On Monday, December 2, 2013 7:45:51 PM UTC-8, ScottW wrote:
On Monday, December 2, 2013 11:26:26 AM UTC-8, wrote:
This weeks stereophile has this:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/snob-appeal-0
I think he doth protest too much and builds a strawman against which to
tilt. It appears to me he first offers the observation of someone who
declares that "audiophiles" are indeed snobs and otherwise, and then
demonstrates the very thing in himself while claiming to run through the
strawman.
They're both guilty of creating stereotypes. Audiophiles come in all forms, technical genius to illiterate music lovers to lovers of price tags.
I would disagree with his comments on record collectors. My luck in used vinyl is awful. Few if any of
my used purchases have been properly cared for.
I've even tried a local high end store with a nice collection that proudly displays a record cleaner by
the door of their vinyl room. It must be just for show but it doesn't really matter. No amount of
cleaning helps...I've tried.
Most people don't have a clue what it takes to maintain vinyl and fewer still have the discipline. I
know a few people who have built huge collections via thrift shops, yards sales and swap meets. I
am unimpressed as it really amounts to a collection of cover art with contents that are rarely worth
giving a spin.
ScottW
Not my experience at all, Scott. I have thousands of LPs, and a number of years ago I bought a
"Nitty-Gritty" record cleaning machine. I have found that any time my records get a bit grungy,
a good clean with the Nitty-Gritty will have them sounding pristine again. My records have few
scratches, and are put back in their sleeves as soon as I'm done playing them. While the Nitty
-Gritty works fine, It is not the best cleaning method I've ever encountered or used. I used to
work for a company that had a large ultrasonic cleaner in it's lab. The trough was just big
enough to almost swallow a whole LP. I cleaned many records with that thing and found that
it got records cleaner than new (because it also removed the manufacturing residue known
as mold release). Another great record cleaning methodology (alas, no longer available) was
a record cleaning goo sold by Empire Scientific. I do not remember what the stuff was called,
but it came in a tall plastic bottle with a cap similar to that on an aerosol can. The top had a
"teat" in the center the same size as a turntable spindle. When the top was removed, it exposed
a soft foam pad. To use it, you would invert the bottle and squeeze. Onto the pad would flow
a thick, mucous-like liquid with a not unpleasant chemical scent. When the pad had enough
liquid on it, one placed the LP to be cleaned on a clean, flat surface and smeared the goo
all over the playing surface of the record (avoiding the label area). You then picked the record
up and inverted it sitting the wet side down on the spindle in the cap. One then "slimed" the
opposite side the same way. After letting the two sides dry (about 10 minutes - a bit faster
if you let a fan blow across the disc), you took a piece of Scotch tape and applied it radially
across the record surface (again, avoiding the label area) and pressed it on good. Then using
the outside end of the piece of tape as a handle, you pulled up on the tape. The now-dry goo
would come off in one sheet forming a film "negative" of the record. With the goo, came all
of the dirt and grunge which have been encapsulated by the now dry liquid. Turn the record
over on the cap and repeat. Never have I seen dirty records come out so clean. They even
LOOKED clean! draw a record brush across the spinning record surface, and you could even
feel that the cleaned record offered less resistance to the brush! The only downside was that
you had to use your Zerostat on the record after cleaning it because the treatment caused static
electricity. I certainly wished one could still buy that stuff. It was cheap, easy to use, required
no other equipment and worked better than anything I've tried either before or since!
Often, I pull out records that I haven't played in years only to marvel at how good they still
sound. Yes, it takes some thought and rigorous technique (almost a ritual) to adequately
care for vinyl records. I have always found the trouble to be worth it. Not only do I get good
sound, but I have performances and even whole works that have never been released on
CD. I don't prefer records to digital, necessarily, but I do view it as another viable source of
music, just as rewarding as a good CD, SACD, high-res download, Blu-Ray disc or R-to-R
tape.