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Interesting Washington Post article: By Mark Guarino September 26 The commercial revival of vinyl records is good thing for many people: Record labels, recording artists, audiophile collectors, independent record shops — all for whom the increase in sales each year is considered a jolt of life in what otherwise is considered a growing public disinterest in owning tangible music. But for Matt Earley, more people wanting more vinyl records presents a problem: The six presses that make his records at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland are more than 40 years old, which means extra shifts and increased production is a recipe for potential disaster, especially when orders are lined up for months. “It keeps me up at night,” he says. “My biggest worry is what is going to break when, not if it will break. Everything breaks.” So Early prepares by budgeting heavily, which he says is just the reality of operating a record-pressing plant. His is one of only about a dozen or so left in the United States that face similar challenges. Despite the increased public demand for vinyl records, spanning mass reissue campaigns of premium-quality vinyl by classic bands such as Pink Floyd to small seven-inch runs by local bands to sell at gigs, press operators say that profit margins are narrowing because of the increasedcosts involved in locating, refurbishing, installing, operating, and ultimately repairing machines that are no longer made but are pushed harder and faster than they were in their heyday. “That old machinery will continue to run if you change the parts, but at what cost? If you run a press 24 hours, six or seven days a week, there is one rule of thumb: You are wearing the machine out twice as fast,” says Bob Roczynski, president of Record Products of America, a 38-year-old company in Hamden, Conn. that is one of the last in the United States that supplies machine parts to the existing plants in operation today. He says the current refurbished machine stock was originally designed to run eight to 10 hours each day for one shift. Today, many plants report that demand is forcing their machines to run more than three shifts up to six days each week. “What’ll happen is companies will continue to push them as long as they are getting the volume of records they need and they’re making money,” he says. “They’re just going to have to keep putting money to keep those things running if they want to keep their doors open.” Keeping up with the market This is a boom time for vinyl, so the doors are off their hinges. Between 2007 and 2013, U.S. vinyl sales increased 517 percent to 6.1 million units, according to SoundScan, and that doesn’t include overseas demand, or sales made directly from record-label Web sites. While CD and digital music sales still dominate music sales, both have taken hits due to streaming; sales for digital decreased for the first time last year. At Third Man Records in Nashville, vinyl is all they sell. In fact, “Lazaretto,” the current solo album by founder Jack White, set the U.S. record for the biggest-selling vinyl record of any year since Pearl Jam in 1994. The album’s sales hit 40,000 in just seven days in June. Ben Blackwell, in charge of overseeing Third Man’s vinyl production and distribution, says combined U.S. and overseas pressings have already topped 100,000 copies. “The thing will not stop selling,” he says. “That record has been on the press since the beginning of May and it hasn’t come off the press since.” White is an avowed vinyl fetishist: Most Third Man records receive special colored, or multicolored pressings; his newest is the ultimate feat. It includes two hidden tracks beneath the label that play at different speeds, one side plays from the inside to the outer rim, and it also features a hologram that appears when the needle is placed in the “dead wax” area. To make that happen, the label tapped United Record Pressing in Nashville, one of the oldest record plants in the United States, dating back to 1949 — Vee Jay Records and Motown were among its earliest clients — and now the largest. This summer, the company announced a $5.5 million expansion, adding 16 to its current stock of 22 presses, which are currently running 24 hours a day, six days a week, producing up to 40,000 records per day. A new building had to be acquired to get the additional presses installed and operational, and once that happens — “as soon as possible,” promises Jay Miller, United’s marketing director — the company will double its production. To make that happen, the label tapped United Record Pressing in Nashville, one of the oldest record plants in the United States, dating back to 1949 — Vee Jay Records and Motown were among its earliest clients — and now the largest. This summer, the company announced a $5.5 million expansion, adding 16 to its current stock of 22 presses, which are currently running 24 hours a day, six days a week, producing up to 40,000 records per day. A new building had to be acquired to get the additional presses installed and operational, and once that happens — “as soon as possible,” promises Jay Miller, United’s marketing director — the company will double its production. it,” he says. Which means that current plant operators are left to hunt for “anything out there that is left in mothballs or storage or rusting away someplace.” The available stock of machines is grabbing “premium dollars” because it can be refurbished “for [a] fraction of the cost” of buying new. That scenario has created a global treasure hunt for presses among the dwindling number of plants that vow to stay in business. United said its expansion was made possible because it had planned ahead, stockpiling old presses over several years.Other plants say word of mouth, odd luck, and a large bankroll have led them to their finds, usually abandoned presses left dormant once CDs took hold and became the dominant format. “It’s just like anything else — the harder you look, the more you are willing to spend, the easier it becomes,” says Chad Kassem, the founder of Quality Record Pressings, a plant in Salina, Kan. that manufactures audiophile-quality vinyl for reissue campaigns for bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. Kassem has been operating a premium vinyl retail business called Acoustic Sounds since 1990, but in 2011 he started manufacturing his own records because he was tired of waiting in line four to eight weeks and not being in control of managing the quality of his product. “I needed my records as soon as possible and I needed them the highest quality as possible,” he says. About $2 million of his own money is now invested in a 21,000-square-foot plant that was once a food storage facility. “A wise man would pause” at such an endeavor of retrofitting such a space for making vinyl records, he admits. “I’m just crazy.” To locate the 10 record presses he now operates, Kassem searched both regionally and overseas and found many of his discoveries had already lapped the world, as far as South America and as close as Los Angeles. He says restoration costs totaled nearly $30,000 for each press. Then there are the infrastructure costs: cooling tanks, boilers, plumbing, and more. Today, his plant pumps out up to 6,000 records per day, over two shifts, five days a week. A delicate balance Once the machines are in place, learning how to operate and maintain them often requires coaxing older mechanics and engineers out of retirement for several months or more as consultants who can then transfer decades of experience to younger workers. Lack of apprenticeship in the early days of record pressing has led to this problem, as has the overall lack of skilled labor. However, most plants say once they find workers who can commit to the significant learning curve, they tend to stay. “The majority of our [23] employees have been with us since the beginning,” says Earley, whose plant presses the ongoing catalog of Guided By Voices, the vinyl-centric Ohio band. “You have to find the right type of people who care about what they are doing and can go through many months of learning to try and do it right.” The balance between increasing product demand and the bullwhipping of antiquated machinery is precarious and many say it is not yet known what impact vinyl’s popularity in future years will make on the ability of the plants to manufacture them. “There’s a tipping point at some point, but I’m not sure who decides where that tipping point is,” says Blackwell. In the meantime, most plant operators say they enjoy showing off their facilities because of a renewed interest by the public to see records roll off the presses. United, for example, holds Friday tours and bands often perform, or conduct photo shoots, on the plant floor. “We are fans,” Kassem says of the appeal of his operation in Kansas. “I started this as a hobby and it’s still a hobby. We just tell people we’re storytellers.”

Bears vs Packers

Is analog dead?

first I've ever seen a Runt La Scala. https://www.flickr.com/photos/klipsch_audio/9422398103/in/set-72157634906568488/

It is also the expense. The single most expensive item in my basement system, besides speakers, is my phono cart. Add on the turntable itself and the phono preamp the is a lot of coin tied up in producing a quality sound. A superior (IMO) sounding digital system is much less costly.

I listen to CDs, SACDs (mostly multi-channel SACDs), DVD-As, and Blu-Ray music discs, about in order here in terms of frequency. My CDs and DVD-As are ripped to FLAC (lossless) and played back over HDMI to my preamp's DACs (Burr-Brown). From there into the active crossovers (one for the Jubs, one for the center Belle, and directly to the surround Cornwalls). My FLAC library is on foobar2000, where I've taken the time to analyze all tracks using the Dynamic Range Meter plugin, which tells me crest factor for each track, and ReplayGain, which tells me average loudness for each track. I often sort on DR ratings (highest first) for the 13,000+ tracks that I've ripped to FLAC, and play the highest DR tracks, then switch to the lowest DR tracks for grins (don't ask--it's awful). I often sort by genre first and DR second so that I can pick my mood of music. All this is displayed on my fairly large flat screen TV using foobar2000 so that everyone gets to see all information about each track being played. Everyone that reads this display asks the question, "what does all the columns of numbers on the right side of the screen mean?". When I explain it to them, they typically are mesmerized by the DR ratings and how the music sounds. It's a really entertaining "party trick". Er, em. When I want music. I select a vinyls, slid it out of its sleeve, place on record player, run a micro duster over it and let is spin. My approach seems simpler somehow.

If it weren't for the ladder, I wouldn't have titled this one 8' Hound...

Also got to watch Cal Ripken's last game....now THAT was magic....

you got good advice Chuck -- remember the good times and that type of pain is good--the love is still there--as it should be.

You're going to get me in deep trouble by saying what I really think about this subject. Suffice it to say that these producers DON"T CARE and NEVER DID. (I've got proof enough for me that this is true.) I remember about those mind games where people dream about meeting other people of their dreams. For me, I sometimes ponder the opposite: people that I never want to meet. Record/disc producers all are on that list, along with a fair share of "big time" artists that really don't care, either. But surprisingly, not all mastering engineers are on this list, in fact perhaps many mastering or mixing engineers that really do want to produce a quality audio product, but are prevented or afraid from doing so. I believe that many of these audio engineers got into the discipline thinking that they might mix/master audio works of art--but never took the chance to do so. One of the things that I've talked to some local recording musicians about is whether they would like to record extremely high quality recordings with little or no compression and without editing that significantly curtails fidelity. These same people all fear what the buying public would do if they tried to do that, and also fear the cost of studio time if they tried. This is a crime to these musicians, IMHO, that they live in a culture that continues to produce such low quality recordings in the name of "recouping expenses and making money", not even realizing that there is a market for very high quality recordings (and this isn't the ear bud folks buying these recordings). It's a very sad story where we're currently at, culturally, I'm afraid. I never pull my punches on this subject--because of that realization. "Now you know how I feel about it." (attrib. G.S. Patton, Jr.). Chris

I feel I should disclaim my statement: Analog for music all day - every day. Digital for movies - no question.

Here is my Marantz DR-17 CD player/recorder. It is from Marantz' Reference Series, and was made in Japan in June 2000. I picked it up from my friends at Audio Classics several months ago. It was my everyday player until I recently picked up a Teac CD-1000 CD/SACD player. It performed flawlessly during that time. All functions work, including the record feature (it will only record on blank CD Audio discs, NOT CD Data discs). It also plays HDCDs. It is a very well built unit as you would expect from a Marantz Reference Series component, weighing in at 17.4 lbs and has thick aluminum front/side panels, and corners. The unit is in excellent condition, with just a few minor scratches on the top panel. It sounds very good through its analog outs, but would also make a very nice transport, with a bonus of being able to make recordings as well. I did not get the original remote,manual, or box with it when I purchased it. However, I purchased a Sony remote that controls the play functions, as well as record. You cannot finalize a disc from the remote though, and must do it from the front panel. I could not find a downloadable manual for it online, but after some research I found out that it had a Philips cousin that is identical operationally, so I downloaded and printed out that one. It will be packed well for shipping, as all my items are. Included in the sale will be the Marantz, power cord, Sony remote, printed Philips manual, a spool of blank Sony audio CD's with 23 discs remaining, and a Memorex CD-RW disc. Here's a link to the last one that sold on Audiogon for $350: http://app.audiogon.com/listings/marantz-dr-17-cd-recorder-orig-1200-00-records-and And another that just sold a couple of weeks ago on Ebay for $475. http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-HIGH-END-Marantz-DR-17-CD-Player-Recorder-in-Original-Box-AUDIOPHILE-/261585397915?pt=US_CD_Players_Recorders&hash=item3ce7b4689b My asking price is $275 plus shipping. Thanks for looking!!

My 2nd grade grand-daughter is taking a 'music appreciation' class at school. An "old guy" with a silver pony-tail plays MIDI-ish music for them, and then asks questions. My daughter asked my grand-daughter what kind of music he plays for them. She replied, "Pop music." "Oh," said my daughter, "popular music, like on the radio." "No," said the grand-daughter, "Pop music, like Pop plays." ('Pop' is my grandchild pseudonym) "You know, music with HIGHS and LOWS."

The last couple days I have been working on the giant jukebox pictured. The speakers that were in it were elcheapo Chinese speakers, and one was blown, and the other was good from about 65Hz-6kHz, and that was terribly distorted. I donated a pair of unrestored KPT-200's to the project. They sound miles better. I am going to build a BFM T-30 to fit in the center where the racks are. I will gut the rack, and have the mouth of the tuba shooting between the two KPT-200's. Enough said, here are some pictures: What KPT-200's look like. These are restored, I used a couple unrestored ones that are 100% mechanically sound. The speakers came from surrounds of an iMax. A couple of stacked 2" X 10" beneath the speaker which has a 9-1/2" base. 2" X 4" on the sides. Very nice fit! Everything screwed tightly in place. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but the front slopes forward just like the KPT-200. The top front of the speaker is against the face of the jukebox, and the botton is about 2" back. A sheet of 1/2" plywood cut to fit. Wood screws attach the plywood to the 2" lumber and to the speaker. Yes, I ran those screws right into the speaker! Don't worry, they aren't deep enough to hit the crossover. Henry is in there painting them up: All done, and sounds great! Here is the front of the jukebox:

How can it be the ideal match when it is so small? RC62II all the way. And if you are going to mention timbre matching...something tinny cannot match something the size and sound of an F30.What are you talking about? The C-3 has the exact same size driver complement as the RC-62II and it certainly doesn't sound tinny. I suspect you've never even heard a C-3 if you're spouting comments like that. I've used a C-3 with an F-3 / S-3 system and am currently using one with a pair of B-3's and the C-3 keeps up with all of them just fine.Coming from someone who's owned C-3's, RC-3's , an RC-62II, a WC-24, and an RC-64II, IMHO it's always best to match the center with the mains, especially in this case, where a C-3 can "keep up" with F-3's just as well as an RC-62II can. I'm not saying that the C-3 is as good a speaker as the RC-62II, but it will certainly better integrate with your F-3's. People seem to forget that Klipsch designs and markets their speakers as matched sets. There are valid reasons for that; if not, they'd only sell one center speaker! If you can't find a C-3 (which admittedly might be tough), the RC-62II is a fine second choice and should be considerably easier to find.

So Im thinking the weekend of oct 11th or 12th. I'll host since I posted the original thread, if we want to change venues on the following get togethers thats cool. Lets see if theres a majority preference amongst the group on the day, sat 11th or sun 12th. I was thinking maybe a 3:00 or 4:00 start and we can call it quits when the beer is gone or when everyones feels like its done. I'll either get grub for the grill or we can order pie. I have a 12w class A sep amp, a dac set up to stream via wi fi (apple tv) and a Rega P3 w/ a dynavector 10x5 cartridge for vinyl. This stuff plays through a pair of Cornwall II's with updated crossovers from Dean G of Aletheia Audio. In addition I have a set of RF 82's that could be hooked up too, for a little comparison. If anyone wants to bring a piece of gear to demo, compare etc..... that could be cool. I'd say at the least show up with a piece of music to share, wether it be a digital file or an LP. Should be cool. Reach out here or send me a PM. I'll try to figure out a good way to communicate with everyone aside from this post. Maybe PM me with your email address and I'll compile them all and get a group email together. Cheers Lemonstring

Thanks BB, I already own two pair, but was just trying to research some other info.

I didn't read any of the posts. The set-ups look like fine near field set-ups to me but then again, I would hold my opinion until I heard the room and see if it was working or not. The reviewers are well known and they have the ability to describe what they hear and put that into words that are worth reading. They all are known to have the ability to differentiate the differences in equipment to a fairly accurate level. I guess you can criticize the look of their systems but the tools they are using are getting the job done, if it wasn't they would have no credibility at all and nobody would read what they say and that is certainly not the case.

Clearly you are!

Thanks for all the help and interest. Sold on CL, going to a good home with some RB 81s and surrounds.

When I went to pick up the last set of speakers, The young man said "Funny, You don't look like you'ld like music.

I think some of the compressed music is made that way because: The "powers that be" realize that most people who buy music do not own a system capable of reproducing a recording with full dynamic range. It sounds better on the radio when compressed. Some genres of music sound better when slammed. The record company execs are idiots.

That's great. Too many kids just don't know the difference. When you know the difference, you have choices.

Wasn't to aware of that. Another awesome moment in baseball! Here's a quote from a sports writer in today's paper: "...Jeter was a humble 1950's Pleasantville kid with dimples playing in the social-media spotlight of 2014. Life didn't imitate central casting; Jeter imitated it. In one-run playoff games and mid-July blowouts , he stood on the top step of the dugout with the boyish exuberance of an 8-year-old with a baseball card collection and a mother who had just finished passing out half-filled Dixie cups of Kool-Aid." Derek Jeter also won the “Roberto Clemente Award” which is an award given annually to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team." I believe that the award is based on a vote by baseball fans and members of the media. The award is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Does anyone remember Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the circumstances when he got hit number 3,000? Clemente’s hit number 3,000 came in the last at-bat of his career because he died in a plane crash after the end of the season while trying to deliver aid to the earthquake victims in Nicaragua during December 1972. After 18 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates injuries had limited Clemente to playing in 102 games during 1972; however, he still hit .312 in what would turn out to be his final season. On September 30, he hit a double in front of his home-town crowd at Three Rivers Stadium for his 3,000th hit, which would become the last at-bat of his career during a regular season. Only 13,000 fans were in attendance. What I found interesting was that the night before Clemente would have, at that point in time, become only the 11th player (Jeter being the 28th player) in baseball history with 3,000 hits except the official scorer had changed one of his at-bats from an infield hit to an error. Clemente may have never been on that flight; however, he had received information that the aid packages on the first three flights had been diverted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government and the aid never reached the victims of the quake. Therefore, he chartered the fourth plane and decided to accompany this relief flight. He never made it to the destination…….

They were used in a theatre up to about 20 years ago. They look worse in the photos. Anyhow, they've been replaced by ALK Universals.

Vinyl for me. Too much of my favorite music hasn't seen digital or ever will. And I find it more involving and palpable. Second to vinyl is open reel tapes. Half track Stereo if you please. I like good digital, but hate the excessive compression/limiting abuse and the noise reduction abuse on material which often didn't need it.

That's a super price Rick....

isis, definitely.

Loved the ones that look like their about to break down and run like a scalded dog. Seen some interesting faces as I went by. Now it's just transportation from here to there.

I thought he was referring to Ted Williams. He hit a homer during his last at-bat in his career and kept his lifetime batting average at .400.

this one is also interesting, La Scala bin is turned horizontal. https://www.flickr.com/photos/klipsch_audio/9425167176/in/set-72157634906568488/

Just saw this, if I had the money - I'd convert one of my rooms into Heritage for this...seems like a good deal.

We get it, Chris. I'll chip in. I must be one of the strange cases, because I like nice clean linear amps. SS, class a/b, able to drive low impedance loads w/out hiccups. When it comes to power, too much is just enough. As for pp tube amps, those of proper power and complexity are invariably kinda costly, even if you DIY. I've had a few over the years, including a Scott integrated and ST-70. They were ok, but never really set the hooks in me. (Still want a pair of VRDs, though. Freakin beautiful amps, inside and out. I think I want them as much for their artistic value as physical objects as much as for any tube thing.) And I have an unshakable addiction to SE sound. I often think to myself that it's as foolish as Chris' characterization, and it really is, but I keep coming back to them, and can't break their spell whenever I use them. They are somewhat like Chief Niwot's Curse. They're imaging champs, and so pure and natural sounding. Or seemingly so. I don't care if it's distortion sheen, the effect is cool. Until they invent holodecks, these little toys are the next best thing. Plus, they're simple, thus relatively cheap, and accessible to budding solder slingers. I like single ended pentode as triode types. Kinda like what Justin Weber makes, good stuff.

Send your denon to Peter at soundsmith for the full monte treatment. Then upgrade your phono stage. That should have your digital front end quivering in fear....... Shakey

I am one of those that like failure and dissatisfaction. I have 3 SET amps, 2A3, 45 and 300B..... The 45 gives me the most dissatisfaction, and that is why I listen to it most of the time. I bi-amp with 600 watt per channel Class 'D' amps, but most of the time I don't turn the chip amps on, so that I can listen to my 45 amp clip and achieve the most dissatisfaction. What I am trying to achieve is the ultimate misery and may seek out a 10Y amp so that it can clip at even lower volume than my 45 amp. YMMV.

Faster, cheaper, better, and easier to use is pretty hard to beat. I look at vinyl like old cars. You will always have people who collect them and even drive them. The old saying that they don't make it like they use to is just not true in this case. But I agree with the post that said they are all good if they make you happy.

You are right my friend....the martini has a smile!

He does look tired, but your drink has a smile. Have a good day and remember all the good times you were lucky enough to have together.

Jake went to the dog park and then down to the river front for Wilmington's 275 birthday celebration. Now he is too tired to bark. Today would have been my 28th anniversary.....

Great thread. I like to listen to music in as many ways as possible. At work (yeah, I work from home) its mostly music from my digital music library (flac) and some Pandora as well. Most recently I have returned to vinyl and its been a fantastic experience. I now have my dad and father in law scheduling time to bring over their records and play them. Its great watching them relive and enjoy music from their youth!. They are both in their late 70s so I try to enjoy them as much as I can. I really enjoy sitting back in my music room with a glass of wine and putting on a record and getting lost in the sound. LOL then the music ends and I wake up and realize that I have to get up flip the record to side 2. Not sure if that is good or bad. But I do enjoy the experience.

I'd say that since more LP's are being pressed each year and with turntable sales up that analog is alive and well and actually seems to be thriving.

Having just returned to having the means and interest in playing vinyl this last year, I think it is just a very personal choice. When I get home from work and need some quality downtime, it's digital and I have a great time pumping up the volume and putting the day behind me. On the other hand, getting around to different vinyl stores, meeting people with similar interests and histories has been great. Last week I found an album recorded live in a bar that I was at in 1977. Not going to get that any other way, and what a trip that was. On a Saturday afternoon putting on some vinyl and stretching out on the couch takes me places I'm happy to be. I'm guessing everyone's mileage varies, but as the previous poster mentions in a different manner. Different strokes for different folks. Now I'm getting in the car and driving three hours into Farm Country to listen to Willie Nelson and Neil Young, live in a corn field. Could be called-Cornstock!

No, Foley is in Alabama - just west of P'Cola - my neck of the woods

respect the man....hate the Yankees!

National Freeloader League ......when will that corporation start paying taxes after all fans pay for their stadiums...pay over priced parking ...over priced tickets but they do not want to help out the tax base.

That's some nasty crossovers there!

My Aunt & Uncle in AZ sent this pic this morning of one of their dog's kicking back in the pool. Rough Life!

In the past I've found that just setting a date and posting the event details will result in the kind of turnout you're looking for. It helps to make sure it works with some of your closer friends so that you're not overwhelmed by all the crazy people that will show up...

Far Northwest side, Lake Barrington. Sounds like a great idea! John

You might be right. Bob Crites and me were talking about that on the patio, and wondering if the brain fills in some of the spaces the ears don't -- similiar to what the visual cortex does with people who have vision problems. For example, I have no central vision in my left eye, but with both eyes open -- my visual cortex lays my right eye image over my left one so I can see "normally". Of course, we don't know if the brain has a mechanism like that for hearing. It's all very interesting stuff, but I've come to the point that "better" is really quite subjective. I appreciate the somewhat rolled off response of the K77 since I tend to listen louder than most. I can tell it's rolling off, but it doesn't bother me. I guess I'm just still enjoying the sound the way it is. Maybe someday I'll get bored with the sound -- and instead of swapping speakers I'll just change out drivers and horns. I find John Warren's mod more interesting than this one.