Who's excited for the HAMILTON vinyl??- Page 2

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/19/16 at 9:53pm

It's all about your playback. Shifty system yields shifty sound quality no matter what medium.

Digital downloads as sold by iTunes etc. aren't formulated with very good fidelity because any decent sound would make the files too large to be manageable. Which is why I never buy digital.

[Lousy]

Posted: 3/19/16 at 10:07pm

ghostlight2 said: ""There is is a reason for this which is sound quality. I don't get why you would listen to Hamilton on vinyl when it will be so much clearer on your iPhone."

 

It will be easier and more portable, Dave13, but it will in no way be clearer. See Carlos' link. Vinyl is vastly superior in sound quality than cd or digital."

Warmer sound does not equal higher quality sound. It just refers to a more pronounced focus in the midrange frequencies, with a rolled off high end. The vinyl vs digital trend comes from a romanticism for that particular set of frequencies being emphasised. Digital files or CD files have a much broader frequency range than a vinyl can achieve, so in most cases you are hearing a truer representation to the source sound if you're listening to digital or CD (unless of course it is a recording that has been transferred from a vinyl source in the first place, though this isn't very common nowadays.)

However, I do understand the contemporary appeal of vinyl - collecting them, the physical action of putting one on, the 'vintage' aesthetic, and so forth.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 3/19/16 at 10:36pm

"It's all about your playback. Shifty system yields shifty sound quality no matter what medium."

 

Can't argue that point.

 

"Warmer sound does not equal higher quality sound. It just refers to a more pronounced focus in the midrange frequencies, with a rolled off high end. The vinyl vs digital trend comes from a romanticism for that particular set of frequencies being emphasised. Digital files or CD files have a much broader frequency range than a vinyl can achieve, so in most cases you are hearing a truer representation to the source sound if you're listening to digital or CD".

 

I would argue this point, but rather than doing so, I'll just say 9 times out of 10, people are listening to cds or digital through inferior equipment than most vinyl user, and in no way will it be clearer on an iPhone. Your sound is only as good as the equipment you're listening to it on.

 

And yes, I'll be buying this.

[rodrigo_ca]

Posted: 3/19/16 at 11:37pm

I'm actually more excited to see what y'all are going to come up to the next thread regarding this show. Perhaps we should create a chat board section dedicated to it?

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/20/16 at 12:01am

HogansHero said: "At this point, I have no record player, no tape player and no CD player so I can't imagine why I would be excited about this. 

Mr Hogan-Do you not own a DVD player so you can play a CD on that?

 

"

 

[sarahb22]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 1:44pm

Here's the question though: will the vinyl's sound source be true analog, or are they just going to do a vinyl pressing of the CD tracks, in which case you're just getting a vinyl version of digitally compressed files?  Because if the latter is the case, the sound quality will suck and no way will it be worth $70.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 1:56pm

sarahb22 said: "Here's the question though: will the vinyl's sound source be true analog, or are they just going to do a vinyl pressing of the CD tracks, in which case you're just getting a vinyl version of digitally compressed files?  Because if the latter is the case, the sound quality will suck and no way will it be worth $70."

I don't even really understand what any of this means, but I want to know the answer!

 

[JM226]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 2:16pm

BROADWAYCONCIERGE - the only way to find out is asking them directly or tweeting Lin about it. maybe he will respond.  sarahb22 is referring to the format of the tracks... are these the high quality, master .WAV files or just the same decompressed digital crap available on iTunes. it is a good question to ask

[BarryDog]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 2:24pm

If you don't prefer a vinyl gatefold to a CD or digital then you just don't care about physical media. In 2016 it's just a niche. To each their own.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 3:17pm

Thanks for your informative post Lousy.

Unless I missed it, what nobody seems to mention is that each and every time you play an LP the needle is eating away at the vinyl no matter how expensive your stylus is and even if it correctly calibrated. There is also an inferior sound coming from the inner most grooves due to the physics involved. Before the introduction of the CD format, if I owned a favorite LP I would also purchase a duplicate copy due once again to the vinyl deterioration. Even with careful handling, the vinyl had to be cleaned with either a special brush and/or a record cleaning solution. And let's not forget the possibility of the LP being warped or small bumps on the vinyl which was inherent from a poor pressing. Then there were electromagnetic guns one could purchase to remove the static electricity that would build up on the vinyl. When I got my first well paying job I put it towards a Gerard turntable with a Pickering cartridge/stylus, a Marantz amplifier and a pair of AR2 speakers. After time the expensive stylus would have to be replaced due to wear.

So bless those who jump on the vinyl bandwagon but I for one will remain faithful to the trouble free CD format and the newly introduced Hi Rez downloads which have sound surpassing that of SACD's. No, I am not an audiophile snob but rather someone who enjoys sound reproduced in the most convenient, long lasting, and best sounding format.   

Updated On: 3/21/16 at 03:17 PM

[sarahb22]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 4:28pm

I've heard about vinyl deterioration, but I have records that go back 35 years and I personally have never experienced it.  My original Star Wars soundtrack album, which I played to death back when the movie first came out, sounds exactly like it did the first time I dropped a needle on it.  So I guess YMMV.

Of course, the "vinyl vs. other formats" debate goes on and will probably go on forever. Whatever floats your boat!  All I know is when I play my albums on my fully restored 1957 Zenith Prelude console tube record player, they sound AWESOME.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 5:57pm

Why on Earth would they master the vinyl from the iTunes version of the album??

[sarahb22]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 7:22pm

Mr. Nowack said: "Why on Earth would they master the vinyl from the iTunes version of the album??"

For the same reason Lucasfilm mastered the DVD 'not-special edition' version of 'Star Wars' (included in the Special Edition DVD) from the old laserdisc rather than the original film negative: it's cheaper.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 7:22pm

I'm afraid that I go back far enough to remember when stereo amplifiers made the switch from analog vacuum tube to digital transistor. Yes, there were those back them that held out for the superiority of the tube amps.

Between my first and second years of college I built from a kit possibly the last tube amplifier ever assembled. (I was amazed that it actually worked.)  Although I don't remember any great arguments about which maker of vinyl records was the best, I thought that Columbia (CBS) and Elektra produced the crispest sound. 

Musical Nirvana was sitting in a dark room inhaling the sickly sweet odor of the glowing vacuum tubes, placing the stylus onto the first cut of the record and listening to the crystal clear intro of "Like a Rolling Stone." And possibly lighting up.

Listening to that intro just now on iTunes, it would not at all surprise me if it were noticeably inferior to the sound impressed on that vinyl.

 

Updated On: 3/21/16 at 07:22 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 7:55pm

sarahb22 said: "For the same reason Lucasfilm mastered the DVD 'not-special edition' version of 'Star Wars' (included in the Special Edition DVD) from the old laserdisc rather than the original film negative: it's cheaper."

I don't think that situation is at all comparable. 

It's not like this is the first vinyl pressing in 25 years, vinyl issues of new recordings have been standard procedure for years and years now. I own a number of them and they sound great, on my stereo system that is. Granted I don't think I own any from Atlantic Records but I would hope they know how to do it properly.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 8:47pm

I suppose there's only one way to find out, but if I were to buy a used copy of (for example) Seesaw on amazon - after 40 plus years, what would the sound quality be like? It depends on how much the previous owner played it?

I'm relatively new to this game, I've never actually bought a genuine vintage record before, but for four bucks I guess it's worth a chance.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 9:38pm

It's really a mixed bag with actual records from the LP era. A variety of factors including how much it was played, how well it was taken care of (re: scratches, imbedded dust), and even how well it was mixed originally can affect how good it sounds. Of course the first two aren't issues if it's a sealed copy, which are actually pretty easy to find for cast albums because generally they weren't great sellers. 

As OldBlueEyes said, Columbia generally tended to have the best sound (though I have a few Columbia LP's from the 80's that sound horrific) whereas in the cast album realm United Artists tended to mix theirs very poorly (which is why BK has focused on their output for his remixes and remasters multiple times in the past).

There's also the issue of ageing master tapes. For example, the CD release of MILK AND HONEY has some intense background hiss that when remastering they either couldn't or didn't bother removing. I have a copy of the first pressing LP as well and though it is fairly worn and scratched this background static/hiss isn't present because the album was done when the takes were brand new.

It's really a very complicated topic.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 9:45pm

Thanks.

[sarahb22]

Posted: 3/21/16 at 9:50pm

OlBlueEyes, dig this.  My fully restored 1957 Zenith Prelude console.  Glowing tubes, baby!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5b5HcRSJzc

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/22/16 at 11:32pm

sarahb22 said: "OlBlueEyes, dig this.  My fully restored 1957 Zenith Prelude console.  Glowing tubes, aby!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5b5HcRSJzc

Thanks. That's awesome. I think that the real purists frowned on record changers. Playing cuts from albums at a college radio station, you had to hold the spinning disc while the turntable continued to spin under it, place the stylus on the area between cuts, and let the record go. At least I think I remember that we did it that way.

 

"

 

[sarahb22]

Posted: 4/14/16 at 5:48pm

So, is anyone planning on picking this up when it comes out tomorrow?  I might swing by the local Barnes and Noble and check it out, but it's going to have to be pretty deeply discounted for me to buy it.  Amazon has it for $70, and that's just a little too rich for my blood! But given how cool the Hamiltome is, I am very curious as to what the book that comes with the vinyl will look like.  So if anyone here buys one, pictures please

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/14/16 at 6:08pm

Amazon prices often come down closer to publication date, but isn't this like 6 LPS, though?

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/14/16 at 6:16pm

I think I read it's 4

[sarahb22]

Posted: 4/14/16 at 6:41pm

It's 4 LPs plus a 12" x 12" book of lyrics and pictures and a code for a digital download. Which is great but $70 is still a lot of money.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/14/16 at 8:08pm

I'm a Barnes and Noble member I automatically get a discount plus with the 20% discount coupon they just emailed me that's a pretty deep discount....off to the Union Square Barnes and Noble I go....