iPod Phono: 10 Songs on Your Coffee Table
by John Paczkowski
Posted on June 11, 2008 at 1:12 PM PT
Turns out the long-playing (LP) record album may not be as much of an anachronism as once thought. As CD sales slip into the mud, and digital music outlets pop up on the Web as quickly as Starbucks stores, vinyl is staging a comeback. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl LP shipments spiked 36% from 2006 to 2007, to 1.3 million units. CD shipments dropped 17.5% during the same 2006-07 period, to 511 million.
Now, given the vast discrepancy between LP and CD units shipped in the past year, it’s entirely unlikely vinyl will ever claim a significant share of the music market–unless Apple (AAPL), for some reason, develops the iPod Phono. But it may well remain a niche market for some time to come thanks to audiophiles who prefer the LP “experience” and its so-called truer sound.
And so today Best Buy (BBY) is testing vinyl sales at some of its stores, as is retailer Fred Meyer (KR). “It’s not just a nostalgia thing,” said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer. “The response from customers has just been that they like it, they feel like it has a better sound.”
Comments
iPod DSP? DSP for Digital Signal Processing.
Posted by rod sandcones at June 11th, 2008 at 1:16 pm“So-called truer sound?” It’s not so-called, it’s science! Digital audio, while it has great dynamic range thanks to a low noise floor, simply can’t beat analog fidelity until you get into 24bit, 96khz territory. Long live vinyl!
Posted by Jackson West at June 11th, 2008 at 1:45 pmI guess I’m just not playing my vinyl through the same Continuum/Kharma rig you are, Jackson.
Posted by John Paczkowski at June 11th, 2008 at 2:54 pmI’m frustrated with the trend towards low quality audio that’s been occuring since the advent of the MP3. Vinyl does not rule, and I’m starting to wonder whether I should cancel my long-time Stereophile subscription if it’s going to continue its cover stories that suggest so. 24-bit/96kHz+ has been available for a long time, but there’s little content or common formats available.
Long live hard disk-based SACD like file formats! SACD beats vinyl hands down, but it’s not that portable and there’s not enough content available. Hopefully we can get to such a format soon…the crackle crackle of vinyl is getting old after all these years.
Posted by Jonathan Schalliol at June 12th, 2008 at 3:58 am