"Iain Churches" wrote


snipt


The 301 was the choice of a large percentage of studios
and broadcasters. Even the 401 did not totally replace it,
due to the longevity of the 301.

At that time, there were, with the exception of EMT, few
other turntables judged to be anything like as good.

Both the 301 and 401 are still in strong demand, and there
are a number of small firms who painstakingly refurbish them.



With no shortage of takers!



Now, with the exception of those with USB outputs,
the cheapo turntables have disappeared.

Vinyl has become a thriving niche market, with people
ready and willing to make a much larger investment
for a quality turntable (much more than they are willing
to pay for a CD player, after all, they all sound the same:-)


Surely there is no-one here who cannot see how the hightened 'perception of
quality' playing a pristine record on a costly and massive high end
turntable greatly enhances the experience compared with shoving a CD into a
CD player - even an expensive one where 80% of the cost will be in the
fascia panel, LCD display and casing....


The manufacturers that are left are able to concentrate
on engineering quality instead of having to build down to a price.

SME and Verdier are excellent examples.

http://www.sme.ltd.uk/

http://www.jcverdier.com/


I'm not a 'boutique audio' person but I hafta say I do like some of that
Verdier kit!



Just as Keith points out, new vinyl issues are usually sold
out within days of release. Twenty years after vinyl's
"demise" this seems remarkable..


A talking head on the box some months ago said that demand for vinyl was
very steady.



In contrast, the sales of CD have dwindled to such an extent
that HMV have announced the closure of 60 retail outlets, and
three CD plants in the ÜK are faced with closure due to over
capacity.


Ultimately, given the stringent requirements (clean conditions/machinery)
for CD manufacture I think it would be easy to see them disappear completely
if it were not for the computer and audiovisual aspects of 'silver disk'
usage - I had no idea the process was so complex until I saw then on 'How
It's Made'!!