Three-way vinyl record wear test

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.

(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

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.

#vinyl #turntable #RecordPlayer

[vwestlife]

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.


(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


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.

[sweet-scrr]

Your dry humor is lost on a lot of people, but I very much appreciate it.

[AkosJaccik]

06:40 - Say what you will about RCA, the fact that they implied (with a straight face no less!) that an audiophile will "show off his sound system to friends" more times than actually listening to the records themselves is both extremely hilarious and fairly spot-on.

[azjames]

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!

[slowpawstevet]

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.

[matt.]

I bet more people listened to the Marcus family in the last day than have ever before.

[jozefserf]

These aren't mere clickbait fripperies, these are informational videos for the ages. Basically you can play your records as often as you want.

[MVVblog]

Does no one remember that 45s in jukeboxes played all summer long continuously every day without fail?

[dougkinne]

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!

[thiagomelo]

This is exactly what the vinyl community needs right now! People are being shamed to buy expensive equipment right from the get go, and treating vinyl like an extremely delicate form of music consumption, when the thing that greatly impacts your listening experience is dust! Congratulations on this lovely video, keep up with the great work man!

[beau-urns]

The man employs scientific method in his tests, that’s why he is reliable.

[darkdeepred]

That vinyl relaxing period theory sounds absurd

[kirkmooneyham]

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.

[frankowalker]

That proves what I've always thought...

It's not what you play them on, it's how you treat them.

[jayuno]

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.

[IsraelQuezada]

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.

[The_Magic_of_Zelda]

Two VWestlife videos in one week? Awesome! Your videos have been superb since the channel first began.

[williammcneill]

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

[SigEpBlue]

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.

[MrMegaManFan]

This is by far the most thorough and definitive test of record wear I’ve ever seen! Myth, BUSTED.