The Lifespan of an LP?


How many times can one play a new vinyl lp before the sound noticeably degrades? For the purpose of the exercise, assume one takes decent care of the record and has a properly set up and maintained, good quality deck and stylus. My system has been taking quantum leaps in quality over the last three years and I find myself buying more mint and near-mint vintage  records on Discogs and audiophile remastered records from MoFi etc. Thanks!
heilbron

Showing 4 responses by millercarbon

As great an honor as it is to be a sage, the Oracle of Audiogon has more of an alliterative ring to it, doncha think? Also what does an Oracle do anyway but give sage advice? So yeah, Oracle. Definitely.
@millercarbon, The sage of Agon.

You said it. Not me. Does have kind of a ring to it. Just might catch on. If it does, thanks!
Thanks, millercarbon. It's all a lot more complicated than it looks, isn't it? With each incremental improvement in my system over the last few years, the quality of the source has become increasingly important. And as you have observed quality really begins with the quality of the original recording itself and then continues in a chain through mastering and pressing and finally, in the case of vintage records, the last link is how much care previous owners have exercised in handling the record. If there is a single weak link in that chain, the result can be a disappointment. When each link is strong the result is magical -- the listening experience that for me more than justify all the time and money I've been investing. But I have also discovered that as my system has improved, it also seems to draw my attention to any flaws in that chain. I've become a much more critical listener -- for better and for worse.


I went through a phase like that lasted several years, back in the late 1990's I think it was. Around that time I had done a few complete systems for friends, family and co-workers, all of them budget oriented the most expensive being $2500. They all sounded so good they were all thrilled and wondering why anyone would spend any more. I was starting to wonder myself. These systems were all just so much fun! One of them I burned in at home and found myself listening to it every night not even turning mine on for two whole weeks! 

I was honestly pretty well convinced there was a point where the system is so revealing all you are hearing is flaws elsewhere and it was kind of depressing and making me question the whole thing. This was no flash in the pan, this feeling lasted a good several years. 

That all changed a few years ago. Now I can say it is bunk. The problem is not that your system is "too good". If it really is good then there is no such thing. What happens now is every record no matter what sounds so good it is just crazy. Back when I thought the system was maybe "too good" I was careful to play certain "good recordings" for people. Now I honestly do not care. No longer matters. Anything I put on sounds so freaking good you cannot believe it.

Do they all sound like wonderful recordings? No. Of course not. They all sound different. Completely different. No two sound anywhere near the same. People talk about how some recordings sound different than others. Let me tell you, get your system at this level no two records sound the same. Nevermind recordings, they are all completely different. No two copies of the same record even sound the same. That much detail is revealed. It is insane. Yet it is not in the least big analytical, quite the opposite. Detailed as can be- but in a very full smooth relaxed and natural way. 

As with the system, so with the listening. There are stages people seem to have to go through in getting here. They have their reference disk, their listening rituals, the volume must be this, the seating must be that, on and on. These things serve their purpose. Like fielding grounders, practicing your serve, putting in the office. You go through a phase where you have to break it down to master each piece. Ultimately the goal is synthesis. To have mastered the swing to where it happens automatically in every situation every time. 

Get your system like that. Get your ears like that. You never hear me talking about flawed recordings. Instead what I talk about is how many I used to think were flawed, now come to life. Hate to tell you, it is not easy to get here. But totally worth the fare.
Thank you for sharing your experience and research. I have discovered that wear is not always evident in a visual inspection. I have purchased records from the sixties and seventies that are stated by the seller to be “NM”. They look really great — shiny, black, no scratches etc.

You have stumbled upon the reality that you cannot see sound quality. The only way to know if a record is good or not is to play it. Then depending on all the little details of how this is done the record may be one and done, or play beautifully long after you are dead and buried.

No one knows anything about how good a record will sound until it is played. A couple months ago while waiting for Tom Port to find me a White Hot Year of the Cat I decided to take a chance on a "good deal" on Discogs. The cover was damaged so it was cheap but the vinyl was supposed to be NM so I took a chance. This copy was Mobile Fidelity and the vinyl did look to be NM, maybe even unplayed. It was dead quiet. Not a tick, not a pop. Not much else, either. Easily one of the worst sounding records I have ever heard! Plus it had a warp, that thanks to my clamping system flattened out enough to play, but was bad enough the seller refunded me and never even asked for this POC back.

It was such a POC that I sent it along to Tom to get a good laugh. Tom makes his living finding records that sound unusually, incredibly, unbelievably good. You cannot tell by looking. He has to play each and every one. This MoFi was such crap, sort of wish I kept it just to show the few who come by just how awful a reissue can be. Even from MoFi.

All the really important information on a record is captured in groove modulations so small they are on the order of the size of a large organic molecule. On this scale even the tiniest barely visible speck of dust is huge and will make a pop or crackle when hit. No way anyone is going to see this. Even with a microscope, you would need an electron microscope to see the sort of damage that can be heard easily.

So just play em. That’s what I do. Play em. And don’t worry. The magic, when it’s there, never really goes away.