Yes, utility is a good thing.
The past meets the future
I have become a huge advocate of streaming over the last few years as streaming has at long last reached audiophile sound quality. So, for someone that is new to audio or does not have a lot of money invested… it is hard to recommend this route.
However, as an old fart. One that suffered through low end turntables, unbelievable surface noise, scratched records, and debatable fidelity for much of his life. Owning a tremendous analog end is such a pleasure. I recently upgraded my contemporary Linn LP12 to nearly the maximum. I have a Audio Research Reference 3 phono stage so the sound quality is simply stunning.
Taking a Covid break and going to my local record store… buying a half dozen great old blues albums… cleaning up to pristine condition. It is such a pleasure to hear such fidelity and musicality from a ritual I have performed since a teenager… record store, spinning. That has been mainstream for me for over fifty years. I guess it is like the old Shortwave radio guys when I was growing up. They had the 25’ antenna sticking up above their suburban houses in the 1960’s.
Just a nod to the era and tradition that will soon pass into history. It has been a blast.
- ...
- 50 posts total
I am just going through the process of Packing a PTP Solid Nine TT to be taken for a demonstration at a friends tomorrow, where it will be sitting along side a SP10 R, and used to demonstrate Platter Mats and Spindle Weights/Clamps for their effect on each TT. It is at a time like this when the fragility of the TT and attached ancillaries become a very strong focus, and the thought process is almost as a delicate a operation as a hand cue. Would I swap the fragility for a permanent alternative, not yet, it is where my Heritage with music replays are the with the most history. |
There are some interesting responses above that made me think of other areas in audio that might suffer the same fate - the first was loudspeakers and, if they become a thing of the past won’t large mono-block amplifiiers suffer the same fate? With the advent of Atmos, even small speaker systems can sound "very effective", and by "effective" I do not necessarily mean good.
From my own personal experience, I downsized my home theatre system to a Bluesound Sound bar + subwoofer
As @ghdprentice noted
And as new devices, supported by the convenience that "Alexa:" provides, come to the market, then is that the demise of high end audio altogether? I think we now live in a era of "convenience"
Two channel systems started a revolution way back in time when it was realized that it added dimension to the music. Will Atmos (and other forms of sound manipulation approaches) see the end of stereo recordings? I think that high-end systems will be around for the next little while, but perhaps more as "Audio Bling". But the move to those invisible home automation systems that incorporates audio reproduction will probably see the end of the magnificent two channel systems that adorn our homes today - not just the humble turntable. But that brings me to the opening scene of "I, Robot",
I Robot - Première Scène - Bing video Something to think about 😎 Regards - Steve
|
All good comments above. especially williewonka's recitation of Ghdprentice's statement of a good losing it's performance edge. In looking back on my own situation over the last few years, every single bit of attention and upgrades have been totally committed to streaming side. As a result streaming sound advantage has in fact commended the vinyl side to a purely nostalgic medium, it just sits there folornly unused, very sad. Even more sad is, I'm just beginning to acknowledge that regardless of how much I upgraded vinyl side it would rarely be used. I'm so immersed in the complexity of streaming, the sound quality is wonderful, the convenience is undeniable, whats not to like. I'm very afraid my listening prerogatives may have changed to the point I may not be able to go back to old ways of listening. My new way of listening is pretty much stream of consciousness, with a few taps on my tablet I can instantly go wherever my mind takes me, totally addictive for me!
I'm feeling very sad at the moment for my vinyl, all the effort to obtain present setup, 3500+ albums, and all it is is a memory piece. I'm really in a difficult place right now as to whether to sell it all off, or see it languish. The hoarder in me wants to keep, but whats the point if I only rarely or never use it.
I know from other posts all over the interwebs others have been at this same juncture and sold everything off, now I'm here. Is this how vinyl will die? |
- 50 posts total