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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 18th Jun 2018, 7:20 am   #41
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

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I'm afraid that was my initial reading of this thread. I might have gone over the top with the wording as nobody was picking on any person in particular. But it was coming across as the "experts" were sighting the "young" as being like those in shops of the past.
I suppose there has always been an element of condescension where "Hi-Fi" was concerned, which was not just rated to the fact that hi-fi was often and still is overpriced. You might recall that the Not The Nine O'Clock News did a sketch of a chap going into a record shop asking for a "record player" and being greeted by a know-it-all assistant. "Don't you mean Turntable?"
I seem to recall he wanted to purchase a gramophone.

And in this case it was the young assistants picking on "Grandad"

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Old 18th Jun 2018, 7:28 am   #42
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

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Not so sure though about the 'lousy sound' bit relating to vinyl.
I agree. With a decent system vinyl can sound very good. For me the problem was that you had to go through the hassle of getting the record on the turntable and up to speed and then carefully lowering the stylus on to it. You sat down to listen to the music and were just dozing off when 17 minutes later you had to get up and turn the record over. That meant waiting for it to slow down as the hydraulic reference turntable didn't take kindly to being stopped by hand. Either the belt came off the pulleys or it broke. Then going through the procedure of getting it going again............ I do wonder how long the present vinyl fad will last.
But isn't that 'hassle' part of the joy of playing a record? Maybe it's sheer nostalgia harking back to the 78 days, but I still enjoy the magic of lowering the stylus into the groove and hearing high quality music, comparable with CD. Then of course there's the joy of the pictures on the record sleeve, and descriptions with print big enough to read!

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Old 18th Jun 2018, 7:40 am   #43
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

I think the acceptable level of hassle is directly proportional to the available time.

Perhaps that’s what puts people off very quickly.
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 9:02 am   #44
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

I still sometimes fire up the autochanger and play a stack of either 45s or 78s for the purely nostalgic reason of hearing the records the way I used to listen to them back in the 50s & 60s*, though I have most of the tracks on LPs &/or CDs and at least a half-decent Hi-Fi set up on which to play them! * TBH, in the 50s I could only listen to 78s on a wind-up gramophone - no electricity in my childhood home - until I obtained a transistor record player in the late 50s.
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 9:21 am   #45
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

Isn't the ritual / hassle (depending on your point of view) of using a vintage radio almost as great as playing a record?

Waiting for a valve set to warm up, tuning by twisting a knob to move a pointer over a scale marked in metres and long-gone station names, readjusting the tuning periodically to correct drift, experiencing fading and CCI.

And after all that, hoping that they're playing something you actually want to listen to.

How much easier to use a streaming service to pick the exact pieces of music you want, or iPlayer Radio to listen to a programme at your convenience?
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 10:04 am   #46
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

I remarked to a client who was setting up a "valves-and-vinyl" studio that the LP revival was about putting the ritual back into music. This got flogged to death as a strapline...
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 12:12 pm   #47
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

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Waiting for a valve set to warm up, tuning by twisting a knob to move a pointer over a scale marked in metres and long-gone station names, readjusting the tuning periodically to correct drift, experiencing fading and CCI.
Buying a computer, signing up to an internet provider, setting up an account, finding that it doesn't work, turn it off and on again, forgetting your password, updating the software, finding that it slows the computer to a snail's pace, buying another computer, finding that you can't transfer your files and software over, works for a bit, internet goes down, works for a bit more, updating the software, finding that it slows the computer to a snail's pace, buying another computer... NO THANKS.

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Turn the radio on, tune in, sit down, forget all about it. A minor purchase that lasts a lifetime. That's real convenience and a sensible used of resources. Hi Siri, you're fired. Hello Alexis, sling your hook.
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 12:21 pm   #48
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

I suspect that at some time having physical recordings, whether LPs or CDs will be seen as a freedom from all the problems with DRM.

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Old 18th Jun 2018, 12:22 pm   #49
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Re. post 47:

Well said, Tim!
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 12:59 pm   #50
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

The format argument can go on and on, I take the view of use what format suits you best, I have said before it’s about enjoying the music not the format.

Or have I missed something?
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 1:16 pm   #51
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

It’s the music for me not the format too. The most convenient format always wins for me.

A while ago I bought a minidisc recorder because of fond memories. Then after about an hour I remembered what a pain it was.
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Old 18th Jun 2018, 1:18 pm   #52
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Default Re: Unrealistic expectations?

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The format argument can go on and on, I take the view of use what format suits you best, I have said before it’s about enjoying the music not the format.

Or have I missed something?
On that note, pun intended, I'll close this thread.
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