Audio buffs out there

[toddy]

Just sold on a Linn Genki CD player and had a nice chat with the purchaser, reminiscing about 70/80's audio systems and how good they were.

I used to do vinyl  [Linn Sondek Ittok iv arm At 9 moving coil cartridge] but got sucked into digital audio back in 90/91 - big mistake in hindsight. I am not saying analogue is better than current digital equipment especially now everything is computer spec developed.

But analogue when set up properly does sound 'alive' and I do miss the covers of albums and the feel of vinyl records..........

[ketteringram]

I agree ! Is there meant to be a question ? 

[toddy]

1 hour ago, ketteringram said:

I agree ! Is there meant to be a question ? 

Do you think digital is better than analogue and why?

I know some on here will say analogue, what's that?

[ketteringram]

6 minutes ago, toddy said:

Do you think digital is better than analogue and why?

I know some on here will say analogue, what's that?

No I don't . Analogue wins every time , especially with a mid to hi end set up . 

[Gaspode]

Digital is certainly more convenient in the car - bloody tone-arm jumps every time I go round a corner.....

[David]

Analogue sounds better as you want it to, reminds you of when you was younger and brings back memories.

I understand it, get why people would do it, I mean I want a NES Classic Mini, sat close in front of the TV with a wired controller whilst I have a PS4 sat there.

No question as to what's better but dusting down those records that have been sat in the attic for a decade or two feels so much better right?

[eddie]

Ah, happy memories of listening to the album you were going to buy in the audio booth at Woolies...

Excuse me...

The record's stuc the record's stuc the record's stuc the record's stuc.....

[Pearl Ram]

Woolies...RE Cords in Sadler Gate was the place to buy your albums. Got my first job there when I was still at school, loved it.

[Gaspode]

34 minutes ago, EastHertsRam said:

Woolies...RE Cords in Sadler Gate was the place to buy your albums. Got my first job there when I was still at school, loved it.

I used to get most of my vinyl from the shop in Duckworth square (can't remember it's name) - there was also a place (Siren Records) in the Strand Arcade.

Dave Hill who used to be at R E Cords now runs BPM Records in the Old Blacksmiths Yard....

[Pearl Ram]

1 hour ago, Gaspode said:

I used to get most of my vinyl from the shop in Duckworth square (can't remember it's name) - there was also a place (Siren Records) in the Strand Arcade.

Dave Hill who used to be at R E Cords now runs BPM Records in the Old Blacksmiths Yard....

Got to admit I don't remember a Dave Hill, I remember Dave Milton, maybe Dave H was there after me. (1976) 

[LesterRam]

4 hours ago, Gaspode said:

I used to get most of my vinyl from the shop in Duckworth square (can't remember it's name) - there was also a place (Siren Records) in the Strand Arcade.

Dave Hill who used to be at R E Cords now runs BPM Records in the Old Blacksmiths Yard....

I used to spend an absolute fortune at BPM which was located at Granby street in Leicester in the day, all those white labels 

[ketteringram]

There is a little bit of 'the whole vinyl routine ' about it, but analogue is always going to sound better . Have you listened to DAB radio ? It's shocking . Virtually un listenable , even on a so called superior system . It's perfect for radio 4, and even more so for radio 5. As up to now , I've been getting that on MW . But for music ? No thanks , switch back to FM every time . Don't get me started on mp3 ! Fine as a little background music , or music to run to etc . But if you want to actually listen to music , you're soon going to get fed up of it at that compression . 

Even at budget level , say £500 or £600. Spend that on  a CD Player , amp and speakers , and the same amount on a turntable , amp and speakers . Quality wise , it will blow the CD out of the water . 

[Old Spalding Ram]

7 hours ago, EastHertsRam said:

Woolies...RE Cords in Sadler Gate was the place to buy your albums. Got my first job there when I was still at school, loved it.

Blooming heck, this brings back some memories.

Dave Milton ran both R E Cords and the Blue Note and lived in a rather salubrious place down Darley Abbey.

R E Cords was exceptional, from soul to reggae to dub to punk if you were looking for a single that the bloke in the market hall had never heard of then the legendary Hector would produce it from under the counter. Top bloke Hector, but crap at football.

EastHertsRam were you the hairy one in the LP section that used to blast out that Prog Rock stuff down Sadler Gate? 

[Pearl Ram]

1 minute ago, Old Spalding Ram said:

Blooming heck, this brings back some memories.

Dave Milton ran both R E Cords and the Blue Note and lived in a rather salubrious place down Darley Abbey.

R E Cords was exceptional, from soul to reggae to dub to punk if you were looking for a single that the bloke in the market hall had never heard of then the legendary Hector would produce it from under the counter. Top bloke Hector, but crap at football.

EastHertsRam were you the hairy one in the LP section that used to blast out that Prog Rock stuff down Sadler Gate? 

Nah, I only did Thursday and Friday after school and all day Saturday. I did have a good head of hair in those days mind but I never got to choose what was played. 

Old Hector was the Northern Soul specialist I think, but that said, he knew just about everything. In those days, skank was a genre of music as opposed to someone you do your best to avoid. 

[Mostyn6]

I'm a bit younger. I shopped at Way Ahead, Oasis Records and BPM.

[froggg]

7 hours ago, Gaspode said:

I used to get most of my vinyl from the shop in Duckworth square (can't remember it's name) 

Me too, next to the Tesco I worked in from age 14. World at our feet eh??

[Old Spalding Ram]

18 hours ago, Gaspode said:

I used to get most of my vinyl from the shop in Duckworth square (can't remember it's name) 

Collectors Record Centre.................next to Corals the bookies. 

[Gaspode]

2 hours ago, Old Spalding Ram said:

Collectors Record Centre.................next to Corals the bookies. 

That's the one - wasn't 'hip, cool & trendy' like  R E Cords, but had a big stock (including plenty of the 'eavy stuff' that I was after at the time....)

[toddy]

For me its all about the speakers nowadays.

Going back Linn/Naim/Kef set up all those years ago it was all about getting as much out of the front end as possible, I remember Ivor Tiebenbrun saying put shiite in and you'll get Shiite out of the other end -  so hence the LP12 turntable with its wonderful Ittok arm etc.

It used to sing and very very well, but at a serious cost ££££......

Now moving on 30 odd years and now we have computer developed/tested digital and speaker systems, for me CD with a quality DAC now outperforms the old turntable, add a quality valve or solid state pre and a couple of s/s power amps and place a high quality speaker on the end. The music really does flow, as the wife says ''they sound as though they are actually in the lounge playing - not only can you hear the music you can feel it''.

You can forget the Apple thingy, with their fancy headphones - tried it, it sounds thin, cold and lacks quality both upper mid and low frequencies - compressed dross, but its cheap and convenient.

 

[froggg]

Just got a pair of kef q series floor standing speakers for £50 paired up with a pioneer A-443 amplifier £45, Arcam DAC/Bluetooth, never heard Spotify sound so good, now on the lookout for a decent but cheap second hand CD player , any ideas folks? making the hairs on the back of me neck stand up, fell in love with music all over again, man cave is rocking.