Not computers/phones, but VINYL

Sawfish

Sawfish

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The bottom of the sea.
Got to thinking that the nostalgic idea of playing vinyl on a turntable seems to be gaining traction. What I'd like to know is: does vinyl deteriorate over any reasonable (100 years?) length of time?

I want to make it clear: I don't think that vinyl is well-suited to preserving sound quality, but I just got to thinking...
 

I was in an eclectic area of Dallas yesterday and saw a record shop that specializes in vinyl. I don't think the sound quality of vinyl denigrates over the years if kept pristine but you can hear scratches. I used to be an amateur DJ and I think current modes of music sound much clearer. In any case, the younger people seem to love vinyl.

https://www.spinsterrecords.com/
 
seadoug said:
I was in an eclectic area of Dallas yesterday and saw a record shop that specializes in vinyl. I don't think the sound quality of vinyl denigrates over the years if kept pristine but you can hear scratches. I used to be an amateur DJ and I think current modes of music sound much clearer. In any case, the younger people seem to love vinyl.

https://www.spinsterrecords.com/
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That's what I was thinking...

Further question: do you think that modern digital recordings are in any way inferior to pristine analog recordings?

Me, I don't think I could hear any difference, but my ear is not good.
 

seadoug said:
Yes, I think they are. Just my personal opinion.
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Are any recordings currently being made as analog?

My opinion is that commonly available audio files (mp3, mp4, acc) are of questionable quality. People are basically listening to junk, routinely, never knowing the difference.

It's kinda like watching Lawrence of Arabia on your smart phone.
 
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This was my grandmother's jukebox, it's valve driven, plays 45's and will always be better than digital, scratches and all. Grandmother had a kind of cafe, it was also a sort of takeaway, her fish & chips were very popular. The jukebox came with a stack of old records, some of which were quite surprising in that they must have been bought in the US, or imported. Those records date from around late 40's up to her retiring around about 1960. My love of the music of that era is probably why this babyboomer never really got into all the razzamatazz that was the sixties. Granny's jukebox still has pride of place in my home and it still draws the inevitable wow from visitors.
 
I have many Vinyl LPs purchased in the 60s, and they still sound as good when first played (been looked after)
The sound of vinyl records arises because the grooves on the record allow for an open, resonant quality. Conversely, digital formats by their nature compress sound, disallowing the open space that allows warmth, richness, and depth to arise.
 
kburra said:
I have many Vinyl LPs purchased in the 60s, and they still sound as good when first played (been looked after)
The sound of vinyl records arises because the grooves on the record allow for an open, resonant quality. Conversely, digital formats by their nature compress sound, disallowing the open space that allows warmth, richness, and depth to arise.
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That's interesting.

So it sounds like what you're saying is that a part of the sound of a vinyl recording is the ambient effect of the atmosphere surrounding the stylus. The actual analog capture (of either digital or analog recording technology) of the sound track of the groove, plus incidental sounds of the friction between the stylus and the groove?
 
horseless carriage said:
View attachment 263048
This was my grandmother's jukebox, it's valve driven, plays 45's and will always be better than digital, scratches and all. Grandmother had a kind of cafe, it was also a sort of takeaway, her fish & chips were very popular. The jukebox came with a stack of old records, some of which were quite surprising in that they must have been bought in the US, or imported. Those records date from around late 40's up to her retiring around about 1960. My love of the music of that era is probably why this babyboomer never really got into all the razzamatazz that was the sixties. Granny's jukebox still has pride of place in my home and it still draws the inevitable wow from visitors.
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Translation from the British........Valves are tubes. JImB.
 
The way vinyl records work is to have a pickup vibrate as its passes over a track with thousands of variations. Sooner or later, that will cause heat and wear to deteriorate the fidelity of the track. Plus, scratches and imperfections within the vinyl will also cause losses. If you never played a vinyl recorder, and kept it for millennia, who knows?
 
Sawfish said:
Got to thinking that the nostalgic idea of playing vinyl on a turntable seems to be gaining traction. What I'd like to know is: does vinyl deteriorate over any reasonable (100 years?) length of time?

I want to make it clear: I don't think that vinyl is well-suited to preserving sound quality, but I just got to thinking...
Click to expand...
well I know it's not 100 years... but I have Vinyl records in perfect playing condition going back 70 years.. to the early 50's
 
I have over 300 45's from the late 50's, early 60's, which I play almost daily.
I have an antique belt driven phonograph and think that has a lot to do with the quality heard.
 
Gaer said:
I have over 300 45's from the late 50's, early 60's, which I play almost daily.
I have an antique belt driven phonograph and think that has a lot to do with the quality heard.
Click to expand...

I have LP records from the Seventies and Eighties that sound great still. Some have scratches but it doesn't bother me. I also have a cassette deck. It sounds good, but the vinyl has a much more detailed presence, in which you hear 'everything'.

I guess at some point, the records might wear out. But I have played some hundreds of times, and they still sound good, and don't have any scratches or static.

One of my faves is Grand Funk Railroad, Closer to Home.
 
I have some old 78's and those are close to 100 years old or older. The record player I have will play 33,45,and 78. The sound from the 78 is what I expect from something recorded in a studio from that time period. I don't play it to hear perfection, just enjoyment.

When I first bought cds years ago I was disappointed in the sound quality when compared to my 33s LPs. But, convenience and the loss of 33s in the shops forced me to buy cds. I don't have a lot of cds.

In the past five plus years both Target and Walmart have a small section of 33s. You can buy turntables online and in the shops. People appreciate the sound and the nostalgia of the vinyls and the collections they have already in their homes.

If vinyls are stored well, clean, and not warped the sound should be fine. It depends on the ears and heart of the listener.
 

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