A Vinyl Demo at CEDIA?! It’s True!

Maybe some would say the the CE Pro staff is a bunch of old-school curmudgeons (this excludes our web staff), but collectively I believe---I'm including Julie in this because I could see her rocking to Abba's Greatest Hits or Cheap Trick Live at Budokan on some classic turntable [just think Fast Times at Ridgemont High]---we've all been swept in the vinyl phenomenon.

Interestingly, we aren't alone. Vinyl sales have basically tripled and we've heard from many readers that they are selling turntables once again. We know that CE Pro has a diverse readership with all kinds of electronics professionals that read the publication so it would be easy to dismiss that reader feedback as the boasting of a vocal minority.

The facts however say that isn't so, and now to further validate the resurgence of vinyl in the world of consumer electronics the speaker company Wharfedale is set to win dealers over at CEDIA with a product demo that skips the usual theatrics of surround sound.

Walter Schofield, vice president of sales and marketing for the speaker company's U.S. distributor Sound Import, says the company wanted to do something different at a show that's typically known for home theater and control and automation.

“We are going fully anti establishment and we’re proud of it," says Schofield. "We’re debuting the Jade series of loudspeakers, from the designer Peter Comeau. The line includes two floorstanding speakers, two bookshelf models, two center-channel speakers and two surround speakers. We will be exhibiting with Quad and the system will feature components from our two companies, except for the Merrill Williams turntables."

Schofield says the demo will help the company to stand out during the trade event and at the same time it will show CEDIA attendees how beneficial it can be to emphasize audio as part of their system sales. "Audio is very important to dealers and they need to attach more audio to video to keep specialty/independent dealers alive," he explains. "We also want to create some excitement with vinyl."

During the show, Schofield says the company will spin different types of music to engage the many dealers that will be attending the event. He adds that one of the best parts of using vinyl to demo his company's products is that in his opinion vinyl sounds better. "We will be playing a variety of music... and we just believe it’s the best sounding medium," he notes. "We’re trying to tap into some of the nostalgia of vinyl and the rising resurgence of vinyl interest by 20-somethings that are dropping their iPods in favor of vinyl. We feel that with our debut of the Jade collection we want to put our best foot forward."

More Vinyl
Over the course of the spring and summer I've been slowly restoring a classic Thorens TD-160 turntable. I've done basic things like reset the table's suspension; I lined the bottom panel with acoustical material and I replaced the headshell cables and cartridge (Audio Technica 440MLa). Recently I dropped the unit off at Natural Sound in Framingham, Mass. for them to replace the RCA output cables.

When I got home, I spun LPs like Back in Black, The Wall and The Best of Emerson Lake & Palmer and was elated with the results... thanks Natural Sound. The final stages of the restoration will be the replacement of the original stock mat and a clamp that's compatible with the table's suspension system. I've been looking at some affordable products on Needledoctor.com and Elusivedisc.com like the Music Hall mat and clamps like the KAB Record Grip MKII and Souther Clever Clamp.

If you have any any suggestions about the mat, the clamp or comments about the Thorens, they will be appreciated. Also if any of you are getting back into vinyl please explain your experiences in comparing the format to CD and to digital downloads. Otherwise, I can't wait to hear the Wharfedale demo at CEDIA.