2. analog
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Would vinyl even be invented today?

Records, cartridges and tonearms seem like such an unlikely method to play music--a bit of Rube Goldberg. Would anyone even dream of this today? It's like the typewriter keyboard--the version we have may not be the best, but it stays due to the path dependence effect. If vinyl evolved from some crude wax cylinder to a piece of rock careening off walls of vinyl, hasn't it reached the limits of the approach? Not trying to be critical--just trying to get my head around it.
128x128jafreeman
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,215 posts
 
For long term archiving of material vinyl is a superior medium. Assuming it's stored in a climate controlled environment a vinyl record can last for centuries. You cannot say the same for digital storage devices.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
I think it a bit delusional to believe there is ANYTHING perfect about vinyl record playback, but it does not really matter as long as one likes the way things sound.

BTW, which part of the record is more perfect, the beginning or the end? They are not the ame so cannot be equally perfect. IT's a fair question then. :^)
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
"Works for HDTV"

How many guys who think digital is inherently inferior are willing to give up their HD TVs and go back to the old analog tube crap that preceeded it?

I hooked an antenna up to my old portable analog TV with one of those inexpensive video d/a converters. The picture on my old analog portable TV never looked so good.

Can't work for audio though of course.... :^)
raymonda
855 posts
 
No! But I'm glad it was yesterday so that it is here today.
jesusa0
155 posts
 
Only if vinyl was invented by Steve Jobs.
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