Many vinyl records have had a hard time in the three decades since they became unfashionable and technically substitutable. They’ve been hoarded, abandoned, dumped, stored, neglected, and abused. Stacked, dusty, dampened, scratched, bent, finger-marked, and worse. The sight and smell of a stash of boxes of records can bring forth both excitement of anticipation, and […]
I saw this insider viewpoint from musician Ian McNabb: Let’s kill this myth. As a practitioner I have been into the minutiae of this well-debated subject a hundred times. I have lived with a song from its inception to its release into the world. The original mix, either on tape or digital, gets mastered before […]
Silly me; I thought my record collection was worth $80k. In 1969 the Welsh Rock band Man released their album entitled 2 Ozs. of Plastic (with a hole in the middle). I’ve never heard that album, or even seen a copy of it in all of my many many hours of crate-digging. That title marks […]
It stood out among the couple of hundred abandoned LPs today. I recognised that it’s a Sheffield Lab album. Even though it has not had the best of storage conditions! The sleeve is way beyond preservation, and is in the dustbin. It looks so bad that I felt the need to explain to the shop […]
For years, I remained firmly disappointed that my records sounded lacklustre, and CD became my preferred music recording medium for music reproduction. But today I can dip into my LP collection and find great thrills. I replaced my turntable and tonearm and pickup cartridge and phono preamplifier, and added DSP. I finally found a combination […]
Comments in certain forums indicate that some people didn’t like the sound quality of these special reissues and rated them inferior not only to Mobile Fidelity etc., but also to the mainstream issues! Given the Nimbus Records reputation for technical innovation and leadership in recorded music on disc, that surprises me. Nimbus Supercut LPs were […]
This penetrating article looks at how the record business should have gone, and how it didn’t. I’ve not seen the ‘vinyl revival’ in retail locally. The city’s major outlet has lots of stock, but I rarely pay the high prices and usually buy when a discount sale is on, and I can’t recall seeing anyone […]
The latest new record pressing plant is in New Zealand! https://nzmusician.co.nz/features/pressing-vinyl-stebbing/
This video takes us through the steps of creating a vinyl record. https://fb.watch/idEC4gX6Cb/?mibextid=RUbZ1f
I saw this, and immediately thought EXPENSIVE. This new album on LP will be around $60 in New Zealand. More like $27 on CD. The vision of an expensive record played on a “record player” is incongruent to my thinking. Aside from that, I am interested to know what constitutes “recorded and mixed for vinyl”. […]
They’re out there in crate-digging territory. I often find them. Almost always, they’re wrecked beyond rescue. How do Cat Stevens LPs get so badly scratched and the sleeves torn and stained? All-night smoke-shrouded booze-addled hippy parties? Portable record player on the floor. Ash and beer everywhere. And more? I love his songs, and the recordings […]
I’m having an out-of-mind experience listening to this 1980 album. Would I listen to James Last? Not often! But add this line-up of players, and it’s something special. Trademark James Last horn and strings melodies, but over jazz-fusion instrumentation. Loving the Stirling Sound mastering and the pristine condition on this US pressing promo copy. I […]
Due to go on sale in 2019. No indication of price, yet. https://www.stereo.net.au/news/high-definition-vinyl-is-on-the-way Update August 2022 – bankrupt! Breaking News: HD Vinyl Enters Bankruptcy (and Some Thoughts On Vinyl Manufacturing)
Bob Dylan’s colourful cinematic journies to the valley below . . . and beyond, given a reflective look at Elsewhere by Graham Reid. The one Dylan album I’ve played many times. I still have the original UK vinyl pressing. Graham’s perspective is refreshing. It was (most of) my soundtrack to the Summer of 1976, driving […]
This made me laugh. Widely promoted, announcement of a Japan album reissue that is half-speed mastered. I’d really like to hear their recordings played at half speed!
In recent months I’ve become increasingly aware of interconnect, tonearm, phonostage, record player, and enhancement accessory additions to the extensive range of products from London-based Vertere Acoustics. I also realised that they have made some very interesting records. To date, three albums have been released. Neither of the two artists I’ve now listened to were […]
Here’s a contentious comment from Archimago’s Musings Pacific Audio Fest (PAF 2022) show visit, after hearing some very expensive systems playing records… in 2022, the audible limitations of vinyl are just too much to ignore in good sound systems – LPs are simply not high-fidelity (a statement of fact just as much as opinion I think), even though […]
Acoustic Sounds make and sell records. They do the whole process from microphone to turntable. It’s quite a story. They also sell gear. Headquartered in Salina, Kansas, Acoustic Sounds, Inc. is the world leader in audiophile music. Owned by CEO Chad Kassem, who founded the company in 1986, Acoustic Sounds is a global retailer of […]
https://www.psaudio.com/copper/article/why-i-quit-buying-new-vinyl/ I sympathise with this angst in buying new records, as I’ve returned far too many LPs as the quality was disappointing and at the retail prices unacceptable. But why call disc wear damage “groove burn”? Abrasion and deformation is caused by stylus tracking of the groove, but no ‘burning’, even at the pressures of […]
A large collection from the Nixon and Carter eras, many unplayed. https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/05/03/the-untold-story-of-the-white-houses-weirdly-hip-record-collection/ https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/videos/0622/The_White_House_Recording_Library.htm https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/secret-vinyl-record-collection-hidden-the-white-house/
On my maiden voyage with Aliexpress, I bought a record label protector. I’ve been using ‘dent-puller’ suction clamps which are very effective in keeping water off record labels, except with thin discs which flex and pop the clamps off mid-wash. Among the many protectors on offer, I found a set for just NZ$28 including postage, […]
Vast quantities of toxic plastic in collections, crates, and landfill, but there is a healthier alternative. https://thequietus.com/articles/31382-green-eco-vinyl
As a devoted fan of the Puffin, I enjoyed reading this comprehensive account of its capabilities. Both the review and the Puffin are highly recommended. https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/the-parks-audio-puffin-phono-stage-etc-etc-etc-etc-etc/
Roger Skoff has recently observed that pretty much all of modern audio gear, even the cheapest, is at least listenable, and that some – even at prices that seem “entry level” – is amazingly good. So what’s going on when a record and turntable stabiliser (resonance controller) is priced at €6,700? https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/8/30/sfi5359vyp14py2l8idau918w0789a https://ansuz-acoustics.com/products/record-stabilizer I’ve commented […]
Artists open up John Peel’s historic vinyl collection. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59927977
Much of modern marketing of music is a form of madness. I’m convinced. And I have the evidence. This ‘audiophile’ reissue is promoted as a 180g disc, as if that’s something magical. https://www.discogs.com/release/3746423-Jeff-Beck-There-And-Back The truth is that all records were pressed with 180g of vinyl until the accountants took over and substituted cost-cutting for artist […]
Graham Reid (Elsewhere) compiled two volumes of his recommended essential albums on vinyl records. They’re available from him and from the sponsors JB Hi-Fi (the NZ retailer that barely sells hi-fi these days). He makes a very helpful observation, specifically about jazz critics, but applicable more generally. Critics have thought that popularity means sell out, […]
Vinyl record fanatic Michael Fremer tells the story of the latter-day recordings from The Beatles, and reviews the new reissue edition. https://www.analogplanet.com/content/beatles-%E2%80%9Cend-days%E2%80%9D-produced-chaos-and-creativity-long-and-winding-road-let-it-be
Music & Hi-fi Appreciations 