Letters to the Editor

It's the sound that matters.  Chalk up another one for Mr. Fremer. 

Hey! It was Mr. Fremer's monthly colum in Stereophile that got me interested in analog turntable. I remembered picking up my first copy of Stereophile back when it was in digest-format, not long before it changed to the larger format. Than the  "Analog Corner" got me into turntable. I was in my teens back than, so as you might expected my first turntable was a plastic-fantastic one that I picked up cheap from a junk shop down in Canal Street that I managed to fixed with new belt and a new Otofon cartridge... the least expensive one they have. But with that the seed was planted and today I'm still listening to vinyl... now on a better turntable, cartridge and system of course.

Very nice letter.  For some reason it made me reflect on the middle-aged types I run into who are fully familar with vinyl, having grown up with it, but who stopped listening to it some time ago, possibly because of buying into the "perfect sound forever" CD hype and becoming accustomed to the convenience of digital since then.  Another factor might be the mainstream portrayal of us vinyl types as old-fashioned, obsessive-compulsive nut cases.  Many of these folks have a turntable somewhere in the house, usually in a closet or in the attic or basement, but haven't used it for years.  Reasons given are often: 1) It broke and I never got around to getting it fixed or 2) It needs a new "needle" and they don't make those any more, do they?  They also generally have a hundred records or so, usually in a similar place to the 'table, which are generally filthy and scratched.  How to get them back into it as a replacement for or addition to digital background music?  Tough sell, I think, and never mind convincing them to buy something as weird and arcane as a record-cleaning machine.

Fremer is truly great at what he does. I seen him in person at Newport and at other show prior. But the real flaw or question with the analog system is what is in the manufacturers instructions that isn't enough to get you going. Electronics have always seemed simple to me.(red with red, white with white) Physics is involved but take it slow and step by step with your new table. I will next year. Understanding some buy from Ebay or even make a table and that is another issue.

It's nice to see another young person make it past the sea of blind hate toward audiophiles, and the hobby in general. It gets very tireing seeing the never ending "fact" spewing idiots still claiming that not even so-called "profesionals" can tell the difference between redbook, and hi-rez recordings. I'd be willing to bet 99% of these idiots have never even heard a decent hi-rez recording on a good system, and if they have, they either lacked the skill and ability to tell the difference, or refused to see past their pre-conceived conclusions. Ok... End of rant. Guess the comments on THIS NPR article got a little under my skin.

More importantly. Welcome Yannick! Stick around. There is plenty more to learn. ENJOY!

Yeah, so many audiophiles will wrongly assume the "young kids" will never get it about good audio. Well, most old folks won't either for that matter, but there are plenty around just waiting for someone to show them the way. And don't think MP3s will ruin any possibility of a young person appreciating good sound. No way! Back when I was a teen, most everyone listened to mass produced cassette tapes on a cheap Walkman, and you can't say that sound was such a big step up from MP3.

Personally I always preferred records, and I always cared about sound quality. I was a gear tweaker in high-school before I even knew there was a name for such a thing! I kept moving up to the next best thing based on what little I knew and based on what little means I had. But one day in the Fall of my Freshman year in college I walked into a little high-end store in Providence RI (Ocean State Audio, now gone like so many others) and that was when the real light went on!

Bruce, the owner, was genuinely friendly to me, and didn't treat me like I didn't belong there and showed me some of their entry level gear like Creek, Rega and Spica. And luckily he had a good trade-up policy, so he always had some decent used product around too. That's what got me started; just a little help, eventually Stereophile and I was on my way.

"Bruce, the owner, was genuinely friendly to me, and didn't treat me like I didn't belong"

I honestly believe that this hobby would be in noticeably better shape if more shops were like this. Unfortunately, at least from my experience, most have a snotty air about them. I couldn't tell you how many shops I've walked out of because I didn't feel welcome. In contrast, there have been at least a few welcoming shops that I've walked out of with a seriously thinner wallet when I really wasn't even in the market for anything. There's a small shop in Bensalem, PA that comes to mind. I was in the area on business, had some time to waste, looked up local hi-fi shops on my phone, and the next thing I knew 2.5hrs had passed, and the shop owner was shipping 2 tube integrated amps to my door. I honestly attribute it to the fact that he was genuinely friendly and welcoming. I can't help but wonder how many shops would still be alive if they would have just lost the attitude.

One reason for playing vinyl is often overlooked because it may not be 'sexy' enough to grab a lot of eyeballs; the 'electromechanical' reason. Some guys (and I suppose a few women) just like to repair old stuff. They like to work on, restore, and enjoy playing old turntables. The media approach to discussing vinyl; oooh, the sensual feel of handling the record, the 'sound' of vinyl, etc, doesn't exist for them. It's an 'electromechanical' thing.

"There's a small shop in Bensalem, PA that comes to mind. I was in the area on business, had some time to waste, looked up local hi-fi shops on my phone, and the next thing I knew 2.5hrs had passed"

Steve is the owner of the shop in Bensalem.  He makes you feel at home as soon as you meet him.

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