AV Adviser

The turntable and record revolution is bigger than you think

Cleveland - Much has been written about he resurrgence of the vinyl record, especially by me.  I've seen friends and customers revive their dusty wax in recent months partly due to my evangelizing.  And as good as the numbers in indicating the upward trend are they aren't accurate. 

This record revolution is big.  There's no way to tell how many used records and turntables are being sold as is pointed out in an article in this month's issue of Electronic House, Analog Revival Much Bigger Than Numbers Indicate. 

For Clevelanders itching to get their vinyl fix I recommend this used route.  The first stop is Play It Again Sam on Madison Ave. in Lakewood.  This used stereo shop has been around for decades, having recently moved to new digs close to Bunts Rd.  Here you can find a good used turntable which they can outfit with a nice phono cartridge. 

Now head to Waterloo Rd. in Collinwood.  Oh, but take the turntable home first.  It's not a good idea to have a turntable bouncing around in a car, especially with the potholes these days.  On Waterloo, just a block down from the Beachland Ballroom you'll find two record stores.  Music Saves is where you'll find new vinyl.  Most every artist is releasing their new music in vinyl format.  It's not cheap, but you'll usually get a code for an mp3 version as well.  Plus the packaging is often times a treat in itself.  There's also re-issues of classic albums being released on a steady basis. 

The final stop is Blue Arrow Records where you'll find a treasure trove of used vinyl.  If you're older your mind will be taken back again and again as you peruse records you once owned or recall listening to in a friend's dorm room. 

Nowadays I'm taking a chance on less than pristine vinyl.  It's cheaper and I can clean it up very well with Spin Clean.  This thing is well worth becoming a vital part of your new record hobby.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

McIntosh unveils slew of new products

Cleveland - Far from the maddening crowd that is the Consumer Electronics Show main floor, down the street in The Venetian, old school hi-fi took center stage.  The part of the show where two channel is king and people really listened critically to music emanating from high end speakers and amplifiers.  It was here that McIntosh unveiled a slew of new products. 

The most highly touted of the new McIntosh gear was the MT5 Precision turntable.  Forget about the sound, just look at this thing.

McIntosh also demonstrated both new tube and digital stereo receivers, pre-amps and amplifiers. And all but one come with the classic blue VU meters.  Take a look, MCINTOSH INTRODUCES A RECORD SEVEN NEW HOME AUDIO PRODUCTS AT CES 2013.

I'm not sure on pricing for most of these new products but I'm seeing guesses that the turntable will run about $6,500.  While that may sound expensive, and it is, there's plenty of really esoteric equipment out there with price tags that make this look like a bargain. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Vinyl resurgence continues, creating excitement for quality sound

Cleveland - The vinyl resurgence started in about 2006 at which time just under one million records were sold.  Last year over four and a half million were purchased.  And that doesn't take into account the many more used records that have traded hands. 

Truth be told, I didn't see it coming back in the early part of this century.  If I had a CD copy of an LP that I owned I gave it away, trying to unburden myself of the format that took up a good amount of space and were a pain to move.  Nowadays I'm buying new LPs and hardly ever a CD. 

The reasons for the resurgence have been spelled out in many a story over the past few years.  One of the better articles on the subject was in Wednesday's USA Today, Vinyl's sonic perfection finds new fans in digital age. 

No one's foolish enough to think that the vinyl record will become truly prevelant again.  It'll be a niche market.  I have contended for a few years now that long after CDs are gone people will still be buying vinyl.  Me, with about 8,000 CDs. 

Vinyl is the perfect compliment to digital music with its portability and convenience, yet inferior sound.  Polar opposites in most every way.  The combination of the two in one's life is perfect.

These days when I design an audio system for a home I'll use digital music sources for music around the home.  I'll also spec out a dedicated listening room, maybe a study or den, where I suggest a quality stand alone system with good box speakers and, hopefully, a turntable.  It's a great way to bring out the youthfulness in my customers.  Yes, I sell the elixir of youth.  It gives them a few moments of solitude in a hectic and, too often, stressful life. 

What's really exciting about this coming back to vinyl is the focus it's put on quality sound which has been lost to a whole generation.  Just recently the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Grammys have teamed up for a website called Quality Sound Matters.  It discusses all the different components that go into making music sound truly good. 

In an accompanying article in the USA Today, How much would you pay to bring music to life?, very high end stereo gear is highlighted.  And I mean very high end. A $600,000 pair of speakers anyone?

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

On a vinyl kick

It usually happens around this time of year, the dead of winter when I'm cooped up inside.  I get on a vinyl record kick.  I usually take a photo of what I'm playing and upload it to Instagram and post it to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well.  If you'd like to see those search for "radiohannibal" on any of those services and add me. 

It was exactly a year ago that I wrote about the Spin Clean record cleaning system, A New Take On An Old Way To Clean Your Vinyl Records. At that time, I said be buying the product.

It took me a year but I finally bought the Spin Clean system.  It arrived a few days ago and I'm thrilled with the results. 

I took a few of my favorite old records, ones I've had since high school when we didn't worry to much about keeping a record in pristine condition.  I'd rarely play these records as the pops, clicks and hissing were too distracting.

I played the record to verify how bad it sounded then ran it through the Spin Clean system.  When I played it again the sound was remarkably better.  Sure, there was still the occasional pop and click, but I'd say it was usually about a 90% improvement. 

Now if you'll excuse me I'll get back to my record listening.  Right ladies?

Space age hi-fi, part 4

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser magically cleans phono stylus

I have a Band & Olufsen Beogram TX 2 turntable with an MMC2 cartridge.  It's a sweet set up.

I'm always looking for ways to make it sound better.  You know, what solutions and gizmos will make the records cleaner and play better.  And how to keep the dust and gunk from collecting on the phono stylus. 

I came across a few stories which touted the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser as the best way to clean up the stylus.  Sure enough it seems to do the trick and a life time supply will set you back less than five bucks. 

All you do is cut off a piece at the end of one of the erase bars, and either dab the cut piece against the the stylus or have the stylus drop onto it.  Just make sure you don't move the piece of magic eraser to the side while it's in contact with the stylus or could tear off the diamond stylus. 

The evidence of dirt and residue is on the eraser after the procedure.  And more importantly the proof is in the sound coming from your speakers. 

Here's a video explaining the procedure.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Turntable sales grow 50 percent in past year

As vinyl record sales have grown over the past five years it's no wonder that people are beginning to buy turntables once again.  In fact, sales have grown 50% during the past year.  It doesn't mean record listening will surpass mp3s and streaming, but the demise of vinyl records just isn't happening. 

There are a few reasons for this niche market growth.  There's the abundance of old records one can find at second hand stores, yard sales and the Goodwill.  The belief that the analog sound is fuller and more accurately represents the original recording.  There's also a romanticism to playing records, of sitting on the couch and looking at the large format record cover while listening. 

When I design a system for someone's home I usually create a listening room, apart from the home theater.  This two channel stereo with a turntable and a good pair of speakers usually is set up in the den or study.  I enjoy getting comments from these customers who appreciate that I've turned them onto music once more. 

Yesterday the New York Times did a nice story on how to buy a turntable, Enjoying Turntables Without Obsessing.  In it you'll find a nice primer for novices to the world of the record player. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Was Steve Jobs working on a better sounding digital format?

Neil Young, a big proponent for better sounding music formats, says that Steve Jobs agreed with him and they talked of developing such a format for iTunes.  He also said that when Jobs was at home he preferred to listen to vinyl records. 

Young talked about this at a technology conference in California on Tuesday.  He said the format would be lossless, containing 100% of the original data, instead the poor sampling rate of an mp3.  It would mean far fewer songs on a portable device and the download would take a long time.  The reward would be a much richer music listening experience. 

The Wall Street Journal's tech writer Walt Mossberg confirmed Young's comments.  He said that Jobs was surprised "that people traded quality, to the extent they had, for convenience or price". 

Here's the story from the Huffington Post, Neil Young: Steve Jobs Listened To Vinyl.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

A New Take On An Old Way To Clean Your Vinyl Records

A good friend of mine in the AV business recently told me about a guy in Pittsburgh who's creating quite a business selling a new take on an old type of vinyl record cleaner.  It's called the Spin Clean.

I'm still using a Discwasher.  Remember the Discwasher?  I still have a couple of them dating back to the 80s at least.  Nowadays I make my own cleaning formula, a mix of distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of Woolite.  You can find this solution and others in a quick Google search. 

The original Spin Clean Record Washer dates back to the 1970s.  The Mawhinney family's story on the evolution of the product is interesting and coincides with the resurgence of vinyl in recent years. 

Spin Clean claims the real secret is their own liquid formula as opposed to the home made types I described above.  There's only one way to prove it.  I think I'll be buying one of these units and comparing my solution with their secret recipe. 

Here's an independent demo of the product.