To avoid transferring any oils or dirt from your hands, try not to touch either the surface of the record or the brush. Once or twice is enough, then turn the record over to clean the other side. Without pressing too hard (so as not to damage the grooves), turn on the turntable and move the brush from the inside grooves to the outside while the record is spinning. Most collectors recommend using an anti-static cleaning brush for this purpose, as shown below: Cleanlinessīecause vinyl is an analog format (which means there’s physical contact required for playback, in this case in the form of a needle traveling down the groove cut into the surface of the record) as opposed to a digital one like CD or streaming audio (where there is no physical contact required for playback), it’s important to keep records clean for optimal longevity and sound. Note that regardless of weight, the depth of the grooves is exactly the same on all releases. However, this type of vinyl often commands higher prices than the standard grades, often fetching upwards of $50 or more per disk, versus the standard record price of around $10 to $30. Some people also claim to hear more fidelity when listening to heavier records. The increased weight of these disks makes them sturdier and more resistant to warping it also provides a stronger platform for the stylus to rest on and allows for more playbacks before deterioration. While some may refer to these as “audiophile grade” records, it does not necessarily mean they have more sonic benefits. However, some newer records come in weights of 180, 200 or even 220 grams. Most of the vinyl pressed in the past 20 years are 12-inch records that weigh between 120 and 140 grams. WeightĪnother important factor is the weight of the record. The Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 Wi-Fi Turntable can handle rotation speeds of 33 1/3 and 45 rpm (make sure you select the correct one before spinning your favorite tune!) and, unlike most other turntables, can be wirelessly connected to Yamaha MusicCast speakers: Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 Wi-Fi turntable speed switch. Most turntables can accommodate vinyl of every size, but not all offer different speeds. 12-inch records are generally employed for long-format “albums” (playing at 33 1/3 rpm) that include several tunes per side, but some of today’s singles are pressed onto 12-inch disks since the extra room on the surface allows the grooves to be further apart, which results in a louder record with a greater dynamic range (i.e., the difference between the softest and loudest sections) for better sound quality. Since 7-inch and 10-inch records hold less information, they are usually used as “singles” (i.e., they contain one song per side) playing at 45 rpm.

(The actual playing time is a ratio between speed and the length of the grooves.) The larger the diameter, the longer the groove can be and the greater the possible playing times, dependent upon rotational speed. Vinyl records also come in three standard diameters: 7-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch. The 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm speeds continue to be the standards to this very day 78 rpm records were largely phased out by the mid-1950s. Interestingly, early 45s were released in different colors, depending on the type of music they held. In the years after World War II, several competing formats appeared, most notably the 33 1/3 rpm LP (Long Play) record which not only had a slower playback speed but narrower grooves, followed soon thereafter by the middle-ground 45 rpm format. This had a severe limitation in that records running at such a high speed could only hold a few minutes of music. In the early days, rotation speeds of records were not always consistent, generally running from around 70 to 80 rpm, but by the 1920s, 78 rpm became the standard. The “rpm” is an abbreviation for “revolutions per minute” - an indication of how fast the record is meant to spin on the turntable. Vinyl records come in three speeds: 33 1/3 rpm (often just called a “33”), 45 rpm and 78 rpm. In this article, we’ll look at the key factors that determine their sound quality and durability. Even through the advent of digital technology, vinyl records remain amazingly popular, and have even enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.īut not all vinyl is the same. These round, flat vinyl disks with spiral grooves have brought music to the ears of listeners around the world for more than a century.

33 vinyl records