Three-way vinyl record wear test
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
- Lots of people talk and worry about vinyl records wearing out, but finally here is a controlled, long-term experiment to test how much audible wear actually happens to records played in real-world conditions on a variety of turntables. I highly suggest a quiet listening environment and good pair of speakers or headphones to observe the results.
However, the main takeaway from this test is something that experts have already known for the past 75 years: dust, dirt, scratches, fingerprints, improper storage, and a worn stylus are the real enemies of vinyl record life, not the kind of turntable you use. Do your best to avoid those perils, and your records will provide a lifetime of enjoyment, even when played on inexpensive equipment.
FYI: The records I tested are slightly transparent when held up to a bright light, indicating they were made with a vinyl formulation which used dye instead of carbon black; these records (marketed under various names such as "Super Vinyl", "Quiex", "UHQR", etc.) are known for their very low surface noise and anti-static properties, but sources differ on whether they last longer or actually wear out more quickly than conventional vinyl.
Unedited video of playing a portion of the record on the Quasar 50 more times, for a total of 100 plays at the end of the test: • Playing a vinyl record...
Lossless recordings of all four records used in the test (both the entire album side played with the Stanton 681EEE cartridge, and the brief samples I played using the Shure M75): drive.google.com/drive/folder...
(Yes, the unplayed record actually has more pops & clicks than the ones that were played 50 times. Maybe it has some dirt in the grooves, and/or was a noisier pressing than the others. None of the LPs came with inner sleeves -- they just put the record directly in the cardboard jacket.)
Time flow:
0:00 Introduction
1:17 The equipment
2:55 The records
5:35 How many times?
7:37 How often?
9:58 The test
13:34 The results
17:08 Analysis
22:31 Stress test
26:12 Conclusion
p.s. I found the obituary for the father of the group, which says the Marcus Family Singers were formed in 1974 and were active for seven years, and recorded two albums: www.petersonbrothers.com/obit...
Also I looked up the songs on the album in the copyright database and several of them were written in 1980, so the album is probably from 1980 or 1981.
You can listen to the full album here: • The Marcus Family - Re...
#vinyl #turntable #RecordPlayer - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Lots of people talk and worry about vinyl records wearing out, but finally here is a controlled, long-term experiment to test how much audible wear actually happens to records played in real-world conditions on a variety of turntables. I highly suggest a quiet listening environment and good pair of speakers or headphones to observe the results.
However, the main takeaway from this test is something that experts have already known for the past 75 years: dust, dirt, scratches, fingerprints, improper storage, and a worn stylus are the real enemies of vinyl record life, not the kind of turntable you use. Do your best to avoid those perils, and your records will provide a lifetime of enjoyment, even when played on inexpensive equipment.
FYI: The records I tested are slightly transparent when held up to a bright light, indicating they were made with a vinyl formulation which used dye instead of carbon black; these records (marketed under various names such as "Super Vinyl", "Quiex", "UHQR", etc.) are known for their very low surface noise and anti-static properties, but sources differ on whether they last longer or actually wear out more quickly than conventional vinyl.
Unedited video of playing a portion of the record on the Quasar 50 more times, for a total of 100 plays at the end of the test: th-cam.com/video/qee4wp9Swto/w-d-xo.html
Lossless recordings of all four records used in the test (both the entire album side played with the Stanton 681EEE cartridge, and the brief samples I played using the Shure M75): drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UscEjplMoS6l-Rw3RAnWlDdOY06-GhID
(Yes, the unplayed record actually has more pops & clicks than the ones that were played 50 times. Maybe it has some dirt in the grooves, and/or was a noisier pressing than the others. None of the LPs came with inner sleeves -- they just put the record directly in the cardboard jacket.)
Time flow:
0:00 Introduction
1:17 The equipment
2:55 The records
5:35 How many times?
7:37 How often?
9:58 The test
13:34 The results
17:08 Analysis
22:31 Stress test
26:12 Conclusion
p.s. I found the obituary for the father of the group, which says the Marcus Family Singers were formed in 1974 and were active for seven years, and recorded two albums: www.petersonbrothers.com/obituaries/calvin-marcus
Also I looked up the songs on the album in the copyright database and several of them were written in 1980, so the album is probably from 1980 or 1981.
You can listen to the full album here: th-cam.com/video/C1jJxwdpX60/w-d-xo.html
@@AneeshSeeYay Seriously? That's your problem?
@VWestLife Thank you for going into this level of details for our benefit and enjoyment 😊
Beautifully executed tests, thanks Kevin, I won’t look at my SC-12H with a suspicious eye ever again 😸
When I was a child, I had an LP of "Help" by The Beatles that played it so many times that it ended actually worn out.
The record player was a suitcase Denky turntable.
Well, one thing's for sure...
it didn't get any better.
Your dry humor is lost on a lot of people, but I very much appreciate it.
These aren't mere clickbait fripperies, these are informational videos for the ages. Basically you can play your records as often as you want.
*as long as you take care of them (which I'm sure most people won't)
Well, in the case of this specific record, it amounts to zero times. 😄
@@kpanic23 She was gone in the twinklin' of an eye, and didn't have time to say goodbye. It may have even been while she was singing the song.
I plan to use the term "fripperies" more often in the future.
@@Think_Up Yes.. And why not! Go all the way Fripperary, fripperial, fripperarity, fripperaritous, fripperaritosity, fripperariousness, fripperious, fripperiousness, fripperiosity, fripperiositous, fripperiositosity, fripperesque, fripperesquosity, fripperariness, fripperanimity, fripperanimous, fripperous, friperousness, fripperositous, fripperositosity, fripper, frippering, frippered, fripperied
Your channel is the only channel that uploads this sort of content. Most channels cater to the audiophile foolery but this channel debunks it. Keep it up!
Not the only one. Might I interest you in a chap called Techmoan?
Also see Record-ology.
I am subscribed to both of those channels and love them. They showcase a lot of interesting things but I don't believe they've ever debunked any of the audiophile nonsense that goes on in the world today.
I love how kind & respectful he is to other channels, even promoting them. Not a fight down competing channel
@@azjames8789 Techmoan has debunked audiophile nonsense. For example there was the video where some company sold a device to shave the edges off compact discs. They claimed this increased fidelity. On a CD.
That vinyl relaxing period theory sounds absurd
I'm not sure. There is a lot of vibration and friction, and vinyl is a relatively soft material. Once every 24h-s is stupid, but playing a record over and over and over and over again, probably creates quite a lot of surface heat.
I studied materias technology at university. Yes it is absurd. It would be a problem only if it were played so fast that it could got the chance to heat up, but It won't heat up not even a little bit and even if it does, it would dissipate it immediately.
@@ddk7987 That would only be possible had the needle continuously ran the same exact groove for hours at a time. Literally impossible. Physics alone disproves this asinine theory of surface heat. I mean, the needle is long past the area it would even put a remote amount of heat on, which is insanely negligible, before it ever started on that groove again.
Funny how everyone says "According to studies" but never EVER cites the actual study. Take the "stressed vinyl" theory with a grain of salt until someone digs up an actual controlled study.
Its like that crap about CDs being repeatedly played !
That proves what I've always thought...
It's not what you play them on, it's how you treat them.
Would still feel better about playing an expensive record on a good quality table with a good cart vs. a cheapo Crosley. Even that Quasar is superior to a Crosley.
@@wymotome I agree, but if all you've got is a Crosley, then you don't have to worry too much.
@@frankowalker4662 A Crosley was not tested and I have seen with my own eyes the "Crosley Crop Circles" that those turntables leave behind on newer vinyl. I would not make assumptions based on this video when it comes to Victrola and Crosley as they are different animals than that Quasar.
And for the record, a lot of older vinyl was superior to the newer stuff. I'd like to see the test redone with a few modern "clearance" albums from the local Target.
@@wymotome Good point. I've got one of the UK versions of Crosley. (same design, different brand). But I only ever play my 1960's-1980's, (already scratched), records on it.
My main deck is a Numark TT 1625 with an Audio Technica cartridge.
The man employs scientific method in his tests, that’s why he is reliable.
Two VWestlife videos in one week? Awesome! Your videos have been superb since the channel first began.
I appreciate the fact that you have seemingly gone out of your way to be reasonable with this test. The music selected was done for the purpose of matching all of them up, nothing to do with what sort of music whatsoever. You maintained a regimen of playing them according to a schedule. Kudos to your dedication to getting trustworthy results.
"I'm getting a fundamentalist Brady Bunch vibe from it." Thanks, that gave me a good laugh.
That virgin vinyl joke made me die
THANK YOU for putting another nail in the coffin of the whole "let the vinyl relax" malarkey! I'm not sure why some people in the industry thought it was appropriate to anthropomorphize vinyl records, but it's borderline crazy IMO, especially without data to back up the claim. Much like you, I've found that simply keeping the vinyl clean, and cleaning when necessary, to be the most surefire way to have a great listening experience.
Maybe they were hoping they could talk people into buying more than one copy of albums and singles they liked.
There absolutely are polymer use-cases where you want to give the material time to recover. It is particularly the case with items that deform in use, giving them recovery time slows down polymer creep. EVA shoe soles are an example.
I don't for a second think that records are susceptible to this. Hard PVC has very little creep to begin with. To be a little pedantic it's not PVC but according to Brydson's Plastics a blend with... i forgot, and doesn't matter, the mechanical properties are basically identical. To be kept in mind when you replay it, at least a few minutes have passed with material essentially at rest, after it was under impact for one tenthousandth of a second or so, just... different timescales to such a degree, that i don't see how a few more hours would help.
back in the sixties i left a party and returned in the morning to find my brand new Roling Stones album had been left on repeat overnight for several hours, the record showed no signs of wear at all and fifty years later after countless plays it still sounds fantastic on modern equipment.
My family's had many records since the 60s, a lot of them have been played countless times and they are more than 50 years old, but they've always been taken good care of and they've always been played with high quality cartridges with good condition stylus, and many of them still sound awesome.
I've been following your channel for almost 10 years and let me tell you I believe you. You always achieve a great sound on your videos and I started to collect vinyl because of them.
@@lestatdark2621 Thank you!
I like that you call out people who waste time on forums, pontificating and arguing about how you should listen to music. They spend more time doing that instead of enjoying their music collection.
But you need those $1000 cables and "hyper shielded power cords" with the 500 lbs concrete turntables to REALLY get clean sound...........NOT!
Music lovers use equipment to listen to their music, audiophools use music to listen to their equipment.
You give such an objective take. I feel like trying to enter into the hobby is so hard because of the amount of purity test and audiophiles making this seem like you need a budget of at least 2000 to even start. You give real advice that doesn't sugar coat, but also doesn't demonize
The problem is conceiving of it as a hobby.
Is watching TV a hobby?
You turn it on and enjoy (hopefully).
Which is most people listened to records for 100 years before the 21st century vinyl fad.
Just block out the influencer noise.
I bet more people listened to the Marcus family in the last day than have ever before.
I haven't been to church in 30 years but suddenly I feel the need to go...
After listening to that LP I can understand exactly why there were so many copies available at the thrift store 😱😱😱
Does no one remember that 45s in jukeboxes played all summer long continuously every day without fail?
Ehhhh... I *distinctly* remember hearing severe groove wear out of jukeboxes from time to time. Obviously dependent on a number of factors, but I'm willing to bet that the tracking forces on most of those machines was brutal. I loved watching the fancy automatic changing and playback mechanisms when they had windows, but they always looked like the tonearm was being absolutely slammed onto the record.
Yeah, totally _LoFi_ ...
@@koozmusic Early ones playing mono records maybe, but the ROWE -AMI juke boxes played at very low pressures, as did NSM's and late Rock-ola's. I still have singles played on my ROWE-AMI that used an ortofon om10, and they're perfect. Rock-ola fitted the ACCU-TRAC tonearm to boxes in the 70's onward which was specifically designed for the geometry of a 7 inch record to minimise record wear.
@@analoglooney Hmm, interesting! The OM10 would definitely fall into the hi-fi category, for sure. Perhaps it was just the industrial-looking tonearm and deliberate, mechanical movement of it all that made me think they were rough on records. Then again, these are memories from the 80's and early 90s and I was a child. My dad had a very nice turntable though and taught me how to properly treat his equipment and records at only like 5-6 years old. While I found them infinitely cool, jukeboxes always appeared to handle them in a barbaric way to me. 😬
@@koozmusic LOL, yes they did look very crude and I didn't care much for the SEEBURG and early Wurlitzers. If you're ever out buying 45's you can always tell if they have been played on a Rock-ola. As the records revolve in the carousel they are kept from falling out by a metal band that passes underneath them. This eventually wears a slot in the edge of the records, especially the ones that aren't played a lot. The vendors didn't care as by the time it happened, no-one was playing the record anymore as they were bored with it! The computer controlled ROWE-AMI-s of the 80's also had jewelled arm bearings. Amazing for a juke.
This is by far the most thorough and definitive test of record wear I’ve ever seen! Myth, BUSTED.
The lord works in mysterious ways....even with vinyl.
But only with virgin vinyl! 😁
@@marks-the-spot All right, no more religious jokes 😅
Man, you just stuffed a whole bunch of vinyl snobs in a place they deserve.
This test deserves 1 million views min.
Great job with the test. Data proud!
How so? I think "vinyl snobs" are all well aware that with a good table and good cart you can play your vinyl records without fear of harming them. Matter of fact, most of them preach this when folks tend to worry about it.
@@wymotome Vinyl snobs are those folks that came up with utter bs like Vinyl rest, for 24 HOURS. Silly Or that it is time to replace your vinyl after any number of plays.
You are correct that those that say, keep your gear clean are spot on.
This well thought out and logically performed test put to rest that snake oil statements made by folks generally selling pollihollow thermofuzz fake remedies, are shown to be disingenuous.
Did he ? This guy has his own bias, which is is that he thinks cheap plastic, junk, chinese made crap is okay to play precious record collection on. His whole channel is him being thrifty... or perhaps a hoarder, and playing old beat up crap I would NEVER touch. You guys wanna use crossleys and cheap ceramic carts to play your stuf back fine, but don't start this proselytizing crap. I literally laughed out loud when. he represented some obviously worn, aged, second hand stuff as "high end gear". No. Even his technics is still some belt driven thing with microphonics in the case. he didn't even use modern, new records, trotting out some corny religious stuff. Guy probably listens to the smothers brothers. I imagine his fan base is a bunch of old middle aged men that weren't successful in life and can't afford anything good and so get away with grabbing this kinda junk from the salvation army and trying to represent it as good gear.
@@provisionalhypothesis You should pick up one of those records he played. Sounds like you need Jesus.
Holy crap. You weren't kidding about the quietness of that vinyl - specifically the specimen that was used on the Audio-Technica (21:19). Dead silent! Also interesting to hear the left channel dropout in the master (or production master) tape near the beginning of that song (21:24). Maybe the result of poor handling during splicing or cueing, etc. Makes me think it may have been recorded at 7.5 IPS? Haha, I don't really know. It's uncommon to hear tape dropouts on pressed records though, in my experience.
Side note: you have quickly become one of my favorite channels on subjects like this. I wholeheartedly agree with your opinions/testing/conclusions, etc. and I love the lack of audiophile snobbery BS. 🥰
Just WOW!
Big amount of work and systematic approach to tests!
Huge respect!
Many thanks.
I've genuinely wondered this for as long as i have owned records. And i could not find anyone that has made a good comparison like this. Thank you! You keep putting out great videos.
I think it's funny that the dudes who swear a Crosley will literally eat a vinyl record are the same ones who will advise playing without a dust cover for some modicum of improved fidelity.
Audiophiles are a superstitious bunch
Boy: Mr. Owl, how many times does it take to wear out an LP record?
Mr. Owl: Let's find out. One. Two. Three [violent scratch noise]. Three!
A lot of patience and hard work were put into the creation of this video. Thank you very much!
Way to go all ProjectFarm on Vinyl ! :)
I was thinking the same thing. Now we need to freeze the vinyl and heat up the vinyl and see how it behaves.
@@stonent And Cousin Eddie needs to bring out his roofing nail and tin can to compare against.
Answering all the questions again. Thanks for the good work on the channel!
New VWestlife video on the Fourth of July! I didn’t know there was presents on 7/4 but I accept!
My first turntable is in this video! The ATPL50. I gave it to my grandma while I upgraded over the years, sadly she passed and now that Audio Technica ATPL50 is very sentimental
My original copy of the Star Wars soundtrack is basically unplayable 45 years later because I abused it, Never cleaned it and played it almost daily for many months in a row. My childhood friend still has his original copy and it sounds fine even though he played his just as much, possibly more. The difference is, I was a slob and never cleaned mine and he was meticulous in handling and removing dust and dirt from his vinyl. I was Oscar, he was Felix.
I had a collection from my childhood that went through a lot. I was able to bring most of them back using cleaning vinegar and warm water
You might have a problem with mold. Since you have nothing to loose with that record, I suggest you to try my method, which brought back many unplayable records to G+ or even better condition. If a record is highly contaminated with greasy fingerprints and dust, it gives fuel to mold. If I come across a record with unknown history and it is heavily distorted, first I use a high concentration sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution used for removing mold from walls (called SAVO in Europe), I soak the grooves on both sides for about two minutes, than rinse it thoroughly with tap water. Be careful to avoid the label with the bleach, as it will fade it! You need a solution made for mold removal, regular bleach (at least what they sell in Europe) is not concentrated enough. Than I wipe the record dry with soft paper towels, and this time I soak the grooves with formic acid based limescale remover for about 5 minutes, than I rinse it with tap water, and as a final step, I rinse off the tap water with ~ 1 liter of deionised water per side, and let it dry on its own for a night, hung up on its center hole.
The hypochlorite dissolves mold and most other organic contaminants, the formic acid dissolves limescale that might be present in the grooves from a previous flooding or from wet playbacks. After this, you need to replace the inner sleeve as it is probably contaminated with mold spores.
I imagine the Marcus Family would be proud that their unused recordings helped in this test, especially since we were all straining, listening so closely to the words and music (albeit for signs of damage 😁)
Fantastic work!
The power of JEsus must be like STRONG in your house right now ... hahaha
Thanks for all the effort in making this one. Just in case no one else said it.
If people are still worried about wearing out their disks, they could always do what people did back in the day. As soon as you get your new album back home and play it for the first time, make a copy of it. Be it cassette, cd, or digital. Then you can play it as much as you want and not worry about wearing out the vinyl. And you can carry it around with you.
I had a friend who would do that back in 1978. He had a decent rig at the time, and while the cassette tapes sounded good, I thought that he was being a bit too fussy about preserving his records. I always preferred the vinyl over the sound of the tapes.
You have the patience of a saint 😂. Also I think it should be noticed that nearly all the "studies" come from people with interests in them, of course the record companies will be very happy if you bought the same record time and again because "it has worn out", and the "audiophiles" have to claim they hear things others don't, etc, etc.
It’s beautiful how much effort went into designing the methodology and thoroughly described in details in the video
And there rounding the last corner! It's neck to neck as they come to the needle!!
Initially I wasn't going to watch through the whole video non-stop, but then I just did. Fantastic work! You're probably the mastermind in making your videos interesting and engaging.
Thank you for all that work. Truly appreciated, as was the cameo by Vaughn Monroe!
Any video from you is worth my time to watch it! You simply rock, man!
Another top notch video. I've said for years, that the reason most were ever soured on vinyl was they were careless and lazy with it and that most of their disappointment in vinyl playback was self inflicted. I agree with everything you've demonstrated in this video. It's why I prefer compact disc; I'm lazy. I'm not careless, but I am lazy.
I Like the Idea but imagine the amount of Vinyl a Jukebox would Go through in a week playing.
I like how people who make the music always say music is made to be played to be listen too and enjoyed
Compliments from Belgium for your profound testing! Really enjoyed!
Thanks for doing this test. It explains why records I used to play on a Fisher Price record player back in the 80s still sounded pretty decent. I was taught to handle records carefully as a child and I guess it paid off!
Thank you for your effort. Now I can finally peacefully listen to my records as often as I want. Always love your channel.
Wow, this is a fantastic video! The amount of time invested in creating the content, and the level of detail is mesmerizing! Thank you for sharing this with us, it is definitely clear that dust and worn-out styli would be the most detrimental factors for record-groove wear. Congratulations on this great production, keep up the amazing work 🥰
Every and any of VWestlife's videos is worth my time!
Thank you for this great video!
I guess the fear of records wearing out comes from generations of fed-up parents telling their kids "stop playing this over and over and over and over again, or it will wear out"...
I just take a DSOTM back to life after some cleaning that the past owner sold cheap as a Big Mac. He probably thought that the record was ruined by some scratch but actually was because a small particle of dust making the stylus jump and then repeat the same verse. An ultrasoft toothbrush just nailed it.
Nice job. There are lots of factors that play into (no pun intended) how much wear a record will show after multiple plays. Keeping them clean and your equipment in good repair are the most impactful. Can't wait for the test regarding colored & new vinyl.
Very interesting experiment, thanks for putting all that time and effort in!
The lesson of your research is maintain and clean your albums and turn table frequently enough and you can pretty much play the records as much as you care too. Even with a “cheap” turntable it means more to keep it and your albums clean and the stylus changed than worrying about what kind of fancy turntable you think you should have.
This is some dedication.
You're doing science.
I think what does records in quicker than anything is rough/improper handling and playing them on defective equipment (defective stylus, defective cartridge, improper tracking force, mechanical defects with the turntable, etc.). On that note, I've seen new styli and cartridges that had some sort of defect that caused immediate record damage, and that's why I use junk records for testing when I repair a record player or turntable.
Wow, defective new styli and cartridges with immediate record damage?! You should make a video about that. That's insane!
This is another great video, I love that Michael Fremer clip, for all his talk he knows very little about how records are made.
Definitely a video to bookmark for later reference, when getting into loaded discussions with audiophiles.
Really appreciate the effort you put into this! Answering some questions I've always had and alleviating some worries I've always put in effort to assuage while still actually enjoying my records.
Every one of your videos is worth my time for watching.
I gotta have that Marcus Family album - it's imprinted in my brain now, fifty times over.
I can pass on the restoring my soul. That brings back too many terrible memories from my childhood. Thanks for taking one for the team on that record.
Otherwise it was a great video. I can definitely say that i have records that ive played more that a hundred times over the decades. Many of them played repeatedly.
Very informative! Thanks for taking the time to test this out in a very systematic way! And thanks for the album!
Regarding playing records in quick succession and damage again from the 1980's and when there was a chart, I didnt use to buy a lot of chart singles they were on the radio so you used to hear them alot for a few weeks and then they dropped out of the charts. It changed when i went to college I became a record reseller pre-ebay there were 2nd hand records shops in major cities that sold records, at the time record companies used to send radio stations free promo copies of singles to play on air and alot of these non charting records ended up at these shops, they didnt sell as no-one had heard them. The shops used to sell these not sold records for about $0.07 but you had to buy them by the 100 and had random ones sent to you. So i used to buy like 500 records at a time sell them at $0.25 to my friends and then the stuff that was left over listen to them and if it didnt grab me after 30 seconds chuck them. I got to hear a lot of rubbish but occasionally you would strike gold, something brilliant by some weird band. Once i had a record by a Dutch band and i played it it was great so a played it again and again and again it was only when my friend from the room next door knocked on the door and said Steve i know you must like that one but you have played it at least 50 times now and i want to go to sleep.
Wow, I didn’t know I needed this. The video was actually REALLY worth my time!
I love your videos so much because they make me feel so much better about using my old equipment without the worry that I'll be destroying it. Seriously, all of your testing and debunking videos are massively appreciated!
Btw that humor is on point 👌
Thank You for the SKILL and TIME you invested into this series of experiments. Talk is cheap but definitive experimentation with published results is conclusive. EXCELLENT SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION !!!
There's also the factor that most people are not audiophiles nor have the ears of one. So most likely, short of crackles and minor clicks, they probably never even notice.
Another incredible video. I just love you.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for this video - it's really appreciated the time you took, the effort you made and explanations you provided. I have a light tracking turntable (1.2 grams) and can rest assured that with regular washing/maintenance for both the turntable and the records, I can be confident that my records will last several lifetimes
I used to play my Dad's Bert Kaempfert records all the time and they were still good 15 years later.
Fantastic tests!
Excellent test. I did hear a small difference in what I think was the Quasar recording, in that there was a very slight reduction in high frequency noise particularly in the right channel, and a slight increase in surface noise. I couldn't hear a difference that I would attribute to the Audio-Technica or Technics. I have done similar tests myself, albeit without a control (as you correctly pointed out at the time) using a cheap GPO-branded turntable. That did cause obvious damage to the record after 50 plays, including significant distortion, damage to the right channel due to the lack of anti-skate, and high surface noise. Some time ago I did a test over at Audio Appraisal where I played a record 50 times on an AT-LP60, almost non stop without allowing a settling period between plays. At the end of that test there was no damage what-so-ever to the record.
With all that said I have spent years studying everything I can find concerning vinyl reproduction and turntable design and engineering, as I build turntables. I've come to the conclusion that it isn't tracking force, stylus shape or stylus material taht influences record wear, but the quality of the mechanics at play. For example if your tonearm has wobbly bearings, the stylus can't track the groove properly so will cause more damage. Likewise if the platter is eccentric or undulates as it spins, the result will be more damage. I do believe that the cheapest turntables (the suitcase style things) cause an unacceptable level of damage in a short period of time. But I do also believe that a turntable that gets the basic mechanical elements right, like the LP60, shouldn't cause any damage. For what it's worth the Technics SL-QD33 is one of the best P-mount cartridge turntables they made. The tonearm uses the same 0.7MG low friction gimbal as an SL-1200, it has non-contact end of play sensing, and the coreless direct-drive motor is immune to cogging. It might look like an ordinary albeit half decent autoamtic 80s turntable, but it's actually one of the best of them ever built. Find an original Technics P30 cartridge for it though.
I think that 1979-era Quasar turntable with the ceramic cartridge (part of an all-in-one combo stereo) was better designed and manufactured than many low-end turntables made today. I used to have a Technics SL-QD33 and actually miss it, I underestimated its quality but among things it had the lowest noise floor of any turntable I'd ever owned.
@@peacearchwa5103 No doubt it was better built. Even the lowest end BSR of the time didn't generally have much play in the tonearm. The low end turntables of today mostly have a couple of plastic pins as tonearm pivots. I would very much like to see @vwestlife repeat the test with the same record on a Crosley Cruiser or similar now that the control samples have been obtained.
I feel so SAVED now!
Great test!
I was only listening to the video while working and I was thinking to myself "Wow, he's spending a long time on this first recording", before looking over and realizing you had actually just spliced them together perfectly. Impressive editing!
As for the music, it actually wasn't half bad, despite it giving me "Toe-tapping Country Gospel Music Hour" PTSD flashbacks. Probably unlikely to end up on any of my playlists, though
Thank you very much for conducting the tests. I think that individuals who follow and subscribe to your channel, can be rest assured about playing vinyl now. I can now play my stored and treasured vinyls, with the assurance that they will last a lifetime, at the amount of times I do play vinyls during a given year... Once in a while. 😊👍👌💯
Technics SL-1900 - "my good turntable" ... Thank you VWestlife for getting me into listening to records again, your SL-1900 review/repair video did it actually, grabbed a "not working" one right away... :)
Really well done and in depth testing! Thanks for sharing all of this with us. I have absolutely played some of my records multiple times in one day, and didn't know about that wear theory, but glad it hasn't created major issues.
The humour really shines in this video...
I feel vinyl itself isn’t as fragile as people make it out to be for constant playbacks. It mostly depends on how the record was manufactured, my decades old records still sound good because they were protected in the sleeve.
Thank you for some much needed restoration of my soul!
That was a lot of work! Thank you for your time. Great video!
Also I have to say I've never seen a needle with brush ahead of it! That's a cool design.
Great video. I think we live in a golden age for cartridges - for just $170 you can get one with a micro linear stylus, the peak of vinyl playback technology. Distortion-free opera and classical vinyl, which is about a challenging as it gets. Even elliptical styli struggle.
Audio Technica At-Vm95ml FTW
I have one of these, and I play a lot of classical music. If you can afford it, get one. You will be amazed.
Wow, thanks, VW! What an effort. Great video. My purchased in 1983 Def Leppard Pyromania album was played about 500 times. Yes, it's beat up, but still is OK.
I really enjoyed this video -- thank you for the time and work you put into it.
Loved this video and all your others. Been watching for a long time and from one old timer who believes in the KISS principle no one does this stuff better than you. Thanks for all your work.
In the stress test section, I recognized that Sparta turntable from radio stations in the 70s. What a beast.
Thank you very much for your thorough work, great findings. I particularly like your approach when citing sources from back in the day.
What a great video. Thank you for your work.
Wow, very detailed and well documented experiment! It is nice to have a good quality turntable but it’s also good to know that you can still play records on a lower end one without worrying about significant damage. Like other old formats, as long as you keep it in good condition and dust free, it’ll continue to work. Dust can really do a number on records and even electronics in general!
Brother, I must say, I get more excited for your videos than anyone else's. I know the algorithm doesn't treat you the way it should, but these videos make my day. Please never quit.
So look forward to your work, this one is pure cherry on top, with whipped cream. And the whole enchilada, fantastic loved it!
Totally awesome! I've been saying for a number of years now that the audiophiles are spreading urban legends. I very much appreciate your thoughtful, compelling testing of one of these claims. Bravo!
I can't even begin to imagine the mindset of someone who genuinely is taking playing a record only once every 24 hours. Well, I can. It is probably the same person who is spending thousands of dollars on the fanciest cables and signal processing devices that do nothing other than make them feel superior.
Also the Marcus family are surprisingly good.
I’ve never been this early! Great and informative video as always!
Excellent work on testing these theories, sir! I appreciate your dedication and thorough approach to the tests. I also feel like listening to some good, old time Gospel music!
Talk about dedication! That's man! I always enjoy your work and just want to say I really appreciate the amount of effort you put into your content.
Great video, as always. Thanks