Three-way vinyl record wear test

Lots of people talk and worry about vinyl records wearing out, but finally here is a controlled, long-term experiment to test how much audible wear actually happens to records played in real-world conditions on a variety of turntables. I highly suggest a quiet listening environment and good pair of speakers or headphones to observe the results. However, the main takeaway from this test is something that experts have already known for the past 75 years: dust, dirt, scratches, fingerprints, improper storage, and a worn stylus are the real enemies of vinyl record life, not the kind of turntable you use. Do your best to avoid those perils, and your records will provide a lifetime of enjoyment, even when played on inexpensive equipment. FYI: The records I tested are slightly transparent when held up to a bright light, indicating they were made with a vinyl formulation which used dye instead of carbon black; these records (marketed under various names such as "Super Vinyl", "Quiex", "UHQR", etc.) are known for their very low surface noise and anti-static properties, but sources differ on whether they last longer or actually wear out more quickly than conventional vinyl. Unedited video of playing a portion of the record on the Quasar 50 more times, for a total of 100 plays at the end of the test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qee4wp9Swto Lossless recordings of all four records used in the test (both the entire album side played with the Stanton 681EEE cartridge, and the brief samples I played using the Shure M75): drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UscEjplMoS6l-Rw3RA… (Yes, the unplayed record actually has more pops & clicks than the ones that were played 50 times. Maybe it has some dirt in the grooves, and/or was a noisier pressing than the others. None of the LPs came with inner sleeves -- they just put the record directly in the cardboard jacket.) Time flow: 0:00 Introduction 1:17 The equipment 2:55 The records 5:35 How many times? 7:37 How often? 9:58 The test 13:34 The results 17:08 Analysis 22:31 Stress test 26:12 Conclusion p.s. I found the obituary for the father of the group, which says the Marcus Family Singers were formed in 1974 and were active for seven years, and recorded two albums: www.petersonbrothers.com/obituaries/calvin-marcus Also I looked up the songs on the album in the copyright database and several of them were written in 1980, so the album is probably from 1980 or 1981. You can listen to the full album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1jJxwdpX60

06:40 - Say what you will about RCA, the fact that they implied (with a straight face no less!) that an audiophile will "show off his sound system to friends" more times than actually listening to the records themselves is both extremely hilarious and fairly spot-on.

I bet more people listened to the Marcus family in the last day than have ever before.

Your dry humor is lost on a lot of people, but I very much appreciate it.

These aren't mere clickbait fripperies, these are informational videos for the ages. Basically you can play your records as often as you want.

back in the sixties i left a party and returned in the morning to find my brand new Roling Stones album had been left on repeat overnight for several hours, the record showed no signs of wear at all and fifty years later after countless plays it still sounds fantastic on modern equipment.

The man employs scientific method in his tests, that’s why he is reliable.

Your channel is the only channel that uploads this sort of content. Most channels cater to the audiophile foolery but this channel debunks it. Keep it up!

That vinyl relaxing period theory sounds absurd

"I'm getting a fundamentalist Brady Bunch vibe from it." Thanks, that gave me a good laugh.

This is exactly what the vinyl community needs right now! People are being shamed to buy expensive equipment right from the get go, and treating vinyl like an extremely delicate form of music consumption, when the thing that greatly impacts your listening experience is dust! Congratulations on this lovely video, keep up with the great work man!

After listening to that LP I can understand exactly why there were so many copies available at the thrift store 😱😱😱

That proves what I've always thought... It's not what you play them on, it's how you treat them.

Man, you just stuffed a whole bunch of vinyl snobs in a place they deserve. This test deserves 1 million views min. Great job with the test. Data proud!

Does no one remember that 45s in jukeboxes played all summer long continuously every day without fail?

I appreciate the fact that you have seemingly gone out of your way to be reasonable with this test. The music selected was done for the purpose of matching all of them up, nothing to do with what sort of music whatsoever. You maintained a regimen of playing them according to a schedule. Kudos to your dedication to getting trustworthy results.

I haven't been to church in 30 years but suddenly I feel the need to go...

That virgin vinyl joke made me die

I like that you call out people who waste time on forums, pontificating and arguing about how you should listen to music. They spend more time doing that instead of enjoying their music collection.

Two VWestlife videos in one week? Awesome! Your videos have been superb since the channel first began.