Jana Dagdagan

Nice! Jana

no doubt that there are a plethora of TT makers now.

Per these charts, the average price paid in 2016 was $74.53. I guess there weren't a whole lot of TechDAS Air Force Ones (or Twos for that matter) included in these totals.

The spike in 2015/6 looks, to me, as if it is due to a different data collection system. A 1200% increase is so large that it cries out for a reliable correlate and I, for one, cannot think of one. What big thing happened in music/audio at that time?

I'm pretty sure I read something early this year that the number one electronic item sold on Amazon during the holidays (or maybe the previous year?) was a turntable. Can't remember the brand, but it was an inexpensive one. I bought my first TT in many years in 2015, a Music Hall Mmf 2.2. I enjoy it almost every day. In my case I bought it because I grew tired of the scourge of too much dynamic range compression of digital music. Most of the records I've bought are AAA, but the ones I have from digital files sound better to me than their digital counterparts.

I searched LP sales for 2015 and Forbes put it at 12 million.

1.2 million turntables sold in 2015...

If only people who bought turntables that year bought records, it would be a convenient 10 records per turntable owner! But, that would mean none for anyone else.

(That, of course, leaves out used LP sales.)

Very interesting data and thank you for making it visual for us!

This should make for some whopping LP sales numbers coming up soon.

As the owner of a high end audio shop - with Dr Feickert and AMG on display. I would say that our sales of $400 - $500 turntables have basically been level the past 3 or 4 years. We do see a lot of turntables which need new styli or setups - people who have purchased an in-expensive (not so good) turntable from Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't quite believe the figures which were posted.

as has been said already that data is suspect. can't believe it went to print with that glaring jump unchecked/unexplained. can we at least trust the measurements printed here?

What has this to do with measurements? It was clearly stated that the data in the graph was supplied "by the CTA (Consumer Technology Association)." Ask them.

With such a disproportionate increase in TT sales from 2014 to 2015 & 2016, as well as the average sale price, it certainly makes a convincing case for inexpensive mass merchandised units like the Crosley. If the data are predominately inclusive of units such as Crosley and others in their same price class, then the data is of little use to audiophiles. Because no breakdown of the actual individual cost of turntable sales has been provided, then there is little means of knowing for sure what the data actually represents. It also, as it applies to audiophiles, does not show any data for the rest of what is required for an analog section of an audiophile level audio system -- components such as a cartridge, tonearm cable, phonostage, interconnects, power cords, etc. One is of little use without all the rest if you plan to actually play an album. I seriously doubt it would even be possible, but I'd love to see some sort of metric that collects sales dollars / units sold of the entire analog section and not just a turntable. That would give a true representation of what is happening in analog sales. However, I'd also admit that the collection of such data, especially reliable data, would probably be next to impossible to assemble, take an inordinately long time to collect, and be skewed by the time it took to collect making the data invalid. If anything, this data should make the producers of LP's very happy. Bottom line, I see this as promising news because maybe, just perhaps, some of those very inexpensive turntable owners might venture into what better sounding music sounds like. All audiophiles must begin somewhere.

My initial thought when I saw the data was that it was further up the chain at some wholesale / distribution level. I can't imagine anyone getting reliable POS data. Those that would share (brick and mortar) can't; and those that can (AMZN) won't. Therefore perhaps it is stock piling and perhaps export. Wholesale / distribution also supports the very low average price. What do I know? I am nowhere near the world of sales.

This data appears to relate ONLY to USA ( and , maybe, Canada) sales. The vinyl industry is worldwide and most turntable makers do not sell only to the USA. So you can imagine that the complete annual sales figures for turntables are much higher. Which should be a major factor in preserving the availabilty of turntables for many years to come.

Even given the geographic limitation there is a further question as to how comprehensive the collection of data by CTA from outlets is. I have the impression from their website that the periodic data collection sheets may only be circulated to stores that are CTA members.

Inclusion of Figures for 2016 are odd and will serve to mislead future readers of this posting. We are only at the end of August. Presumably more turntables will be sold before the year end?

Several years ago I met with the head researcher at CTA (then CEA), and quickly learned that there was no worthwhile data pertaining to the high end.

As I was about to leave, he mentioned, "y'know, I was looking the other day, and I was surprised at how many turntables are still being made."

I didn't smack my forehead, but I wanted to.

Based on the average sales price of the 'tables in the graph, it looks like they still don't have worthwhile data for the high end of the market.

The article never said it was for "high-end" (whatever that means in quantifiable terms)turntables. It just said turntables. The average price paid makes that pretty clear. Jeez guys...chill. It's simply a graphic representation of the current fad of people buying a product that they think is cool and hip and trendy. Soon to be replaced by upscale vintage-look clock radios or whatever Sharper Image catalog, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon push as this year's must have hipster item. BTW...did you know that most folks who buy these tables play records that were mastered from digital recordings and download the output from the table to their phone/tablet so they can listen to it on the run. It's classic marketing nonsense and has NOTHING at all to do with higher quality "analog" audio. Trust me, the folks who buy expensive "high end" turntables are still in one of the smallest minorities in the entire retail universe. So small in fact, that based on many of the above comments the data doesn't even exist to track their purchases. This trend, like matte car wraps and neon lights under your Civic, shall pass.

NT

I have no doubt that the days of being able to walk into Barnes and Noble and pick up new vinyl are numbered at best, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

As an aside, I've now been to a few B&Ns that have reduced their CD selection to a small area off to the side and are (ironically) using their old CD racks to display... vinyl.

(For those who are too young to remember, the CD "long box" was invented so that retailers could use their old vinyl racks to display CDs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longbox
)

The only bad thing is that all these folks picking up their brand new Crosleys will think that all turntables destroy their vinyl as rapidly as those turntables do, reinforcing every negative stereotype of vinyl that originally drove CD adoption.

A much more frightening trend is Urban Outfitters now carries newly made cassettes, which now sound even worse as they no longer are Dolby-encoded as Dolby no longer makes or licenses Dolby NR chips/circuits:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=38416731
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=39421706

For what it's worth, this year I've noticed that entry or near entry-level turntables made by Pro-ject, Rega and VPI have been more frequently placed on sale by online stores. Additionally, I've noticed vinyl being placed on sale more frequently on eBay as well as on other online stores. Overproduction?