3 Things Most People Don't Understand About Vinyl Collectors | Talking About Records
A lot of vinyl collectors are simply misunderstood. We are perceived as a snobby bunch of hobbyists that frown upon other formats and look down on anyone that doesn't spend thousands on their "audiophile system". The reality is most collectors just love LPs for the nostalgia and experience of owning and playing them. We take a look at three of those common misconceptions on this episode of Talking About Records.
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I think nostalgia plays a big part along with the hobby and educational experience. The research, money, and “work” connect us to the listening experience and the artist.
Amen to that! So so true. The more effort you put into anything...the more you then value it. And yes, nostalgia is huge!
It's easy to say 'nostalgia', but that doesn't explain why so many people under 30 are buying it. Nostalgia, hobby, educational experience.... it sounds like you're trying to avoid mentioning 'sound quality' but that actually is a huge deal, even if it's a wild goose chase at times. Records have become more popular recently but they're nowhere near as popular as digital music, and most people (especially senior-age people who used records for decades, and I know many of them) are not generally interested in using turntables unless it's the only thing that plays their favorite stuff. Let's make sure we're not confusing 'enjoying older recordings' with 'nostalgia' because it's not inherently the same thing. A lot of people's 'nostalgic' memories of records are of poor sound quality due to their own limited knowledge of the format.
@@jamescarter3196 I thought sound quality was a given. I was merely trying share additional qualities/reasons for the resurgence that had not been shared in the video or comments yet. And when I speak of nostalgia, I’m referring to the entire experience of listening to music before CD’s - purposefully listening on a quality sound system instead of a car tape deck or radio, holding the physical media in your hands and appreciating the album artwork, reading the liner notes and lyrics, sharing the experience with a friend as you introduce discoveries to each other. I could also add here the experience of flipping through the new arrivals at the store having no idea if the album is worth the investment, relying on the packaging or what label was putting it out. Finding a new favorite band or album in this way was very satisfying. I got lucky and stumbled on Boston’s first album like this the day it hit the bins, a cherished lifetime memory. I’ve discovered a lot of great music through Spotify the last few years, but with all the options to play and the offering up of new suggestions, the experience of full immersion into a new artist or album is limited. Picking up a vinyl copy and listening to it in a purposeful manner is much more engaging and enjoyable, I think this crosses all ages and genre preferences.
The work is the act of congress with the object. There's an intimacy there.
Im picking up another magnavox needing some restoration and first turn table purchase. Goona need lots of tlc but seems well worth it. Just the table is worth it alone but ill post update tommorrow on my channel.
Not just ritual and experience, it's the involvement. Like any physical object, interacting with it can revive memories - friends, where you bought it, how old you were, the phase of your life, etc. And then there's the involvement of playing. One record is only 4 to 25 minutes per side. The act of selecting, setting up, changing records - this is a lot like reading a book, turning pages. Listening to physical media requires the same things that paper does.
Sure does. It commands your attention!
For me it’s the format that fascinates me. Digital sounds better to me without the pops and clicks and skips. It’s not even the whole ritual. For me Its how that tiny groove can contain such magic! It’s the analog delivery that I’m interested in. Also love the album art.
Might want to be more selective if your records have pops, clicks, and skips.
80$ a record 3-4songs in 45rpm? 33rpm 👎 someone had to say it.
@@agomodern yeah I agree
@@Error2username I wouldn’t pay that amount of money -
pops and skips? Inferior "audiophile"
Great points here. I found the "easiest" way for me to explain it to non collectors....."Because we are human". What the means is when you are human you grow to love, appreciate, and interact with EVERYTHING through your sense. Food we love, people we love, colors we love, etc. Vinyl is the one format that incorporates the MOST of all your senses in enjoying the music that literally guides our lives and touches are deepest emotions and memories. Somewhere along the line technology tried to get us to believe we don't need to incorporate our senses as much. We don't need to see the artwork that big (a one inch square will do), we don't need the experience of being social with our friends as we dig through bins in a store (clicking by yourself on your computer is fine). We don't need to operate the turntable, touch the format on our fingertips, take care of it like a precious/delicate 'thing', etc (a click with your thumb on a ipod is enough). Who looks at your 10,000,000 songs apple music and goes "wow"? ....but when people come into my music room and see only 5000 of the 10 million albums on apple music they go "HOLY COW!!" - THAT is why vinyl. After all would you rather date a digital significant other or dat a real person you can touch, smell, see, etc?
NAILED IT
Excellent answer!
Love this! I'm gonna use this from now on if you don't mind.
I like the physicality of owning media. Whether it’s a cassette, 8 Track, CD or vinyl having that media in my possession is the ultimate in listening pleasure.
You also get a time capsule of the album that you like unchanged. No remastering or changing of the songs for legal or artistic purposes.
True true
Most albums were mixed good enough for me and I feel that time period is how it should sound. I usually cringe at the word remaster. The exception - Black Sabbaths Born Again. Great album ruined by horrible mix, it NEEDS remaster lol. I bought the 2007 remaster of Genesis Wind and Wuthering and is a lot better, but seems like they're changing history. They brought up channel volumes of things that were buried and equalized everything, but again, it's like a cover band performing the songs. The 2002 ozzy reissues were blasphemy - actually replacing members parts. Don't get me started on the ZZ Top six pack 1987 remixes of their 70s stuff - awful. If you remember the extreme metal band Venom circa 1981, those mixes are horrible, but part of the charm is the 'lo-fi
@@dawnpatrol700 Remaster and Remix. Two totally different things. Remastering can seriously help an older recording, especially with how far technology has come. But a remix, that's going back to the tapes/files and actually changing the tracks/levels/effects.
@@NTXVinyl remaster I can deal with. Always sounds better, just not necessarily representative of the time period. Remixing is a no-go for me ( with the exception of Black Sabbath Born Again lol).
Spot on, it’s the whole personalisation that’s unique to each individual
For me, it's not just an audio experience but also visual. The larger artwork, the liner notes, the record spinning all add something to the experience. And I can't be the only one that thinks a full shelving unit of albums is a work of art in and of itself.
Yessir! 🤘🏻
Exactly😊
Without music, there is nothing
Back in the day, music was everything. And albums were high art. Tangible ownership. But look at your collection which is mighty impressive. Every time you move, that is a monstrous undertaking packing it all up. And to really enjoy the quality, like you say, takes another huge investment. Although in the past we used much more basic systems.
Haven't read all the comments but a solid 25% of vinyl physical media is the ALBUM ART! The interior of gatefolds, even some inner sleeves and inserts. But the overall enjoyment of viewing an album is a huge enjoyment. Many times frame-able too!
Amen!
At 71, vinyl takes me back to my youth. Still have records from the 60’s and 70’s that I played on my old Gerard TT. $40 in 1973 a lot of money then!
You hit it right on the head: listening to records is a ritual.
Indeed!!!
Along with most everyone else, I stopped buying physical media sometime around 2010 and slowly lost my passion for music. I would still listen; but it was not a part of my life like it was when I was a kid. A couple years ago, I started collecting again and it has completely altered my relationship with music for the better. I even subscribed to Tidal so I can stream music, which didn’t seem worth it prior to getting back into collecting.
Man...."relationship" is a great word! That's the way I feel about records. I don't just own them, I have a relationship with them. They are tied to memories, places, people, and events....I can't say that about any other format of music I've experienced. Cheers!
Welcome back.
Really like this video. I have always had 300 or so albums in my collection which stalled for years and went with me wherever I've lived. Started collecting records when I was 7 with my first being Yellow Submarine (I stiil have it 50 years later) thanks Mom! Started collecting again about 5 years ago and am loving it. Sitting at approximately 550-600 records now, and am an avid listener of what I have.
That's great! Love to hear it. Totally full circle
Ever since I was a kid I've always been fascinated by the mechanical side of playing records. The fact you can actually _see_ the sound on the record surface is just so intriguing.
Yes! So magical.
A record was a moment in time that will come back to you every time you play it. The cover art and the story behind it is also part of the experience.
Totally agree!
It sounds very simple but I love to look at the liner notes, I’m interested in what session player performed on each song, etc. You can’t hold the artwork if you’re streaming it. And I’m subscriber to Apple, Spotify. But like you said it’s sorta like a preview of the music. Nothing like sitting in your room with your system and listening to entire albums. That’s another thing a lot of the younger generation doesn’t really do. They just listen to the hits. I like to dig deep and listen to the b-sides. I could go on forever lol.
Vinyl is all I ever known as a kid in early 70’s. My folks collected vinyl in the 60’s and 70’s. My sister purchased 45s in early 70’s. We’d play vinyl as kids then and by 1978 I was already purchasing my own records at 13. When CDs officially replaced vinyl in 1991 in the US I felt sad, the end of an era. Thankfully I kept all my vinyl and in pristine condition. Once vinyl came back in the 2000s I was ready for the vinyl resurgence. I even decided to have my own KZhead channel. To me as I’m now in my late 50’s it’s about nostalgia. Like an old beloved friend. I had all my vinyl in storage in early 2000s when I no longer owned a stereo system but only a boombox for CDs. It was a pleasure to bring all my vinyl back into my home. The warmth and memories of the past was reason to comeback to vinyl. I am a physical media person since childhood and have never streamed.
Summed up perfectly. I started collecting since I was four years old, in 1968. Digital does nothing for me. I'd rather hear Soul music & The Beatles on scratchy 45s than any other format. It just sounds right.
It’s astounding to me how few people state the most obvious reason to buy records. TO SUPPORT THE ARTISTS YOU LOVE. A lot of records took hundreds or thousands of hours of pain and agony to come to fruition. The cost of production to get to your ears is in the thousands of dollars - sometimes millions! And then it becomes available to you to own your own personal copy to enjoy while disconnected from the internet anytime you want for anywhere from $0.50 - $50 depending on what it is and where you find it. Its a no brainer. People are so entitled with their access to music now…and I have been one of these people too. I went fully digital for 10 years and then I realized it was hollow and soulless for so many reasons. It suffocated my passion for music slowly. It destroyed my attention span. I stayed in a pattern of listening to the same shit because believe it or not, when you have the whole music world at your fingertips it’s really hard to think of what to fucking choose…and you always think maybe you didn’t choose the most optimal selection for your moment.
One big thing for me is the curation aspect of it. If I ever hear any negative question it's why bother with vinyl if it's coming from a digital source. This goes to your "it's not the sound" point. If I buy something on vinyl, I'm putting that album into a library of my tastes. Regardless of the source, buying that physical copy and putting it on a shelf makes that album more personal. Sure, I hunt down the best pressings I can find, but part of that is hunter-gatherer mentality and part of that is respect for that record, not just sound.
YES YES YES!!!!!! Could not agree more. I freakin cringe so hard when i see those comments.... "but what's the source?!?" Who the F cares?!?! Does it sound good to you? Do you get enjoyment out of it? That's what matters. 😁
I sometimes test [date] an album from a new artist via streaming, but if I still love it after several listens, I order it or add it to my vinyl list [engaged]. Once the vinyl lands in my collection, this is long term commitment to the music [marriage]. Love my vinyl collection and love that you called a couple of hundred albums as a collection :-) . Also, the artist earns way more from vinyl, so for me it's supporting the artist more that I ever could via streaming.
One other point is that it can be looked at as an asset or a something with value. Physical product will always maintain a certain degree of worth and value in certain instances that like you said "renting" does not. It's parting with the items that's tough for many of us but also nice to know we don't have to give it away and there's a sellers market to explore.
My first album: Meet the Beatles. Grew up with vinyl. Sometimes it was just fun finding an album I needed. Took the place of baseball cards.
A big percentage for me is album cover art. And if there is a quirk about the cover art- I love it even more. Like the six variants of In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin. Or Rolling Stones Some Girls with the cut outs. The Beatles Butcher Cover. Turning the Boston album over and the spaceship becomes a guitar laying down. I agree with everything you said The ritual, owning a tangible object, sound on my new upgraded system. But the art is also big. No one ever is negative to me about my 450 album collection. Most of my friends enjoy it when I post on FB discussing a particular album. Thank you for your video.
Cheers my friend! Love to hear it.
I totally get what you are saying. I have a pretty good vintage system, 1965 Dual turntable, Pioneer sx 525, and awesome Yamaha NS-A88 (good luck finding those anywhere) floor speakers. I get Goosebumps when the needle hits and starts that 1st song. BUT....finding, storing, cleaning, just makes it that much better. Very well put.
Yes, for me it's the nostalgia along with discovery. When I'm out hunting for records sometimes I buy something that looks interesting or maybe a band I've never heard of. I always enjoyed the record store experience and, as you said, I actually own the record so no matter what happens to streaming in the future I still have it. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never bought the argument that vinyl is warmer or richer to a degree that makes a real difference to the average listener (to your point). It is all about the tangible items, the aesthetic, the ENGAGING ritual and, sure, nostalgia, for me and just about everyone else I know that collects. Great video - thank you!
Excellent video!! I have been collecting records since the age of 2. I have about 6000 LPs and a few thousand CDs. Our basement was totally flooded recently. My records are a few inches off the floor so they as well as the CDs were ok.packing them and moving them out of the basement is a pain even though our insurance covered that. So far I have digitized over 4000 LPs. I hope to get rid of the records because I don't want my wife to have to deal with them after go. They have been like children to me for many decades. At least I will have digital copies of them. Records have been a major part of my life for so long.
For me when it comes to both music and films it's the same as a book. Ownership is a huge part of it because even if you purchase something to own on a streaming platform there's usually something in there little fine print that states it for whatever reason they delete it from their server you forfeit and there's no recourse. I've had friends that had some kind of obscure films from pretty well known labels disappear out of their collection because they were depending on streaming service like that. I think I read somewhere once about apple doing a system purge and a lot of people lost massive bits of their collection. Sound quality is actually kind of a funny bit for me. I do find that vinyl can be warmer but I have a tendency to have a great love for packaging so picture disks and colored vinyl and finding pre-war 78s Make up a pretty big part of my collection regardless of the sound quality impact that some of these sort of novelty presentations may result in. And of course yes there is the ritual if you're going to have the product it's so nice to have it in your hands and to be able to touch it and admire it and interact with it and share it and it's just a piece of art by itself sitting there. Even in a state of rest just being on the shelf as an object it is art for everything that's gone into it's manufacturing production, engineering and illustrations and typesetting which is the thing of beauty..
It’s the thrill of the chase. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation upon entering a record store I like or have never been to, a thrift store or antique store that markets vinyl. Sure, I have a want list from time to time, and I’m not adverse to going to eBay to snag it, but more often than not I am pleased to find a record in the wild, a record everyone else either failed to recognize or to get to before I did.
Absolutely. Huge part of it!
I like the fact that vinyl isn’t always perfect. Although pressing plants are doing much better now in producing quiet vinyl, I always appreciate it when I get a perfectly quiet record, which lately is most of the time. CDs are taken for granted because they are almost always perfectly quiet, so one appreciates it less. This may sound funny but a beautiful piece of perfectly quiet vinyl is a wonderful thing!
Yeeeeeees. A work of art. It's a true craft producing a record!
There's some pretty spectacular mastering and pressing these days especially when it's 'small batch' pressings, though as you probably know, it's good to research the mastering first. I bought a copy of the Christine McVie and Lindsay Buckingham record which I'm 99% sure is just the CD mix on vinyl, and it's fine but unremarkable... then I got the Beck album 'Hyperspace' vinyl which has gigantic, magnificent sound, clean as a whistle and deep as the ocean. I can't overstate the value of proper cleaning and lubricating of older vinyl, and 'grounding' the static out. Pardon me if I'm preaching to the choir, but people need to know how to do the vinyl voodoo.
For me, it's all of what you talked about along with enjoying the artwork and reading the credits. You can actually read along while listening. If you know anything about Funkadelic albums, they almost always had a story on the inside gatefold covers. You get to read along while listening and add to the journey of escaping in the music. Some albums give you little extras like posters, iron-ons for T-Shirts, etc. You can immerse yourself in the full experience with vinyll as opposed to half of an experience with CD's and streaming.
Also the artwork etc. albums are bigger, artwork is bigger, keeps you young 🤘
Listening to records is as close as it gets to seeing the artist live...because of your point 2 and 3. Super video.
I agree. In addition it connects my to my father whose collection is the foundation of my collection. He collected vinyl from 1960-1980 Who Are you may have been his last record before he went cassettes then CDs. AA a young child he had reel to reel and Hi Fi a proper stylus. He taught me to use this delicate machine before I turned 5. Gently lower the arm. Always handle by the edges. Legacy. Music is a representation of identity. Like clothes you wear and politicians you vote for. He had great taste in music. I also collect tapes and CDs as he did. But a gatefold Lp with lyrics and art is how I enjoy music best.
Part of my fascination with vinyl dates back to my childhood, when my father forbade me to touch his records and turntable. That kept me curious and one day my father decided I was old enough to learn how to put on a record. I felt so proud understanding the turntable and how to take care of the fragile records and the stylus. When I look back at it, it almost feels like some kind of coming of age ritual. Since then I love everything connected to records and my first two own turntables plus a mixer even multiplied that fascination with the technical part. There was and still is so much to learn and discover.
i think even with a less expensive setup vinyl sounds different and for me that difference is one of the things that makes it better.
One of the saddest things that happened to me, is that I ended up with so much clutter, that I had to get rid a significant portion of my music collection. I got rid of many records, CDs and tapes that I had collected over the course of more than 20 years. Funny thing is I don't miss the CDs I got rid of, but I regret getting rid of most of the vinyl records. I cherish all of the vinyl records I have left in my collection, but since 2020 I mostly stopped buying records because prices have spiked so high from the olden days. CDs are a better price value if I want physical media. I also stream like everyone else, but I agree it is not the same as owning.
I got into collecting because it was the only way to play music until cassettes and CD’s came along. But, I never stopped buying vinyl. I still have my Marantz 6300 Record Player. I also I still like to make mixtapes. I have a decent setup. I love how vinyl sounds too. It doesn’t sound like a CD 💿 or streaming.
I have always been very careful with my vinyls and to this day I simply love to play records I bought in the Seventies that deliver without cracks, pops or mechanical noise 🙂
For me I love the research of discovering new music to me and then going to record stores and finding it. It's a rush when you find a copy cheap!
For sure! Thrill of the hunt
For me, it transports me back in time. In addition to my LP collection and hi-end audio equipment, I also own a 1925 Brunswick phonograph and about 100 cleaned 78rpm shelacs. Obviously the sound is not that great but when I play a blues or jazz record from the early 30's and 40's, I'm instantly transported back in time and can see myself sitting in the room that the original owner of that disc was in, playing it for the first time. It's a very cool experience. Besides, if the power ever goes out, I still have music I can play.
That's an excellent point - the perceived burden and to the collector its actually a big part of the fun. Other collectors can see other peoples' collections as burdens too. To each their own.
I’d want to add that it’s the way that some music was made to be listened. I am too young to grow up with physical media but the music I love was intended for vinyl. I never liked Within You Without you but with vinyl I can appreciate it for the amazing opening to the B side it is. There’s something special about consuming media the way it was originally intended.
I started buying records because that was the only medium we had. then when cassettes came along I stayed with records because they sounded better than something I recorded. I had a real-to-reel but it was such a pain to try to find songs on it I just stayed with records. then when CDs came out they were much more convenient, but record sounded better that's why I like vinyl. I was willing to put up with all the geekyness and tweakiness of vinyl for the sound improvement . I talk about this on my KZhead channel where I compare records pressings because the sound matters now More than ever because we have digital records. Also the part about making a commitment to listen to records. most people put the record on sit down and listen to the music undistracted. they're not listening to records while doing other tasks because records engage you emotionally. Unlike something you're streaming you will notice folks who stream or play digital music it's usually something in the background while they are doing something else. Cheers bro enjoy your channel
I collect mainly 90's alternative rock on vinyl. One of the things I really enjoy about collecting is the anticipation of an album that has been out of press for a long time to be back in press. I get to hunt for them. When I see an album that I cherished as a teen about to be released on vinyl, it brings me back to when I had had to wait for its original release. For example, Siamease dream was $300 when it was out of press. I watched and waited for over 2 years for it to be back in press so that I could afford it. When I finally got my hands on it and spun it for the 1st time, it was like magic. Just like the 1st time I poped in th CD back in the day.
Completely agree your points with one small observation. Good vinyl playing equipment will yield the differences between the same versions of a track on different media better than lesser quality equipment. True. However, as you yourself have mentioned in the past, it’s not unusual for re-released, digitally remastered digital versions to be significantly more compressed. Hearing uncompressed versions on vinyl, even on inexpensive gear, can be a revelation to some folk of the Spotify generation.
I think you made valid points! We had our own type of streaming when we were growing up it was called the radio! I took charge of my musical life back, then by creating my own mixtapes, and by buying physical records, so I wasn’t in the slaved by the music companies, and what they wanted me to listen to because they had paid to play certain music and artist that I really didn’t care for! Great video and topic🎉
Thanks for watching!
Artwork! A thumbnail on a phone and a 12" print are worlds apart. And then there are all the special editions. Just got three Swesor Bhrather Friendship editions from 128 label in Switzerland. Solid wood boxes with wood inlay, leather cover, lids with rare earth magnets, CNC routed lettering, plus other special features. And it's mine, because my name is engraved in the box. This is actual musical art. What might resonate more with younger folks is social justice. When I buy a record from the band directly, they get real money, not the fraction of a fraction of a cent from a stream. I like that my collection supports living artists. Re investment in HiFi gear, a $2K system is not going to get you far. I'm now at ~$15-20K system for vinyl (plus digital and cassettes) and think I am slowly getting close. But there is still room to grow. Definitely north of $10K for it to sound decent, plus additional commitment to learn about set-up (speaker placement, room treatment, TT set-up). 2K gets you the ritual without destroying your records, but not much more. my 2c.
Appreciate the comment! I hear you on the artwork and packaging. ❤️ As for budget. We are all different. I stood in front of a Marshall half stack 5 nights a week for about 10 years while in a touring band. I doubt my ears would know the different between my $5K system and a $25K system. But who knows, maybe one day if I hit the lottery I can prove myself wrong. Selling records sure isn't gonna get me there! 😜
2:00 - "it is not about the sound" ...- i just love how they to taste...
Hi. What would be that "extra sound experience" you get once you upgrade your setup above the 2K USD margin? I'll love a video about that, given you probably experienced different setup over your time in the hobby
I can totally relate to the reasons you list as what makes collecting vinyl records so attractive. I began my music collecting journey before there were cd's, before streaming, etc. It was vinyl, vinyl, vinyl! You also had to go to the record store, there was no online shopping, heck, there was no online, period. In some ways those were the glory days, the days of discovery. Now it's so simple to acquire music. So many options with online record stores, such as Downtown Music Gallery in New York, and Squidco Records in Wilmington, NC. I stream music to check out something I might want to buy. I will admit, being able to test an album before you shell out money for it is a pretty cool reason to subscribe to a streaming service. Anyway, terrific video, thanks for your insight.
I collect cassettes also for the experience and not the sound quality.
Funny, I was at the pool streaming pandora, a classic Sammy Hagar song came on, had not heard in probably 10-15 years, loved it, went on Ebay and bought 3 lock box for $20 VGC right then. Can't wait to hear it on my system. And, to see the Album artwork, of course!
What most people also don't understand is, when I first started buying recorded music in the early 60's into the 70's, so-called "vinyl" was the ONLY format readily available to the consumer...everybody had a "record player"...I have well over 1,000 record albums, and they're all in the same condition as they were on the day they were purchased, clean and scratch-free! Not to mention the ALBUM COVERS! The pictures and other information found only on those covers! A big part of promoting the music, was the presentation shown on the COVER! Think about the ICONIC Beatles covers! You don't get any of that from a "download", or even a CD...!
Love it! I started when I was 14. It’s been 30 years now. And still enjoying it daily
I started buying 45s I the 1950's when Elvis burst on the scene. In the 1960s I started work and was able to afford LPs. Now have about 400 mostly from those days.
I agree on everything with your 3 part explanation. Although one thing they ask about , that I’ve yet to come up with a solid answer is ; the costs - ”Why pay so much?”. The closest I can get is that it’s an investment. Especially on releases since the resurgence caught momentum. But it’s not quite a good motivation. Neither is that we pay for ownership , because CD’s are cheaper. Can you provide me with a better one to tell when I’m asked ?
I would say "you get what you pay for"...and that's the truth. A single button can be pressed and 10,000 identical CDs can be produced. It's a mass manufactured piece of plastic, the disc and the case. Small paper art included. Producing a vinyl LP is truly a craft. Many many humans touch it along the way, more than you'd think. No more than a couple thousand can be made without new plates. It's small batch, unique, with full size art, packaging, inserts, colored visual appear in some cases, and it's presented in full, as the artist intended. Not miniature )CD), or invisible (streaming). That would be my answer anyways. 😂 Cheers!
@@NTXVinyl : Thanks ! That’s a REALLY good answer. Way beyond my range of reasoning. I’ll keep it handy. Bring’em on !
@@luckyluk2864 : Not twice as much as vinyl. Not here in Sweden at least.
@@luckyluk2864 : I mean new releases. Metallica-72 seasons Cd $25 Vinyl $53 Greta van fleet-Starcatcher Cd $23 Vinyl. $37 Depech mode-memento mori Cd $22 Vinyl $54
In my playlists on Qobuz and Tidal songs keep constantly being flagged as no longer available. So yes, having the music you love in the mix you like is an important factor.
For me, the equipment is not mutually exclusive to vinyl. I would have most of this stuff, even if i streamed exclusively. My vintage turntables and reel-to-reels are hooked to the same brand new Onkyo atmos theater receiver, that also serves as Bluetooth speakers for this phone, it's also connected to 4k player, mixer, game consoles, 2 computers, security system etc. The turntable plays through all 9 speakers, just like the 4k. The majority of the sound still comes through my 2 main Klipsch, but it's nice to get surround sound and sub sound even on the turntable. When HDMI first came out, I was worried that it wouldn't let me multi-task ( watch an HDMI tv source, while playing audio from an analog source). Thank God HDMI doesn't work that way. Thank God for HDMI ARC too
As a serious collector you had me smiling in agreement with several points. The collectible aspect of the hobby is something worth mentioning as well. What's funny about this hobby- as much as I love it and it makes me happy- I could not seriously recommend it to anyone unless I knew they had a genuine interest and appreciation in the history of music. As big as vinyl has become, much of it is also an illusion created by people buying records to decorate their walls, many of whom don't even own turntables.
I hear ya. I can't imagine really dedicating time to this if I didn't absolutely love music of all genres/eras/styles. Live music, streaming, vinyl, etc. It consumes me.
this was wonderful🎉 DITTO!!
I totally agree!
I agree .When you purchase or perfect a Good system that reviles the Music in those grooves, be it a new pressing or an old mono recording form 1955 , makes you more want to collect, but not allways the sound. Somtimes the joy of taking a chance on a low price record, bringing it home and hearing things i never heard before, cleaning an old record and learning about artists who recorded.
Some people don't understand the collecting of different versions of the same song or album. Back in the 1980s one of the selling points of the 12" singles was they would often have several different recordings of the "single" song. A live version, an instrumental version, a remiixed dance version, an extended version, radio edits and unedited versions, explicit lyrics version and a "clean" version.
For sure! Love EPs and singles of a lot of my favorite artists. Hidden gems on those!
For many of us the gear is a major factor.
I collected from '69 to '80 at a rate of about 3 a year. Don't have many, but I like 'em.
and... when I get old and my memory fades, my collection will be the music I fell in love with along the way, and not just EVERYTHING i ever listened to once.
Well said my friend!
For me, owning my media is the biggest part. Too many companies trying to take away ownership these days. I've seen so much of my unique music removed from spotify it's crazy.
Spotify, like most profit-driven streaming services, is a Pay-to-Be-Played operation. Titles may be removed, but it’s more likely that the fees aren’t renewed, prompting the tracks to disappear.
The other thing about bying records (in what ever form, even a digital download) is the artist gets to earn a living from it. An indepandant artist I was chatting to said for 200k streams on spotify his four piece band recervice £2 each, buy a CD and they get £5 and possibly £8 is you buy at a gig. Definatley your first point is a major reason "you are a collector" - its the pleaseure beyond just the LP itself.
Here is my reason why I got into vinyl. I have Spotify. I use it mainly for background noise when I'm cleaning or doing whatever. I tend to take the music for granted. With vinyl I'm very picky what I buy then when I buy I sit there and actually listen to the music and hear the lyrics on what the artist is saying. With vinyl I tend appreciate the music more. Also! With vinyl you get to go out and hunt for new music. It's fun unlike with your phone once again putting it as background noise.
I agree with the physical media part. I have always been a CD guy cause I grew up when cassette and cds were very popular in the 90s early 2000s. I was born in 87 before streaming and downloads were possible. I just recently got into vinyl tho a couple years ago around 2020 and don't have a big collection because of a few reasons one being I can go to the pawn shop or thrift store and get 50 CDs for 50 dollars where one vinyl album is 30 to 50 dollars. Another reason is with vinyl I'm forced to listen to it cause I have to turn over the record or change it out where a CD I just put it in and press play but I love both vinyl and CD but most of the time I'm probably gonna put in a CD or stream on my phone but streaming i really don't like it cause you don't own any of them albums on streaming then you have to pay a subscription then sometimes artists will remove their albums on there but it is convenient if you don't have a CD player or turntable.
Great video & commentary
Thanks!
Regarding the cost of a good vinyl setup, yeah you CAN spend a couple grand on new-or-used gear, but I've been amazed at how much sonic mileage I'm getting out of a 1982 Technics SL-D20 turntable which I bought for about a hundred bucks, put a new stylus on the original Pickering cartridge, run it through an ART DJPre and M-audio monitors, all together about $400 including cables. I get a good record and clean it up, put a little magic oil on it, put it on the table and ground out the static.... and some unbelievable sound happens. It does still cost a few bucks but the diligence of knowing the gear can negate the necessity of spending more than that much money on just the turntable. Hey brother, can you spare a Garrard 401?
I feel like you get me. It’s nice to be understood. Haha! Also, I have that same In Rainbows boxed set. I love it but it is a nuisance as it doesn’t fit well into my IKEA kallax shelves! Haha! Great video!
All of this! I also love the community that gets built between fellow collectors and shop owners. I've made a lot of friends via physical media collecting be it vinyl or my movie collection.
I beg to differ on the couple thousand dollars thing. The difference between cd and vinyl is pretty obvious (not better or worse, just different) and I think if you played them side by side on gear that cost less than a grand, most people could hear that something is different even if they can’t articulate how. I recently replaced my speakers and receiver and might have spent $600 total. My turntable including the cartridge cost me $129 back in 1982, and while I couldn’t tell you what something comparable would cost new today, but it couldn’t be THAT much. Decent gear is more affordable than some might think.
That’s awesome. Although I’ll say “decent” and “affordable” are both very open ended terms that are unique to each individual
@@NTXVinyl yes they can be open ended terms. in this particular case i meant them as decent enough to hear the difference between vinyl and cd, and affordable as in less than a couple thousand dollars (maybe less that one thousand dollars.)
I totally agree. On my system which was also less than 1000 dollars all together, the difference between vinyl and cd is very obvious. I also had a technics power amp for a while and that was nice until it died. When I upgraded to a newer cartridge it also made the sound clearer. The whole vinyl sound is there and it doesn't take 2000 dollars of equipment to tell.
@@bensan9 Awesome to hear! I've upgraded very gradually over the years. If I think back to my system 10 years ago - I was totally happy with it. But then I added a sub, and then a pre-amp, then upgraded from bookshelf speakers to towers, and then a new cartridge. And HOLY CRAP....night and day.
@@NTXVinyl don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying spending even more money won’t get even better results - it will - just that it’s not necessary to hear the difference between vinyl and cd. My wife is NOT an audiophile but when asked about it she said “something is different but I couldn’t tell you how.” When I cracked out Undercover by the stones for the first time in 30 plus years she asked “why is this so screechy?” And she’s right - it is. I guess the 80s were not kind to some records!
When it comes to vinyl records I feel like I'm part of the tracks its a wonderful feeling
The artwork and liner notes are crucial for me.
Same here. Total package
Great points. For me when I started collecting around 2005 there was no great streaming. And if you were a digger, say you wanted an early record by somebody if just wasn’t available. I’d go to the flea market every Saturday w/ $20. Come home with 20 records. Some might be junk but I still have hundreds of old blues records, metal, early rock n roll that were never released on cd at the time. To the point of owning your media. A lot of the ahem, kids these days are being normalized to owning nothing. Homes, records, books, movies. You can’t trade, sell, hold onto, bequeath these items anymore!! To me that is a real tragedy. Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Spotify and KZhead for digging and discovering. But at this point out of habit or support I’ll still buy the album if a new band puts one out.
Back in the days 80’s and 90’s collecting vinyl was very normal and how they got new music to play in their record player otherwise you had the radio a the main way of hearing music, but with buying records, you had control of what you wanted to listen to. Now 30 - 40 years later. It’s back but the only thing I miss is chasing new music on vinyl bc it’s now all about collecting vintage records and music.
One thing I notice buying records online is that they take out the vinyl out of the cover and put the cover and the record inside a plastic protector o like records being shipped that way, and maybe protecting the cover from edge wear, but what is the real reason everyone is doing that now and didn’t do in the past.
The purpose of removing the record from inside the cover is to prevent the record from moving while in transit and splitting the seems of the cardboard jacket/cover.
Those shelves you have look amazing and super sturdy. Have you ever done a video on them? Are they custom shelves?
They are built-ins. I replaced the shelves themselves with wood I bought, cut, and stained from Lowes. Nothing fancy, but way more supportive of all that weight.
Been collecting for 5 decades. On the sound issue my explanation is " The Orchestra Pit Effect"only vinyl will give you that sound effect. The second is for a long time collector my collection has become a time machine. Former National Retail chain store music buyer. Thanks good video.
Right on! Love to hear it. And thanks for watching my friend
First time watching , but you are spot on the ritual part..!
the main reason I collect records is not because I prefer it in anyway to streaming, i just like to be able to physically own my music, and a lot of artists i listen too only release on records, I do also collect cds but not as much compared to records because I dont have as many options with them, So for me its just about the physicality of it
Love to hear it
I gotta say right off the bat is I love the intro! It’s really well done
thanks so much!
Great video. For me, the ownership of the music, the sound of great tube amp 😮and vinyl. Finally, the actual listening to music 🤟🏽
Glad you enjoyed it!
To your producer buddy, it's like eating brownies wo being able to ever look at them. Looking at a big, beautiful brownie is part of the brownie-eating experience. THAT is why CD's never commanded the market or price that vinyl does. Also, the sheer SIZE of the media coupled with the book-like artwork is a perceived value that streaming and CD's cannot replicate. It is a TACTILE value as to sheer size and presentation. Also the artisan aspect of the ACTUAL pressing manufacturing process that goes into each individual piece of vinyl. CD's don't give off that same feeling of hands-on craftsmanship. CD's and streaming are "separate" and "distant" from the owner and the production seems cold and distant. Vinyl is very, very craftsmanship oriented. FYI, I am 61 yrs old. I was born in 1962 into a musician's household. I grew up with every media type, records, 8-track, cassettes, CD's, digital, streaming, and now back to vinyl. I feel somewhat "qualified" to express my experience-based opinion. I hope you find value in it. :))
Haha I love it!
Enjoy the video my friend very much! I don't have a high-end turntable. But I did drop enough money into it where I can enjoy it and I got a real good stylist. First time I've seen your channel I will subscribe
Thanks so much man! Appreciate you watching and subscribing
Thanks for the thoughts, my $0.02 added to your comments is that each vinyl record comes with a uniquely designed package and sleeve and provides a joyous visual entertainment which listening to streaming music lacks.
100% agree. The visual aspect of an LP is HUGE
I enjoyed your video.I found a sixties release of the Beatles Help soundtrack.The album jacket is very thick.They don't make them like they used to.
My record collection is a personal diary of my life every record brings back memories
Yeeeees! 100% agree
most of my mates ask me why i bother collecting vinyl when i can save money by listening to everything on spotify... i usually answer "because i like it, why do you play golf" i guess it helps if you grew up as a kid with records being the primary medium.
I have a $250 AT turntable, $200 speakers, and I hear a HUGE difference in sound compared to CDs or streaming. It's not even close. You don't need a $2000 + system to hear the difference.
There ya go! That’s awesome to hear
I have come to learn that even a modest record playback set-up can sound considerably better than a similarly-priced digital set-up. One would have to spend significantly more to get a digital playback system to go above and beyond, and that would still take more than MP3s or most CDs to compete. I also have to imagine that if one could throw all the money one wants at both, records would still draw most people in more.
Don't disagree with that!
"I collect records, therefore I am. (And my records express who I am.)" -- not attributed to René Descartes. Collectors are a breed apart. We like to assemble -- to build -- personal libraries that we invest with meaning, that speak to and reflect our vision of ourselves, our tastes, our experiences, our individual histories. They are always growing and evolving along with us, and we make efforts to find missing pieces and fill in the gaps as we spot them (or can afford them). That's something non-collectors don't necessarily get. And while I collected thousands of CDs between around 1984 and today, jewel boxes and little silver discs are just not the same as 12-inch cardboard jackets and delicate vinyl platters. (Also: I happen to love record labels -- their design and the musical genres and eras they recall. CDs seem a bit sterile in comparison.) And then there's the tactile element you mention. For me, nothing quite replicates the experience of positioning a tone arm over a record and lowering the stylus onto the surface (with a pop and maybe a slight swoosh as it enters the groove). It reminds me of that moment in a grand old movie palace when the lights go down and the curtain opens, something no multiplex could ever replicate. It's a physical sensation, a feeling of anticipation like nothing else. So, there's that. I enjoy the sensory experience of analog, going so far as to invest in a classic 1964 tube amp (The Fisher 500C, designed by the guy Avery Fisher Hall was named after), a vintage Thorens turntable and various classic speakers (Large Advents, Dynaco A25s) in an attempt to create a Full Analog Hi-Fi Experience. And that either matters to you, or it doesn't.
My top 10 reasons in no particular order: 1. Nostalgia is a big one. The record is a time capsule. 2. Buying new records to support the artist. 3. Sound is better OFTEN, not always. 4. The hunt, digging for record can be extremely rewarding when you strike gold. 5. The artwork, photos, innersleeves, lyricsheets it all tells a bigger story about that artist at that point. Also reading on the cover about who produced it, who played bass and so is really fun and educating. 6. Discovering new music, don't know how many bands I've discovered through looking at the cover and thinking this looks cool or reading that it's produced by a great producer, or even wow this is on a vertigo swirl, must be good. 7. The community, met alot of great people with the same hobby. 8. Forcing me to listen to the record the way the artist intended, some records really need the pause between side one and two and to that you listen to the songs in the correct order. 9. When your collection and taste grows you discover how much music exists that isn't on Spotify. Even albums of big artists that don't exist online. 10. Owning the album.
NAILED IT
My record collection along with my stereo set up and listening room all give me a higher satisfaction of the music experience as a listener and as a fan.
Amen to that! Totally agree. I appreciate an LP on the turntable so much more than just click play on my phone
I have stuff that was never released to CD only on vinyl which in itself gives history back to the listener.
I throughly disagree with your first point, though I do understand where you are coming from, an ultimate setup is the best way to hear vinyl, well any media for that matter. But you can hear the difference even with lover level equipment. For a fun family room addition we bought a Victoral Empire 6-1 system. For audiophiles this would be considered lower end, and that's fine. We hooked it up to a pair of Edifier RT1700BT speakers. We bought of few albums from a used record store, Norah Jones, Boston, and a few others. We had both the Boston and Norah Jones also on CD, we decided for giggles to compare all three media since this has bluetooth, So played Don't know why Norah Jones, and More than a Feeling Boston through all 3. We can easily tell the differnce between all 3 the warmness of vinyl still comes through even at the lower level,, CD sounding like CD's crisp and clear, and streaming was easily noticiably the worst, So while I agree the best way to hear the music is through higher end equipment, I disagree wholeheartedly that you can't hear the difference. I'm a Gen Xer in my mid 50's and I'll admit I started to get back in vinyl while witnessing my 10 year going through the albums at our local Barnes and Noble and was hit with the nostalgia bug, of going to Record Town, Strawberries Camelot music as a teenager on Saturday and thumbing through albums buy Floyd, The Cars Iron Maiden etc. Love it the experience, love the ritual, love the sound .
So basically the reason vinyl collectors collect vinyl are the same reasons that everybody else does not! :) 1. Sound quality. People who care about sound quality will have a decent sound system and will source the best quality audio, whether that comes from vinyl, CD, whatever. Most of the time, not always, but most of the time a lossless digital track will sound much better than vinyl. Therefore, for people who are interested in the sound quality of the music the medium is irrelevant, they will have no loyalty to vinyl or CD or whatever format, they only care about the actual music. 2. The ritual thing. If you're into that whole thing, sure, horses for courses, whatever floats your boat. For people who are not into that, vinyl sets up obstacles that impedes their listening enjoyment. If you don't have time to invest in the hunt then chasing vinyl detracts from time spent doing other things, especially when you are not just chasing a particular album but looking for a specific pressing of an album because the quality of pressings, mixes, etc varies greatly. The physical act of cleaning the record, placing it on the turntable, flipping sides, etc, is a waste of time. The inability (at worst) or difficulty (at best) of skipping tracks you don't like is a pain in the arse. The risk of scratching your record if the dog runs through the house and bumps the turntable, every time you play the record it is wearing out and a worn stylus can ruin your record, the potential for warping, wow and flutter, hiss, pops and crackles, storage space, etc... it all detracts from the enjoyment of the music. 3. Physical media. I agree that owning your music is better than renting it. But digital is not restricted to streaming. Lossless digital files, obtained from the best source possible, on a hard drive means your music is conveniently accessible at the highest possible quality. And it is portable if you want it to be so. You can play whatever tracks in whatever order from whatever artist you want so that your valuable time is maximised for the enjoyment of the music. And you own it! If vinyl collecting is your hobby, go for it. More power to you. Enjoy it. Have fun. I understand that. But for everybody else who wants to listen to music and doesn't care about the medium, then vinyl is an awful format.
I think that you are pretty much right on. But, I have to disagree about the sound. No matter the format, each has it's own idiosyncrasies. You got records then you've got ticks, pops, surface noise and other pressing factors. You got tape, then you are dealing with tape hiss, especially on pre-recorded tapes. Most companies wouldn't use anywhere near the quality of tape stock which you could buy as blank tape. The faster the tape speed is the wider the frequency you can put on that tape. The hiss is still there but it's frequency has also gone up so it isn't so evident. Then, at the mixing stage, you are adding the original tape hiss to the new tape. Then, if we are lucky, they join all those tapes together on one reel and cut a lacquer disc to make records from. The next scenario is they record the original album master, made up of multiple tapes joined together, and record it to another one-piece master tape, adding more hiss to the new tape. Then there are the consumer pre-recorded tapes, which are mastered at a slower, appropriate speed, but then transferred to the tapes we buy at high speed on multiple recorders simultaneously. OK. Sure your personal playback equipment matters and $100. Crosleys aren't going give you the best sound, which is often akin to the old cheap transistor radios. It is good to invest in quality equipment but you can go way overboard and be led to believe the more money you spend the better the sound will be. Wrong. The more higher end the equipment is, the more it will bring out what is actually in the grooves. This includes the ticks, pops and surface noise. I have come to realize that when they designed those stereo console ang high quality portables, they also designed them to cover up the sounds that make listening less enjoyable. For the same reason they design more expensive headphones and ear buds to cover up the distracting noises. Was IGD ever an issue with the old stereo equipment? I don't ever remember it ever being an issue nor hearing anyone mention it. So, if you go with expensive playback equipment, you are going to have to invest in more expensive equipment to filter out those distracting sounds. That's if you play stuff live. If you record it digitally, in a lossless format, there are filtering programs which with strip away the adverse sounds effectively and the programs cost a fraction of the cost of an line sound processor. There is a happy medium in spending money on equipment and when spending more money just doesn't pencil out. We have to remember that records use pennies worth of plastics, no matter the quality of those plastics. Probably the highest cost of physically manufacturing a record is in the mastering of the source material and cutting it to a master lacquer disc. Then the process goes downhill from there. The manufacturing stages are plagued by in-experienced people doing the work along with using equipment which is older than many of the people who buy the final products. No matter what you do to the manufacturing equipment nor how much modifications are done to that equipment, it is only new once. Oh, then, is the quality control phase. The ones doing it often had no idea what a record was before they started working there, Hence, too many defects leave the building. The responsibility then shifts to the people selling those records. Luckily for them, the people who buy the records often don't know what good quality of a record is, so they accept what they receive.