A perspective on the mindset of listening to vinyl

[RCHeliGuy]

I was talking with a guy about photography and how people who shot film had to take more care, plan ahead and think about what they are doing. It wasn't a commentary on the quality of shooting a Medium format camera on film vs. a Phase One 80Mp digital back, it was on the mindset surrounding it.

Then I thought about how a person goes about listening to vinyl and realized it was a very different mindset than what I am used to.

With vinyl everything is premeditated because there is effort involved. You take time to select what you want to listen to and then have to treat vinyl with care because both it and the record player have fragile components.

Because of the time factor you are more likely to listen to an album all the way through and take time to appreciate it.

As a polar opposite I have worked on creating the most completely convenient system I could. This means I sit in front of my stereo driving everything from an Ipad with JRiver Controller software giving me INSTANT access to ALL of my music.

What does this mean?

While sometimes I will listen to an album all the way though, usually that is when it is playing in the background.

I realized that I rarely listen to more than a few tracks by an artist at a time and frequently don't wait for a song to finish before jumping to something else.

The end result is that there is so much music at my finger tips it is almost overwhelming and turns into the equivalent of channel surfing.

I have more of an appreciation of why many people have returned to vinyl, and I believe part of this is slowing down long enough to actually enjoy the music.

I'm going to go one step further and say that the music is cheapened by being so convenient. There was no effort involved so there is less gratification and at some level less enjoyment of the music. In addition I'm frequently browsing through my music while I'm listening to it which is distracting me from listening to it. It ends up being like playing with your smart phone while you are out for dinner with your wife. It gets in the way.

 

[MiTT]

That is actually a very insightful observation. I listen to both vinyl as well as computer audio, not having a Disc spinner as part of my system currently. When I listen to vinyl, as you accurately pointed out, I find myself thinking more about first what I want to play, as well as the sequence I may eventually follow as I go from one album to the other. I almost always listen to entire albums unless I am constrained by time or responsibility. When I listen via my computer, it's very easy to jump around, even when utilizing a playlist. I have to make a deliberate decision to listen to an entire work, and often force myself to set the iPad down specifically so that I don't jump ship. Sometimes I actually prefer the variety, but more often than not it isn't serious listening.

The ritual of vinyl is indeed part of the alure (sonics aside).

 

[amey01]

I don't find I do this at all. You need some self-discipline

 

[RCHeliGuy]

I don't find I do this at all. You need some self-discipline

Agreed. Thinking about this has made me decide that I should take a more deliberate approach (at times).

 

[Gordon Gray]

I have more of an appreciation of why many people have returned to vinyl, and I believe part of this is slowing down long enough to actually enjoy the music.

I'm going to go one step further and say that the music is cheapened by being so convenient. There was no effort involved so there is less gratification and at some level less enjoyment of the music.

Hi Mark,

Could be true for some but not for me. I know it's easier to load a CD than putting on an album, but I do so with the intent of paying full attention to listening.

You may be referring to a recent phenomena brought on by cell phones, tablets, etc., but it is up to each individual to decide if the experience is "background listening" or serious "one on one" listening.

And I agree with Adam.

And I trust this will not turn into the useless D versus A discussion.

GG

 

[RCHeliGuy]

Gordon,

I'm not saying that I don't enjoy my stereo because it lacks a record player. I was more realizing that I wasn't using it as well as I could be.

Going back to the photography analogy. I shoot purely digital and feel like I do so proficiently. However I think some photographers learned to shoot smart when they had to work harder and couldn't just take a pile of pictures hoping one would be a keeper.

BTW I also think there is overhead in loading a CD. Enough so that I ripped everything I've got so I don't need to deal with finding my music or keeping piles of disks in order.

 

[amey01]

I was more realizing that I wasn't using it as well as I could be.

It's great that you've made that observation about yourself, but as above - I don't think it is something that you can't deal with.

Personally, I can't imagine going back to physical media - not so much for the "instant gratification" of downloading, but the sheer ability I now have to obtain the music I want to obtain.

I used to loathe trundling down to the record store. First you'd have to get past the 271 copies of Eminem's latest album blocking the doorway, then wondering if what I wanted was in the "Jazz", "Blues", "Instrumental" or "Pop" section, traipsing through loads of crap looking for what I wanted only to find it wasn't there.

In fact - if your pop taste extended beyond Madonna or The Beatles you were out of luck. Similarly, if your Jazz taste extended beyond Miles Davis or Ella Fitzgerald then you were **** out of luck too.

Then you had to deal with the brain-dead fluzi at the counter, spelling the artist's surname six times and trying to explain what you wanted was in fact a music album - not a '70s kitchen appliance. Then realising she'd written it wrongly anyway - and on a small bit of paper you just knew was going to be lost before the afternoon was out.

Then you'd traipse back three weeks later to collect your special order, only to be told by some other brain-dead fluzi that the artist was actually not available and they'd never be able to order it.

I was so over it. Now - if I want it; I search for it; I get it.

There's a lot going for downloading / music servers that extends way beyond the experience in the listening room.

 

[risabet]

I definitely plan out my vinyl listening as the ritual involved is certainly a part of the pleasure received from the endeavor. Will it be Classical, Jazz, Reggae, Blues, or Rock? 45 RPM or 33? Will I focus on Beethoven Quartets? The Late, Middle, or Early ones? This process sets up the conditions for listening which increases my enjoyment of the music.

I do listen to CDs, hi-res downloads, etc, but I don't get the gratification from the digital formats that I do get from vinyl. The ease of picking a file in Jriver, while sitting on my couch is simply not as involving as looking through the albums or for that matter CDs, which are mostly used for background. No commentary on the sound quality differences, just that I find vinyl more involving in the ways the OP mentioned. Others opinions will of course differ. YMWV!

 

[bonzo]

I definitely plan out my vinyl listening as the ritual involved is certainly a part of the pleasure received from the endeavor. Will it be Classical, Jazz, Reggae, Blues, or Rock? 45 RPM or 33? Will I focus on Beethoven Quartets? The Late, Middle, or Early ones? This process sets up the conditions for listening which increases my enjoyment of the music.

I do listen to CDs, hi-res downloads, etc, but I don't get the gratification from the digital formats that I do get from vinyl. The ease of picking a file in Jriver, while sitting on my couch is simply not as involving as looking through the albums or for that matter CDs, which are mostly used for background. No commentary on the sound quality differences, just that I find vinyl more involving in the ways the OP mentioned. Others opinions will of course differ. YMWV!

If the vinyl is good and the TT is good, the depth of the brass, the tonality of the violins, and the thickness and texture is to die for. I don't own a TT but this was evident in most rooms at Munich (with very high end TTs), and on my demo of Kronos' top of the line. However, I didn't see much when I demoed a Kuzma, except on a couple of records. Or on a Verdier Platine with a Graham Phantom and Lyra. I had zero part of the ritual, was just listening, as I would probably break something if I touched a TT. The cheapest set TT set up I have heard sounding great is a Goldmund Studio on a vibraplane, at the place of a guy named Marty whose room is highly rated in the US audiophile community. He runs it through a DSP box

 

[amey01]

If the vinyl is good and the TT is good, the depth of the brass, the tonality of the violins, and the thickness and texture is to die for.

I hear what you hear (to a certain extent), but in the final analysis, vinyl is a cruddy consumer medium. It can't hold a candle to a good high-speed tape source.

So I'm a bit perplexed as to why vinyl is so popular with audiophiles, but tape is virtually unused.

Funnily enough, no masters are done to vinyl - it is for the masses.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

I wasn't trying to start any comparisons of the sound quality between media or suggest that everyone's listening behavior matches mine.

The new hasn't worn off and maybe I'm still amazed at how instantaneous everything is and will settle in a bit over time.

I'll be taking a chunk of time off this summer. I'll see what I can put into practice.

 

[Victor]

Dear RCHG,
Quite understandable and I think your opinion is a perfectly valid one so no need to feel defensive.

(FWIW, I'm a genuine analogue enthusiast... ;^)

 

[Bernard]

K

I hear what you hear (to a certain extent), but in the final analysis, vinyl is a cruddy consumer medium. It can't hold a candle to a good high-speed tape source.

So I'm a bit perplexed as to why vinyl is so popular with audiophiles, but tape is virtually unused.

Funnily enough, no masters are done to vinyl - it is for the masses.

Adam,

Tape (I assume you are not talking 8-track ) is virtually unused because it is very hard to get, when available is very expensive, and the choice of music is limited.

 

[twich54]

you mean there is something out there besides vinyl ? ………….. :devil:

 

[amey01]

Tape (I assume you are not talking 8-track ) is virtually unused because it is very hard to get, when available is very expensive, and the choice of music is limited.

Yes, but why Bernard when it is so superior?

There is always http://tapeproject.com/

 

[bonzo]

you mean there is something out there besides vinyl ? ………….. :devil:

Did I tell you ever tell you about the Lampi

 

[risabet]

I hear what you hear (to a certain extent), but in the final analysis, vinyl is a cruddy consumer medium. It can't hold a candle to a good high-speed tape source.

So I'm a bit perplexed as to why vinyl is so popular with audiophiles, but tape is virtually unused.

Funnily enough, no masters are done to vinyl - it is for the masses.

Man. I'd be all over a UHA machine and Tape Project tapes if I had more money than sense, no kids whose first college choice is CalTech, a dedicated room, and a much more understanding spouse. The reality is having heard some of the tapes at shows you're completely correct, tape SMOKES every other medium extant. But talk about consumer unfriendly!

 

[risabet]

Yes, but why Bernard when it is so superior?

There is always http://tapeproject.com/

Which does make Bernard's point, there are twenty-eight tapes available each coming in at $450.00 per. The most jaded gear-head will quickly tire of that limited variety of music. Add in the few 7in reels available at various places and tape just won't get it done if your into the music. There are hundreds of thousands of titles (millions?) on vinyl.

 

[amey01]

there are twenty-eight tapes available each coming in at $450.00 per. .

Not really. We're audiophiles, aren't we? If we want "consumer friendly" "cheap" and "variety" then there's always Spotify.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

Not really. We're audiophiles, aren't we? If we want "consumer friendly" "cheap" and "variety" then there's always Spotify.

I only have a toe in the audiophile camp. I'm extremely happy with how my stereo sounds now and am enjoying music more than I have an a long time. I have no interest in developing "golden ears" that will just cost me a mint in equipment when I'm perfectly happy with my current system. However I still appreciate the vast difference between music that is very well produced and that is not.

Sometimes I sit in the sweet spot to enjoy the sound stage and hear the most my stereo is capable of and sometimes I just play music in the background.

It's all just a different perspective on things...



The 10mm lens distorts things quite a bit. That right speaker is a full 3 feet in from the end of the back wall. I had to move my TV and furniture to the left and move both speakers fairly close together to get the sound stage centered properly. It is still far from ideal and requires your head be in about a 2' box to get the most out of it.