The Vinyl Player has been one of earliest inventions in music and home entertainment. Invented over a century ago, the vinyl player has survived various technological advances like the audio cassette, CD, mp3 and streaming. Yet, this long forgotten relic has risen from the ashes like Phoenix. In the past few years, the LP record and vinyl player has made a comeback and has become one of the favorite medium of playing and collecting music. For the musical purists, it provides a dynamic range of uncompressed analog audio sound. For others, its a artist way to showcase their collection using the album covers as wall art.
The Origins of Vinyl Player
In 1857, French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville patented the first version of the vinyl player. Called Phonautograph, it was the first device which could record voice, music and other sounds. The device recorded sound onto a soot covered paper wrapped on a rotating cylinder
In 1877, Thomas Edison came out with the early version of the phonograph which was the first device that could record and playback on the same device. A tin foil wrapped around a rotating cylinder was used to record the sound. The grooves inside the foil moved the stylus which vibrated a diaphragm to produce sound.
A decade later, Emile Berliner was the first one to start using flat discs instead of the cylinder. The disc had grooves running from the periphery to the center. He secured the patent for the term gramophone which became the blueprint for future versions of the record player.
Rise of the Vinyl
The flat discs were first made with hard rubber and later with shellac. However, the shortage of resin during World War II prompted manufacturers to press on vinyl instead. The gramophone and flat discs known as “gramophone record” became popular around the turn of the century. Around the 1920s, radio technology had improved a lot, the demand for vinyl players had fallen for a short duration.
However, by the early 1940s, the popularity of the records rose once again especially due to the portability of the players. In addition, wide availability of the records manufactured using vinyl material made is affordable with general stores selling them.
The first record speed used was 78 rpm when electronically powered players came into being. However, the record manufacturers finally settled with 12 in 33 1/3 rpm for LP and 7 in 45 rpm for singles. Using the vinyl material, long player records (LP records) could hold entire albums while the smaller vinyl records were used for one song. The term single was coined for records with 3-5 minute song releases. An “extended play” (EP) version of the smaller disc, allowed playback of songs on both sides of the disc.
Golden Age of Vinyl Players
The 1970s was the golden age of the vinyl player when they became popular specially due to the high fidelity sound reproduction. Cheaper portable players boxed in wooden cabinets became widely available for masses.
Advances in high fidelity helped in developing higher quality pick-up cartridges which provided more accurate sound reproduction. The players started using belt or direct drive, jewel-balanced tonearms and electronically controlled cartridges to reduce the noise and produce clear sound.
Revival of the Vinyl Player
At the turn of the 21st century, the vinyl player made a comeback. After being a niche for years among vinyl enthusiasts and collectors, it has seen unprecedented resurgence.
The explosion of interest in vinyl records in recent years, has helped it gain popularity and wide acceptance. Now, every artist is releasing their albums on vinyl for all generations to enjoy on their favorite music device.
The increase in interest in vinyl players has resulted in improvements in the vinyl player. For instance, modern features such as USB recording and playback via Bluetooth are now available with vinyl players. In addition, many vinyl players come with built-in phono stages so they can be connected to amplifiers. While some have built-in phono stages, amplification and speakers. Just press play.
In conclusion, it is definitely certain that the vinyl players are going to be around for a long time. I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog post and got some insight into the history of the vinyl player. In the next blog post, I’ll talk about the various components of the Vinyl Player
