Death of the iPod (Everyone's buying vinyl)

[JSngry]

What, are we saying that "middle-age" tops off at 50? Is that a statistic, an opinion, just what, exactly?

I see here http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/life-expectancy-white-male

that my life expectancy is, at present, 75.63, so I got, statistically, another 15 or so years left. and yet I am not considered "old" by anything except my back and ankles. Then again, I know I'm not going to live to be 120, so...whose middle? What age? Nobody's expected to live to 100, yet some do. and yet again, most don't.

What I want to know is this - Huh? WTF? Smack dab?

[ArtSalt]

Those survey's don't mean 'nuffin. What you can deduce is that you have a 50/50 chance of expiring before you are 75.63 and a 50/50 chance of living beyond this. Not bad odds at all. Some of those life expectancy figures for the UK are shocking, a few inner city boroughs where expiring at 63/65/68 is considered a good innings. 

These days I am slow to plunge into new formats and technology, I only went to a HD television, Blu Ray and the delights Netflix relatively recently. The condensed sound of MP3 delivered via the iPod never really worked for me either. Great having 32 days worth of music, or whatever stored, but never really got out of it what I did from my old Aiwa walkmans back in the late 80s.

Same with computer Hifi with Flac and I recently purchased a dedicated CD ripper and storage device, but the software was a nightmare and I couldn't get it to download the metadata and then it would repeat the songs twice in the library and seemed to radomly play tracks and I couldn't set-up playlists. So the next day I took it all back and demanded a refund. The sound by the way was superb, couldn't fault it at all, it sounded at least equal, if not better than the Original CD's. So I've decided to take the plunge again and have ordered the Bluesound Vault 2. We shall see how I get on with that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2015 by ArtSalt

[Scott Dolan]

2 hours ago, ArtSalt said:

The condensed sound of MP3 delivered via the iPod never really worked for me either. Great having 32 days worth of music, or whatever stored, but never really got out of it what I did from my old Aiwa walkmans back in the late 80s.

Hahahaha...

If that's really true, then something went SERIOUSLY, and I mean SERIOUSLY wrong either with the format it was ripped to, or the equipment you were playing it back on. 

I'll rip anything you'd like to 256 AAC and play it back on an iPod with proper buds or phones, and it would absolutely crush any portable cassette and player you could produce. 

Because what you just essentially said is that peddling a toy car when you were a youngster was a superior experience to driving a Ferrari. Well, sure. I guess if the Ferrari had no wheels on it, and didn't start…OK.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Scott Dolan

[Jim Alfredson]

One major problem with the vinyl resurgence is the lack of quality pressing plants. I am personal friends with a guy that makes a LOT of money because he's one of the few (less than five) people in the country that knows how to repair and calibrate the lathes used to cut the masters. And then there's the pressing machines themselves; they are ancient and need maintenance, repair, new parts machined, etc. 

The predominant reason why I have not re-issued any of my back catalog on vinyl is because I do not trust the current pressing plants to make a great sounding record. Too many of the people who knew how to do so are gone and the machines need massive work. There is a real art and science to it. 

The other reason is because I don't think vinyl sounds good compared to modern uncompressed digital sources.

[ArtSalt]

A mucca of mine is in product testing in China and he was visited by one of the directors of one of the top-end audio equipment manufacturers who was purchasing some components from China and my friend asked him the question of our time: Which musical format delivers the optimum high quality sound? He answered "Of course, pristine and well pressed vinyl.....for the first four plays....." He then went on to explain that uncompressed digital media is the optimum for near perfect listening experience.

[Scott Dolan]

Nostalgia-based personal opinion. 

[A Lark Ascending]

More on streamin' Beatles:

The Beatles let it stream – showing that the format is the future

"Streaming, with its fraction-of-a-penny royalty rates for each play, has changed the economics of the record business. Even so, the Beatles would not have signed these deals unless they were absolutely sure there were going to be more than enough people putting in their money to make it worth their while."

[A Lark Ascending]

Just saw the funniest thing in WH Smiths in Worksop next to 'Trout Fisherman Monthly' and 'Crotchet World':

 https://www.deagostini.com/uk/collections/jazz-vinyl/?gclid=CPD-mpaJyMoCFaMSwwodYaINdQ

A part-work series based round vinyl copies of 'classic' jazz albums.  

The jazz revival is official. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Dmitry]

On 6/14/2015 at 1:51 AM, JSngry said:

 

I do not wear a watch, have not worn a watch since 1974, don't even own one now, and can still find a way to know what time it is when it matters. And if I ever do buy a watch, it's not gonna be from Apple

 

You know what else goes on your wrists? Handcuffs.

 

Speaking of which, I don't wear a wedding ring either, and have remained faithful for every day - and night - of my marriage. So when Apple comes out with their iCockring, I'll not be getting that either.

Lol, I also don't wear a watch, unless we're traveling where my cell phone won't work. Then I wear a Casio sports watch, purchased for that very reason. Timer and stopwatch functions really help, when needed.

Like you, I don't wear a wedding ring. Almost from the get go it got bent into an oval shape due to the nature of work that I do. Wife's got it somewhere, I'm sure.

She, otoh, can't go out of the house without a watch on, and has been wearing her wedding ring since day one...I think.

To get back on topic...I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I do have an Ipod, a thin one, with a screen, I think it's Ipod Nano? It's in the car, I think..but I don't use it at all. I should fill it up, I guess. What format should I use that doesn't take up a lot space, and sounds good?

 

[sidewinder]

12 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Just saw the funniest thing in WH Smiths in Worksop next to 'Trout Fisherman Monthly' and 'Crotchet World':

 https://www.deagostini.com/uk/collections/jazz-vinyl/?gclid=CPD-mpaJyMoCFaMSwwodYaINdQ

A part-work series based round vinyl copies of 'classic' jazz albums.  

The jazz revival is official. 

Saw a TV advert for that one on one of the obscure digital channels the other day.

[mjzee]

6 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Saw a TV advert for that one on one of the obscure digital channels the other day.

Took me awhile to understand this.  It's like a Book-of-the-Month club for jazz on vinyl, with explanatory materials...more like a wine of the month club.  It really seems like a good entry point for some consumers, prices seem OK, and at least they're not bootlegs (as they could have been with jazz of this vintage).  

[Jim Alfredson]

On 12/25/2015 at 4:07 AM, ArtSalt said:

Which musical format delivers the optimum high quality sound? He answered "Of course, pristine and well pressed vinyl.....for the first four plays....."

Except that it doesn't. Dynamic range, frequency response, signal to noise, stereo separation, wow & flutter, harmonic distortion, and sonic artifacts from the medium itself are all better with hi-res digital. Not to mention reliability (every play of a vinyl album deteriorates it) and damage (one bump of the turntable and your pristine record might have permanent scratch that affects playability).

I get the appeal as a child of the 80s who grew up listening to my father's esoteric LP collection. But in terms of raw quality of sound, there is no comparison.

[Chuck Nessa]

What Jim Said.

[Dmitry]

7 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

Except that it doesn't. Dynamic range, frequency response, signal to noise, stereo separation, wow & flutter, harmonic distortion, and sonic artifacts from the medium itself are all better with hi-res digital. Not to mention reliability (every play of a vinyl album deteriorates it) and damage (one bump of the turntable and your pristine record might have permanent scratch that affects playability).

I get the appeal as a child of the 80s who grew up listening to my father's esoteric LP collection. But in terms of raw quality of sound, there is no comparison.

Plus vinyl hunting is fun. I like the big covers too.

[mjzee]

Artists make more off vinyl sales than streaming services - NY Post

 

[Ted O'Reilly]

Here's the solution.  Buy that cold, over-pristine CD, but run it through this...

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/effects-instruments/vinyl

 

[Scott Dolan]

[A Lark Ascending]

This month's 'Gramophone' magazine has the vinyl revival as it's main article (and cover). 

Tries to be even handed but you can tell it's heart is in the stuff. Mentions that only 1.5% of music sold in 2014 was vinyl but brushes this aside with the statement that vinyl is one of the few areas in the recording industry that is expanding.  

All seems like 'Faith' to me. If you've got it, it's self-evident; if you haven't it seems a bit daft. 

[sidewinder]

Get with the program ! 

[A Lark Ascending]

They're selling vinyl (or should that now be 'vinyls'?) in Worksop Sainsbury's - about 20 titles - Adele, Rumours etc. 

Right at the front of the shop as you walk in for a week. Now at the back next to the shelf of strange ingredients for recipes demonstrated on Hampstead-type cookery programmes.     

I was amused by the cheap record players they are targeting at kids (plus must have accessories) - wonder if any of them will find themselves doing the penny sellotaped to the cartridge trick to stop it jumping out of the groove. There are still records I hear with the distortion caused by failing to adjust the arm properly and gouging ten seconds.  

The Crosley generation: the record player that has the kids in a spin

(Just re-read that and guess what he did!!!!!)

Edited April 24, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[crisp]

17 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

This month's 'Gramophone' magazine has the vinyl revival as it's main article (and cover). 

Tries to be even handed but you can tell it's heart is in the stuff. Mentions that only 1.5% of music sold in 2014 was vinyl but brushes this aside with the statement that vinyl is one of the few areas in the recording industry that is expanding.  

All seems like 'Faith' to me. If you've got it, it's self-evident; if you haven't it seems a bit daft. 

Ironic. I recall that when CDs were a new thing classical consumers couldn't wait to ditch LPs for the new technology. Second-hand record shops were glutted with vinyl classical albums at the time and stores like HMV stopped selling them way before they ditched pop LPs.

[A Lark Ascending]

5 hours ago, crisp said:

Ironic. I recall that when CDs were a new thing classical consumers couldn't wait to ditch LPs for the new technology. Second-hand record shops were glutted with vinyl classical albums at the time and stores like HMV stopped selling them way before they ditched pop LPs.

For most of the 80s classical music was well ahead of the field on CD - I bought classical on CD, a lot of jazz/folk/rock on LP until around 1990 (outside the big hitters it took time for the latter genres to start automatically releasing on CD). CD certainly had a sign of status about it then.

Seems vinyl now has that sign of status - the format for the discriminating gentleman (or woman).   

Edited April 25, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Scott Dolan]

Please...

They are for the nostalgic and/or hobbyist. Wanting to return to a less than ideal format is discriminating, it's silly. 

[A Lark Ascending]

I knew I should have used speech marks (or an 'irony/sarcasm' emoticon)! 

Actually, I can see the appeal of vinyl, especially to people who grew up with it and have good enough systems to play it on (I bailed out as soon as possible - all I recall is flutter/wow/clicks/scratches/jumps/off-centre pressings/inner groove distortion etc; listening to classical music in particular was transformed for me by the CD).

But there are other things going on in the current craze - I keep seeing references to people who buy 'vinyls' but don't play them. There you're moving from listeners who like the format to 'lifestyle' choice.

I do, however get annoyed by 'vinyl only' releases. Not many but that really does smack of cult creation. I bought two albums on vinyl because it was the only way to get them - one turned out to be on red vinyl!!!!!! (I'm sure this happened before in Rome in the late 4thC). The other had a free download which was fine but when the physical copy arrived the post office sent it to a village in the wilds of North Nottinghamshire (Wicker Man country). I've only ever played the download.    

Edited April 25, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Scott Dolan]

It's cool, brother. I was thinking you were being sarcastic, but one can never be sure. 

And like you, I can also see the appeal of vinyl. Just like the appeal of American Muscle cars from the 60's and 70's. There's a real "coolness" factor there that modern technology simply cannot achieve. But if I'm going on a long trip, give me a modern Camry with the V6 (which will outrun quite a few of those old muscle cars), with all the quiet, smooth-riding, creature comforts modern technology can give me.