2. music
  3. 1287851320

The Great Vinyl Debate

Vinyl record prices are out of control. Their quality is also lacking: Too many poor pressings and cheap packaging (paper sleeves and cheap card stock outer sleeves) don't justify the price. My question is why is this happening?

I refuse to buy re-issues when used originals can still be had cut from the original analog sources to those that love to search for them (I get that some folks don't care for hunting/waiting) and ultimatly find them.

The trouble I have is with the price of "new vinyl." It varies of course, but both indie and major label vinyl records are grossly over priced IMO. I have no qualms about supported an artist whatsoever, however the average price for LPs both single and double and box sets are outragous.

Labels, distributors et. al. appear to be taking advantage of an inflated/exaggerated supply and demand equilibrium more so these days than ever before. Why is this? Even tho I've been hearing and reading about the vinyl resurgance since 2007 and the plethora of other documents stating that it's on the rise - even that vinyl is killing the compact disc - only 3 people where I work have turntables (that includes me) but I'm the only one that actually listens to, and buys records. In my world, I don't see the resurgance at all. But I do see inflated record prices along the lines of $46 for double LPs and $35 dollars for single LPs! These aren't re-issue inflated prices either - these are new music prices. And most if not all don't include "free MP3 downloads" (who wants MP3's anyway?)

Perhaps the recording industry believes that if they have a customer base that will pay $2000 for one foot of power cord or $10K+ for turntables (sans tonearm and cartridge) - we won't balk at $30 150 gram records or multi-hundred dollar box sets.

I'm a music lover not a sucka. Hey music industry mad men I'm on to you - the revolution is now....
notec

Showing 2 responses by dgarretson

dgarretson
2,609 posts
 
The last discounted LPs that I purchased at the dawn of the CD era were mostly marked $5.99-- about $15 in 2010 dollars. Today most of the discounted new issues at the indie store are very close to this price, and some are cheaper. Not bad considering the limited economies of scale today as compared to the early days of high-volume pressings. Audiophile labels are another matter...a new market.

Generally speaking SQ of new pop issues is good. Moreover the playback capability of an average TT rig and audio system today is better than an average rig in days of yore. Thus the overall quality of the LP experience is generally higher today regardless of pressing. The greater problem is that as the mainstream has deserted the LP, the vinyl phenomenon has been ceded to a smaller group of audiophiles whose obsessiveness with equipment sometimes tastes like sucking lemon juice.

Tzh21y, There are several high-quality linear arms(e.g. Trans-Fi and ET)that will solve your inner groove problem at reasonable cost. At RMAF I did not hear a single pivot arm that markedly surpassed the experience of my linear arm.
dgarretson
2,609 posts
 
With a linear arm it is critical for the air manifold to be exactly parallel with the plinth and wand length to be set so the stylus will obtain perfect zenith. If this set-up is not achieved then the linear arm will perpetuate a constant tracking error all across the LP and sound worse toward the center as the radius of the groove tightens. With exacting set-up the arm will sound the same all across the radius.

IMO it is amusing to hear staunch advocates of long pivot arms claim that you can hear the roughly 1% reduction in tracking error that a 12" pivot arm achieves relative to a conventional pivot arm, while also maintaining that the further reduction of .3%-1% down to zero available with a linear arm is unremarkable.
More to discover