Retro Audio

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    • retroaudio1.jpgI have hundreds of gigabytes of digital music. Yet I listen to less than one percent of it. Why? Because it’s entirely overwhelming. I have so much, and it’s so intangible, that I may as well not even have it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the convenience of having entire days (weeks, months) worth of listening in my pocket. But scrolling down an endless list of albums just ain’t the same as flipping through a crate of LPs. Cover Flow? Please. Listening to records is an entirely different musical experience. For me, vinyl is more active. More visceral. More mindful. More immersive. I pick the album, admire the cover art, slip it from its sleeve, and play it. And after 20 minutes or so, I turn it over and play the other side. Remember “the other side”? I had forgotten until recently, when I retrieved my record collection from storage and immersed myself in the vintage audio forums online to find the perfect new, old stereo system. To paraphrase DIY hero Mister Jalopy, I don’t like 1970s stereo equipment because it’s old. I like it because it’s better.

    I’m not going to argue about the evils of digital compression or the warmth of tube amps. Honestly, my hearing isn’t that good. Too much loud music.

    But I will tell you that my c.1972 stereo system is more handsome than any lozenge-shaped docking station, blob-like computer speakers, or black box 5.1 surround system you’ll find in your neighborhood electronics emporium. And as that needle drops on side 2 of the Velvet Underground bootleg “Live at the Gymnasium,” and my authentic woodgrain speakers pop and crackle before the opening strains of “Sister Ray”, well, that’s music to my ears. Want to listen in? Here are my favorite online forums about stereo gear from the golden age of analog audio:

    vinyl_engine.jpg

    * VinylEngine is the hub of all turntable knowledge online. It began as an archive of free turntable manuals and is also now a thriving forum for discussions of cartridges, preamps, direct drives, idler drives, and even 78s.

    ak3dheader2.jpg

    * AudioKarma serves audiophiles of all stripes, including those that might boast about their $7,000 speaker cables. (I’m not kidding.) But there is also a very active and welcoming community of vintage gear heads boasting about their $10 garage sale turntable who are more than happy to point you to similar steals, share parts sources and encourage DIY repair.

    rratmc.jpg

    * Roger Russell was the former director of acoustic research of McIntosh Laboratory, makers of 1960s vacuum tube amps that are like the Eames recliners of vintage high-end audio gear. Roger’s site is the best online resource for McIntosh history, straight from the engineer’s mouth.

    David Pescovitz
    David Pescovitz
    As co-editor of Boing Boing, David Pescovitz is a collector of online anomalies, esoterica, and curiosities. He is also a research director at Institute for the Future.

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    • http://profile.typepad.com/salmons Michael Salmons

      Love your post, David. I had the same aspiration you did, although my timeframe was not as specific- my system is more of a mish-mash of styles and timeframes, though all of it is old, ranging from 43 years old (the speakers) to 26 (the preamp). Like you, I love perusing the collection, admiring the art, cleaning the disc and listening to my records one side at a time. I’ve been doing this a long time, and now individual sides have taken on their own life in my mind: Side two of Abbey Road, side one of Tommy, side three of Electric Ladyland, side four of Double Nickels on the Dime. All have a special significance and fond places in my heart.

    • http://profile.typepad.com/6p010536eb9a1d970b LightningRose

      David, if you’re digital audio collection is available from a Linux box, please check out my open source project, Select-o-Magic 3000

      http://som3000.sourceforge.net/

    • http://profile.typepad.com/klugeypop Ballookey Klugeypop

      The photo at the top of the story is what stopped me in my tracks. My dad had the same turntable when I was growing up. He must have got it pre-1971. Is it Empire? I seem to remember a brass plate on the top or somewhere with that word on it. Every time I see the same font, I remember that turntable. Poor thing — served decades of classical music for my dad, then I came along with Depeche Mode and New Order records and got yelled at for wrecking a diamond-tipped needle (is that even real?) because I kept dancing around. Good times.

    • http://profile.typepad.com/d99919172792915725 NJDad

      I recently pulled out my album collection as well. The interesting difference I the listening experience was that I was forced (really just too lazy to get up) to listen to the whole side. Today’s electronics make it too easy to jump around. Many times I don’t even they through an entire song before I start flipping tracks.