Playing vinyl records is a demanding physical process that involves your stylus traveling a great distance. (Around 1,500 feet across each side of an average LP). It’s no easy task. Your stylus will confront, dirt, dust, debris, and even scratches as it traverses miles of grooves over the course of its useable life. Not surprisingly, a stylus needs to be … Read More
How to Set Up Your Turntable
Tech Talk2 Comments
Setting up your turntable correctly is fundamental if you want to achieve the best possible sound from your vinyl records. Accuracy is key, and it’s easy to understand why when you consider the task at hand. The average LP has about 1,500 feet of groove on each side, and the groove in question is less than a hairline thick. The … Read More
Vinyl Record Types (A Brief Overview)
Enjoy Vinyl, Tech TalkLeave a Comment
Vinyl records come in all different shapes sizes, and increasingly, colors. The physical medium of vinyl in all its different manifestations is part of the appeal and joy of owning music on wax. Below is a brief overview of the most common vinyl formats (including a brief introduction to 33 vs 45 RPM: LP (Long-playing) Albums Introduced in 1948, LP … Read More
Q&A: HD Vinyl – The Future of Record Manufacturing?
Culture & Industry, Tech Talk4 Comments
HD Vinyl Pioneer, Guenter Loibl talks to Sound Matters about his ambitions to revolutionize vinyl record manufacturing using lasers. The HD-Vinyl concept first caught our attention back in 2016, when Austrian-based company, Rebeat first filed the patent for a new vinyl record production process involving lasers. Naturally, it wasn’t long before the internet was awash with speculation about the new … Read More
Vinyl’s Imperfections Improve the Listening Experience
Culture & Industry, Tech Talk3 Comments
It is the prerogative of each generation preceding the next to claim that their generation’s music was better. Or at least that’s how each generation typically feels… We all get there eventually; at first you’re checking out what’s new on the block musically every day, then it’s every week – or even every month. Before you know it, you haven’t … Read More
Does 180g Vinyl Sound Better?
Tech Talk2 Comments
Most vintage vinyl records measure somewhere between 120 – 150g, and or many years, these specifications seemed to work just fine. In more recent years, however, we’re commonly sold much heavier new pressings, often labeled as “Audiophile Quality 180g”. So does 180g vinyl really make any difference to the overall listening experience? Or is it all a great swindle set … Read More
Top Five Turntable Upgrades
One of the great advantages of building a hi-fi setup through separate components is the option to perform spot upgrades – almost infinitely – should your budget permit. From your turntable to your speakers, and even the listening environment itself, every last piece of the signal chain is upgradable or modifiable. Before we get started, it’s worth mentioning that the … Read More
How Are Vinyl Records Made?
Tech Talk2 Comments
Vinyl records have a tactile quality that simply cannot be replicated in the digital realm, and for many – including myself – this tangible aspect makes up a large portion of the overall appeal. Unlike a CD – which, while a remarkable piece of technology in its own right, can hardly be called charming – a well-made vinyl record is … Read More
The Pros and Cons of Vinyl Records
Culture & Industry, Tech Talk8 Comments
Few debates in the audio world create such a large divide as the analog vs digital question. Vinyl vs CD/Digital is the classic battleground, where passionate enthusiasts on both sides of the argument often partake in heated exchanges with no real conclusion. The question itself is undoubtedly oversimplified – there are far too many variables to draw a line under such a broad debate, … Read More
Measuring Vinyl Dynamic Range – It’s Complicated!
Tech Talk2 Comments
As a young(ish) person discovering vinyl for the first time, I was fascinated by the claim floating around in many of the Internet’s forums that some vinyl releases have better dynamic range than their digital or CD counterparts. This immediately seemed odd to me, as digital music – on paper at least – is capable of much greater dynamic range. See figures below: 16 … Read More