Although digital CD and MP3 technology has dominated the music industry for decades, a small group of dedicated audiophiles in the country still have an ear for the 12-inch black plastic magic of old-school vinyl records.
While many music enthusiasts think records have been out of production since the rise of digital music, a visit to three low-profile but well-known record stores in Greater Tainan proves otherwise.
The Wien Disk Shop is a record store where vinyl junkies can find titles from all genres, including jazz, classical and pop.
Photo: Meng Ching-tsu, Taipei Times
Specializing in classical music, the Hosheng Acoustic Equipment and Vinyl Record store houses between 30,000 and 40,000 high-quality vinyls. Famed for its extensive collection, Hosheng draws not only local vinyl fans, but enthusiasts from all parts of the country.
Unlike the established Wien and Hosehng stores, Keng Che Yu Chi Tien is a relative newcomer to the vinyl scene that opened recently and only sells consigned records.
According to one vinyl collector, surnamed Chen (陳), while the sound quality of digital recordings is said to be “time-resistant,” it is too clean and has an unstable performance when reproducing high-pitched sounds.
“Vinyl albums have a frequency of up to 28,000 hertz, while a CD can only make it to 20,000 hertz at most. It is that huge difference of 8,000 hertz that affects the tonal quality of digital recordings,” Chen said.
Another vinyl enthusiast in his 50s, also surnamed Chen (陳), said vinyl albums had been etched in his memory since childhood.
“In my younger days, I tried to follow the digital trend in the music industry and converted into a CD listener. I only returned to the embrace of vinyl albums, the high definition and warm sound of the black plastic, after a friend of mine brought me back onto the scene,” he said.
“Listening to vinyl records is not just about enjoying high-quality music, but also a way of reliving my old memories,” he added.
Album prices vary significantly and are determined by the records’ quality, with those in poor condition fetching between NT$200 and NT$300, while better-quality records sell for between NT$300 and NT$400.
Vinyl records that are in perfect condition, such as a three-in-one collection of Bach works for solo cello and solo violin, are rare and can fetch as much as NT$20,000.
However, buying the record is just one facet of the vinyl junkie’s habit, as several pieces of equipment are required before they can sit down for a proper listening experience, including a turntable, an amplifier — not the ordinary kind, but one with phono inputs — and styli.
While some CD listeners have attempted to dabble in vinyl, the effort of getting all the proper equipment and a failure to pinpoint the differences in sound quality between vinyl records and digital recordings often result in many halfway dropouts, some dedicated audiophiles said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it