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Record player repair?

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cowguy:

--- Quote from: pinballjim on June 23, 2007, 01:17:18 pm ---get an I-Pod



--- End quote ---
I own three  :P

DaveMMR:
Call me crazy but there's quite a few albums where listening to them on CD or especially an iPod just isn't the same.  I'll take my decades-old copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" on vinyl over any of it's CD releases any day.  Plus, you can get a very good vinyl copy of most old stuff for cheaper than picking it up on CD (as low as 50 cents, sometimes even free).     Even a surprisingly large amount of relatively recent releases can be had on vinyl for less than their CD counterpart (assuming you know where to look).  Hook it up to your computer and you can make a better quality digital copy than if you were to get it from questionable download sites. 


--- Quote from: pinballjim on June 23, 2007, 01:17:18 pm ---get an I-Pod

--- End quote ---

There's a certain bit of irony in that statement considering it was written on a message board dedicated to preserving old video game technology. Haha.  :P

DaveMMR:
I'm not an audiophile but even on tracks with 192KBps, I can hear imperfections.  It's not as pristine as everyone likes to think.  And you know what, neither is vinyl.  And when it comes down to convenience and availability, digital music wins hands down.  I admit that.

But when it comes to home listening, an above-average sound system with a clean vinyl copy of your favorite album will always sound better than streaming it from iTunes or whatever program.  Vinyl is uncompressed, natural sound (not a digital representation of it) and you can't 100% duplicate that with ones and zeros.  At best, I'd say it's 98% perfect.  For the average listener (myself included, by the way) that's still great.  But it's not enough to say vinyl is completely worthless.

Also, CDs, et al can't duplicate some classic vinyl tricks.  On certain import copies of Sgt. Pepper's (I'm writing this in the USA, btw), the nonsense at the end of the album continues until you lift the tonearm off the looping exit groove.  Rush fans might like to keep their eyes open for a promo 12" called "RUSHan Roulette" that had (i think) 8 parallel groves running in tandem.  That means, a random song plays depending on where you drop the tonearm.  And c'mon - you mean to tell me those 8X10s of the Beatles packaged with every copy of the white album is as impressive or fun shrunken down to fit inside a standard CD jewel case?

Furthermore, vinyl is highly collectible.  Yes, I mentioned you can get a lot of albums really cheap.  But on the other end of the spectrum, there are records that could fetch hundreds of dollars (if not a lot more as is the case with Bob Dylan's "Freewheelin'" with an estimated fetching price of $25,000).   

Next, downloading MP3s takes away a big part of albums - the artwork.  The Rolling Stone's "Sticky Fingers" has not translated well into the digital age because there is no physical zipper on the CD case unlike the vinyl counterpart. 

One more example: I like the band XTC.  They original pressing of "Skylarking" had a track that was subsequently omitted in future pressings to include a surprise hit single that was originally a B-side ("Dear God").  In my opinion, the original pressing was far superior.  But you really couldn't find that track order on CD until recently (and then you're spending like $20 on it when you can find the original album, on vinyl, for under $8).


--- Quote from: pinballjim on June 24, 2007, 12:09:55 pm ---
Every now and then a new technology comes out that's so far more advanced and convenient there's no point in messing with the old stuff. 

--- End quote ---

Once again, I'll point out that you're making that statement on a forum dedicated to embracing "old stuff".  Tossing emulation for a minute, many of the best old arcade games can be played on modern systems (the Midway Arcade Collection as an example).  Why mess with the "old stuff" then (i.e. arcade cabinets) when you can just get a collection of those games and pop it into your Xbox or download it on Gametap.  Because it's more fun to have that retro experience.  It's apples and oranges, I know - but worth pointing out nontheless.


--- Quote from: pinballjim on June 24, 2007, 12:09:55 pm ---FWIW, Dark Side of the Moon has been remastered more than once on CD and sounds -much- better than it ever did on vinyl.
--- End quote ---

You never heard the vinyl re-releases methinks.  ;)

DaveMMR:

--- Quote ---Your analogy about this forum 'embracing old style' is off the mark, too.  We slap PCs into cabinets and play them with arcade controls.
--- End quote ---

You're not getting it.  Why are we slapping computers into big wooden decorative boxes to begin with?  I mean, you can just get a game pad or a decent joystick and hook it up to your computer on your desk.  It's because the big box is more fun.  The charm of an arcade cabinet, much like old vinyl records, is something that adds more to the entertainment value.


--- Quote ---Nothing preventing your I-pod from being hooked up to your old speakers.
--- End quote ---

I wasn't referring to old speakers.  I'm a strong proponent of hooking up turntables, iPods, DVD players, etc. to new speakers as well.   ;)


--- Quote ---At 192 kbps you can hear imperfections only because you're listening for them.
--- End quote ---

No, I hear them because they're there.  Granted, it's still excellent quality, but you're telling me it's practically perfect.  Let's let Bob Dylan take over this argument:


--- Quote ---"We all like records that are played on record players, but let's face it, those days are gon-n-n-e. You do the best you can, you fight that technology in all kinds of ways, but I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past twenty years, really. You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them. There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like -- static. Even these songs probably sounded ten times better in the studio when we recorded 'em."
--- End quote ---

I got that from the Wikipedia entry for his latest album, "Modern Times".   Yes I know Wikipedia's not to be trusted, but I remember that or a similar quote from another source as well.

And let me just reassure you, I love my iPod.  I have a few thousands songs crammed onto it.  I do hate that I had to combine all the tracks on Dark Side of the Moon into two tracks (Side 1 and Side 2, of course) to avoid those unfortunate audible gaps though.  Nevertheless, it's the best portable music player in my opinion.  But I still think there's room for a turntable.  Which is why I was helping cowguy, instead of saying "eh, get an iPod".  ;)

cowguy:
I'm going to buy a new belt from the link you posted because mine is stretched.  Didn't mean to start a flame war on the past and the future =\

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