Did you guys know that it's cool again to play vinyl records? So says the Chicago Tribune. Did you luddites realize that you had been uncool until today?

From the article:

More specifically, vinyl represents a listening experience.

Whoa, you mean sound comes from those things? Next someone will tell me that "books" represent a "reading experience." Are books cool again too, by the way?

Yup. The June Forbes has an article on turntables, too.

BadComrade wrote:

"New Rule: Stop telling me that vinyl records sound warmer than CDs. I was alive in the '70s, you dip-shit hipsters. I know what vinyl sounds like. Scratchy. And when your friend throws you the bong and it hits the tone arm, your Foghat record is ruined, man! Plus, when you've got a chick over and you're getting your groove on, every 20 minutes, you've got get up out of the beanbag chair and flip over the Ray Stevens album."

- Bill Maher (April 13th, 2007)

I remember this. Genius.

sounds like chi trib and forbes are 10 steps behind everyone else.

There's even a new technology for vinyl, called 180 gram, that is thicker than old records and, according to aficionados, firmly keeps the needle in the grooves and thus improves sound.

this is priceless.

Steve V. wrote:

BadComrade wrote:

"New Rule: Stop telling me that vinyl records sound warmer than CDs. I was alive in the '70s, you dip-shit hipsters. I know what vinyl sounds like. Scratchy. And when your friend throws you the bong and it hits the tone arm, your Foghat record is ruined, man! Plus, when you've got a chick over and you're getting your groove on, every 20 minutes, you've got get up out of the beanbag chair and flip over the Ray Stevens album."

- Bill Maher (April 13th, 2007)

I remember this. Genius.

Amazing.

Bagging on mainstream media is as easy as [insert cliche here], but hey, if some dork's article about how vinyl is "cool" again helps bring it to the attention of the masses, and they start buying more LPs, that can only be a good thing for everyone.

Serious question:

How good (terms: $$, brands, specific components) does your stereo system have to be before you can appreciate the awesome difference between CDs & vinyl?

This is coming from a guy with a couple-few thousand of both types of media, but has never had a system where a serious A/B experiment would be worth the effort.

You know; decent speakers (KLH, early 1990s), decent amp/receiver (Sony STR-AV something from 1988), decent turntable (Onkyo direct drive; I forget the needle/cartridge) but nothing world-class.

& bear in mind that I'm aware that tubes really warm up the sound & all. Can I have a warm vinyl sound with a solid state amp? Does the warmth of tubes noticably enhance the warmth of vinyl AND CDs? Does vinyl really have this innate "warmth," or is there a better term?

I'm asking for a dissertation, I know; if anyone feels like contributing, I'm happy to "pay it forward" with a detailed overview of UK pop-punk in the 1990s.


Mr. Graham

Now I have to toss the turntable and all those records so I can be in with the out crowd. Bring on the cassettes... Fuck that, I'm rocking wire recorders from now on. I gots cred bitch!

newberry wrote:Next someone will tell me that "books" represent a "reading experience."

Once I stopped spitting coffee on my keyboard, I got sad.