Turntable masochist, yay or nay?

[asilker]

I similarly use turntables as a distraction from day to day life. My job is stressful and exists in a 'creative' field where there's no real answer other than what I come up with out of thin air. And frankly, I'm exhausted from it. Mentally tired. And so with a turntable, the result of my tinkering and experimentation is a bit subjective, but also has tangible results and 'right' ways to do things. It doesn't require a lot of thought, just knowledge of how to do something. You can't get creative with the mounting distance of a tonearm. Or tracking angle or overhang. You can largely turn your mind off and just work towards a goal, in this case, a sound.

And so this is one reason why I'm not after one setup, one cart or one of anything. I use it as a sort of therapy. And when I get a particularly difficult cart to sound good, I feel I've done something.

I was listening to my Empire EDR.9 this morning, and it was sounding great, which made me very happy. It took learning about the cart, buying an example, then tracking down a healthier stylus when that example turned out to have more hours than assumed. Then it took finding a great arm match for it, and working with the tonearm to get the best out of it, and learning how to use a few tools and also just having the right tools. Plus there's some satisfaction in getting these old things to sound as good or better than new things. To have made something work without contributing to the rat-race of new-consumption.

I like this. Putting something good into the world, even if that's as simple as making an Empire cart sing.

 

[Rudy]

Keeping my hands busy helps me get into a different flow.
- Hobbies are a part of my life that I have exclusive control over. The rest of my life isn't like that.

Those are good points, and probably why hobbies in general are so revered by those who partake. It's a welcome distraction from the day-to-day grind of life, doing a task that we choose to do, and enjoy doing it.

Sometimes I think about hobby tasks as "modules"

I could use more of this organization in some of my endeavors, hobby- or work-wise. While I don't quite call some of my car adventures "hobbies" (like when repairs are needed), I still tend to spread the work out over many tasks vs. attacking a single one and then moving on. A lot of times it's due to parts or tool availability.

In some of my work, a project can be overwhelming. Too much to do, not knowing where to start. With one project I'm working on (development, online), I felt like I was wasting time when I created a "bug tracker," but then after I started actually using the tracker and checking off task by tasks, it helped keep things organized.

Plus there's some satisfaction in getting these old things to sound as good or better than new things. To have made something work without contributing to the rat-race of new-consumption.

For me, that varies. I'm at a no-fuss point with my audio system where I treat it more like an appliance--I just want it to work, and play music, after a day of doing everything else in life. For other things, I'm all about tinkering, fixing or modifying.

 

[MWalt]

I, at least, agree with the latter half.

Also, I like how personalized it is. I'm sitting here waking up to the Bill Evans Trio on a table that's this strange resto-modded AR ES-1 with an arm I personally chose and installed, with an old Empire EDR.9 cart that I picked out of all the carts in the history of turntables, with a phono stage that I picked after trying almost a dozen, and dangit if it doesn't sound perfectly in tune with what I want it to sound like. And it only took me about 20 years to feel comfortable putting all this junk together and setting it up somewhat-competently.

Memes are entertaining, but in all sincerity, I really enjoy my turntables. Like you, I tweak constantly and like the record care and handling that go along with analog systems. I also honestly feel that I would have to spend many thousands on analog gear in order to rival my digital systems (streamers, CD transport and DACs). I have a turntable because I have a lot of records that I still enjoy listening to. I just cannot bring myself to go all digital. Yet.

 

[inthewoodsnolonger]

I obsess over set-up. It sounds perfect

 

[Rudy]

I have a turntable because I have a lot of records that I still enjoy listening to.

Same, plus there are still records that have either never seen a digital release, or are so rare in digital form (such as, a Japan CD release 2-3 decades ago that felt like it was on the market for 15 minutes), that it only makes sense as a music listener/collector for me to keep a turntable in the system. Some vinyl masterings have also never been surpassed in digital form or on any recent LP releases (especially for rare recordings where someone uses a needle drop and reissues it digitally and on LP).

I digitize a lot of the vinyl also. Can't play records in the garage, in the kitchen, or while driving, so I get to take that music on the go. Best of both worlds. 👍

 

[JohnVF]

I almost solely listen to vinyl at home, though I tape high res albums to R2R. I react to it differently.

Streaming is on the go for me. I had to make a 5 hour playlist for an art show of my wife’s a few weeks ago. That required a lot of time on Spotify.

 

[Rudy]

Depends on my day. If I've been out somewhere abusing myself (usually working outdoors, etc.), last thing I want to do is flip records. Some of my favorites and rarities are already digitized so I'll play them that way instead. Otherwise I'll use whichever version I have on the server.

 

[Wntrmute2]

Depends on my day. If I've been out somewhere abusing myself (usually working outdoors, etc.), last thing I want to do is flip records. Some of my favorites and rarities are already digitized so I'll play them that way instead. Otherwise I'll use whichever version I have on the server.

We are SO different in this respect. If I'm harried, tired, cold, whatever; there is nothing that lets me unwind and feel peaceful than the process of playing records. It allows me to slow down and relax.

 

[JohnVF]

We are SO different in this respect. If I'm harried, tired, cold, whatever; there is nothing that lets me unwind and feel peaceful than the process of playing records. It allows me to slow down and relax.

Same. Just the act of actually having something in my hands, this big disc, this 'thing', helps ground me in the present. Also records sound better to me but that's a whole other discussion.

 

[MrEd]

I never quit vinyl, got frustrated when the only choices were used or cd.
Then I started embracing the hunting adventures for good used records.
Now that records are back in production I buy less used. Partially due to the price and selections of used now that it's hip.
I admit that with a good streaming setup I don't t play my records as much, but they still bring joy 😊

 

[240sx4u]

I miss the days when I was really passionate about setup and monkeying around with audio gear. I'm not sure when that spark fizzled.

 

[MikeO]

It's interesting for me to watch how this hobby has become a battle within my own head between the logical and intuitive parts of my brain. I had always over emphasized logic but as I get older I am finding I am starting to trust my gut more than my brain. But it is still a constant battle.
The logical part is always telling me to simplify as much as possible. That I don't need physical media. That a very simple and cheap system is good enough for me. Sell all the gear and just enjoy streaming. And that often wins out for a time. I have a couple of cheap, simple systems that sound great to me. A pair of Sonos Play ones streaming from Qobuz and I have instant access via my phone to pretty much any music I could ever want. No fussing with broken vintage gear. Get to use room correction. A few hundred dollars to accomplish what I logically think should be my hobby, listening to great music.

I go along with this for a bit and then something deeper kicks in. I reconnect my turntable or cassette deck and this wonderful feeling of nostalgia kicks in for me. It's has nothing to do with sound quality. It's just a different feeling. It takes me back to being a 16 year old kid or something. It's like the inefficiency and imperfection of vinyl (or cassette) force my logical mind to shut down and something more emotional takes over. I don't care about the sound quality in the way I do with streaming. I don't care that the cassette might be on its last legs. It's all irrelevant. In that moment, I am just enjoying myself in a way my logical mind is incapable of perceiving the world. So I convince myself that this is what I really want my system to be.

Then real life intrudes again. Something breaks. Records get obscenely expensive. The Zeppelin album I really want to listen to costs $50 and money is tight. Best logical solution is to just stream it. Maybe no need for physical media etc. Rinse and repeat.

Don't know how many others seem trapped in this loop. But I know for me it is a constant battle.

 

[JohnVF]

It's interesting for me to watch how this hobby has become a battle within my own head between the logical and intuitive parts of my brain. I had always over emphasized logic but as I get older I am finding I am starting to trust my gut more than my brain. But it is still a constant battle.
The logical part is always telling me to simplify as much as possible. That I don't need physical media. That a very simple and cheap system is good enough for me. Sell all the gear and just enjoy streaming. And that often wins out for a time. I have a couple of cheap, simple systems that sound great to me. A pair of Sonos Play ones streaming from Qobuz and I have instant access via my phone to pretty much any music I could ever want. No fussing with broken vintage gear. Get to use room correction. A few hundred dollars to accomplish what I logically think should be my hobby, listening to great music.

I go along with this for a bit and then something deeper kicks in. I reconnect my turntable or cassette deck and this wonderful feeling of nostalgia kicks in for me. It's has nothing to do with sound quality. It's just a different feeling. It takes me back to being a 16 year old kid or something. It's like the inefficiency and imperfection of vinyl (or cassette) force my logical mind to shut down and something more emotional takes over. I don't care about the sound quality in the way I do with streaming. I don't care that the cassette might be on its last legs. It's all irrelevant. In that moment, I am just enjoying myself in a way my logical mind is incapable of perceiving the world. So I convince myself that this is what I really want my system to be.

Then real life intrudes again. Something breaks. Records get obscenely expensive. The Zeppelin album I really want to listen to costs $50 and money is tight. Best logical solution is to just stream it. Maybe no need for physical media etc. Rinse and repeat.

Don't know how many others seem trapped in this loop. But I know for me it is a constant battle.

I was in the loop but something happened in the last year or two where I came to grips with the idea that I actually like, even relish, what a PITA vinyl can be. And I love it because so much of modern life is obsessed with convenience, with impatience, and having whatever you want whenever you want. It had made me an impatient person and, I don't know, maybe vinyl and books and physical magazines (and long walks with my dog who doesn't even know the internet exists) have become these lifelines for me, back to a happier way of life.

I have a job where I HAVE to stay up on technology. I use ai almost every day. And I'm mentally exhausted. I'm sitting here on a Saturday morning in my sunroom listening to Bill Evans play piano and man, it just grounds me. I could stream it, but that would do nothing for me. It's about the whole ritual and the physical/tangible grounding of it. I guess that's also built, a bit, in nostalgia as well, like you mentioned.

 

[Rudy]

We are SO different in this respect. If I'm harried, tired, cold, whatever; there is nothing that lets me unwind and feel peaceful than the process of playing records. It allows me to slow down and relax.

When there's physical pain involved...nope. I've had arthritis in my hips for 20+ years now, plus other health issues have gotten to me lately. Getting up and out of my seat is just more agony piled on top of the other sore muscles when I've been out working. And aside from the pain, I can't trust myself not to fumble a record, or worse, when I've been busting loose suspension parts all day and I can barely lift a spaghetti noodle.

End-of-a-normal-day tired, sure, I'll play records. Like you say, it helps me clear out my mind. Unless everything I want to hear isn't on a record, which is quite normal here also. Yesterday was a "hybrid" day in that I had a straggler LP to play, then had a couple of digital albums queued up as they're not on vinyl. It's a music-only household, not vinyl- or digital-only. 😉

Also records sound better to me but that's a whole other discussion.

I'd beg to differ. 😉 But on the other hand, the amount I spent to get to that point where digital actually sounds good was (to my cheap sensibilities) obscene. I live with both equally happy.

 

[JohnVF]

I'd beg to differ. 😉 But on the other hand, the amount I spent to get to that point where digital actually sounds good was (to my cheap sensibilities) obscene. I live with both equally happy.

This is where the internet fails. I can say "it sounds better" and it's just fluff. But listening here, it's easily audible as to why I would at least think it sounds better, even if it's debatable depending on what aspects of the sound you're listening for.

I have a very very nice digital rig for what it's worth. It just doesn't really interest me outside of feeding my hungry R2R. I do like my SACD player (EMM Labs CDSA... there really isn't a better one, in my opinion) but it's a problematic grumpy old beast. Currently it has a disc jammed in it and I need to take the top off to fish it out. I have a love hate relationship with it, and calling up EMM labs one day to encounter perhaps the rudest customer service I've encountered in audio (for a player that cost somebody $11,500!! ) didn't help matters.

 

[Rudy]

I have a love hate relationship with it, and calling up EMM labs one day to encounter perhaps the rudest customer service I've encountered in audio (for a player that cost somebody $11,500!! ) didn't help matters.

That's inexcusable. All it takes is that, or getting my call "offshored" to someone who can barely grasp the English language...yeah, I nope right out of there.

 

[JohnVF]

That's inexcusable. All it takes is that, or getting my call "offshored" to someone who can barely grasp the English language...yeah, I nope right out of there.

And I was actually asking about a $1200 transport swap they used to do. But no longer did so they didn't care about pretending to be nice to me. Then later on equally rude in an email asking about replacing a lost remote control. "Get a universal remote we don't have remotes for that anymore". Ok. Also GFY....very happy I didn't actually buy this thing new.

 

[JohnVF]

And I have to add to that, as snarky as I can be online, I used to work in customer service in retail. I try to be as polite as possible when dealing with people I have to call for help with something. It was so off-putting as to be shocking. Beyond the insanity of who would pay almost twelve large for a CD/SACD player... why even get into this industry if you're so miserable about it?

Ok rant over .

 

[Rudy]

"Get a universal remote we don't have remotes for that anymore".

Which is kind of a bad idea? It's not like the EMM was a television or common DVD or CD player. How would you ever find codes for the universal remote? Or, program it, if yours were missing or inoperable? 🤦‍♂️

In a sense, I'm glad I don't use my Oppo 105 anymore. I rarely used the optical drive when it was in my system, as I was using it over the network for streaming for a while, especially since I could still play surround back then and could feed it 5.1 FLAC files or 5.1 SACDs. I know they quit making the optical drives so, if anything happened to this one, I'd be SOL. It just seems a shame for it to sit here unused, but what the heck do I do with it otherwise? I use it across the network to rip SACDs. I could buy a cheaper player to do that. I just hate to sell off something that still works, sounds decent (not at the level I have now, but still respectable), and offers me a way to play any disc I throw at it if I ever needed to.

And that's why I have so much "stuff" in this house...Rudy can't make up his mind. 🤣

 

[Rudy]

And I have to add to that, as snarky as I can be online, I used to work in customer service in retail. I try to be as polite as possible when dealing with people I have to call for help with something.

Same, although it wasn't quite retail--we sold to end users and prior to that, sold to other distributors around the country. I dealt with customer service, sales, purchasing, etc. for 20 years until industry tanked in this area. With customers, it would take a lot to really cheese me off. And even there, I'd vent once the phone was hung up, never directly at them. To have someone rude and unhelpful, and/or fail to grasp the basics of the English language (and not read everything from a script, peppered with "thank you" or "yes, OK" after every single word I utter), completely befuddles me.

My better half wonders why 1) I hate talking on the phone and 2) why I get so grumpy when dealing with the public. "I done my time!" 🤣 And that's one reason why I don't want to change into another career that's begging for me currently--I'd be selling furniture. To the general public. And I don't think I can stomach that anymore, especially in this time of annoying Karens and entitled Millennials who will throw a hissy fit until they get their way. My better half's dad is finally looking at retiring (he's 83), and he's even said the past several months seem to have gotten more brutal. So...yeah, not so attractive.