Media tossed onto the trash? (Page 2): It's true that there is a market for vinyl records. Audiophiles feel they have a better sound than digital recordings, just as some people love...

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

elliott937 wrote:

Since there was a discussion earlier today about a new Window's OS required a member here to purchase a new video card, so I felt compelled to my fellow members to share some thoughts about ... maybe we don't have to toss our hardware into a landfill if it, and its software, serves us well.

Let me share more 'food for thought', coming from my own students, and from my regularly listening to a radio station from London. Here it is:

Remember how, who, sales people? marketing departments? All those people?? Remember how we were "told" to toss all our vinyl records into the trash? DVD and BluRay movies? Compact Discs? And along with those pieces of 'software' (e.g. LP records, movie discs, and CDs), also toss CD players into the landfills, along with DVD/BluRay players, turntables/cartridges, etc. We were ""told"" toss all this into the trash and join the "new era of media"?? Remember that over the past 10 or 20 years?

In all fairness, I must say there are some advantages of being able to access a movie or digital book, literally, anywhere. But, all that stuff we were "told" to toss in the landfill?

Well, here is a reality update. My college students are purchasing LP records every day of the week, and turntables too. They've been doing this for more than the past ten years I've been teaching. Audiophile magazine shows ads for dozens and dozens of turntables and cartridges, some with shocking prices. Turntables and LP records are not gone or even going away ... they are on their way back, and doing quite well. As I listen to my favorite radio station from London, I'm hearing the artist there are insisting that their new music recordings must be delivered not only on the (1)Internet as downloads, but are insisting they they are also made available as (2) CDs and (3)LP records. I'm even hearing the there is a market for cassette recordings. I'm shocked to hear that, but apparently in middle European cities, they are available there.

So, my fellow members, don't be pushed so easily with the philosophy of "toss away everything you own, and replace it with what sales people say we should be purchasing".

I thought you'd like to know, I thought you 'should know' about how LP records and turntables are very much alive. And after studying this typic of Dynamic Range, for anyone who would like to experience Concert Hall Realism in their own home, the only media to deliver that is a compact disc.

I thought you would like to know all this.

Since there was a discussion earlier today about a... (show quote)

It's true that there is a market for vinyl records. Audiophiles feel they have a better sound than digital recordings, just as some people love to take film photos. But, it doesn't follow that we should hoard any and every media that has ever existed, or hang on to ancient computers and peripherals that still work, when obviously superior replacements exist. So, I have no 8-tracks, no 5-1/4" or 3-1/2" floppy disks, no 16 MB SD cards, no landline phones, rotary or touchtone, no Sony memory sticks. If there were ribbons and drivers that worked, I suppose dot-matrix printers could still be used, but who'd want to? Cameras that use obsolete media are gone, too. The Sony Mavica is a collector's item, but how many of us are still using it as our go-to camera?

So, I'm very glad that some consumer products, like vinyl records, can be saved from the landfill, and I hope that, when people discard products, they do so in a way that there's a chance for recycling. But, my house is too small to keep all the products that are obsolete or obsolescent.

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

8-track? That was an item that left plenty to be desired, including cassettes. Just for curious trivia, the university where I teach also teaches courses in film photography, even including darkroom.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

Fun conversation. Brings back a lot of memories. I worked in that world back in the 60s-70s.
Was in the engineering department of Roberts Tape recorders then on to a stint with Sony.
Serviced many of the things that are now priced unbelievably high. Marantz, both the real and the later, McIntosh, Fisher, Kenwood to name a few.

I still have a Dual 1219 and I think I have a Thorens TD-124 in storage with a Ortofon arm.

Still in daily use are my Infinity Quantum III's which I acquired in 1979. I turn down offers to sell them often.

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

I'm enjoying the conversation here. Keep in mind, the main reason I started this conversation to give fellow members a reason to -not- be in a hurry to toss everything in to the trash.

supercub

elliott937 wrote:

Since there was a discussion earlier today about a new Window's OS required a member here to purchase a new video card, so I felt compelled to my fellow members to share some thoughts about ... maybe we don't have to toss our hardware into a landfill if it, and its software, serves us well.

Let me share more 'food for thought', coming from my own students, and from my regularly listening to a radio station from London. Here it is:

Remember how, who, sales people? marketing departments? All those people?? Remember how we were "told" to toss all our vinyl records into the trash? DVD and BluRay movies? Compact Discs? And along with those pieces of 'software' (e.g. LP records, movie discs, and CDs), also toss CD players into the landfills, along with DVD/BluRay players, turntables/cartridges, etc. We were ""told"" toss all this into the trash and join the "new era of media"?? Remember that over the past 10 or 20 years?

In all fairness, I must say there are some advantages of being able to access a movie or digital book, literally, anywhere. But, all that stuff we were "told" to toss in the landfill?

Well, here is a reality update. My college students are purchasing LP records every day of the week, and turntables too. They've been doing this for more than the past ten years I've been teaching. Audiophile magazine shows ads for dozens and dozens of turntables and cartridges, some with shocking prices. Turntables and LP records are not gone or even going away ... they are on their way back, and doing quite well. As I listen to my favorite radio station from London, I'm hearing the artist there are insisting that their new music recordings must be delivered not only on the (1)Internet as downloads, but are insisting they they are also made available as (2) CDs and (3)LP records. I'm even hearing the there is a market for cassette recordings. I'm shocked to hear that, but apparently in middle European cities, they are available there.

So, my fellow members, don't be pushed so easily with the philosophy of "toss away everything you own, and replace it with what sales people say we should be purchasing".

I thought you'd like to know, I thought you 'should know' about how LP records and turntables are very much alive. And after studying this typic of Dynamic Range, for anyone who would like to experience Concert Hall Realism in their own home, the only media to deliver that is a compact disc.

I thought you would like to know all this.

Since there was a discussion earlier today about a... (show quote)

Still have over 350 albums still in original celephane on covers 90% without a scratch. My pioneer PL45 D turntable. Still have Akai reel to reel tape deck with cassette player. Just could not part with them.
We spent days making tapes for reel to reel one song at a time for the tape deck.

the hiker Loc: San Diego

Longshadow wrote:

I still have all my LPs from the late 60s, and a ton of 45s from the 50s.
Never got rid of them. (Not all LPs were made into CDs.)
(Have a TON of CDs also.)
Yes, I have a regular direct drive turntable, tuner/amp and a USB turntable.

not only do I still have my 45s and lps from the 50s and 60s but I also still have over 150 reel to reel tapes that I still listen too.. I also have many cassetes and cds to go with them.My 2004 niesen p/f has am/fm radio cd player and casette player as factry installed system which puts out a great sound when im driveing on a long trip.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

the hiker wrote:

not only do I still have my 45s and lps from the 50s and 60s but I also still have over 150 reel to reel tapes that I still listen too.. I also have many cassetes and cds to go with them.My 2004 niesen p/f has am/fm radio cd player and casette player as factry installed system which puts out a great sound when im driveing on a long trip.

I never did the reel-to-reel thing, but we do have a ton of cassettes (≈100), and a dual servo drive Sony cassette deck. Tuner/Amp is Sony (200 W), the turntable is a direct drive, Technics I think (Yea, it's OLD, circa early 1980s).
Our last vehicle that had a cassette deck in it was a 95-ish Rodeo, which was replaced in 2016.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

elliott937 wrote:

I'm enjoying the conversation here. Keep in mind, the main reason I started this conversation to give fellow members a reason to -not- be in a hurry to toss everything in to the trash.

I don't let new technology supersede old, unless the old breaks or no longer meets my needs.
(My phone is an Galaxy S-III from, what, 2014?)

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Still have the 45s and 33s that I started buying in the mid 1950s. I think my first 45 was Heartbreak Hotel.

lbrande

elliott937 wrote:

8-track? That was an item that left plenty to be desired, including cassettes. Just for curious trivia, the university where I teach also teaches courses in film photography, even including darkroom.

If the Dolby noise reduction was not used, the 8 track had superior sound because it ran at 3 3/4 ips as opposed to cassettes that ran at 1 7/8(?)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

lbrande wrote:

If the Dolby noise reduction was not used, the 8 track had superior sound because it ran at 3 3/4 ips as opposed to cassettes that ran at 1 7/8(?)

Reel-to-Reel at 7½ ips was even better sound quality!

lbrande

Longshadow wrote:

Reel-to-Reel at 7½ ips was even better sound quality!

Tough to have a reel to reel in a car. The 15ips was the best for sound, though.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

lbrande wrote:

Tough to have a reel to reel in a car. The 15ips was the best for sound, though.

Wouldn't be surprised if there was someone who actually did adapt one in a car...
Was 15 ips common commercial, or a studio speed.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

My son has all of our old records, tapes, everything including the 45s and a lot of old 78s that belonged to my dad in the 30s and 40s. He also works on old R to Rs for people all over the country. Fixes them up like new.

lbrande

Longshadow wrote:

Wouldn't be surprised if there was someone who actually did adapt one in a car...
Was 15 ips common commercial, or a studio speed.

My reel to reel is a 2 speed, 3 1/2 and 15 ips. In the 70s it depended on what you wsnted to do. Mine is common.