moonbeams Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 due to its analog signal, does that mean that tapes also sound better than digital media? If so, would video be superior to DVD? Also, how can I make my set up sound better? I just got back into vinyl after a 10 year absence. I bought an AT-PL300 which allows itself to be hooked up directly to speakers. Because I live in a little Japanese apartment and don't want to be a burden on neighbors (and because real speakers costs hundreds of dollars), I bought AT-SP120 speakers. Everything is pretty and white, but the speakers sound like shit. However, when I hook headphones to the speakers, the sound is live and beautiful. Any tips or recommended speakers so I can improve my set-up without annoying the neighbors? I'd like to have a clean sound to play at a low volume. Thanks for reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlovecolouredx Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 hey moon00beams. i-sai-ma-se to vinyl collective. i think you're the first japanese who registered this community.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deville Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 VHS is in stereo while DVD is in 5.1/6.1/7.1 etc audio. Also DVD is mixed specifically for digital and does not gain any added effects from analog, while music is enhanced through tape saturation which in turns adds the extra thump and bottom end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 hey moon00beams.i-sai-ma-se to vinyl collective. i think you're the first japanese who registered this community.... su-wa-dee kap actually, I'm an American living in Japan. by the way, it's i-ra-sshai-ma-se Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlovecolouredx Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 hey moon00beams.i-sai-ma-se to vinyl collective. i think you're the first japanese who registered this community.... su-wa-dee kap actually, I'm an American living in Japan. by the way, it's i-ra-sshai-ma-se oh, sorry. your thai is better than my japanese. i know many good records shop in tokyo. it's great if you can make a thread to suggest us about a good record shop in tokyo or your city.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 Well, I just started buying records again two weeks ago. There is a series of record shops called Disk Union. There is Record Shop Base. There's a great punk oriented one near Shinjuku called Vinyl pt. 2. The part one is non-punk, but I've never been there. That's all I know. I'm just going to mail order for now on. Records are expensive here and it's easier for me to mail order as shipping is just as much as riding the trains to the stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 my English sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Moon, your English is fine. I don't think you can extrapolate the analog vs. digital thing out of vinyl to something like DVDs. I think you'd have a hard time finding someone who legitimately thinks VHS tapes look and sound better than DVDs. I think its because the whole thing is opinion in the first place. Many of us think vinyl sounds better because it sounds warmer and "deeper" than digital, but I don't think tapes get that same warmth as vinyl. Other people here are more fans of tapes, but I think they're pretty worthless. It's all opinion though.. I don't have too much advice for your speakers, someone else should come along and help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 What kind of budget are you looking at for speakers, Moon? There are plenty of great bookshelf-sized speakers that offer clean, dynamic sound reproduction even at low volume - however, their range in price can be quite wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamover Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Analog in it's purest form is better than digital in its purest form (no such thing ;-) ) Very high end audio tape will be very good quality at first, but tape loses quality with every listen. Many records are recorded onto analog tape first. Store-bought cassettes are not as good of quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 ^Exactly, VHS and cassettes wear out over time and their quality starts to get worse and worse. I found out in one of my Mass Comm classes that for that very reason, Disney wouldn't put their stuff out on DVD for a long time because they knew that kids watch them over and over and they start looking worse and worse and parents would buy new VHS copies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 […]Disney wouldn't put their stuff out on DVD for a long time because they knew that kids watch them over and over and they start looking worse and worse and parents would buy new VHS copies. That Mouse is such a dickhead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtz Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Disney wouldn't put their stuff out on DVD for a long time because they knew that kids watch them over and over and they start looking worse and worse and parents would buy new VHS copies. ^ I don't think this is true since Disney was notorious for letting even their VHS movies go out of print and not re-releasing them. There are a few Disney VHS's that still sell for a decent amount because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll76 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Disney wouldn't put their stuff out on DVD for a long time because they knew that kids watch them over and over and they start looking worse and worse and parents would buy new VHS copies. ^ I don't think this is true since Disney was notorious for letting even their VHS movies go out of print and not re-releasing them. There are a few Disney VHS's that still sell for a decent amount because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakland Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Way back when I was in radio, I read this study where someone played a bunch of people the same song on vinyl, CD and cassette and asked them to report which sounded batter. Almost everyone picked the cassette. The theory was that CDs have better highs and vinyl has better lows and mids. Cassettes, on the other hand, have no distinctive sound quality. Nothing stands out, so it appeals to more people. I guess mediocrity really is what people are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk0nuggets Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 ^ That's sad. Welcome to VC moon00beams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mot Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 That Mouse is such a dickhead! This made me laugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Welcome to the board! I'm guessing the speakers you have are active speakers (built-in amp)? In that case you'll either have to buy an amp, or find some god active speakers, which will be substantially more expensive than the passive ones. I know nothing about active speakers, so I cannot help you there, but if you decide to go after speakers/amp combo, one of the best bookshelfs you can ged if you're on a budget is Tannoy M1. They run for around $200-$250 a pair and are the best speakers I've heard for under $400. Epos ELS-3 are really amazing as well, but a bit more expensive ($300 a pair). Either way you'll be blown away by the sound (though your record player won't be able to reveal their full potential). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Way back when I was in radio, I read this study where someone played a bunch of people the same song on vinyl, CD and cassette and asked them to report which sounded batter. Almost everyone picked the cassette. The theory was that CDs have better highs and vinyl has better lows and mids. Cassettes, on the other hand, have no distinctive sound quality. Nothing stands out, so it appeals to more people. I guess mediocrity really is what people are looking for. Cassettes are garbage and most people are tone deaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrc Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 i could use some speaker help as well, as i am somehwat clueless about speakers. I will probably looking for an ugrade in the next month or two and will probably spend a couple - few hundred bucks. What are you guys rockin? got any reccomendations?> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Moon, your English is fine.I don't think you can extrapolate I'm a native speaker of English, with a degree in creative writing and I don't know the word "extrapolate." However, I've forgotten many a English words. Thanks for your reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 What kind of budget are you looking at for speakers, Moon? There are plenty of great bookshelf-sized speakers that offer clean, dynamic sound reproduction even at low volume - however, their range in price can be quite wide. The Audio-technica SP120's were marked down to $30 from $100. They have been discontinued. I bought them for their looks, my record player is white AT, so I bought white AT speakers. Almost all small speakers sounded like shit at the store. Except for the pairs that go over $150. Bookshelf sized speakers were surprising all over $300 per speaker. But I would need that thing that regulates sound for those, What's it called, a receiver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 ^(Moon and MRC) I'd at least demo a pair of Rega R1's (of course, since I'm a Rega freak). But seriously, they run around $350-410 and blew me away when I heard them (demoed them at my local hi-fi seller on all-Rega set-up). Really incredible separation, tone and detail - and they don't lose any of their resolution when you turn them up, which in my experience happens far too often with bookshelf speakers. The caveat: Since I heard them thru an all-Rega system (P3->Mira), what I heard will not be what you or I hear at home. Rega, like all British hi-fi, design their separates to sound [even more] wonderful when put together. Rega, Naim, NAD (not so much anymore), Creek - they all go for a house (i.e. signature) sound. That all being said, those R1's are still better than most in their price range. I swear, Rega is the master at designing beautifully sounding components that are totally understated in their visual aesthetics. I am heading over to the shop today in fact, so I will ask what he would recomment @ your budget level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjaicomo Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Technically good film is better than the best possible digital video. Of course, the presentation of the medium will usually mean that a bluray will have better picture than some film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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