Should i give up vinyl?

I buy only EX upwards, or new/sealed. That's another reason why my collection is not bigger than I'd like to. If a record disappoints me in any respect, it goes either in the trash or on a local version of EBay. The other day I gave away Ted Nugent's ¨Double Live Gonzo¨ because of the horrific way it is recorded. Today a friend is going to give a NYDolls lp. Hope it meets my standards.

 

I hate all that nonsense about the reason your vinyl doesn't sound amazing is because you haven't spent thousands on a cartridge or whatever.

 

I use a Shure M44C cart and still like my vinyl over my cds. You don't need a mega-expensive cart to have your lps sounding good, although a mega-expensive cart will prolly make them sound better YET

 

Yep was a used buy so i guess i cant be sure what it was played on previously i guess...

I just thought of something else....i bought a copy of Elo 'out of the blue' when i first got my setup. The record sounded really bad despit being a first press but it wasnt great condition and i also didnt clean it (it was VG+ I would say and definately no more). I then found a better EX copy and cleaned it. Played it not expecting much and it sounded pretty awesome and i managed to get it more or less dead silent. The difference was like night and day really.... So i guess there is an example of where i had two different results completely with the same pressing.

When i started to collect vinyl again, i didnt anticipate just how important what press it is and condition would affect the sound. I have learnt a lot over the last year and hopefully i can improve things more...

 

Vinyl is horribly inconsistent. And depending on the era and type of music, it can be moreso. If you don't care about music prior to 1982 or so, it's useless except with rare exception. The biggest difference comes in old music where vinyl was pressed well as THE format of release to begin with. Because it holds up better over time in storage than analog tape....and ultimately, a modern 24/96 transfer from the 70s are starting with 35+ year old reels of tape.

Post say 1984.....screw it--CD was the focus. There are exceptions, of course, but mostly....even when they're nicer like say Nothing Like the sun, they're not MUCH nicer....so....

New pressings of NEW recordings have been so inconsistent, I've simply stopped buying them. My turntable is now only for mostly pre 1984 vinyl releases. With some exceptions for Mayer and Slash--people intentionally gimping the digital for whatever business justification. But, I need confirmation from an audio engineer that it's not simply cut from the crushed master now--they've gotten really good at getting single digit DRs onto 180gr vinyl.

 

Been struggling with the same to some extent. I have a pretty nice setup but the variation in sound is there. Talked to Osage=AudioIntellegent cleaning products and came up with this . Check it out or not.
AI #15 followed by Down with Dirty Concentrate-Makes 6 gallons-cheaper.
Rinse with distilled water.
Bought some Last Record Cleaner and when I put the album on I clean with this. Dries in 30-45 seconds.

However, if your experience parallels my own, it's the electricity. Whole 'nother story. If you listen only later at night and it's more consistent its probably the hash in the electricity.

Good Luck

 

Anymore inconsistent than CDs? I'd argue that often the sound from a loud compressed CD is far worse than vinyl will ever be. I have noticed some vinyl that is pretty compressed and not that nice to listen to but it's still better sounding than the CD.

 

Thanks for the insight. Dont write off new vinyl though. Rhino in particular is releasing a lot of vinyl that is either close to or, in some few cases, better than the original pressings. I would say their reissue of Love's Forever Changes is probably a good example of that. Some cost a lot of money though ie the Mofis and in particular, Analogue Productions. Rhino are great though....most of their reissues make my setup sound about what i would expect. Its the rest and the used stuff i find more of a challenge negotiating...

 

With the right setup most everything sounds sweet on vinyl, that's why we like it so much. I would recommend a smoother sounding cartridge- example Dynavector or Sound Smith. I would also recommend a phono stage with valves.
I would much rather listen to my vinyl setup than digital or CD, despite having very good digital components.

 

Actually, repressings aren't of much concern for me-wasn't even thinking of them when I say "new vinyl". I mean new artist releases post 2012/3 (when I bought a table). To say it's been a mixed bag is too kind to the "vinyl revival".

 

yes, give up. If there is any question and you do not absolutely love it than give up. the hardware is crazy expensive, vinyl itself is expensive, fragile and cumbersome. I can't think of any good reason to continue if it is not bringing you overwhelming joy in playback.

 

We all have good and bad vinyl just as we all have some CDs we prefer over others. Now that I am into 2496 I find that the "sound" of the music is often more appealing than some compositions as it is just the way it is. I don't think that I am lowering my expectations, just being realistic. some of my older vinyl is not very good, but I am having a hard time with the often $29 to $49 prices on new vinyl and reissues. I'm sure they are worth every penny, but I pick and choose very carefully.

Leave it sit for a while and come back when you are ready. Find music you enjoy and just play that, which is what I mostly do now. I probably have some vinyl that may have seen its last play. I don't think that your playback rig needs improving. If the sound is still bothering you it may be time for a speaker change.

 

The hardest thing in being an audiophile is enjoying your system when it doesn't sound up to snuff. It's taken me years to get to this point. In fact, I had to walk away from being an audiophile for a couple of decades because of my super-duper stereo in the 1980s just made me mad. I've written about this in the past including here.

Yes, you have to give up on vinyl. And CDs. And tubes. And transistors. And all other hardware and software. You have to give up on the idea that these technical issues will make you enjoy the music more. Maybe they will but other days they won't. Instead, what you need to do is love the music not because of the hardware but over and above it. Ever go to a club and hear a great band with rotten sound? You can still dance your ass off. At the club that night only the music matters. With a stereo, the hardware is just a conduit for the music. If it gets in the way of your enjoying the music, then you have to change that dynamic. For me the solution was going to a conventional system for years until I was mature enough to listen past the hardware issues that arise daily.

I'll give you another analogy. When you really love someone, you don't care if they are overweight, or dress poorly, or have bad teeth, or pasty skin. You just love them, not in spite of those problems and not even regardless of those problems, but you love them with all those problems. Their weight, clothes, or whatever are meaningless. The same thing is true here. When you are truly enjoying the music on your stereo, it doesn't matter if the record is a great master. Your enjoyment of the music transcends these hardware and software issues. richbddo1, this is the solution, or at least it was for me. I learned to love the music more than the hardware.

Go ahead and spend good money for great hardware. Spend even more for wonderful masters of LPs. God knows I have. But when great hardware and outstanding masters aren't the panacea, it's time to say, "Too bad. So sad," and move on. You can't get hung up on what your stereo is doing wrong. Instead, you have to work on enjoying what the music is doing right. Doing that wasn't easy for me but eventually I got there.

 

You mean friends and relatives, not women do you ?

 

There are just so many variables in vinyl that aren't there with digital source material. I don't just mean different maltering or pressing issues. Something as simple as temperature fluctuations can change how your carts suspension is sitting on the vinyl.

Here's what I do now when I'm having a "bad ear day"... I play an LP that I know sounds great and is pressed & mastered well. For me, I test with the 45 of "August and Everything After". If it isn't sounding good, I'll play a CD I know sounds good (Talking Heads "Speaking in Tongues").

If the LP sounds bad, but the CD sounds good then I know it's a bad day for vinyl and I just listen to CDs. If the CD sounds bad, I just shut the system down for the day.

More often than not, it's bad masterings. Sometimes it's the system. Sometimes it's the ears. But if I'm not totally enjoying the music for whatever reason, I just shut it all down.

 

Too often folks just fool around with stuff so much they have no reference point anymore, new this, new that, adjust, swap, change.

After a few tables I've stuck with the same turntable for near 40 years. Is it heralded as a sonic wonder? No. But for me it just works. Same with the cartridge. Once I settled on V15's that was it, I found what worked and left well enough alone. I love what I hear a high percentage of the time. That's all I can reasonably expect.

 

Since I have gone up the line, with my entire system, there are some records that just don't sound that great to me anymore, like most of my rock albums, including lots of Beatles stuff. They don't sound terrible, but my system tends to reveal the limitations of these recordings. Initially, it was very shocking. Since I've adjusted to my system over the past 5 months, I have also been able to lower my expectations and can really enjoy the music. I don't think there are a lot of true audiophile rock albums. Jazz is a different story.

 

Some of you guys would poo your pants if you listened to your favourite records in a proper acoustic environment, in terms of revealing poor sonics like mentioned above. But really, you just got to take the good with the bad. "Poor sonic revelations" I find are never as bad as they are made out to be.

 

You haven't listened to enough rock. One couldn't be more wrong to consider Jazz the be all and end all of the audiophile experience. And if someone else tries to tell me it can only excel if its soft female based music like Alison Krause or whatever, I'm gunna run riot.

 

Hadn't realised that buying and playing some records seems to have become fraught with the most unimaginable difficulties...!

 

I have listened to enough rock on vinyl to know what I'm talking about. Please don't tell me that I haven't! I'm referring to my own experience. Certainly not trying to push my opinion on the OP.

Spare me with the soapbox lecture.

And I don't listen to Allison Krause, more like Blue Notes and Prestige recordings.

 

Yesterday I spun a lot of different LPs ranging from original 50s mono LPs to modern reissues, as I was making a party mix tape. There were several occasions where the source sounded pretty bad- either overly bright, or very muffled sounding like there were blankets over the speakers. Initially, it was a little disappointing, but I relaxed and just got into the music. Good music can overcome a multitude of recording/mastering sins.

I have never had a listening experience where everything sounded bad, and I have never experienced a sound so bad that it ruined the listening session. Maybe I am more tolerant of poor quality material, or maybe it is because I only listen to music when I'm in the mood, but that's pretty often. YMMV.

 

I would look at upgrading the dl-100. A high end cartridge will make a world of difference. Try a nice dynavector and don't look back.

 

And that my friend, is when tone controls and equalizers come in handy. There will be phase shifts for sure, but the end result will be much more pleasing to the ear.

And I guess you're referring to mainstream albums. If you lent your ear to some shoe-string budget recordings from underground bands you'll be yet more shocked.

 

THAT'S THE SPIRIT !!!