How we gonna play our discs in the next future?!

[esimms86]

Again, I'm not complaining about content. Just that there's no good reason for it to be around any more.

Strictly speaking, is there a good reason why everything should exist in a format other than for sale lossless digital downloads(vinyl being the obvious exception)?

 

[Aging quadie]

Again, I'm not complaining about content. Just that there's no good reason for it to be around any more.

Oh, yeah? With SACD I can immerse myself in the music without turning on a damn screen!

 

[esimms86]

Listening in stereo...if they care! In my experience we've gone back to the 60s where people are having trouble caring about and differentiating stereo!

The youth just doesn't care. They have everything at their fingertips; and if they don't like something they can just switch to something else!

The future is going to be determined by what the younger audience wants...and hoooooooooooo boy it's looking sketchy.

Maybe its the crowd around me but I genuinely cannot remember the last time I saw a dedicated speaker system of any caliber in someone's residence...

Most people I know listen to music via an Alexa speaker connected to Pandora.

 

[barfle]

Strictly speaking, is there a good reason why everything should exist in a format other than for sale lossless digital downloads(vinyl being the obvious exception)?

I’m one of those guys who likes to handle his media, although I do have an extensive collection of files on my NAS that I can play in several rooms in the house.

I umderstand how producers don’t want easily copyable files being in the hands of consumers who will “share” them with friends and strangers. It is undoubtedly a lot cheaper to charge for bits through the Internet than it is to ship a disc, so there are tradeoffs either way.

And I understand how technology leaves some really cool stuff behind in the dust. Does anybody really miss the mini-disc?

 

[barfle]

Oh, yeah? With SACD I can immerse myself in the music without turning on a damn screen!

I can do the same with SQ LPs.

 

[jimfisheye]

I'd rather listen to a slightly compressed digital file than the snap, crackle, pop, surface noise, mono'd bass, etc ...

Well that's not wrong! Agree 100% and it's pretty insane to try to gaslight oneself to thinking otherwise.

In defense of the vinyl comment though, there are examples just as egregious as your example of damaged vinyl that was a bad pressing to begin with. I've heard enough shrill brick walled copies of an album where the copy put to vinyl was night and day cleaner and the mutilated digital copy was beyond any repair. There really are recordings only intact on vinyl out there.

This is the golden age of audio right now with 24 bit digital. Never looking back! I'm pretty sure every MFSL vinyl I have has been bettered by a 24 bit digital release at this point. Those were some of the best vinyl copies I've ever heard too. But there are still recordings out there. Honestly probably still more never digitized (or properly digitized) recordings in the world than digital copies. The poor digital work is 100% the fault of poor work though and there are some mighty embarrassing examples out there! Or it's intentional novelty releases from some marketing scheme gone wild. (Trying to give someone an out with that thought, FWIW.)

I remember being really disappointed with the pressing/mastering quality with vinyl about 89% of the time. Maybe more. Really says something when someone screws up a digital release so bad that the vinyl copies can be that significantly better.

 

[esimms86]

I’m one of those guys who likes to handle his media, although I do have an extensive collection of files on my NAS that I can play in several rooms in the house.

I umderstand how producers don’t want easily copyable files being in the hands of consumers who will “share” them with friends and strangers. It is undoubtedly a lot cheaper to charge for bits through the Internet than it is to ship a disc, so there are tradeoffs either way.

And I understand how technology leaves some really cool stuff behind in the dust. Does anybody really miss the mini-disc?

While I also like having a disc in hand, I am in no way averse to purchasing digital downloads of high quality (e.g., IAA releases). I also rip all of my purchases and subsequently listen to/watch them using the ripped media. I do enjoy the occasional coffee table book though I have to admit that I've never read one twice. One last thing: digital files never suffer from disc rot (though you obviously can be in big trouble if you don't back up your files).

I've never owned a mini disc or DAT cassette.

 

[mandrix]

It does? Not when well cared for! I've repeated many times that I like to make digital copies of my vinyl. I am able to declick them and repeated playings of the copy do not affect the original vinyl. The vinyl is properly stored away and as clean as when it was first purchased.

CD's when damaged by scratches can become totally unplayable! Digital discs are sometimes subject to rot. I have never seen anything like that ever happen to vinyl.

Back in the day I would make reel copies or cassette copies to help prevent wearing out my vinyl. Prior to that I wore out or damaged (the damage was mostly done by careless friends) records by scratches, most of those have long since been replaced.

Well fella I didn't mean to get you riled up. lol.
I always made cassette copies of LP's back in the day myself. I had a nice Technics deck and a Kenwood deck. Still have a cassette deck...Sony I think....whether it still works or not I have no clue. Sat so long now the pinch rollers are probably rock hard. I have a 10 pack of TDK tapes never opened.

When I went into the Army, my wife and I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 LP's, which were stored in a garage closet. By the time I got out of the service, the majority of discs had succumbed to some sort of mold/rot that discwasher would not remove. Evidently there was a lot of moisture in that closet!

Extreme circumstances, granted, but no physical media is immune from some sort of degradation.

 

[par4ken]

Well fella I didn't mean to get you riled up. lol.
I always made cassette copies of LP's back in the day myself. I had a nice Technics deck and a Kenwood deck. Still have a cassette deck...Sony I think....whether it still works or not I have no clue. Sat so long now the pinch rollers are probably rock hard. I have a 10 pack of TDK tapes never opened.

When I went into the Army, my wife and I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 LP's, which were stored in a garage closet. By the time I got out of the service, the majority of discs had succumbed to some sort of mold/rot that discwasher would not remove. Evidently there was a lot of moisture in that closet!

Extreme circumstances, granted, but no physical media is immune from some sort of degradation.

I have a couple of boxes of LPs that were given to me out in the shed. Many of them have moldy covers from moisture. That damage was done long before they were given to me. I've pull a few out and added them to my collection. I never come across one that was unplayable to mold/rot but I guess that it is possible.

Musty smelling covers can benefit from storage in a plastic container along with an open box of baking soda and a few dryer sheets.

 

[mandrix]

I have a couple of boxes of LPs that were given to me out in the shed. Many of them have moldy covers from moisture. That damage was done long before they were given to me. I've pull a few out and added them to my collection. I never come across one that was unplayable to mold/rot but I guess that it is possible.

Musty smelling covers can benefit from storage in a plastic container along with an open box of baking soda and a few dryer sheets.

In my case the LP's were physically degraded beyond any means I knew of to repair. discwasher was the thing back then, and of course if all else fails, dish soap and water. But the records had two years in a damp environment apparently and I could not salvage the majority.
All these were bought pre-quad days, so there was really not much I couldn't replace if I had wanted to. BTW it was my Ex that put them in the storage space, not covered or sealed in any way except the jackets they came in. I think she put them there right after I went in the service, not real sure on exactly when she did but we're talking late '60's.

 

[atrocity]

You don't expect anyone to market a new Edison Cylinder Player do you

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archéophone

 

[mandrix]

I watched a TV show once, (Ozzy Osbourne and his son) where down in an old mine of some sort the government stores things as diverse as recordings. These they transfer digitally.
The guys showed up and were played either an Ozzy or BS song from the archive.

 

[Sal1950]

If you were dissatisfied with vinyl then it was your equipement not the medium itself. Software can remove those clicks and pops perfectly anyway.

Not going to start a big debate here but I will say I've been what anyone would consider a "audiophile" since the mid 1960s and during that time owned very high quality vinyl gear. Those of us that were around back then, all we did was complain about the crummy quality of most vinyl. We sought and purchased releases for every type of alternative sources imaginable, We purchased import copies from Japan, Europe, all over the world to find pressings of our most loved music that didn't suck. Hell Mobile Fidelity built a huge empire on remasters, special "super" vinyl formulas of this and that, 45rpm versions, half speed mastered, direct-to-disc, etc etc etc; on the promises of us getting something better. So please take off the rose colored glasses and don't try an blame my or anyone else gear on the weaknesses and problems of the LP. Like the Edison cylinder, the crank acoustic Victrola, and the 78 shellacs, the vinyl LP had its day but time has moved on, thank God.
Happy Holidays All.

 

[par4ken]

So please take off the rose colored glasses and don't try an blame my or anyone else gear on the weaknesses and problems of the LP. Like the Edison cylinder, the crank acoustic Victrola, and the 78 shellacs, the vinyl LP had its day but time has moved on, thank God.

I will never do that sorry; not sorry! If you have a complaint about the sound of vinyl then your equipment is not up to snuff, period!!!! The beauty of analogue is that it can continuously be improved, even if it can never quite reach that absolute level of perfection. I have no problem with the sound of vinyl. Those who do (like you seem to) have A: poor equipment, B: dirty records in poor shape. C: the false belief that digital sound is always perfect, most likely a combination of all three.

During my lifelong vinyl journey I started off with a ceramic cartridge moved up through several different moving magnets then on to a moving coil. Went from a $10 Davco preamp to a cheap Sinclair (Stereo 60) then on to construct a low TID kit. I listened to much commercially manufactured equipment (owned by others) during that same time, never really being overly impressed. Finally I constructed a highly modified version of Joe Curcio's "Daniel". All along the way there were major quality improvement every single step of the way. When working on my tube based preamplifier I was telling people that now my vinyl sounded as good as CD. A short while later I had to revise that statement to say that my vinyl system sounded better than CD!

I started off with a bottom line Garrard turntable that ran a bit fast moving on to the Zero 100; much better, but it wouldn't track warped records. Then a Connoisseur with a Decca Tonearm. That tonearm was/is still the peak of perfection. Then more turntable changes and upgrades. An Ariston turntable picked up at a Hamfest now provides me with absolutely no rumble, no hum, perfectly stable speed stability and complete resistance to external disturbances. Lastly a new AT moving coil, again peak perfection!

Vinyl doesn't have to make a comeback it never fully left. Releases from the likes of Mobile Fidelity served a purpose once to provide an ultra high quality product geared toward audiophiles. IMHO they were not there because regular vinyl records were bad but because "Audiophiles" wanted something better than average and were willing to pay for it. That is in total contrast with vinyl today which has become more of a collectors market than an "Audiophile" thing, but that is another story altogether.

 

[mandrix]

I certainly had my share of what I would call "bad vinyl". I've had LP's with that strange hump, some scratchy right out of the sleeve and cleaned before playing.
I had a Thorenz TT & AT cart with shibata stylus. Decent quality vinyl did sound good. In some instances I had to buy multiple copies to get anything decent: one that sticks out is CSN&Y "4 way street". I ended up buying I think either 3 or 4 copies until I got a good one.

I too bought vinyl from different sources globally. Wasn't super hard but also not super easy in pre internet days.

In the early 70's it appeared some US made vinyl was crap. It was always rumored that some manufacturers took old stock, labels and all and remelted: whether fact or not I don't know but some were curiously awful and I started sourcing more EU discs which at the time by and large seemed to be better quality.

Don't play vinyl anymore so I don't have a dog in this hunt.