New rule

[gfish]

No one is allowed to have an opinion on vinyl vs. digital unless they have at least a basic understanding of the Shannon sampling theorem. Seriously, if you don't know what the Nyquist rate is, shut the hell up.

Note: There are still valid arguments to be had in this domain. They just don't include the phrase 'warmth of analog' at any point.

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

But if you're stuck in the stone age with a collection of vinly recordings, it's possible to build a device to retrieve the music!

On the other hand, if I see plans for a spectroscpe good enough to see Fraunhoffer lines in the solar spectrum built from an old CD as the diffraction grating, one simple lens, and some cardboard, I'll be convinced that digital is better.

[jadine.livejournal.com]

Haha! The apocalypse scenario is the best case I've seen for vinyl over digital :)

Of course, the odds of having functional discs but no player are pretty low, and you'd be better off generating electricity than building a non-electric player.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I've heard you can get recognizeable sound off a mono LP using just a sewing needle and a dixie cup, and hand-turning the record, but I haven't actually tried it. Dunno about a stereo LP.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Yes. I was a destructive child.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

For being so ridiculous fragile, LP playback is surprisingly resilient. I had a very solid little Fischer-Price record player as a kid, with a collection of Sesame Street LPs. I remember at some point a pie-shaped wedge of one broke out, leaving Pac-Man shaped disk. And it could still be played! The needle would still be lined up with the correct grove after dropping down and jumping back up with every rotation.

...at least, that's how I remember it. I would have been maybe 5 at the time?

[beaq.livejournal.com]

LPs are great unless the hand holding the needle and the Dixie cup is about six years old and a bit clumsy.

I'm surprised the needle stayed in the same part of the groove. I wonder if it scooted along a bar?