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New vs vintage/original vinyl

Hello all...

I hope I am in the right area subject-wise...

I wanted to share a basic observation about vinyl and get some feedback.

In the late 90’s, like a dope, I gave away my vinyl collection.

A couple years back I was tired of the sterile, empty (albeit clean and clear) sound of CDs...so I went back to vinyl. I bought what i used to have...a Dual 1219 and proceeded to rebuild my vinyl collection with what i used to have.

I thought today’s new, fresh. intelligent, informed technology would serve me...that is, I thought the "new" vinyl with the heavy materials would sound better and do service to the older analog format. I was very disappointed. The "new" heavy 180 gram versions sound awful. Sounding like what they are...processed, muffled, softer...limp...sounding "rounded off". No punch. I’ll admit...they are clear and clean...but sounding sterile...ironically, like the CD’s. Am I nuts?

Sadly, I then realized what I originally had with my old collection. Original first and second pressings on the original type of vinyl. That is why...(duh) today...there is such an industry for the original vinyl I bought when I was a kid...right when the vinyl was released and somewhat after. iIam even thinking that some of the origianl pressings i has were mixed through analog equipment...whereas today’s "new" vinyl is "processed" and...the marketing tool word "remastered"...all done through computers digitally.

There are so many of us Boomers out there that gave away or sold our vinyl...thinking we were making way for the future. A life’s regret.

The biggest irony of all...I went into the CD world kicking and screaming...I didn’t buy a CD player and start buying the little silver discs until years into the 90’s. I hated the sound then...and I hate it now. But, cost prohibits the all analog tube system I want...

Ok, I am done...

Thanks for reading...

Vinylspin...
vinylspin

Showing 3 responses by vinylspin

vinylspin OP
24 posts
 
Thanks to all who decided to wrangle their way through a tricky, winding path of opinions and many multi-faceted factors.  Yeah...there is not easy way to navigate through the different ways to "replace" a stupidly given-away album collection. I see some great points here.  The many vinyl stores know of all of the factors that make up a good copy without even placing it on a turntable.  The etchings on the inner groove, the label...etc, etc.  I guess just like everything else in this hobby...to use a worn-out adage..."knowledge is power". And...the good news is that the good stuff has been separated from the rest.  It is just up to me to see if I want to search it out and pay the well-deserved price.

Thank you all for the detailed and kind insight.  It isn't all black and white.
vinylspin
vinylspin OP
24 posts
 
Thank you all for the audiophile insight and hobbist's sympathy.  Interesting details about the idiosyncratic nature of the "old" vinyl industry; I had no idea how wobbly and unstable the quality could be.   Now, I do not feel quite as bad  and remorseful about my stupid decision all those years ago....while breathing a tolerant life into the "new" reissues.  Again...much appreciated.

Sincerely,
vinylspin
vinylspin OP
24 posts
 
Thank you for the detailed entry.  I stand corrected.  I was running on a pure, assumptive theory that clues lined up to be sought and seen for the affiliated. I guess its like many parts of this hobby...it is all basically easy...but not that simple; listening is the key. Yet, bad sound is bad sound and there is no usable argument or opinion about that.  The "expert' requires 10,000 hours of experience...and i am nowhere near that exalted number :)

Anecdote: 

a friend of mine...who eagerly and happily pooh pooh'd vinyl...turning his nose up at it all thought I was wasting my money and time with an old beat-up and worn-out  technology. He had cd's since day one...loved them. In response I offered up to concede that there are give and take / good and bad to both technologies; each having their own special place.  But he would not have it... So, I wanted to offer him a good look/listen into a well presented piece of vinyl.  I set up a time for a "spin"...picked up a "new" heavy vinyl copy of "Abbey Road".  I thought I could...if not win him over...at least show him a way to relent a bit on his opinion.  Well, as fate would have it...the brand-new and sealed copy I had found was chock full of skips. There he sat...not saying a word...while I winced and squirmed...but I knew he was feeling vindicated...experiencing a friendly version of  "Schadenfreude" and his waving-off of my vinyl hobby was upheld. I took it off of the turntable...and looked at the disc in the light...3 fingerprints staring back at me. My point: yeah...basically...we don't know what is actually out there.  I took it back...got another one...it was skip-free.

Thanks again for the knowledge realignment and tutorial above.

What a hobby.

vinylspin
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