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Most people buy turntables these days because used vinyl is cheap and a turntable is a novel device these days. Also they hear about how great vinyl sounds compared to digital, which is of course debatable. But the availability of cheap used vinyl these days is reason enough for one with any interest to take the plunge. |
Thank goodness new turntables top out at $350! I already sent my Clearaudio dealer an order for the Statement and a check for $350. I hope shipping won't be too much. Got a record show coming up Sunday - can't wait to see what I can find for a buck or two. |
12-06-12: Bondmanp
Thank goodness new turntables top out at $350! Where did the article say that? |
I'm eyeballing the new VPI Traveler table should my 25 year old Linn Axis go up anytime soon. Not $350 but looks pretty solid and a decent value, at least on the grand scale of high end audio things. I have a lot of records and continue to accumulate more. There is a lot of good listening out there on used vinyl for anyone who wants to build a decent music collection in an affordable manner. Good used vinyl is more cost effective than CD or digital still, though the material available is heavily biased to that released 20 years ago or more. Nothing wrong with that though! |
I don't mind saying this again: Turntables are the only things that will play LPs. I'm not a "format snob" but when I replaced a long dead turntable a few years ago, resurrected my hundreds of LPs that had been languishing in boxes for years, and bought an inexpensive LP cleaner, I found that, man, many of my old LPs sound AMAZING. As do my new LPs. THAT is a good reason to get a good analog rig...it plays LPs...and I can force dinner guests to listen to my ukulele part on a Japanese techno pop 45 I was on in 1981. |
I regularly experience transcendental moments with my turntable-sourced rig. Moments where I feel in touch with the musicians and their artistic intentions when the recording was made. I occasionally have had these experiences with CDs, but nowhere near as often. As for the article, I'm glad it gives widespread exposure to the vinyl renaissance, but:
... Most older turntables have a feature that allows users to replace the cartridge that controls record playback quality, a feature that might be important to audiophiles. Newer models are often outfitted with one standard cartridge that won't allow the sound quality to be adjusted.
WTF? |
It's always interesting when non tech minded boneheads publish stuff like that...the Sunday NY Times magazine recently had a full page article about the ProCo Rat guitar "stomp box" distortion gizmo, one of which I've owned (and used daily) for over 30 years...the designer wanted to "capture the essence of stadium rock"...great stuff. |
Wolf-and isn't capturing the essence of stadium rock a lofty goal? |
Watching records play when I was a kid helped get me interested in electronics and technology.
There is something to be said for being able to watch your music play as well as listen. |
Mapman.
I agree about the visual look of a record spinning on a turntable. Sure the fidelity is what we most want but the look and such of the record on turntable set up has a coolness to it.
Tape is sorta similar, Reel to Reel machines also look cool as tapes turn, even cassettes look cool in a deck.
Funny thing about CD's is that many of the first gen models had windows to be able to see the CD spinning. Not just top loaders like many Philips models but most first gens had doors that opened like a cassette deck tape door and one dropped the CD in it then closed it. It allowed one to see a CD spinning from the front face of the unit. Though I never had a front loading CD player as such, I did have a Philips CD-101 top loader and thought the window looked cool. Too bad none are made as windowed front loaders today. |
Les, Metronome Kalista Transport (I have one) and I think Oracle CD player, has CDs spinning plainly visible, just like a Turntable with a clamp (mine is clear so you can look at the spinning spindle even) in the middle. |
Odd statement at the end...
"Most older turntables have a feature that allows users to replace the cartridge that controls record playback quality, a feature that might be important to audiophiles. Newer models are often outfitted with ONE STANDARD CARTRIDGE THAT WON'T ALLOW THE SOUND QUALITY TO BE ADJUSTED." (Emphasis added.)
Are they refering to those cheap little Crosley players? Otherwise it's a very odd statement.
Regards,
Tom |
After attending anything like Stadium Rock, I want to take a shower to get that essence off. |
