| Talk about Goes Around Comes
Around. So true of this article and artform in number of ways. (Mike)
Vinyl rules: shopping for turntables
in the digital age from a CNET Tech Writing
Remember the old record player that you put
out to pasture 15 or 20 years ago? Turns out that that "dead" technology
offers the potential for sound quality that's far superior to what you're
hearing from your CD collection or your MP3 player, so much so that the
joys of vinyl are being rediscovered by a new generation of music fans.
CNET takes a look at three turntables for music lovers of any budget that
will put your iPod on the defensive.
By Steve Guttenberg (February
23, 2006) Reviews
The past decade has seen digital media almost
completely subsume the consumer entertainment world. HDTV is an all-digital
standard; DVD has all but killed off old-fashioned analog VHS; cell phone
networks have long since gone digital--the list goes on and on. The music
industry was a trailblazer in digitization, with the compact disc laying
the groundwork for the current MP3 era. But this seemingly inevitable march
toward the digital future has prompted a widespread misunderstanding; while
digital media is undeniably more convenient than its analog equivalent,
it is by no means guaranteed to be superior. And there's no better example
of this than the vinyl record.
The LP is fast approaching its 60th birthday,
but audiophiles insist that the medium's sound quality remains unmatched
by any CD, MP3, or other digital audio technology to date--it's the next
best thing to being there, with real live musicians. That superior sonic
fidelity is why this decidedly analog technology has maintained a devoted
niche market in this digital age. According to industry stats, sales of
LPs doubled in 2004--all the more impressive because this growth came at
a time when CD sales are headed south. Of course, you'll need a turntable
to sample the glories of analog sound, so we picked three contenders, starting
with Sony's PS-LX250H ($99), then stepping up to Goldring's GR 1.2 ($429)
and Music Hall's MMF-5 ($629). Whether you're an avowed vinyl aficionado
looking to upgrade your aging turntable, you're itching to unleash that
old collection of records boxed up in the basement, or you're just interested
in dipping your toe into the vinyl pool for the first time, at least one
of these modern gramophones will be sure to get you spinning.
Turntable basics
Turntables are, in fact, record-playing systems
made up of three parts: the main housing, the tone arm, and a phono cartridge.
The main body includes the base, the motor, the drive system, and the platter.
It supports the tone arm, which in turn holds the phono cartridge. Phono
cartridges have a stylus (a.k.a. a needle) that traces the LP's grooves
and converts them into an analogous electrical output signal.
Each subsystem plays a part in the quality
of sound you hear. The cartridge's micro stylus traces the groove's wiggles,
some of which are smaller than a wavelength of visible light--and it's
that degree of required precision that separates cheap models from higher-end
phono cartridges. But all cartridges are supersensitive vibration detectors,
and they can't distinguish between the music encoded into the LP and any
noise or vibrations that are generated by the turntable's motor, the tone
arm's bearings, or the sound filling your room. Higher-end turntables provide
superior isolation from those noises and decode more of the sound of the
record itself. It's the same deal with the tone arm--it always moves on
some type of bearing, and better tone arms have quieter bearings. Add it
all up and the best turntable systems dramatically reduce the apparent
surface noise--the clicks and pops associated with vinyl records--making
it less intrusive so that it fades into the background.
Turntable setup typically involves putting
the platter on the bearing or spindle, slinging the drive belt over the
motor pulley, and mounting the counterweight on the tone arm. (We opted
for more audiophile-friendly belt-drive turntables, not the noisier--but
DJ-friendly--direct-drive models.) None of this requires great dexterity
or mechanical ability, but it's more hands-on than plugging in a DVD player.
This is, after all, a high-maintenance medium; many current turntables--including
the Goldring GR1.2 and the Music Hall MMF-5 in our roundup--require users
to manually move their drive belts when switching from 33.3rpm LPs to 45rpm
singles. But if you fully appreciate the analog sound, it's definitely
worth
the extra effort.
The Sony is an automatic turntable; after you
place the record on its platter, just press the start button, and the turntable's
tone arm lifts from its rest, moves into position over the record, and
gently lowers the stylus onto the record. Once the PS-LX250H has played
the entire side of the LP, the arm automatically raises and returns to
its rest, and the turntable turns itself off. The Goldring and Music Hall
turntables are manual designs, meaning that you must jockey the arm up
and down yourself. Virtually all higher-end turntables are manual models,
while budget models tend to be automatic.
Other subjects in this article:
Hardware and software
The analog advantage
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