Talk:Playback and Recording (Vinyl)
Format
I'm doing everything on a single page until it gets too unwieldy. (Granted, it may already be too unwieldy...) -User:Axon
TODO
(that are non-obvious.)
- Find/create a diagram for the different parts of the turntable
Objective vs. subjective information and "common knowledge"
There is an utter dearth of information on this subject. This is kind of a big issue for an HA site entry, since most information out there is not that good, and runs contrary to the goals of the site.
However, such information should still be categorized. The fact of the matter is that a lot of it does make some engineering sense, and hardly anybody ignores it entirely, but a clear distinction should be made between the "common wisdom" of turntable design and performance, and the performance metrics that are measurable and objectively audible. -User:Axon 21 April 2006
More comments on this. I suggest that objective discussions about turntables should be separated out from the "usual" information, because the "usual" stuff usually does have some useful physical basis that can be discussed in isolation. A separate evaluation section makes good sense to tie all the knowledge together with real-world measurements.
At the same time, the usual audiophile statements should not be dismissed out of hand, because that's most of the information that's out there. But it should be disclaimed and possibly refuted with objective measurements. -User:Axon 22 April 2006
Questions and elaborations
These are things I feel should be elaborated in the text to make it more objective and measurable/audible. Reply here if you feel it should not be discussed.
- What are the exact mastering differences between classic LPs and their contemporary remasters on CD? This has a big impact on the discussion of how "good" vinyl sounds. -User:Axon 21 April 2006
- How can one measure the impact of the various components of a turntable, when upgraded? How can a plinth or a tonearm be objectively evaluated? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
- How much mechanical decoupling exists with a belt? Is there a definable transfer function between the vibrations at the motor axle and the vibrations at the platter? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
- Are all belt drive motors synchronous? I was under the impression that a large number of them were DC servo. -User:Axon 21 April 2006
- Many audiophiles believe the tonearm has an impact on the midrange/treble, but but the basic mechanical parameters (mass etc) cannot explain this. Materials might. Is there a objective metric for this? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
- What are the exact issues with S-shaped tonearms? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
Calculating the costs of vinyl
Superficially, investing in vinyl is a very good deal. If you assume that vinyl on average costs $5 less than the average CD, then even an audiophile-level system can be recouped in a few hundred records. But there are several complicating factors.
- New vinyl releases are almost always more expensive than the equivalent CD releases. Only used vinyl is usually cheaper.
- There's a large time commitment for vinyl, to clean it, maintain the turntable and possibly rip the vinyl to computer or CD. Time is money.
- You're going to throw away at least 1-5% of your used vinyl purchases because they are unplayable for whatever reason (warping is the usual reason).
For these reasons, if you're pursuing vinyl for financial reasons, make sure you have all the angles covered for purchases. Vinyl maintenance and upgrades can add up very quickly. -User:Axon 22 April 2006