Total Fuckdown for Vinyl Nerds

[checkoutgirl]

I've had an elderly member of family corner me at a Christmas do and explain the leap forward in quality from HD TV to 4K. They are legally blind.

Wasn't there a whole thing in the nineties of people flogging leads with gold in them for TVs and hi-fis because its sounded better? And then it turned out to be a big scam.

Same deal with this analogue masters thing. Nobody knows what the fuck they're talking about and nobody can hear any noticeable difference but they enjoy winning arguments.

[Goldentony]

I should add that I've never heard this edition so I can't confirm how much sweating is audible. Though I've read you can hear Bill Berry letting out the odd sly squeaker of a fart between drum fills on many of the tracks.

I used to see these at record fairs for wild amounts of money but tons of them were Guns N' Roses if I remember right. Im looking at the prices for them now and I wish i'd done more tactical shoplifting.

[buzby]

Wasn't there a whole thing in the nineties of people flogging leads with gold in them for TVs and hi-fis because its sounded better? And then it turned out to be a big scam.

Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) leads are still a big thing in the audiophile world (for example, Naim Audio's bespoke Snaic interconnect leads for their separates go for around £200 a pop.

Gold plated connectors are pretty much universal on everything now, because they actually make a difference - mainly due to the fact they don't corrode or get a tarnish layer like copper, brass or silver would, which increases their resistance over time.

[pupshaw]

looks quite viz

Found it

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=cris.shapan&set=a.1384116358475

Pretty prolific. The Michael Caine one is right at the end of 599 similar items. They're all very well executed. Similar to the National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper parody but not quite as funny, but still quite funny, but not like really funny. Not as good as Viz at its very best.

[FalknerHinton]

Wasn't there a whole thing in the nineties of people flogging leads with gold in them for TVs and hi-fis because its sounded better? And then it turned out to be a big scam.

Same deal with this analogue masters thing. Nobody knows what the fuck they're talking about and nobody can hear any noticeable difference but they enjoy winning arguments.

Yeah you still see people in Curry's or similar trying to upsell gold plated HDMI cables to little old ladies occasionally.

[checkoutgirl]

Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) leads are still a big thing in the audiophile world (for example, Naim Audio's bespoke Snaic interconnect leads for their separates go for around £200 a pop.

Do you mean they're big thing because they are proven to work? Or they're a big thing because people believe they work and shell out for them?

[thugler]

Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) leads are still a big thing in the audiophile world (for example, Naim Audio's bespoke Snaic interconnect leads for their separates go for around £200 a pop.

Gold plated connectors are pretty much universal on everything now, because they actually make a difference - mainly due to the fact they don't corrode or get a tarnish layer like copper, brass or silver would, which increases their resistance over time.

Even this, it might have a grain of truth in it. But when was the last time any of your cables corroded?

[Pauline Walnuts]

I know, not the same thing.

[buzby]

Do you mean they're big thing because they are proven to work? Or they're a big thing because people believe they work and shell out for them?

The latter, though it's also helped in Naim's case due to them retaining the archaic DIN connector standard for interconnects between their components, long after everybody else settled on RCA/Cinch/Phono jack connectors (there are obviously companies selling extortionately priced versions of those too)

Even this, it might have a grain of truth in it. But when was the last time any of your cables corroded?

It's not the cables that corrode or tarnish, it's the connectors, as they are exposed to the environment, and the current flowing through them attracts dust and dirt electrostatically (which is a real phenomenon, the same way ionisers attract smoke, dust and pollen particles, but they work at much higher voltages).

[Pauline Walnuts]

Some head engineer or something at Quad Hi-Fi:

"DINs have their advantages, but the main disadvantage was there was no "fiddle factor" for the customer, and hi-fi always needs a fiddle factor."

[buzby]

Some head engineer or something at Quad Hi-Fi:

"DINs have their advantages, but the main disadvantage was there was no "fiddle factor" for the customer, and hi-fi always needs a fiddle factor."

I'm a big Quad fan (I own a 303/33/FM3 setup), but as an electronic engineer the DIN connectors are by far the most annoying thing about them. Despite having discrete pins and the circular conenctor shield, they still manage to have less retention force than phono connectors. No turntable manufacturer ever supported them either, so you always needed a DIN to phono cable or adaptor for your turntable. The inconsistent use of the cable shield as the audio ground or chassis ground also makes it extremely easy to create earth loops.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Ever tried soldering one? I'm not the greatest at it, I've never quite worked out how to solder anything without 3 hands, but it's so fiddly!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Easiest way is to remove the shield and plug it back into something to hold it (probably your amp) with the arse hanging out. The problem there is if you're too slow you're warming up the connections on the socket inside the amp.

I also have a quad 33 but to make swapping things about a bit easier use some short din->rca socket leads so I can run phono cables around. I'm sure in the audiophile world that additional connection amounts to heresy. But then my speakers don't even have biwiring posts.

No turntable manufacturer ever supported them either, so you always needed a DIN to phono cable or adaptor for your turntable.

Yet weirdly right-angled DIN seems to be a not uncommon way of getting L/R channels out of the bottom of a tonearm.

[Pauline Walnuts]

<sub>I also am a member of the Quad 33 owners club.

:SecretHandshake:</sub>

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I've long suspected that audiophiles were talking absolute guff, so this story is hilarious to me. Same thing with those people who say they can always spot CGI, only to point out something real as an example.

The one thing I'll say in favour of vinyl is that it's much easier to appreciate the artwork on a 12" sleeve than a little CD case. That said, I'm moving house soon and would gladly rid myself of all physical media, if it were practical. Books, in particular, can fuck right off. Big heavy bastards that they are.

[Sebastian Cobb]

If you're shifting records you're better off getting a load of bags for life and shifting them in small batches with carry handles rather than trying to carry a fuck-off heavy crate/box full of records.

[buzby]

Ever tried soldering one? I'm not the greatest at it, I've never quite worked out how to solder anything without 3 hands, but it's so fiddly!

Yes - I made up all my own interconnect cables (nothing fancy, just half-decent cable and metal-shell DIN connectors to try and help keep the RFI out). You should try soldering DB9 or DB25 (or god forbid, DB37) data connectors. The answer is to use a small table vice with soft jaws and a ball and socket joint (these occasially pop up for cheap in Aldi or Lidl)  that can be angled to hold the connector while you solder the wires to the terminals. Seb's method of soldering while plugged into the amp is a good way to cook the output transistors if you aren't careful.

Yet weirdly right-angled DIN seems to be a not uncommon way of getting L/R channels out of the bottom of a tonearm.

That came along after DIN had fallen out of use for interconnects (apart from with those weirdos at Naim). It's not a standard DIN connector, it just slighly resembles one. It was created by Denon in the mid-70s to make swapping tonearms easier and was adopted by most Japanese manufacturers first before spreading to Europe and the US.

The old method for tonearm connections in the Quad 303/33 period used to be a terminal solder tag strip in the turntable plinth that terminated the tonearm wires to the 2xRCAs + Ground tag.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah my Lenco has a little junction box inside the thin tonearm wires connect to, but in practice if you're replacing the arm (common options are Linn or Jelco as the length/geometry is the same) then that becomes redundant.

[Ferris]

some short din->rca socket leads so I can run phono cables around

You want locking up pal

[jamiefairlie]

I've long suspected that audiophiles were talking absolute guff, so this story is hilarious to me. Same thing with those people who say they can always spot CGI, only to point out something real as an example.

The one thing I'll say in favour of vinyl is that it's much easier to appreciate the artwork on a 12" sleeve than a little CD case. That said, I'm moving house soon and would gladly rid myself of all physical media, if it were practical. Books, in particular, can fuck right off. Big heavy bastards that they are.

Yeah I did that, no regrets. Funny thing is that I've gone back to real books now, reading from screens just didn't work for me. I give the books away as soon as I've read them though to avoid clutter.

[QDRPHNC]

Were you using an e-reader? Whole different experience to reading on a regular screen.

[purlieu]

The only reason to keep physical media is through romantic or mental/habitual attachment to them. As an Aspie who's spent the vast majority of their own money on CDs (and, less so, tapes and vinyl) since the age of 11, my brain has it set in stone that that's how music is enjoyed. I've had times of only listening to digital, both enforced and by choice, and I genuinely enjoy music less. It doesn't feel "right". I also get overwhelmed looking at my iTunes library in the way I don't looking at my CD shelves. Others genuinely value the tangible side of things, putting the album on, looking at the sleeve and so on, enough to justify the price and general inconvenience of owning the things.

Anyone who doesn't have strong feelings in this regard and still buys physical copies is fucking barmy, though.

[famethrowa]

I (rather wankily) believe that music should transcend any physical connection, so it shouldn't matter what speakers, what guitar, what amp or preamp is used to get the sound to me. Basically justifying being skint. It's strange because music is my life and career, my job literally depends on me listening to songs, but I end up just using the phone or laptop speakers.

I figure that I first was fired up by listening to songs on a clapped-out boom box, third-generation cassette copy or scratchy distant radio station. Having said that I did recent listen to the Avalon album on vinyl on a friend's multi-thousand$$ setup and it was pretty niiice.

[sardines]

Anyone who doesn't have strong feelings in this regard and still buys physical copies is fucking barmy, though.

I'd argue that supporting the artist is another valid reason. I made a rule for myself a month before COVID lockdown that I was going to limit my record buying to live shows only and keep the rest digital. Obviously that went to shit but I'm still very happy to chuck 15-20 euro to a band for a record if I've enjoyed their show.(For context a lot of shows I go to tickets are cheap and crowd sizes would rarely reach the hundreds).

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The only reason to keep physical media is through romantic or mental/habitual attachment to them.

There's also the possibility, however unlikely, that your digital copies might fail. I keep an off-site backup of my music collection for that reason (i.e. I bunged my CDs in my parents' attic).

[purlieu]

I'd argue that supporting the artist is another valid reason. I made a rule for myself a month before COVID lockdown that I was going to limit my record buying to live shows only and keep the rest digital. Obviously that went to shit but I'm still very happy to chuck 15-20 euro to a band for a record if I've enjoyed their show.(For context a lot of shows I go to tickets are cheap and crowd sizes would rarely reach the hundreds).

Buying a download from an artist is probably better than a physical copy (they don't have to recoup any outlay), but this is also a fair point.

There's also the possibility, however unlikely, that your digital copies might fail. I keep an off-site backup of my music collection for that reason (i.e. I bunged my CDs in my parents' attic).

Indeed, although generally download stores allow you to redownload your files as many times as possible, so there's no permanent loss.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Thought I'd drop back in on a My Bloody Valentine forum to see if there was a panic over whether the recent fully analogue pressings were now under suspicion. In fittingly glacial fashion nobody's posted there in over a month!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Indeed, although generally download stores allow you to redownload your files as many times as possible, so there's no permanent loss.

I believe Juno decided to be dicks about this and expire them eventually.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Were you using an e-reader? Whole different experience to reading on a regular screen.

If they made one with a photo quality colour screen (most of my books are art reference stuff and I'm a photographer) and I could get all the books I own on it for free, I'd seriously consider it.

People going all Brian Sewell, fetishizing books as physical objects, can do one.

And for both film and audio if you want analogue warmth (this is just pleasant distortion usually) then you can do that by bouncing your stuff through tape or film during the process.

I'm not sure you even have to go that far. I've made entirely digital videos and music that I've lazily slapped a file of film grain/vinyl noise over the top. No one knew the difference.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah you can use dsp's as well but I think if you have the gear already you could potentially spend more time fiddling than getting the response you want, that's not available to everyone.

I heard another technique instead of recording an entire production directly to film, but not using a filter either is to mix-in a loop of partially exposed film as a layer over the video.

I will add that the VHS plugins lots of people use are absolutely dreadful, although I think that's because they're usually very over the top.