vinyl

'Genie' turntable has a zen philosophy

As long as we're on the subject of vinyl, it's interesting to note how the designs of modern-day turntables seem to gravitate toward the extremes. At one end there's the impossibly complicated and, at the other, the absolute minimalist. On the latter front, the "Genie 2" from Henley Designs seems to take the spartan approach to an extreme.

It has many qualifications that audiophiles should appreciate, according to Tech Digest, such as a high-torque motor and a peripheral drive to improve stability. But it's hard to imagine where else anything other components are housed … Read more

A vinyl converter for the midlife crisis

There are scads of products that convert vinyl records to digital files on the market, but most look either utilitarian or like an old dorm-room stereo. So even though its retro look may not be for everyone, Grace Digital is at least trying to make its design a little more interesting.

The "Victoria Classic" looks like a radio from yesteryear, which may appeal to those who may be entering the Digital Age for practicality but aren't quite ready to part with their past just yet. One of three new models being introduced, the Classic can burn vinyl … Read more

R.E.M. offers 45 rpm vinyl

I have a theory about indie rock hipsters: you can tell how old they are by which R.E.M. album they say was "the last good one." Specifically, it was the last R.E.M. album that came out before they turned 22, the age at which most four-year college students graduate.

That puts me squarely in the Green camp. And in fact, while their next two albums made R.E.M. a household name, with songs like "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time) and "Man on the Moon" (from Automatic for … Read more

Video games as art, literally

Here's a cool little collectible vinyl toy we saw this weekend, in the form of a quirky anthropomorphic video game cabinet. Apparently, there's an entire subculture of fans who collect these limited edition vinyl toys (although they're not really very toy-like, with no moving parts and limited production runs).

Designer Erick Scarecrow created the $30 Soopa Coin-Up Bros. as an homage to classic arcade machines, and its blank surface (available in white, black, green, orange, and a few other colors) can be customized with paint, markers, or stickers--giving a new twist to the old games-as-art debate.

LP sales surpass CDs!

It was bound to happen. After years of decline and the steadily rising tide of iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, et al--CD numbers are now in free fall--and the LP has finally regained its position as the world's most popular physical music format! Boosted by sales of Radiohead's "In Rainbows," and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," LP sales edged past the CD a few weeks ago. Elvis Costello's upcoming release, "Momofuku," will only be offered as a hi-fi LP or low-fi download. The CD is on its way out.

The Compact Disc … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 688: I like your photos

I like that photo of you that you posted on Facebook. You know, the private one? Yeah. I saw it. It was pretty cool, although I'd never wear that T-shirt again if I were you. In other news, Netflix DVDs are coming late! The end of the world is nigh! Also, the DOJ approves the XM-Sirius merger and Sony BMG wants to get on your iPod in a decidedly nonrootkit way. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 688

Netflix glitch to delay deliveries http://www.news.com/newsblog/8301-10784_3-9902294-7.html

XM, Sirius move closer to improbable merger http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120638514923860085.html … Read more

Elvis Costello skips the CD

The other day at a record store in Summit, N.J., my friend asked the owner how business had been. He said it's been extremely slow since the beginning of the year, with (as he put it) a bunch of releases from acts nobody had ever heard of, but that vinyl sales were very strong. He was particularly happy about the growing trend in which artists offer free downloads with LPs--fans get great sound and a nice collectible item with the vinyl, and portability with the digital files.

Elvis Costello understands this trend: his next album, Momofuku, will be … Read more

Roksan's museum-quality turntable

It's not the "Transrotor Artus," the $150,000 quarter-ton turntable, but that's not a bad thing either. Instead, U.K.-based Roksan's "Radius 5" vinyl spinner still looks like a museum piece without breaking both your back and budget. Well, that last part might be iffy--it does cost nearly $2,000--but at least that hasn't gone up with this latest version.

The upgraded turntable has a new power supply for "less noise and improved matching of the torque," according to Tech Digest, to go with "a drive mechanism with … Read more

Sony PX-LX300USB lets you breathe new life into your old vinyl records

Got a stack of old records that you would like to get onto your iPod? Sony's PS-LX300USB may be just what you need. The turntable can be connected to any standard Windows PC via a USB cable, where your 33 1/3rpm albums or 45rpm singles can be captured and edited via the included Sound Forge Audio Studio software. Prefer to listen the old-fashioned way? The PS-LX300USB also works as a standard record player--just connect it to a receiver with a dedicated phono input (or, with the help of a phono preamp, any standard stereo input will do). How … Read more