While some queer, poetic part of me enjoys the idea that vinyl is this living, breathing thing that slowly dwindles and decays over time—like a flower, like love—I would really prefer for my records to last the next fifty or so years, and sound just as good tomorrow as they do today. I don't want to watch them die, listen as they weep and sigh death's dark song.
Screw the bad poetry! I want perfect sound forever.
Is it true, then? Is it true, what they say? Am I killing my records simply by listening to them? By loving them? Should I ditch the vinyl, and run back to CD?
I'm only messing with you. I've already made up my mind about this. I love vinyl like I love life. Still, I've also already discovered that some albums in my collection are nearly impossible to listen to. Though the vinyl looks fairly clean—no scratches to be seen—the sound is contaminated, absolutely infested, by cracks and moans. When I listen to good, clean vinyl, I become immeasurably comfortable and relaxed, I settle down into this strange state of absolute quietude, like that delicate space between sleep and wakefulness. Seriously. But, oh, when I listen to the other vinyl—the bad, dirty vinyl—I'm driven into some sort of crazy hell. Dudes, it is a hell worst than hell. All kinds of angers, anxieties, and frustrations take shape and rise within me. The heat, the sweat. There's nothing to do but get up and pull the poor needle from the wretched record and drink a beer (Dale's Pale Ale).
But I want another answer. I want to be able to listen to Celia & Johnny, I want to be able to listen to side two of John Handy's amazing Projections, I want to be able to listen to Nashville Skyline—again and again and again. Forget want. I need to listen to these albums. And I need to listen to them without worry, without having to keep a diary of how many times I've listened, detailing like H. H. Holmes my many twisted murders.
So, what's the answer? Should I really be worried about record wear? Is there anything I can do to prevent my records from dying? What have your experiences taught you? What should I do to bring certain other records back to life? And when's Carlos Delgado going to start hitting again?
Please let me know.
Sincerely,
Concerned
COMMENTS
I've always kept my records clean, using a very low-tech Discwasher brush and a bright light, and my most heavily played records sound great.Everything wears out, including us. Nobody lives forever. Enjoy your records while you can.
A record vacuum could help those "bad" LPs to sound a bit better. I have to agree with you about the angst that a "bad" record can cause. That is one of the reasons that I've been moving away from vinyl and towards [gasp!] CDs for the last couple of years. Yes, vinyl CAN BE, under perfect conditions, the pinnacle of audio nirvana BUT it is also very inconsistent and it's a fragile and fussy medium. I'm not trying to discourage you from getting into vinyl, just talking reality here. I think that sometimes audiophiles have a tendency to gloss over vinyls shortcomings. I can understand that, when it works well it REALLY WORKS WELL!
I concur with Paul S., that a record cleaning machine is a good investment. A good cleaning helps almost every record.When I was first collecting records in the 60's and 70's I was very worried about record wear. However, a few years down the pike my 40 year old records still (mostly) sound better than any digital source I've used. So I don't doubt that there is wear, but I think the medium is amazingly robust
I have records that took 50 years to land on my turntable and they play just fine, but I also have a bunch of CD's that skip or won't play at all. Downloads are even worse with crashed hard drives, dead Ipods and CDR's that sell destruct after a few years.
I wouldn't worry about it. If you have a collection large enough, it would take years to play them all one by one, end to end. Besides, if you keep them clean, there is even less concern for them simply "withering away." Don't forget that your hearing is also degrading - albeit slowly - over time.Digital media is a lot more prone to aging, believe me! I have CDs in which something - probably fungus - has eaten away the aluminum layer leaving small clear areas from the edge going inwards to the central hole. In my opinion, LPs will outlast any contemporary digital medium if cared for properly.In conclusion, just enjoy each listening experience to the fullest - that's what it is all about.
I'm guessing you really know this already- there's nothing to worry about! I have records my Dad owned/played 30 years ago and still play well. Sure- take care of them. I have about 700 or more records but no record cleaning machine. The entry point is just too much for me to justify it when a good brush and light spray will do it fine. Granted- buying used sometimes you get somehting that really needs a good cleaning. In that case find a sympathetic chap who has a vacuum machine and pay a visit.
Stephen, there's no need to worry. If you take a few precautions, your records will last a very long time. First, do keep them clean. Also keep your stylus clean. Don't play them more than once in twenty-four hours. The grooves are slightly deformed after playing, and take time to "spring back." And don't be afraid to try LAST Record Preservative, especially on albums you expect to receive heavy play. I've used LAST for twenty years, and my records still sound new, some even better than their CD counterparts. Enjoy your vinyl!
There you go. Records wear out - kaching, now, you have to get a cleaning machine - kaching, a new stylus - kaching, a specially designed blow brush - kaching, etc. What most younger guys don't know and what most older guys forget is that back in the day, before CD's, audiophiles used to buy LP's, play them once, transfer them to reel to reel and file them away, never to be played again unless the tape wears out. Audiophiles never liked LPs in the 70's. They were looking for something better. They always felt that LPs were too faulty by design. Yet, when CDs started taking hold, all of a sudden, it became fashionable to own LPs. I wonder if you really prefer the sound of LPs or if you're just a slave to fashion.
Something that plays an important role here but nobody seems to have mentioned is vinyl quality. See the 'Vinyl Quality' section of the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record]Wikipedia article 'Gramophone record'[/url] for more. This is borne out by my own experience. I inherited quite a large vinyl collection from my father, mostly classical programme bought in the sixties. Most of these discs play absolutely perfectly today (after in many cases countless playings), as do modern 'audiophile' pressings on good quality vinyl. However I have a large number of popular LPs from the eighties that feel a lot lighter and flimsier than my father's old discs and which seemed to deteriorate much more quickly. In my experience it is quite easy to predict how well a record will wear just by feeling the weight and how bendy it is. However, IMHO it is beyond doubt that good heavy/hard vinyl wears very well [i]indeed[/i].
One day some people came to the vinyl lover and asked 'How can you be happy in a world of such impermanence, where you cannot protect your beloved LP's from harm, wear and death?' The vinyl lover held up an LP and said 'Someone gave me this LP, and I really like it. It plays music admirably and its sound pleases me. I touch the needle to it and it sings! One day the wind may blow it off the shelf, or my elbow may knock it from the table or scratch it irreparably. I know this LP is already broken, so I enjoy it incredibly.'
I am amassing a vinyl collection as I am in lust with the sound of an LP the first time the stylus touches it. Then again, I do not own a turntable as I cannot afford one which I deem acceptable. As time passes my hearing abilities will certainly deteriorate - so when my friends do I purchase the record player. Such is life being 22.
I remember listening to Hendrix, The Beatles and the Doors on a Sony transistor radio when I was eight years old. I remember listening to all the early 70s music on a 8 track Pioneer deck because my mom and dad did not want me to screw up their needle on the Garrard turntable by excessively playing albums and 45s. In fact, I still enjoyed the music, despite its humble lo fi playback, and my memories are still rooted in enjoyment. I think all this talk of medium superiority is somewhat bogus to actually connecting to an artist and appreciating their body of work. I have been in the live music arena for 30 years and I remember Joe Strummer of the Clash used to carry around his home demos on a cheap Fischer Price toy cassette recorder. The music was impactful at 15 decibels and still fresh in my mind.Records are great in that you actually have to stay with one side of music--hard to skip, fast forward to a favorite passage or repeat. The music unfolds before you like the producer intended.
Stephen, I can't contribute more than I already have concerning vinyl... even though I'm intrigued, I can't afford to lose an analog experiment like that--while listening helplessly as my records wear--decidedly NON-fine-wine-like. (I'm much like you in that it's GOTTA be the same every time.) However, I can tell you this with complete certainty: Carlos Delgado will sadly never be the same. Time to sit him down...I think the new steroid rules have taken the zing out of his bat.
even though I'm intrigued, I can't afford to lose an analog experiment like that--while listening helplessly as my records wearBut the responses here have quelled my worries. It seems we are not helpless, and our records are not destined to an immediate death.Carlos Delgado will sadly never be the same. Time to sit him down...I think the new steroid rules have taken the zing out of his bat.Ouch.
PART 1Two days ago I pulled out a CD-R I had made of "Larry Carlton: Larry Carlton". Imagine a VERY scratchy record that sounds like popcorn throughout. Well, my CD-R sounds worse and even decreased in volume as if the D/A was desperately trying to figure out what to send downstream. You see, the dye, the substrate layer has starting doing it's data eating trick. It's been less than 5 years. In less than half that time the CD-R will no longer be readable, period. (For those who may think it's the player... it sounds like this in a new DVD+/-R rom drive, a stand alone DVD player and a CD-RW capable CD player.) Both surfaces of the CD-R have no scratches; not even a fingerprint. I used to be a computer geek by trade. Sadly, "life expectancy" of CD-R's is highly dependent upon who manufactured them... and there aren't many who ACTUALLY do the manufacturing. While pressed CD's write the 1's & 0's in depressions rather than burn marks, they are not always imm
PART 2immune to degradation. I also used to work part time in a used record shop. A frequent test especially on older DG classical CD's was to hold it up to check for "pin holes" in the data layer. Let's just say many DG titles failed. (This is a "known" issue for many.) Now, this last part is really important. It may sound gross; but follow me if you will. Place a booger on a CD. Now place one on a record. Let it dry. Not really, of course. Let's call the booger a scratch. Ok. The record will have an audible click. However, if the scratch messes with the right 1's & 0's on the CD, you won't be able to play the rest of the data on it. Say, you get midway thru track 3... then, that's it. It can't continue the seek & the rest is lost forever. Now, if that's on the TOC (table of contents) you may lose the whole CD, just like that. Everytime you buff out a CD you lose more of the protective layer. I'll take a pop or click over nothing everytime. Now
FINAL PART let's assume that everyone realizes (& can hear) the difference between an actual analog wave & a much guesstimated recreation of an analog wave using a different every time algorithm to piece together samples of the original. For convenience sake, we convert & store those LP's to a hard drive. You do know hard drives have a 100% failure rate, right. Any things that spins at 7200rpm on avg. is eventually going to fail. (Backup your PC folks.) mp3 players used to use hard drives. Ok, now we have these ever so convenient memory chips w/ gigs of storage, spend hours getting or collections on there - & then - you forgot where you put it - it gets stolen - you drop it in the drink. All that time... waisted. But does it matter? Was anybody really listening to that music, or was it really just background for all the other things we do? See, does anybody REALLY LISTEN to music anymore. Are we passing music appreciation down to the generations? If so, records are still a better choice.
A good record cleaning helps for sure and while I've never used a specialized record cleaning machine, I have I own "treatment" for cleaning. It's one that I adopted after having recalled that as a teenager, a new boss at the hamburger joint I worked showed me his way to mop the floor. He poured hot soapy water on the floor and let it sit several minutes. I was very surprised to find that upon removal of the water, the dry floor was noticeably cleaner.So that's how i clean my records. Placing the record to be cleaned on a cheap Technics TT that a friend gave me, I then coat the record with a secret cleaning fluid...H2O...the universal solvent. Actually, I add Dawn detergent and lately laundry detergent - they have surfactants and enzymes to help remove soil. I've even tried 409 on a clean it or toss it record. I also do use an old toothbrush for a gentle scrubbing. Results vary cause it's difficult to tell if pop and ticks are due to damaged grooves. Most times it's &
Hi Mr. Hope-you-to-be-not-so-concerned by now: The correct answer to your questions is: PLAY THE SUCKERS OUT!!! Seriously. That's what LPs are for. Just don't be a cheapskate in the phono cartridge department (high quality carts will greatly reduce wear - most every cart in the $200 and up range will qualify) and learn to install them (check Mikey Fremer's DVD for that). If it helps you have peace of mind, there's this thing called LAST Record Preservative, which should stop wear for about 200 plays when applied on a clean record. The stuff's been around for a number of decades now and if the testimonials of aging baby boomers are any indication, the darn thing actually works. Hope this helps!
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