasing the same music on CD, SACD or DVD-A.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
If you wish to argue on the basis of absolute quality, cost no object, then LP wins. I find it interesting that those that argue against LP are always the ones that want to economize.
Absolutely. I can say without hesitation that my Yugo analog rig (Thorens TD160 MK II/Shure V15 III/Lehmann Black Cube SE) makes music equal to, or better than, most CDs in my system, disregarding the surface noise on the LPs.

I can imagine the sonic superiority of a reference vinyl playback system over a reference digital playback system (although I have yet to hear the new APL NWO 2.0 digital player).

For me, it's largely about the economics of digital versus analog, and in this regard the digital formats win.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
It's sad that truly great analog reproduction can be experienced by so few, but I suppose it's the same with any hobby...cars, flyfishing, RC airplanes...

Damn, I'm depressed.

tvad
9,467 posts
 
Would a world without vinyl include sofas without naugahyde? 'Cause that would surely suck.
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