Turntables & Vinyl:

From the Kindle book

Home Theater for the Internet Age

Retro Resurgence

Turntables & Vinyl

Turntable = good way to leverage your investment in your home theater

Hear your favorite music in a way you never have before

Frail format—Vinyl is delicate—Easily scratched, melted, or warped—Susceptible to static cling—Must be cleaned before every playing

Retro Resurgence

In 2013, Amazon reported that its vinyl sales were up 745% since 2008—“Vinyl is the fastest growing music medium

on Amazon” Analog vs. digital

—Analog vinyl is richer, warmer, and higher fidelity Downside: Vinyl LPs 2-3x more expensive than

digital compact discs—$20-30 (just like high-resolution optical discs)

Retro Resurgence

Some sources estimate that >30 million vinyl LPs were pressed worldwide in 2013— 25 million of these distributed in the United States

Best quality is artists who record fully analog— Jack Johnson, Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Jack

White, Drive-By Truckers (to name only a few)— In 2014, Jack White’s Lazaretto became the

biggest-selling vinyl album in 20 years Vinyl LPs don’t always sound great

— They must be recorded and mastered well

Advantages of Vinyl

Vinyl = pressing of all of analog information in original recording— None of the sampling rate or bit rate worries

None of the sacrifices in fidelity of CDs— Vinyl not compressed, like CDs, MP3, or AAC files

Surprising number of bands today publishing albums on vinyl— Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, Vampire Weekend, Drive-By

Truckers, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, many more— Classic albums from Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, the

Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan re-released on vinyl

More about Turntables

Delicate machine playing a delicate format Spinning platter powered by a small motor

—Low-quality motors cause problems Two types of drive mechanisms

—Belt drive vs. direct drive—Belt drive is superior—Direct drive transfers vibration, noise, and other

problems from the motor to the tone arm to the needle to the LP

Even More Turntable Talk

Models featuring heavier platters are better—Helps minimize audible sound distortion

Spinning platter powered by a small motor—Low-quality motors cause problems

Two types of drive mechanisms—Belt drive vs. direct drive—Belt drive is superior—Direct drive transfers vibrations and noise from

the motor to the tone arm to the needle to the LP

Wow & Flutter

Wow & flutter = audible distortion Problems inherent in the analog, mechanical nature of

vinyl LPs— Result of small speed fluctuations— Worse on direct drive turntables and lower

quality models Belt drive turntables minimize speed fluctuations,

reducing wow and flutter Wow and flutter most evident on certain music

— Performances featuring “oboe, string, guitar, flute, brass, and piano solos” (Wikipedia)

Vinyl = Frail Format

We are a download and iTunes culture— Millennials are either completely ignorant of vinyl or

simply not interested Vinyl suffers from problems that don’t afflict

compact discs or digital files— Simply walking across the floor can = wow & flutter— Records must be kept clean and properly stored

CDs can tolerate temps up to 600◦ F, but LPs can melt and warp at <200◦ F— Never, never store LPs in direct sunlight or a car

Phono Preamps

Amps that work solely with turntables— Also called phono amps or phono stages

Provide an amplification balance — Cater to the tonal characteristics (timbre)

and vulnerabilities of turntables and vinyl Reputable models: Grado, Pro-Ject, Cambridge

Audio, NAD, Rega, B.M.C., and Sutherland— $150+ = Cambridge Audio and NAD— Several hundred $$ = Grado— Several thousand $$ = Rega, B.M.C., Sutherland

Reputable Turntable Models

Let’s cover the affordable models first Audio Technica AT-LP60: $100 Sony PS-LX300USB: $150 U-Turn Audio Orbit Basic: $180 Denon DP-300F: $350 Pro-Ject Debut Carbon: $400

— Features a carbon fiber tone arm that is supposedly perfectly balanced

— Reduces vibration that results in wow and flutter

Reputable Turntable Models

Now let’s get into audiophile big $$ stuff Marantz Reference Series: $1,500 Rega models: $450-2,500 Luxman PD-171: $6,400

—Features solid alloy platter—Vibration-killing weight of 51 lbs—Try getting your spouse to approve this one

Stylus & Cartridge

Stylus = needle Cartridge holds stylus; attaches to tone arm Very important part of any turntable

—Delicate zone where the playing device touches the storage medium (LP)

Cartridge is an upgrade opportunity for hobbyists—Also must be replaced over time

More Stylus & Cartridge

If stylus or cartridge becomes worn, immediately replace it —Damaged or worn stylus could damage your

expensive LPs Most people simply replace a worn/damaged

cartridge with the same model Don’t spend big $$ on a cartridge for an

inexpensive, low-quality turntable

Reputable Cartridge Models

Grado offers turntable cartridges ranging from $70-3,500— For those of you who like to buy American, Grado is

hand-made in New York City— Makes cartridges, but not turntables

Shure covers entry-level models from $60-165— Also does not make turntables

Audio Technica covers the middle range with cartridges priced from $30 to $1,100— Also offers the widest range of cartridges

One Final Caution

Ensure that your AV receiver can accept input from a turntable—Not all do

Be prepared to pay $20-30 for albums on vinyl Between hardware and album costs, many choose

to simply stick with CDs and streaming music My advice: Put your $$ into good speakers

These slides are derived from

the Amazon Kindle book

Home Theater for the

Internet Ageby

Curt Robbins

Other Books by Curt Robbins

Understanding Personal Data Security

Understanding Digital Music

Understanding Cutting the Cord

Understanding Home Theater

About Curt Robbins

Publishes a blog: Middle Class Tech Flipboard magazine: Middle Class Tech Twitter: @CurtRobbins

Surround Sound Formats

Excerpt from Home Theater for the Internet Age