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.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with