Thanks for watching! If you enjoy the content, please consider supporting the channel by using the discount codes in the description of this video or by signing up to the Sound Matters Patreon for exclusive content every month. I earn a small commission on the discount codes at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support. Happy spinning.
Hello! So I'm a mom with a son who loves vinyl records and this video was awesome but also made me realize I know nothing about this lol. Can you make a video that's dumbed down, this a total suggestion! Like I didn't know u have to change the needle, is there any cleaning need to knows for the record and record player, what are static sleeves and do u need them, if I get display shelves do u have suggestions on what displays (I have small kids and dogs and worry they could fall off the wall), what in the world is that Amp thing u mentioned and is it good to have, how do u troubleshoot or fix basic things on the player, do the fancy records with designs on them loose the design when played, will regular towels be okay to clean the records or will it scratch them, does the oil on ur hands ruin the records? I know I can search all this up and I will it's just an idea to help potential people like me with the same questions lol
Cleaning your records: I always use a carbon fiber brush to clean a record before play. It only takes 30 seconds to let it rotate a couple of times beneath the brush (or a pad type cleaner if preferred) & will reduce dust which adds noise & probably increases wear.
Excellent video. One thing to mention: In addition to direct drive and belt drive turntables, there are also idler drive turntables like the Dual 1019. My understanding is that with an idler drive turntable, it uses a rubber idler wheel that rotates the turntable by contacting the outer edge of the platter from the inside. If someone is buying a used turntable they may come across one of those type of turntables. One question to add: What type of cartridges and styluses are available and which one should I use?
What makes the biggest difference, in my decades of listening, is having a decent cartridge (at least one or two steps up from base model) and pre-amp, and sitting down *actively listening* - you're not driving and at the mercy of road noise, or going for a run while playing records. And at approx 20 mins a side it's a good listening length. Learn how to balance the tonearm and set the anti-skating.
Hi Mark, great video. just a quick point on inner and outer sleeves and shrink wrap. Inner and outer sleeves should only be Poly Ethelene, High Density Poly Ethelene or Polypropylene. Avid any sleeves that have PVC in the mix because that may cause a hard to remove misting/ghosting of the record because the PC off-gasses and reacts with the record. Another suggestion is to remove the shrink wrap because cheap shrink wrap that most record labels use contains PVC which causes the same misting/ghosting of records. In relation to storage shelves also avoid using PVC stick on book covers on record shelves for the same reason.
It's sad that I have had to tell my parents NOT to stack their records considering they grew up on records....i'm almost 41 years old, so my parents are old enough to know NOT to stack records....but every time I go over there and see those records STILL STACKED...i cringe....there could be a lot of money in those records that is potentially ruined...considering they have not bought a record since the 80s and they have not listened to any of them in at LEAST 20 years, I am sure most of them would be VERY mint as far as the playing surface goes. Currently the only record player they have is one of those Crosley all-in-one systems that has AM/FM, CD, Cassette and record player...the factory tape is still holding the stylus down and they have had that for about 15 years at least. The ONLY thing they have used it for is CD playback in my dad's home office. When my parents bought one of those stereo systems with a CD player, AM/FM, dual cassette deck systems back in the early 90s, they realized they needed a pre-amp for their record player (it was a JC Penny branded one!), they just never bothered with it...they re-bought most of their favorite albums on CD.....so sad
One tip for cleaning very dirty records: A dental water-pick is very effective and MUCH cheaper than any of the at times "exotic", meaning very expensive, record cleaning machines. I bought my water-pick for 15 dollars, which I simply use over my kitchen sink, and it got rid of a few pesky crumbs on a few second hand records, which now no longer have all that popping and clicking in the groove! Meanwhile I saw ads for wet-clean vacuum-cleaning machines from between 100 to over 1000 dollars!
One common question that I've heard is "Will those cheap "suitcase" players ruin your records?" Many try to say they will because of the heavier 5-6 gram tracking force they typically use. Bear in mind the actual vinyl record is designed to take 7 grams of force and many of the players from the 50's and 60's used even heavier tracking force and look how many of THOSE records are still around and sound really good! So, no, if used correctly, a cheap "suitcase" player will not destroy your records. With that said, I would not use one to play any of my prized, expensive records, considering, as this video pointed out, good quality record players can be had fairly inexpensively.
Broo thats the answer I been looking for but kinda late. Replace my victrola for an audio technica bc of the negative I keep hearing about suit case record player
Another comment. With regards to 180 gram vinyl, one could argue that the heavier weight of the record could help with reducing "wow & flutter" as it adds weight to the platter. Other than that, the whole 180 gram thing is pretty much marking fluff to try to cater to the "audiophile" crowd. Now, of course, if there is a record I want and it is ONLY available in 180 gram, then I am going to buy it anyway, regardless of the actual weight of the record itself.
Completely false, heavier vinyl is less likely to warp. So if you were doing an "audiophile" pressing, why would you use an inferior weight? Would they put cheap tires on a Corvette that would limit its performance, our would anyone buy a Corvette just because of it's tires?
Oh and another question that may be asked - "Does color vinyl sound worst/better than black vinyl?". The same could be applied to so-called "picture discs". It seems there is some talk that colored vinyl or picture discs could actually sound worst than regular old black vinyl. I personally could never tell a difference, though.
Black vinyl is made with lampblack, which acts as a lubricant. Clear or colored vinyl will sound good at first, but it will wear quickly. If you plan on playing an album often, keep the picture disc for display (unopened) and buy a black vinyl duplicate to play. Or you can copy it to another format on the first playing to minimize wear.
From what I understand, colored vinyl is about the same as black vinyl, but picture discs are worse because of the way they are constructed (the LP/45 is a sandwich with the picture in the middle).
Hi mark another great interesting video , as you mentioned about cartridge wear, I have seen an exact cartridge done 300 hours at really good price is it worth buying this cartridge as only £89. I understand this cartridge wear is about 300 to 1000 hours for this cartridge. Thanks mark
What are the best ways to transfer my vinyl music to my computer? Love the vinyl sound, buy just the fact that the vinyl are a medium that wears down over time, I just like to restore my collection to eg. 24Bit 96Khz FLAC for further listen enjoyment. I have my Record player connected to my Brooklyn Bridge DAC. But what does purist HIFI users use in same situation? I mean with cables to the soundcard? And what are some of the best soundcards to capture those 24 bit 96Khz sounds? And should the DAC be at 100% volume or a bit below that? Or any other tips I haven't mentioned. Thanks a lot. Krusty from Denmark. 🙂 BTW: New subber here....
Not at all; generally speaking I find this to be true. Modern mastering often favours more compression, and thus reducing the dynamic range. Not always, but very often
insofar as many records are actually cut from CDs (more than I can mention) you're correct. The quality is baked in by the expertise at the lacquer cutting stage. Digitally loud / clipped / limited masters don't favour so well in the cutting process, and in fact may be cut at a *lower* level than from a master source kept cleaner (compression is fine but no clipped peaks, sibilance, or high frequency distortion from limiting). Oh and yes: 180gm pressings have no bearing on sound quality. They may help minimize warping in some situations, but the grooves aren't cut any deeper, as amplitude (level) is horizontal (lateral) movement, not vertical.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoy the content, please consider supporting the channel by using the discount codes in the description of this video or by signing up to the Sound Matters Patreon for exclusive content every month. I earn a small commission on the discount codes at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support. Happy spinning.
Hello! So I'm a mom with a son who loves vinyl records and this video was awesome but also made me realize I know nothing about this lol. Can you make a video that's dumbed down, this a total suggestion! Like I didn't know u have to change the needle, is there any cleaning need to knows for the record and record player, what are static sleeves and do u need them, if I get display shelves do u have suggestions on what displays (I have small kids and dogs and worry they could fall off the wall), what in the world is that Amp thing u mentioned and is it good to have, how do u troubleshoot or fix basic things on the player, do the fancy records with designs on them loose the design when played, will regular towels be okay to clean the records or will it scratch them, does the oil on ur hands ruin the records? I know I can search all this up and I will it's just an idea to help potential people like me with the same questions lol
Cleaning your records: I always use a carbon fiber brush to clean a record before play. It only takes 30 seconds to let it rotate a couple of times beneath the brush (or a pad type cleaner if preferred) & will reduce dust which adds noise & probably increases wear.
Good point well added - something I advise all the time. Thanks for joining the conversation. Happy spinning
Excellent video. One thing to mention: In addition to direct drive and belt drive turntables, there are also idler drive turntables like the Dual 1019. My understanding is that with an idler drive turntable, it uses a rubber idler wheel that rotates the turntable by contacting the outer edge of the platter from the inside. If someone is buying a used turntable they may come across one of those type of turntables.
One question to add: What type of cartridges and styluses are available and which one should I use?
Thanks! Yes indeed - good point added on idler decks that one might come across if buying used. Thanks for joining the discussion.
What makes the biggest difference, in my decades of listening, is having a decent cartridge (at least one or two steps up from base model) and pre-amp, and sitting down *actively listening* - you're not driving and at the mercy of road noise, or going for a run while playing records. And at approx 20 mins a side it's a good listening length. Learn how to balance the tonearm and set the anti-skating.
I always say: inputs have a bigger impact (do a degree) than outputs. Rubbish in, rubbish out :)
Hi Mark, great video. just a quick point on inner and outer sleeves and shrink wrap. Inner and outer sleeves should only be Poly Ethelene, High Density Poly Ethelene or Polypropylene. Avid any sleeves that have PVC in the mix because that may cause a hard to remove misting/ghosting of the record because the PC off-gasses and reacts with the record. Another suggestion is to remove the shrink wrap because cheap shrink wrap that most record labels use contains PVC which causes the same misting/ghosting of records. In relation to storage shelves also avoid using PVC stick on book covers on record shelves for the same reason.
Thanks Peter: great points added on PVC. The dreaded misting!
Great channel matey
Thanks for watching! 🎧
It's sad that I have had to tell my parents NOT to stack their records considering they grew up on records....i'm almost 41 years old, so my parents are old enough to know NOT to stack records....but every time I go over there and see those records STILL STACKED...i cringe....there could be a lot of money in those records that is potentially ruined...considering they have not bought a record since the 80s and they have not listened to any of them in at LEAST 20 years, I am sure most of them would be VERY mint as far as the playing surface goes. Currently the only record player they have is one of those Crosley all-in-one systems that has AM/FM, CD, Cassette and record player...the factory tape is still holding the stylus down and they have had that for about 15 years at least. The ONLY thing they have used it for is CD playback in my dad's home office. When my parents bought one of those stereo systems with a CD player, AM/FM, dual cassette deck systems back in the early 90s, they realized they needed a pre-amp for their record player (it was a JC Penny branded one!), they just never bothered with it...they re-bought most of their favorite albums on CD.....so sad
One tip for cleaning very dirty records: A dental water-pick is very effective and MUCH cheaper than any of the at times "exotic", meaning very expensive, record cleaning machines. I bought my water-pick for 15 dollars, which I simply use over my kitchen sink, and it got rid of a few pesky crumbs on a few second hand records, which now no longer have all that popping and clicking in the groove! Meanwhile I saw ads for wet-clean vacuum-cleaning machines from between 100 to over 1000 dollars!
One common question that I've heard is "Will those cheap "suitcase" players ruin your records?" Many try to say they will because of the heavier 5-6 gram tracking force they typically use. Bear in mind the actual vinyl record is designed to take 7 grams of force and many of the players from the 50's and 60's used even heavier tracking force and look how many of THOSE records are still around and sound really good! So, no, if used correctly, a cheap "suitcase" player will not destroy your records. With that said, I would not use one to play any of my prized, expensive records, considering, as this video pointed out, good quality record players can be had fairly inexpensively.
Broo thats the answer I been looking for but kinda late. Replace my victrola for an audio technica bc of the negative I keep hearing about suit case record player
Another comment. With regards to 180 gram vinyl, one could argue that the heavier weight of the record could help with reducing "wow & flutter" as it adds weight to the platter. Other than that, the whole 180 gram thing is pretty much marking fluff to try to cater to the "audiophile" crowd. Now, of course, if there is a record I want and it is ONLY available in 180 gram, then I am going to buy it anyway, regardless of the actual weight of the record itself.
Completely false, heavier vinyl is less likely to warp. So if you were doing an "audiophile" pressing, why would you use an inferior weight?
Would they put cheap tires on a Corvette that would limit its performance, our would anyone buy a Corvette just because of it's tires?
Oh and another question that may be asked - "Does color vinyl sound worst/better than black vinyl?". The same could be applied to so-called "picture discs". It seems there is some talk that colored vinyl or picture discs could actually sound worst than regular old black vinyl. I personally could never tell a difference, though.
Good question. In the ‘old days’ the coloured vinyl WAS of inferior quality. Now, it’s pretty much as good as the black.
Yes picture discs should not be played the groves on the vinyl record are not as deep and effects the sound
Yes, colored vinyl has a much greater chance of having issues than black vinyl in my 5 decades of album experience.
Black vinyl is made with lampblack, which acts as a lubricant. Clear or colored vinyl will sound good at first, but it will wear quickly. If you plan on playing an album often, keep the picture disc for display (unopened) and buy a black vinyl duplicate to play. Or you can copy it to another format on the first playing to minimize wear.
From what I understand, colored vinyl is about the same as black vinyl, but picture discs are worse because of the way they are constructed (the LP/45 is a sandwich with the picture in the middle).
Hi mark another great interesting video , as you mentioned about cartridge wear, I have seen an exact cartridge done 300 hours at really good price is it worth buying this cartridge as only £89. I understand this cartridge wear is about 300 to 1000 hours for this cartridge. Thanks mark
Thanks for watching. Does the cartridge have a replaceable stylus? If so, could be a good deal if it's significantly cheaper?
Well worth watching...
What are the best ways to transfer my vinyl music to my computer? Love the vinyl sound, buy just the fact that the vinyl are a medium that wears down over time, I just like to restore my collection to eg. 24Bit 96Khz FLAC for further listen enjoyment. I have my Record player connected to my Brooklyn Bridge DAC. But what does purist HIFI users use in same situation? I mean with cables to the soundcard? And what are some of the best soundcards to capture those 24 bit 96Khz sounds? And should the DAC be at 100% volume or a bit below that? Or any other tips I haven't mentioned. Thanks a lot. Krusty from Denmark. 🙂 BTW: New subber here....
In my experience the old records generally sound better than new pressings on 180g. They have more dynamics… i may be subjective.
Not at all; generally speaking I find this to be true. Modern mastering often favours more compression, and thus reducing the dynamic range. Not always, but very often
insofar as many records are actually cut from CDs (more than I can mention) you're correct. The quality is baked in by the expertise at the lacquer cutting stage. Digitally loud / clipped / limited masters don't favour so well in the cutting process, and in fact may be cut at a *lower* level than from a master source kept cleaner (compression is fine but no clipped peaks, sibilance, or high frequency distortion from limiting).
Oh and yes: 180gm pressings have no bearing on sound quality. They may help minimize warping in some situations, but the grooves aren't cut any deeper, as amplitude (level) is horizontal (lateral) movement, not vertical.
Have you reviewed the AT LP70xbt if so what do you think
I played my record like 3 minute a month, will that help my stylus?