Great article. Guy is a real craftsman.

Kind of wished I hadn't read it because I use an MP3 Player with 36,000 songs on it a couple hours a day & try not to think about how bad sound quality is.

I haven't listened to vinyl in at least 15 years, probably 25.

The Vinyl? It’s Pricey. The Sound? Otherworldly.

I read that. It sounds great for the few collectors who can afford it. The packaging, including a worldwide search for silk cord for a binding, sounds a bit OTT.

I miss the feel of playing my old vinyl over & over & over in one sitting. It wasn't just the sound (of course, that's the only sound I knew aside from some really old 78s & 45s) but the sense of holding the music in my hands. I still miss the covers & liner notes.

That was pretty interesting. Upper end collector and purist. I would guess when you do labor hours vs cost he is working for 25 an hour, as analog is time. All ear and manual. Even in my much more modest analog world, when I reel to reel tape a song for a mix tape from vinyl, it involves listening, calibrating EQ and levels, then actual tape. So doing a reel of different source is a bunch of time. This guy is way beyond that, to an almost whacky end level, when you rewire copper with special mined silver, he is chasing nirvana it sounds. People like this make the world interesting.

Interesting article. I switched to CD's a long time ago (my sons took all my vinyl). My biggest problem was I played my records so much they became very deteriorated. Here's an interesting article on digital vs analog: https://www.vox.com/2014/4/19/5626058/vinyls-great-but-its-not-better-than-cds

Interesting article. I switched to CD's a long time ago (my sons took all my vinyl). My biggest problem was I played my records so much they became very deteriorated. Here's an interesting article on digital vs analog: https://www.vox.com/2014/4/19/5626058/vinyls-great-but-its-not-better-than-cds

My read of the situation, born out of being contrary or because I want to justify the fact that I'm never going to bother blowing a bunch of money on expensive speakers and things, is that even if vinyl really is better, you won't get any of the benefits unless you plow tons of money into your equipment. If you're going to get something cheap, it doesn't matter and you may as well get whatever is most convenient. We mostly listen to music on our phones and a home assistant thing, and we play Christmas records on Christmas because we enjoy that as an experience. What Pete Hutchinson is doing is interesting and it might sound wonderful under controlled conditions and a $100,000 sound system. If most of us put it on at home, though, whatever he's doing would get lost.

Interesting article. even if vinyl really is better, you won't get any of the benefits unless you plow tons of money into your equipment. If you're going to get something cheap, it doesn't matter and you may as well get whatever is most convenient. We mostly listen to music on our phones and a home assistant thing, and we play Christmas records on Christmas because we enjoy that as an experience. What Pete Hutchinson is doing is interesting and it might sound wonderful under controlled conditions and a $100,000 sound system. If most of us put it on at home, though, whatever he's doing would get lost.

I would budget about $2000 min. for a great sounding used vintage stuff system that would be capable of showcasing analog properly, to where it is appreciable. This guys world is "boutique" stuff and collectors with dough. I do blue collar. It is like old cars though, you wind up reconing speakers, getting stuff fixed, etc. You are right in that am economy system won't really show you anything of magnitude, sonic wise. But a good anaolog system done well will give you depth and warmth that eludes digital (IMO of course). To me is like a 3D depth and not 2D in flatness. I find digital lacking the warmth also. I get not everyone see (I mean hears) it this way.

 

I like buying and playing records but I'll never own a system worth playing one of those on. For me buying records is reserved for albums that I find essential. I also think having a record collection looks cooler than a CD collection.

I would love to own one of these releases, but could never spend that much money on an album. I think my most expensive album would be my copy of an original mono pressing of Trane's A Love Supreme in excellent condition which I picked up at a flea market for $30 but worth a whole lot more. The most I have paid is $80 for a mint ABB Dreams vinyl boxset.

As for budget stereos, I have pieced together my current setup on the. cheap with great results, for my ears anyway.

Technics SL-D20 turntable (left over from college, last piece that works from older setups)
Technics SA-202 receiver ($75 consignment shop)
Technics SL-PD665 5 disc cd changer ($13 thrift store)
Advent Mini speakers ($80 reconed, record/stereo store)
Bose 401 speakers (sidewalk pickup someone left with free sign on them, cleaned them up, sound perfect)

Whole setup for lass than $200.

The Vinyl? It’s Pricey. The Sound? Otherworldly.

but the sense of holding the music in my hands. I still miss the covers & liner notes.

Amen!!!! That's how I feel, talked about it in another thread. I like the physical copy whether is cd, vinyl,etc. It feels more like an ownership, identify and relate to it, being able to read all the notes, song credits, lyrics, "thank yous", producer,enginneer,recorded at, etc...

I was thinking about vinyl just recently and remembering the sticker/label on each side of the vinyl in the middle that had the record company's log and song titles, times and writing credits. Casablanca I always identified that with KISS, Chrysalis-UFO ,MSG,Warner Brothers-VH, Scoprions-Polydor..I think... and so on. Atlantic was pretty identifiable.

Interesting read. All of it is waaaaaayyyy beyond my pay grade and ears for sure. I have never been much of an audiophile. I would have to hear something side by side to maybe try and distinguish the difference. Sounds cool and hats off to him. I guess there would be a market for that if you are really into it and have unlimited funds. it might be your game.

A couple of quotes from the article.

“We probably make the most expensive records in the world,” Hutchison said, “and make the least profit.”

Electric Recording’s prices have drawn head-scratching through the cliquey world of high-end vinyl producers. Chad Kassem, whose company Acoustic Sounds, in Salina, Kan., is one of the world’s biggest vinyl empires, said he admired Hutchison’s work.
“I tip my hat to any company that goes the extra mile to make things as best as possible,” Kassem said.
But he said he was proud of Acoustic Sounds’s work, which like Electric Recording cuts its masters from original tapes and goes to great lengths to capture original design details — and sells most of its records for about $35. I asked Kassem what is the difference between a $35 reissue and a $500 one.
He paused for a moment, then said: “Four hundred sixty-five dollars.”