LP Upkeep and its Worthiness

[Dave_72]

Some of us continue to listen to surround sound on LPs, in which case the phenomenon is called quadrophony because there are 4 channels.

The quadrophonic LPs are, admittedly, a mixed bunch, and some of them are best avoided in favour of a stereo edition.

There are 3 quadrophonic formats that enjoyed some popularity: SQ, QS and CD-4; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrophony

There is even a new CD-4 decoder in development (no affiliation): http://bit.ly/12VgHeG

Background noise is nearly eliminated on DBX encoded LPs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dbx_(no...)#dbx_on_vinyl

To avoid wearing out the best LPs, I record them on my Teac AL-700 elcaset (http://www.thevintageknob.org/teac-AL-700.html).

It is, of course, easier and cheaper to play CDs and other digital formats, but not nearly as much fun ;-)

Cool, sounds good. Nice cassette deck. I have a Nakamichi CR-7 that's non operational. I used to record LPs on that too. Maybe I'll get it fixed one of these days.

No, not as much fun! I'll agree 100 percent with you on that!

[Mr. Widget]

To avoid wearing out the best LPs, I record them on my Teac AL-700 elcaset (http://www.thevintageknob.org/teac-AL-700.html).

Ah yes... back in the days of glorious analog I copied all of my records onto R to R tapes... I still have the tapes and have an Otari MX-5050 deck... unfortunately I have no room for the deck and it's roll around stand in my listening room.

I hope to one day revisit the old Fidelity Research cartridge and Threashold preamp I used back then.


Widget

[Wornears]

Widget said: "Ah yes... back in the days of glorious analog I copied all of my records onto R to R tapes."

Thank goodness I managed to avoid that transfer medium for my albums. My kids are merciless as I pack up CDs, cassettes, minidiscs, and albums in our downsizing mission. "How many versions of this record do you have, dad?"

I will be the first to admit that carrying a couple of my 2-terabyte external disc drives (about half full with FLAC music files) is easier to get up the stairs to a third floor apartment.

[macaroonie]

Ah yes... back in the days of glorious analog I copied all of my records onto R to R tapes... I still have the tapes and have an Otari MX-5050 deck... unfortunately I have no room for the deck and it's roll around stand in my listening room.

I hope to one day revisit the old Fidelity Research cartridge and Threashold preamp I used back then.


Widget

This one perchance ? Pure hi fi porn. Nelson made some tasty gear in those days.

[Dave_72]

This one perchance ? Pure hi fi porn. Nelson made some tasty gear in those days.

Oh yeah. And the Pass Labs stuff is good too, imo.

[jblsound]

I don't think the sonic benefits, real or imagined, of vinyl are the driving force behind the resurgence of vinyl. I think there are those who do enjoy the "analog sound", but many are drawn to a nostalgia or access to unavailable music, or even the novelty of spinning big black discs.

I certainly agree with the importance mentioned by some of the convenience of digital... Hell I rarely spin CDs as they are too much bother...

I do play mostly digital redbook files through my Bryston DAC which sound pretty damned good, but I do think good analog often has better spatial information than most Redbook digital files. Of course this is only important if your listening is done in the sweet spot and your speakers image well.


Widget

The 180, 200 gram vinyl are superior to the '70s super thin vinyl. I consider most '60s vinyl to be better than the '70s.
I have a few recordings on all sources; vinyl, cd, sacd, 96/24. And it can vary from day to day which I like better.
Last year was 50 years since I bought my first stereo LP, all the ones before then were all mono.
Through careful handling and cleaning over that 1/2 century that LP still sounds very good, and no snap/crackle/pops.
But a few months ago I downloaded that same album on iTunes, which was remastered in '99 and 5 additional songs added.
And as I have my macbook pro's audio set to 96k, that download is better. I assume the remastering has a lot to do with that.

[jblsound]

I don't think the sonic benefits, real or imagined, of vinyl are the driving force behind the resurgence of vinyl. I think there are those who do enjoy the "analog sound", but many are drawn to a nostalgia or access to unavailable music, or even the novelty of spinning big black discs.

I certainly agree with the importance mentioned by some of the convenience of digital... Hell I rarely spin CDs as they are too much bother...

I do play mostly digital redbook files through my Bryston DAC which sound pretty damned good, but I do think good analog often has better spatial information than most Redbook digital files. Of course this is only important if your listening is done in the sweet spot and your speakers image well.


Widget

The 180, 200 gram vinyl are superior to the '70s super thin vinyl. I consider most '60s vinyl to be better than the '70s.
The real problem with some '60s LPs were the idiot way they were recorded, like the hole in the middle stereo recordings.

I have a few recordings on all sources; vinyl, cd, sacd, 96/24. And it can vary from day to day which I like better.
Last year was 50 years since I bought my first stereo LP, all the ones before then were all mono.
Through careful handling and cleaning over that 1/2 century that LP still sounds very good, and no snap/crackle/pops.
But a few months ago I downloaded that same album on iTunes, which was remastered in '99 and 5 additional songs added.
And as I have my macbook pro's audio set to 96k, that download is better. I assume the remastering has a lot to do with that.

There was only about a 5 year year period I did not have a TT in the system. And picked up a new Marantz TT exactly 3 years ago, which makes playing 200 gr vinyl much easier. The old Yamaha TT provided almost no clearance for those thick LPs.

[SEAWOLF97]

Ah yes... back in the days of glorious analog I copied all of my records onto R to R tapes...
Widget

In '69 I was stationed at a Naval Security base in DaNang, RVN ....there was no LIBERTY : ie: you did NOT leave base after dark except on official business
.
So your after dinner choices were limited to either THE CLUB, THE MOVIE (usually a bed sheet hung up for a screen) or THE LIBRARY.

THE LIBRARY had 7 or 8 copy stations set up permanently. They were R2R recorders and TT's ...go buy your own tape , come on over to borrow LP's and make tapes. Most everyone had a R2R deck next to their rack with headphones ....the whole system worked out well ,
UNTIL a 122mm rocket landed near our quarters. The concussion bounced my R2R deck over the top of me as I listened, then bounced me onto the floor on top of the deck. That was the end of my dubbing activities (deck broke) .
Think I junked out that deck and gave away all those Ampex 1800's ..

By the time of my second tour, I had "graduated " up to a Sony TC-110 mono transcription cassette deck. Creedence tapes were like gold. So 1970 took an R&R to Hong Kong ...remember being in a basement night club and hearing "Midnight Special" ...Damn, sure sounds like CCR ?? (but i'd never heard it) ..searched out the tape ...turned out to be "Willy & The Poor Boys" ...hand carried that back to my new squadron ...nobody had ever heard it either ....we copied that cassette so many times that we wore out the tape ..luckily I had made a 1st gen copy for myself.

[gferrell]

Thats a great story SEAWOLF!

[SEAWOLF97]

Thats a great story SEAWOLF!

the destroyed unit was a Panny with little wing speaker guides. When it was time to come home for good, I just ordered a TEAC 4010-S from Japan and had it mailed home (then missed the tapes that I'd given away )

I still dub LP's ...either to digi files or to MD (the MP3's or FLAC's go onto the Nano and I review them whilst bike riding.)

Dubbing to the PC is fun ...you can tweek to your hearts delight ...on the noise removal section , you can play back JUST the removed noise , before you dump it, and dial in just how aggressive you'd like the cleanup to be.

our old dub setup at the library also had a Dokoder "Dub-a-tape" ...it had 2 supply and 2 take up reels ...it dubbed R2R tapes ...new LP's spread like wildfire around our unit.

[SEAWOLF97]

so you have to keep the TT working too .... here is a good tip from a CL ad.

"Sansui Turntable RS-1050C - $125 (inner SE PDX)

My girlfriends father had this in his attic and I'm selling it for him. I have the original box, it's packing, dustcover, and the manual. It needs a drivebelt.I made a drive belt for a different turntable for less than 10 bucks about 15 years ago and it still works on that turntable. You just get some o-ring rubber and use the glue and glue the ends together. Mine has never failed. The store on 24th and E Burnside can help you, Air-Oil Products Corp. These pictures I took off the internet."

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ele/3665570262.html

[SEAWOLF97]

I'm satisfied with the Pioneer PL-L1000 linear track unit I use these days. The music has always taken precedent over the hardware for me anyway.

I HAD a Pioneer PL-L1000A ...the platter was suspended separately from the chassis that was so heavy that eventually the springs sagged. That made the clearances change and resulted in scraping . There are so many TT's around here that I didn't attempt to fix it. I was the 4th owner, then sold it, then got an email from the current owner (he found my posts about it here on LHF and joined so he could message me) . Current owner bought it from my buyer and now had it relisted on CL. Anyway, his question was about a replacement spring set that he found on eBay..sounds like the sagging is a known problem with this model.

Changing gears a bit here. I recently had the "Immersion Box set of DSOM" .. It had multi disks , DVD's & CD's and in different bit rates. Got to admit that the high rez DVD-A sounded fantastic. In the booklet it mentioned that by the time DSOM was ready to cut to vinyl, they were on a 3rd generation tape. To make this new set, a first gen tape was located , the result was spectacular. Floyd has never sounded so good.

[DavidF]

"...In '69 I was stationed at a Naval Security base in DaNang, RVN.....UNTIL a 122mm rocket landed near our quarters. The concussion bounced my R2R deck over the top of me as I listened, then bounced me onto the floor on top of the deck. That was the end of my dubbing activities (deck broke) .
Think I junked out that deck and gave away all those Ampex 1800's ..""

Makes me wonder everytime I see a made-for-TV explosion. Big yellow flames and smoke. Everyone gets up and just dusts themselves off. Someone says "you OK" as if their hearing wasn't effected at all. Where was the frikin cuncussion wave?? Maybe it helped to have those earphones on at the time.

So how many dubs from dubs until there is really no true sound left? Still, I am sure you and others struggled to find a little piece of home in SE Asia and music was certainly a good means to keep in touch. Glad you made it home and you have my respect for getting through it.

[SEAWOLF97]

Maybe it helped to have those earphones on at the time.

So how many dubs from dubs until there is really no true sound left?

thx David ...DaNang is a large bay and bowl ...we had trouble locating impacts by sound alone , heck many of those rockets fell on the beach or water. This particular one left shrapnel in the side of our hooch.

Music from home meant a link back to "The World" ...the PX stocked mostly CCR and they are now permanent favorites. When we returned in 2004, as much as I like the people (the old lady is VN , I sponsored her family out and was trained at Monterey in the language) , US music was greatly missed. On the next trip in '07, I made sure to take along the iPod completely loaded with faves. (lots of CCR & Santana, of course)

sound quality, even after all the dubs, wasn't the most important consideration back then. Just possessing the media was. AFVN (Armed Forces VN radio) and Kasey Kassem's Top 40 was a big help too.