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Post by milsap195 on Jul 5, 2014 22:02:11 GMT -5
Is there really that much difference in the sound quality? Import or domestic, worth the extra $$?
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Post by briank on Jul 5, 2014 22:18:58 GMT -5
Is there really that much difference in the sound quality? Import or domestic, worth the extra $$? It's all really "hit or miss". Some of my old pressings sound better than my new ones and vice versa. Imports usually sound good but often have scuff marks even when new. Most of the 45rpm 180 gram records sound good if your table allows for easy speed changes. |
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Post by daveburt on Jul 5, 2014 22:39:24 GMT -5
Not sure how much this'll help milsap195,I've been recording a lot of vinyl (from my younger days), and it sounds great @ 24/96k (FLAC)... I clip the first few seconds from the needle drop, and the last few before the stylus returns. As long as the LP is in good shape and you clean the record & stylus before recording the sound quality awesome! (I'm an old fart and still love the sound of vinyl)... Of course a purist would give me crap about converting in general.  Recording it @ the higher bit rate/frequency still sounds better to me than most commercial CD conversions.  IMHO, it all comes down to the quality of the LP. If it's vintage and in excellent shape, it should sound as good as any re-press. Have fun with your new TT Bud! Dave |
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jul 6, 2014 0:27:01 GMT -5
Not sure how much this'll help milsap195,I've been recording a lot of vinyl (from my younger days), and it sounds great @ 24/96k (FLAC)... I clip the first few seconds from the needle drop, and the last few before the stylus returns. As long as the LP is in good shape and you clean the record & stylus before recording the sound quality awesome! (I'm an old fart and still love the sound of vinyl)... Of course a purist would give me crap about converting in general. Recording it @ the higher bit rate/frequency still sounds better to me than most commercial CD conversions. IMHO, it all comes down to the quality of the LP. If it's vintage and in excellent shape, it should sound as good as any re-press. Have fun with your new TT Bud! Dave daveburt, does an LP fit on a CD when recorded at a high bit rate. Never done this but would love the quality recordings. Do you need something better to record with then a cheap USB TT? Are there different quality USB TT ? thanks. Nick |
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Post by audiobill on Jul 6, 2014 5:15:50 GMT -5
IMO, only older vinyl, recorded via analog recorders and in great shape is worth the pursuit.
Since the early '80's, digital mastering recorders have largely been used, and in that case the digital form of playback IS the original........
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Post by briank on Jul 6, 2014 5:26:10 GMT -5
IMO, only older vinyl, recorded via analog recorders and in great shape is worth the pursuit. Since the early '80's, digital mastering recorders have largely been used, and in that case the digital form of playback IS the original........ Totally agree and a very good point. If going with new vinyl look for those recorded from the original analog tapes. The ones recorded from digital suck.  |
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Post by audiobill on Jul 6, 2014 8:24:35 GMT -5
The Dap Kings (Amy Winehouse used their studio) uses only tube analog recorders, currently for their highly praised work.
Check it out on youtube.
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Post by milsap195 on Jul 6, 2014 10:13:06 GMT -5
It seems like a lot of the new vinyl is getting some good reviews. New pressing from the stones, zeppelin and eagles are favorable while some other artists are not. With just starting my turntable journey I don't want to become a vinyl snob and nor do i want to have to worry about having to get the import version of an lp from 1972 that is 1/2 % better than the new pressing or one of the other vintage pressings. Doing that with my cd collection took joy out of listening. Am I off on my thinking?
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jul 6, 2014 10:42:57 GMT -5
New vinyl, read the reviews,I bought sight unseen the new LZ,,,,happy! Happy!, happy, Just great Remasters. Moral, if you like the band/ group/ artist, then just get it. Some winners some losers. Most for me have been winners. Use routed, I've been very lucky! Great stuff cheap and in mint condition for pennies on the dollar. I have old original stuff, some great some used a lot more then the life span. I buy new when I can get good material. Brows e-bay, found some great stuff. Invest in a " Spin Clean " even for new vinyl. Factory isn't the cleanest place in the world. I've cleaned some goners and now they sound new  Nick |
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Post by plm on Jul 6, 2014 12:25:07 GMT -5
One tip is search for the album on the Dynamic Range Database (Google it). If the DR is the same for the vinyl as the CD then you probably want to stay away from it. If it's significantly higher then you can tell that they've put some effort into a vinyl master. It's also worth comparing against the original CD release (since most classics have been remastered) and also the original vinyl if anyone has catalogued it.
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Post by daveburt on Jul 7, 2014 1:12:31 GMT -5
daveburt, does an LP fit on a CD when recorded at a high bit rate. Never done this but would love the quality recordings. Do you need something better to record with then a cheap USB TT? Are there different quality USB TT ? thanks. Nick Most of the rips I've done so far are in the 100-200 Meg range (per side). The largest so far was side 1 of Abbey Road @ 233 megs. So yeah, you could easily get 2 to 4 sides on a CD @ 24/96, but it's a lot easier off a file server...  I can't comment on the USB TT's though, never used one. I'm using a vintage (1980's) Phillips with a preamp I bought at Guitar center: www.guitarcenter.com/BBE-FJB-200X-Phono-Preamp-103540886-i1155721.gcIt sounds fine but I would've spent the few extra $$$ and bought the Emo preamp If I'd known they sold them...  |
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Post by briank on Jul 7, 2014 5:11:56 GMT -5
New vinyl, read the reviews,I bought sight unseen the new LZ,,,,happy! Happy!, happy, Just great Remasters. Moral, if you like the band/ group/ artist, then just get it. Some winners some losers. Most for me have been winners. Use routed, I've been very lucky! Great stuff cheap and in mint condition for pennies on the dollar. I have old original stuff, some great some used a lot more then the life span. I buy new when I can get good material. Brows e-bay, found some great stuff. Invest in a " Spin Clean " even for new vinyl. Factory isn't the cleanest place in the world. I've cleaned some goners and now they sound new Nick There is some great sounding older vinyl too. My older Elvis stuff for example sounds good. Below is a link to my "old" Tracy Chapman pressing that sounds pretty good. youtu.be/sZw2H_IOi_AI agree spin clean works great on all records, old or new. One thing I discovered is to rinse the record with clean water after washing in the spin clean before you wipe it off. |
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Post by drtrey3 on Jul 7, 2014 8:47:54 GMT -5
Yeah, it really depends on how much time and trouble the people took who mastered and pressed the vinyl. I have heard great sounding contemporary and vintage vinyl and nasty sounding examples of both as well. If the people involved work at it, vinyl sounds wonderful! But then, that is the same for digital.
Trey
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novisnick
EmoPhile
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Post by novisnick on Jul 7, 2014 8:56:01 GMT -5
New vinyl, read the reviews,I bought sight unseen the new LZ,,,,happy! Happy!, happy, Just great Remasters. Moral, if you like the band/ group/ artist, then just get it. Some winners some losers. Most for me have been winners. Use routed, I've been very lucky! Great stuff cheap and in mint condition for pennies on the dollar. I have old original stuff, some great some used a lot more then the life span. I buy new when I can get good material. Brows e-bay, found some great stuff. Invest in a " Spin Clean " even for new vinyl. Factory isn't the cleanest place in the world. I've cleaned some goners and now they sound new Nick There is some great sounding older vinyl too. My older Elvis stuff for example sounds good. Below is a link to my "old" Tracy Chapman pressing that sounds pretty good. youtu.be/sZw2H_IOi_AI agree spin clean works great on all records, old or new. One thing I discovered is to rinse the record with clean water after washing in the spin clean before you wipe it off. Why? Have you had a problem? I haven't . Please let me know. Nick |
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Post by briank on Jul 7, 2014 9:29:07 GMT -5
There is some great sounding older vinyl too. My older Elvis stuff for example sounds good. Below is a link to my "old" Tracy Chapman pressing that sounds pretty good. youtu.be/sZw2H_IOi_AI agree spin clean works great on all records, old or new. One thing I discovered is to rinse the record with clean water after washing in the spin clean before you wipe it off. Why? Have you had a problem? I haven't . Please let me know. Nick Myself and some others have noticed getting pop and clicks when using the spin clean soap. One guy said he switched to using just water with good results. I found that just rinsing the record under the tap after the wash solved the problem for me. |
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jul 7, 2014 9:44:19 GMT -5
Why? Have you had a problem? I haven't . Please let me know. Nick Myself and some others have noticed getting pop and clicks when using the spin clean soap. One guy said he switched to using just water with good results. I found that just rinsing the record under the tap after the wash solved the problem for me. Oh, OK. When I dry my LPs I use a wet drying towel and then a final dry and then air dry. So in essence I'm removing the soap residue, also, I am very reserve on the amount of soap I use. My vinyl plays flawlessly after treatment. Thanks so much! Nick |
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Post by monkumonku on Jul 7, 2014 9:52:11 GMT -5
Why? Have you had a problem? I haven't . Please let me know. Nick Myself and some others have noticed getting pop and clicks when using the spin clean soap. One guy said he switched to using just water with good results. I found that just rinsing the record under the tap after the wash solved the problem for me. Why not do an experiment and compare a record washed with that soap versus washed with water (perhaps distilled water)? I remember back in my vinyl days, some records sounded worse after "cleaning" them with solutions - lots more ticks and pops. |
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Post by monkumonku on Jul 7, 2014 9:56:20 GMT -5
Myself and some others have noticed getting pop and clicks when using the spin clean soap. One guy said he switched to using just water with good results. I found that just rinsing the record under the tap after the wash solved the problem for me. Oh, OK. When I dry my LPs I use a wet drying towel and then a final dry and then air dry. So in essence I'm removing the soap residue, also, I am very reserve on the amount of soap I use. My vinyl plays flawlessly after treatment. Thanks so much! Nick Your drying towel could be making harmful microscopic marks on your vinyl (I am sure there is some special towel available that costs hundreds of dollars that will prevent this from happening, though) so perhaps you ought to air dry your records with a blow dryer or compressed air (but it has to be in a sterile, dust free room so you don't blow dust and other microscopic particles onto the record and scar them like asteroids and meteors hitting the moon). Or on a clear day hang them out on the laundry line (but use a special velvetized clothespin). |
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Post by milsap195 on Jul 7, 2014 10:02:46 GMT -5
Ordered a spin clean last night and the Mofi cleaning bundle that had the stylus brush/solution, mofi one cleaning solution, record brush, and static sleeves. Everything was 10% off.
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Jul 7, 2014 10:28:47 GMT -5
At 44.1/16 a CD will hold between 60 minutes and 80 minutes UNCOMPRESSED (the blanks come in different sizes). Going up to 24/96 UNCOMPRESSED about triples the data rate - so you would get about 20 - 25 minutes (again uncompressed). By using FLAC, which gives you compression, you will get to approximately double that again (to about 40 - 50 minutes). The amount of compression you get will vary depending on the content itself (between about 50% and about 70%). (Note that there isn't much size difference between the different compression levels on FLAC.) Therefore, most albums should fit... However, since FLAC files on a CD can basically only be played on a computer anyway (not a regular CD player), I would suggest using DVD blanks rather than CD blanks. DVD blanks are very cheap these days; they hold about five times as much as a CD-R; they are actually more resistant to damage than a CD-R (they are more sensitive to scratches, but the label side is much better protected from handling damage); and most devices that can play a FLAC file off a CD-R will just as happily do so from a DVD-R. Virtually all modern computers can record and play either. A "USB turntable" is a turntable with a phono preamp and A/D (analog-to-digital converter) built in. All of those components individually vary widely in terms of audio quality - and price; you can spend anywhere between $29 and $10,000 for a phono preamp; up to about $5k for a "consumer" ADC; and anywhere between $100 and the price of a small house for a turntable and cartridge. There are a limited number of all-in-one "USB turntables", and all are at the lower end of that range; most are in the below-$200 range, but I believe there is at least one (Audio Technica ??) that is a bit better. I would expect a $199 USB turntable to deliver performance equal to a $100 turntable and cartridge, a $50 phono preamp, and a $50 ADC (or a $29 computer sound card). Note that you will pay at least three or four times that much for a "decent" turntable and cartridge alone... and you can easily pay ten or twenty times as much for an expensive one, so, to a point, you do get what you pay for... and it depends on your "level of expectation" in terms of the sound quality you hope to achieve. I also wouldn't bet on hearing any difference between digitizing your music at 16/44.1 and 24/96 unless you have a very good turntable and ADC (using the higher sample rate is only going to preserve the improvement in quality if it's there to begin with). I also mention this because I suspect that the cheaper "USB turntables" may not offer you any sample rates above 16/44.1 - and I wouldn't see that as a "limitation" in terms of the quality you're going to get for $200 anyway. If you're willing to spend a bit more money, or want a bit more flexibility, you can now buy a combination phono preamp and USB A/D converter - which would allow you to use a regular turntable and cartridge. I don't know any specifics, but you can Google "USB phono preamp" and see lots of options there.... Incidentally, one of the great benefits of digitizing your vinyl is that you can edit out the ticks and pops You will also notice that the really cheap ones may not offer higher ample rates than 16/44.1 - and, because of the other limitations, you jmight not hear any difference there if they did. Not sure how much this'll help milsap195,I've been recording a lot of vinyl (from my younger days), and it sounds great @ 24/96k (FLAC)... I clip the first few seconds from the needle drop, and the last few before the stylus returns. As long as the LP is in good shape and you clean the record & stylus before recording the sound quality awesome! (I'm an old fart and still love the sound of vinyl)... Of course a purist would give me crap about converting in general. Recording it @ the higher bit rate/frequency still sounds better to me than most commercial CD conversions. IMHO, it all comes down to the quality of the LP. If it's vintage and in excellent shape, it should sound as good as any re-press. Have fun with your new TT Bud! Dave daveburt, does an LP fit on a CD when recorded at a high bit rate. Never done this but would love the quality recordings. Do you need something better to record with then a cheap USB TT? Are there different quality USB TT ? thanks. Nick |
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