Awesome Vinyl

While there’s little argument that digital audio provides a TECHNICALLY better experience than vinyl, the analog grooves of vinyl records do offer some interesting advantages over CDs and MP3s. Science teacher Steve Mould explains some of vinyl’s unique benefits.

(PG-13: Language) A vinyl record release of Anomalisa‘s soundtrack. Limited to 1,000 copies, its pop-up-style jacket recreates the hotel rooms in the movie. Note that the music does not hold up on its own, as it is more of a way to remember the film.

A portable record storage rack that provides easy access, and lets you display an album cover. It’s made from bent stainless wire with a semi-gloss powdercoat finish, and comes in two sizes: the small one holds up to 70 7″ records, while the big one stores up to 45 12″ records.

Old meets new in the Seed. This all-in-one audio system has a record player but can also stream music via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, aux and USB 3.0. It has two 1″ 15W tweeters and two 4″ 25W woofers. It also has RCA, S/PDIF and aux outputs.

Keep your vinyl discs clean and dust-free with ATYPTK’s soft microfiber cloth that just happens to look like a record itself. Just don’t try and play this thing on your turntable, or you’ll need to buy a new needle.

The Vinyl Factory takes us inside Third Man Records‘ recently opened record-pressing plant, located in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. The facility combines efforts of man and machine to create unique vinyl discs and album covers, and helps preserve what was nearly a lost art.

England’s new Five Pound notes are made from a durable plastic polymer that makes them impossible to crumple, resistant to water and burning, harder to counterfeit, and as an added bonus, capable of playing records, as shown in this brief video clip.

Super Deluxe named their video series “Stoned Mode,” as the clips they’re featuring are perfect viewing material for when you’re high. So smoke ’em if you’ve got em, and enjoy a fascinating look at how vinyl records are made.

While the proper way to play a record is with a needle, it turns out that other sharp objects will do the trick, if not quite as well. Michael Ridge puts some bird songs on his turntable, then played them with the beak from a seagull’s skull. The bird is the word.

Level Frames makes ready-to-hang 25.5” x 17.5” frames that contain actual vinyl records of classic albums, such as Dark Side of the Moon and Madvillainy. The album cover is shown in full while the record peeks out of its sleeve. Available in black or white maple frame.

Artist Jesse England created this rather silly device which, when placed on a turntable, uses vibrations to send music from a Bluetooth device through the needle of the record player – transforming any audio source into vinyl… ish.

Add a personalized touch to your car with these easy-to-apply, non-permanent vinyl decals, adapted specifically to the shape of your vehicle. StickOut plans to offer a variety of designs by artists from around the world.

Hungary’s Tipton Eyeworks upcycles old vinyl records into stylish eyewear with a unique and “groovy” texture. Each is hand-assembled using laser-cut vinyl, and comes in a matching case made from an old 45.

Turn your room into a video game with one of these awesome vinyl door decals from our friends at Gadgets and Gear. Enter now to win your choice of airlock, armory, freight elevator or lab door designs. (Contest ends 8/25/13)

If Dexter Morgan is reading this, here’s the perfect thing for covering the walls of your dedicated kill room. These photo-decals are available in sizes up to 81″ x 116″, and as small as a gadget skin.

While we suppose it would be even better if you could give your suitcase googley eyes, MUJI’s eyeball stickers are less likely to get knocked off by typically inconsiderate baggage handlers.

Designed by Sunny Side Up, these vinyl wall stickers offer a clever typographic take on the traditional world map. It’s not a wholly original idea, but we still like it. Available in 27 colors.

A limited-edition art book by DB Burkeman & Monica LoCascio, showcasing approximately 4,000 stickers with themes ranging from music to brands to street art. Includes 23 designer die-cut stickers.

Fans of VALVE games, rejoice! They just reached a deal with Gaming Heads to create awesome desktop figures based on the characters from HL2, L4D2, and TF2. First up, Team Fortress 2’s HEAVY.

The SSUReal From the Cradle to the Grave desk sculpture by Kid Robot and SSUR is a 6-inch vinyl skull with gold-chrome-plated ABS teeth and a wicked “sylvan” pattern. Only 200 will be made.

Trick out the exterior of your new iPad with a vinyl decal from Etsy artist suzieautomatic. The decals are easily applied and removed and you can make your selection from a variety of colors.

Remember De La Soul? The seminal alterna-hip-hop act broke out with 3 Feet High and Rising. Now they’re 3-inches high thanks to Kidrobot and Myong Kurily’s nifty vinyl figures of the group.