vinyl

Vacuumed vinyl sounds better--or why LP lovers need record-cleaning machines

Compared to iPods LPs are a lot of work. First you have to put the record on a turntable platter, cue the tonearm over the lead-in groove, and then gently lower the "needle" into said groove. When the record's over, you have to raise the arm and return it to the rest. If that sounds like hard labor stick with your iPod. But to audiophiles the turntable/record playing ritual is part of the analog experience, a preamble of good sounds to come.

Thing is--the stylus tracing the microscopic world of groove wiggles encounters more than just wiggles--whatever dirt and assorted crud that's adhered to the vinyl adds its own noise, clicks and pops to the music. Sure, when things are really bad you could gently wash the LPs with baby shampoo, rinse with lots of water and dry. That might help, but the deep down grime at the bottom of the groove will still be there, and still audible. The ground-in crud can dramatically increase what we perceive as "record surface noise." Record brushes can sweep some of the surface dirt off, but at the end of the day the only way to get the deep down stuff is to use special record cleaning fluid and suck it off with a vacuum. that's exactly the way record cleaning machines work--they squeeze more analog juice from used and even new records. … Read more

Stacks of wax from the backs of the racks

My brother and I used to walk up to our local drug store and buy LP records from a rack next to the candy bars. One day he bought Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and I bought the live Rush album Exit Stage Left. When we opened them, I became jealous of the stickers and posters in Dark Side, so we arranged a trade, which seemed fair because the Rush record had two LPs in it. He became a Rush fan, I became a Floyd fan, and the rest of our lives followed from that fateful decision. (… Read more

Adorn your iPhone with sticky German pixel art

In case you're one of those several million with the soon-to-be-outdated iPhone, German design gurus eBoy (not to be confused with eBay) have some slick new pixel art goodness for you to stick on the back of your phone. Fifteen euros (about $24) nets you one of three limited-edition stick-ons featuring pixel art cities printed on 3M Controltac vinyl film.

Just don't forget to write down your serial and IEMI number--unless you feel like digging it out of the settings menu or the product box you tossed out back in January.

A $47,000 turntable for Coneheads

Now this is the way to go. If you're going to get into this whole game of esoteric turntables, you might as well go all the way--and that's precisely what Montegiro Lusso has done with its latest offering.

The system is made of three cones consisting of aluminum and acrylic layers, giving it the zebra-stripe look. It also has a titanium cartridge, a synchronous motor, and a Da Vinci Nobile carbon-fiber arm, according to Gizmodo. (Speaking of Da Vinci, this may be the most unusual design since we saw the "AAS-Gabriel" museum-worthy turntable last year.)

Now … Read more

Pioneer CDJ-400: Issuing a final blow to vinyl

Right, we're sticking our neck out here. Vinyl is dead. Even if you're a DJ, those glorious analogue discs are starting to pale in comparison to CDs and other digital music. There will be people reading this who will tell you we're wrong, ignorant and just plain stupid. But hear us out: there are compelling reasons why we think 12-inch format music has had its day. The Pioneer CDJ-400 is just one of them.

There used to be a time when CD just didn't cut the mustard for DJs. If you were lucky, a CD deck … Read more

'Genie' turntable has a zen philosophy

As long as we're on the subject of vinyl, it's interesting to note how the designs of modern-day turntables seem to gravitate toward the extremes. At one end there's the impossibly complicated and, at the other, the absolute minimalist. On the latter front, the "Genie 2" from Henley Designs seems to take the spartan approach to an extreme.

It has many qualifications that audiophiles should appreciate, according to Tech Digest, such as a high-torque motor and a peripheral drive to improve stability. But it's hard to imagine where else anything other components are housed … Read more

A vinyl converter for the midlife crisis

There are scads of products that convert vinyl records to digital files on the market, but most look either utilitarian or like an old dorm-room stereo. So even though its retro look may not be for everyone, Grace Digital is at least trying to make its design a little more interesting.

The "Victoria Classic" looks like a radio from yesteryear, which may appeal to those who may be entering the Digital Age for practicality but aren't quite ready to part with their past just yet. One of three new models being introduced, the Classic can burn vinyl … Read more

R.E.M. offers 45 rpm vinyl

I have a theory about indie rock hipsters: you can tell how old they are by which R.E.M. album they say was "the last good one." Specifically, it was the last R.E.M. album that came out before they turned 22, the age at which most four-year college students graduate.

That puts me squarely in the Green camp. And in fact, while their next two albums made R.E.M. a household name, with songs like "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time) and "Man on the Moon" (from Automatic for … Read more

Video games as art, literally

Here's a cool little collectible vinyl toy we saw this weekend, in the form of a quirky anthropomorphic video game cabinet. Apparently, there's an entire subculture of fans who collect these limited edition vinyl toys (although they're not really very toy-like, with no moving parts and limited production runs).

Designer Erick Scarecrow created the $30 Soopa Coin-Up Bros. as an homage to classic arcade machines, and its blank surface (available in white, black, green, orange, and a few other colors) can be customized with paint, markers, or stickers--giving a new twist to the old games-as-art debate.

LP sales surpass CDs!

It was bound to happen. After years of decline and the steadily rising tide of iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, et al--CD numbers are now in free fall--and the LP has finally regained its position as the world's most popular physical music format! Boosted by sales of Radiohead's "In Rainbows," and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," LP sales edged past the CD a few weeks ago. Elvis Costello's upcoming release, "Momofuku," will only be offered as a hi-fi LP or low-fi download. The CD is on its way out.

The Compact Disc … Read more