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Re: Quesstion for all vinyl inmates...

I think the closest thing to a solution is a beefed up, better organized FAQ section. The main concern is, after all, how to avoid endless repetition of answering to frequently answered questions. The current FAQ section has some useful links, but it doesn't have much objective advice for THE most frequently asked question: "I'm getting into/back into vinyl, have $X to spend, and want to know what to buy." ("The Vinyl Tourist" site provides some guidance to this question, but it is incomplete and written from a particular perspective.) If you refer a newbie to the current FAQ page, he is immediately confronted with such esoteric niceties as "Why two null points." (Not saying that "why two null points" is not great info. to have -- just that it is more confusing than helpful to the newbie asking about "record players".)

I think the outline proposed by JHarris below is an excellent format. I would add a couple things to it (in order of importance):

1. Listings and brief, objective descriptions of turntables available, grouped by price point: This seems like the most important thing to me. It would be an easy place to refer newbies to so that they could see what is available. It could specify such things as whether the tt came with an attached arm, with or without a cartridge, whether available new or only as a used find, etc. It would be objective and informational -- that is, not recommending any particular tables, just summarizing what is out there within a particular price range. Armed with the names of a few tables in his price range, a newbie could do more productive searches for further info. on this board and elsewhere on the web. Many vinyl newcomers don't even know the names of various tt brands. Hence, the continuing cycle of posts asking for recs, followed by the obligatory reeling off of names ("Rega, MMF, Linn, Thorens, Optonica, . . . .") [OK, just kidding re Optonica], followed by the obligatory squabbling about the relative merits of each. This list would also be a great starting point for a non-newcomer who is thinking about upgrading.


2. Similar listings for carts, tonearms, cleaning machines/systems, etc.: Not as crucial as the turntable listings, but could also be useful. (I do think it would be harder to make objective listings regarding some of these components that say anything interesting. For example, it is easy to list objectively what kind of plinth, platter, suspension, etc. a tt has. Harder to say much objective about a cart beyond whether it is MM or MC.)

3. Listings of record labels -- especially classical: This is a question that frequently comes up. It is most relevant to classical, where the same piece of music might be available in a multitude of performances on many different labels.

This would be a start. Hopefully many people would consult the FAQ before posting their new question. And when someone posts a frequent question, he could be referred to a FAQ that actually answers it.

All that being said, though, I think we have to recognize that there is no perfect solution to the various annoyances. Frankly, these things are a part of Internet discussion board life. You will always have people who will post a question rather than do a search. You will have certain topics that come up repeatedly. You will always have threads that stray off into distracting digressions. It's the nature of the beast. In fact, it is the general nature of human interchange throughout history.

And if every answer to anything important truly is here already, then we could just shut down the discussion board and turn it into a search-only archive. But I don't think anyone wants that.

Finally, I noticed some suggestions in this thread for breaking up the Vinyl Asylum into additional subsections. I think that is a terrible idea. It adds layers of complexity to navigation and would artificially balkanize the discussion. I say, keep it all in the general topic of vinyl playback. When starting threads, let's all try to be mindful of using meaningful subject lines. (My pet peeve on any discussion board is threads titled "Question".) Then, if you see a topic that doesn't interest you, scroll past it.


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  • Re: Quesstion for all vinyl inmates... - Langdell 08/12/0212:02:50 08/12/02 (0)


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