Do you still play LP's?

I still have a large collection of LP's. I play them on a Thorens deck via valve amps and electrostatic speakers with a recently added sub woofer.

Maybe you do, maybe you don't.

Maybe you still shoot film, maybe you don't.

Maybe you never have?

If you have tried film and didn't like it, why.

Was it because you can't manipulate the end result if printed commercially?

Was it because the results were not what you expected?

Was it because the exposure was wrong (shame on you with emulsion)?

Let it all out.

Regards

Yes. Roksan Xerxes, Audiolab 8000 Pre/Power, B&W speakers. Most of my music is on vinyl. We also have a beermat player for Mrs Oggy's Irish tunes and the Stereophonics.

Rega Planar 2 and Arcam Alpha amp.

Dug out Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement and to sit in the dark in the sweet-spot between the speakers was a delight, as the system resolved the complex orchestration into it's component parts.

Buying a new LP was always a more rewarding experience than a CD. You had to take it out of two sleeves and then handle with reverence, gently placing the tone-arm.

Some of my early 80s stuff I bought on CD too, but always preferred the vinyl version- smoother, warmer, less antiseptic!

Just shot my first film on a new MZ6 (Ricoh KR10S a bit tired now) and that felt less disposable, every shot thought out, you know the cliches.

What are you saying? Persevere with analogue as you will find it more rewarding than digital?

Yes Thorens TD150, SME arm, Quad33/303 Quad ESLs + REL Subwoofer. Loads of vinyl, mainly opera and classical. Still play vinyl but CDs and DVDs as well.

I have an old Praktica SLR but have not used it in years. Sold my Leica M2 to fund my first Pentax DSLR.

Archie

Yes. Mitchell Gyrodeck, SME arm, Audiolab amp, Linn speakers.

Linn Sondek, Naim amps (active) and SBL's, Meridian 200 CD. All at least 15 years old, and the LP12 I've personally had nearly 1/4 century now and and is still going strong.

On the flip-side, I've not shot film since '97, I simply haven't got the patience or the systematic rigor to mess about with chemicals myself, or to endlessly send negatives back to be re-developed.

Is this really about vinyl or more about losing qualities in the rush to digital in all its forms?

Both vinyl and film have a character of their own, enjoyed and appreciated by those who can still tell the difference. Vinyl has a warmth, CD has a clinical razor sharp edge. But it does resolve more detail, previously unheard. I would suggest the very best vinyl has some advantages over the very best CD, but you do need the very best equipment to hear the difference. For most people, CD is better quality and more reliable and certainly more convenient.

Film has many characters, depending upon the film, but it is as false as a digital image or a painting. If we like it anyway that's perfectly reasonable, but it isn't better or worse, just different.

In the case of digital, some photographers IMHO would benefit from loosening up a bit and not being so caught up with white balance and low noise. These are characteristics that can be exploited, just like using different films, and defects can be turned to our advantage.

David Hamilton did very well with a totally rubbish 50mm lens...

I play them when I get a chance - GEC A3000-P direct drive turntable, Marantz PM4001 amp, Cambridge Audio S30 speakers. The latter two were new a couple of years ago while the turntable is an ancient ebay find fitted with a new cartridge.

I just find that vinyl recordings are much more detailed than early CDs, although as it's down to the original mix the "remastered" stuff might be better. In the days before CDs sound engineers would mix the recording so that it sounded right on vinyl, which behaves in a different manner to CDs. Digital recordings can also be at a low sample rate - basically it cuts off any sound below a certain level to create a smaller file, which means you lose detail.

Do I use film? Well as I have a small pile of film bodies, ten rolls of HP5 and a daylight dev tank around I think that might be a "yes"!

3x Technics SL 1210 MKIIs with Ortofon Concorde Nightclub cartridges, Yamaha natural sound amp for the lounge, and a 2.5 kw Vestax rig with borrowed Bose 802s for the odd party.

Whoo hoo! never thought I would find another Thorens owner. Had a TD160 with SME since 1980. Wonderful bit of kit, not used it for a couple of years but I feel an urge now!

Cedric

Interesting names here, Linn, Quad, Rega, Thorens, SME and loads more to boot. Oh i forgot to mention Pentax. It struck me that us Pentax owners suffer quality very well indeed. Of course this is my very humble opinion.

Cedric

Occasionally bring down the Technics gear from the loft and have a 50s/60s/70s revival - lots of Vangelis and the Stylistics and Sibelius and Holst...................got some nice Tannoy speakers too.

Tony

The vinyl has all been converted to MP3s and consequently never gets played.

I've still got a Thorens TD150 with Linn Basic arm and a Shure N97EJ cartridge Rotel RA-01 amp and old Audiomaster MSL1 speakers from the 70's which at the time were rated by Hi-Fi Choice as better than the BBC monitor thingies........ also quite a bit of Sony DAT stuff but all that died when MP3's came out...... The most pleasing sound I've ever heard is from the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 with a proper audio out (not a headphone socket) and don't laugh JBL Creature II speakers Also bought a Creative Zen but the sound isn't as good as the Jukebox 3

My computer has Fostex PMG-4 Monitors for speakers and an M-Audio Audiophile card.

Can't stand the hiss on vinyl nowdays although I still have a lot of it. Probably due to the hours I used to spend removing it from vinyl I copied to the computer. I've got a SH Dunlop Systemdek upstairs which I bought to replace the Thorens, but it was tripe by comparison.

No, but funnily enough saw a 12" version of Nena's 99 Red Balloons. Now it was on a wall in a car park in Penzance. Not sure if someone had lost it or it was being thrown out. It could be that someone just left it there, Penzance has a "creative" sub-set.