What is the world coming to? Vinyl outlives CDs at Best Buy.

[Mikado463]

back home in Upstate NY we have couple of nice 'Brick and Mortar' shops selling Lp's and Cd's (Record Archive and The Bop Shop) , while perusing the racks there yesterday it was actually quite nice to see the amount of young people buying 'vinyl' !

As for Best Buy, there were never more than 'half assed' to begin with.....,.,,

 

[Irvrobinson]

back home in Upstate NY we have couple of nice 'Brick and Mortar' shops selling Lp's and Cd's (Record Archive and The Bop Shop) , while perusing the racks there yesterday it was actually quite nice to see the amount of young people buying 'vinyl' !

As for Best Buy, there were never more than 'half assed' to begin with.....,.,,

Why it is nice to see young people buying LPs? I suppose you also like to see people using slide rules? ;-)

 

[Swerd]

Would they want to buy vinyl if it was called polyvinyl chloride?

 

[Irvrobinson]

Would they want to buy vinyl if it was called polyvinyl chloride?

Would anyone buy aspirin if it was commonly called acetylsalicylic acid?

 

[Bucknekked]

That's what I worry about too. My mom heard my copy of Led Zeppelin IV and when stairway to heaven ended she says "it's not supposed to fade out like that". Interesting. She then get her 8 track player and her original 8 track and proceeds to play it. She was right. On that original copy there was no fade out. I was ruined on remastered after that. Always doubting.

Your mom was right. Your mom was always right. No fade on Stairway to Heaven.
Your comment about listening to an 8 Track tape as some sort of original made me laugh out loud.
8 Tracks IMHO were one of the worst sounding mediums we had to endure. They were cool in that they had the ability to jump tracks and get to a song much quicker than a cassette tape. But, not stellar for sound quality.
If you're making a movie and you need to set the time period, for the late 1960's or early 1970s, putting the 8 track in a car of the time would do the trick. They were pretty dang popular.

I don't much care if I call LP's records, albums, platters or vinyl. Vinyl is some sort of new fangled way to refer to them. I don't love the term, but I don't hate it either. To me if somebody says they liked a record, for me, the first thing I still think of is the old plastic LP. Even though I'm thoroughly in the electronic media/ripped CD camp. I do like to spin a record on the TT every now and again. Just for old times sake.. And my kids give me LP's for gifts.
They think I love them and somehow LP's are "better". We know the scoop there.

 

[Swerd]

Would anyone buy aspirin if it was commonly called acetylsalicylic acid?

There are many people who are averse to anything that might be tainted by "added chemicals". I was told by one such person that she couldn't allow vaccines to be injected into her children because they have "chemicals" in them.

The same applies to records – plastic is bad – but vinyl is good.

However, there are many others (of all ages) who aren't so foolish.

 

[Mikado463]

Why it is nice to see young people buying LPs?

Irv, I believe you're an old fart like me so you know the answer !

 

[Irvrobinson]

Irv, I believe you're an old fart like me so you know the answer !

Actually, I don't, so please share. I've been a technologist for over 40 years, and using an obsolete technology to be nostalgic or trendy would never occur to me. Of course, I could make the same remark about new technologies. I still prefer email for business purposes more than the message board products like Slack. I just read an article that says email is obsolete, and only dinosaurs use it, but that just tells me that the journalist who wrote the article doesn't do serious written communications in the office.

 

[3db]

I call it vinyl or LP. Tomato or tomato who cares? I buy new vinyl, used vinyl and used CD. I'm medium agnostic.

 

[panteragstk]

Your mom was right. Your mom was always right. No fade on Stairway to Heaven.
Your comment about listening to an 8 Track tape as some sort of original made me laugh out loud.
8 Tracks IMHO were one of the worst sounding mediums we had to endure. They were cool in that they had the ability to jump tracks and get to a song much quicker than a cassette tape. But, not stellar for sound quality.
If you're making a movie and you need to set the time period, for the late 1960's or early 1970s, putting the 8 track in a car of the time would do the trick. They were pretty dang popular.

I don't much care if I call LP's records, albums, platters or vinyl. Vinyl is some sort of new fangled way to refer to them. I don't love the term, but I don't hate it either. To me if somebody says they liked a record, for me, the first thing I still think of is the old plastic LP. Even though I'm thoroughly in the electronic media/ripped CD camp. I do like to spin a record on the TT every now and again. Just for old times sake.. And my kids give me LP's for gifts.
They think I love them and somehow LP's are "better". We know the scoop there.

Yeah, I remember the quality not being as good as her 45s even on her low end player. That just happened to be the medium she had the album on.

Any time I see "remastered" on an old album all I can think of is "what did they screw up this go round"?

 

[slipperybidness]

There are many people who are averse to anything that might be tainted by "added chemicals". I was told by one such person that she couldn't allow vaccines to be injected into her children because they have "chemicals" in them.

The same applies to records – plastic is bad – but vinyl is good.

However, there are many others (of all ages) who aren't so foolish.

How about the old "Flax Seed" Oil?

Yeah, vinyl = PVC. Likely the chloride will be stabilized with an organo-metallic additive.

News flash: "Chemicals" are ubiquitous and completely unavoidable.

 

[Bucknekked]

If you are a frequent Amazon shopper you may be familiar with the "Can you answer this question about xxx product you bought from Joe Bonehead?" email that shows up occasionally soliciting your expertise on answering a question from the unwashed masses on a product you bought.

I got one this week on the U Turn Orbit Turntable. The potential purchaser of an Orbt Turntable wanted to know if it had speakers inside it and could he just plug it in and listen to records? I disabused him of that idea.

My point is: how little do you have to know about a turntable to think it has speakers inside? How much of the information about the product do you have to ignore in the description?

If I told him it had a composite platter made of who knows what combo of chloride laden chemicals, he may have reported me.

 

[Swerd]

Yeah, vinyl = PVC. Likely the chloride will be stabilized with an organo-metallic additive.

You may be the only other person here who gets that.

I've had some cheap zipcord insulated with PVC where the manufacturer (probably in China) skipped adding the stabilizing additive. As a result, the unreacted chloride remaining in the PVC continued to react with anything around, including the surface of the copper wire. If you've seen zipcord with transparent PVC insulation where the copper wire turned dark green in just a few years, I bet that was the cause. I have much older zipcord lying around where that never happened. It was from a time when it was probably made in the USA.

 

[MrBoat]

If you are a frequent Amazon shopper you may be familiar with the "Can you answer this question about xxx product you bought from Joe Bonehead?" email that shows up occasionally soliciting your expertise on answering a question from the unwashed masses on a product you bought.

I got one this week on the U Turn Orbit Turntable. The potential purchaser of an Orbt Turntable wanted to know if it had speakers inside it and could he just plug it in and listen to records? I disabused him of that idea.

My point is: how little do you have to know about a turntable to think it has speakers inside? How much of the information about the product do you have to ignore in the description?

If I told him it had a composite platter made of who knows what combo of chloride laden chemicals, he may have reported me.

When 'we' were kids, record players (Victrola etc.) had speakers!

 

[slipperybidness]

You may be the only other person here who gets that.

I've had some cheap zipcord insulated with PVC where the manufacturer (probably in China) skipped adding the stabilizing additive. As a result, the unreacted chloride remaining in the PVC continued to react with anything around, including the surface of the copper wire. If you've seen zipcord with transparent PVC insulation where the copper wire turned dark green in just a few years, I bet that was the cause. I have much older zipcord lying around where that never happened. It was from a time when it was probably made in the USA.

Yup, I've seen it. I've also seen the problem move the other direction, where excess chloride in an ambient environment was able to extract the organo-metallics out of the PVC. Of course, it took some advanced instrumentation to get the data to prove that.

 

[Auditor55]

Youngsters buying vinyl is just like wearing skinny jeans, it's a fad. They will be on to the next trendy thing when it comes out.

 

[cpd]

Actually, I don't, so please share. I've been a technologist for over 40 years, and using an obsolete technology to be nostalgic or trendy would never occur to me. Of course, I could make the same remark about new technologies. I still prefer email for business purposes more than the message board products like Slack. I just read an article that says email is obsolete, and only dinosaurs use it, but that just tells me that the journalist who wrote the article doesn't do serious written communications in the office.

I never understand the criticism of people who purchase and enjoy analog forms of music. The consumption and enjoyment of music is a perfectly subjective and personal thing. In the circles I travel everybody recognizes that digital media provides, at least the opportunity, for more accurate audio reproduction. But, if only objective data concerning accuracy mattered to subjective enjoyment of music, then you might as well press mute and just read the response curves of your system.

Why is it, as another poster suggested, "misinformed" to enjoy vinyl? Some may enjoy music more when they feel associated nostalgia. Some may enjoy it more when they feel connected to a trend. Some may enjoy music more when they have to physically interact with the media, or when they can hold a 12.5" square piece of cover art in their hands while listening to it. Some may enjoy it more because they have to work a little harder to make it sound better. None of those people are wrong.

Take speaker selection as an example. I believe that the people that post here would, for the most part advise somebody to purchase the speakers that sound best to them despite the fact they may not be as accurate as another pair. Why is this issue any different? And what does any of it matter if, in the end, these people are financially supporting the music industry and audio industry that we all purport to love. Just be happy these people are enjoying music - it only benefits you in the end.

And the parallels drawn to vaccination and microwaves are inaccurate. The conclusions are accurate -- vaccinations are critical to public health and microwaves are safe. But the safety of vaccinations and microwave use are objective/scientific issues. There is a right and a wrong there. There is no such right or wrong in how human beings respond to and enjoy different forms of art.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Why is it, as another poster suggested, "misinformed" to enjoy vinyl?

My observation, cpd, when I ask people who aren't audiophiles why they are buying LPs, they do tell me it's because they've heard "vinyl sounds better". That is I would say misinformed, and that's what Swerd was referring to. If they said "because vinyl is cool", okay, I would understand that. I still like driving manual transmission cars just because they're fun to drive. (Modern torque converter automatics or double-clutch automatics really are superior to any manual transmission.) So I get liking what's cool.

 

[KEW]

I never understand the criticism of people who purchase and enjoy analog forms of music. The consumption and enjoyment of music is a perfectly subjective and personal thing. In the circles I travel everybody recognizes that digital media provides, at least the opportunity, for more accurate audio reproduction. But, if only objective data concerning accuracy mattered to subjective enjoyment of music, then you might as well press mute and just read the response curves of your system.

Why is it, as another poster suggested, "misinformed" to enjoy vinyl? Some may enjoy music more when they feel associated nostalgia. Some may enjoy it more when they feel connected to a trend. Some may enjoy music more when they have to physically interact with the media, or when they can hold a 12.5" square piece of cover art in their hands while listening to it. Some may enjoy it more because they have to work a little harder to make it sound better. None of those people are wrong.

Take speaker selection as an example. I believe that the people that post here would, for the most part advise somebody to purchase the speakers that sound best to them despite the fact they may not be as accurate as another pair. Why is this issue any different? And what does any of it matter if, in the end, these people are financially supporting the music industry and audio industry that we all purport to love. Just be happy these people are enjoying music - it only benefits you in the end.

And the parallels drawn to vaccination and microwaves are inaccurate. The conclusions are accurate -- vaccinations are critical to public health and microwaves are safe. But the safety of vaccinations and microwave use are objective/scientific issues. There is a right and a wrong there. There is no such right or wrong in how human beings respond to and enjoy different forms of art.

I agree with what you are saying, but it is also reasonable to want to understand a phenomenon even if it is human behavior.
I would hypothesize that the process of pulling out the album, setting it on the turntable, cleaning the record, and gently setting the stylus down provides time for enhancement of the anticipation of listening to the selected music, and there may well be something in our core makeup that causes us to value something more if we must first invest care and effort (might we even say nurturing?) to bring it to fruition!
For me, whatever that is, it is not enough, but I can understand how others might revel in the overall experience.

 

[cpd]

My observation, cpd, when I ask people who aren't audiophiles why they are buying LPs, they do tell me it's because they've heard "vinyl sounds better". That is I would say misinformed, and that's what Swerd was referring to. If they said "because vinyl is cool", okay, I would understand that. I still like driving manual transmission cars just because they're fun to drive. (Modern torque converter automatics or double-clutch automatics really are superior to any manual transmission.) So I get liking what's cool.

Fair enough...and I'm actually considering a CVT for my next vehicle - god I miss real cars.