# Thinking of Getting into Vinyl - Worth It?



## Philm63 (Jan 1, 2015)

When I started recently messing around with my 5.1 HT system, I thought I'd try listening to music again; it had been many years since I had listened on a regular basis - I'm talking 25+ years. I used to have a small record collection - LP's, 12", and a few very old 45's. Never really had good equipment, but I enjoyed the music nonetheless.

I moved to different formats as technology changed from vinyl to 8-track to cassette to CD never thinking about anything other than the convenience factor. But now that I am starting to listen to music again, and more critically now; I have to wonder what those old records would've sounded like on better equipment.

What I've read so far makes me think there is a lot more to vinyl maintenance than I realized - I never really took very good care of my records back then as I didn't realize their real value - it was just music to me then. And it was all about convenience back then, too.

It is regrettable that I didn't keep any of those records - not even sure what happened to them over the years - so I have no vinyl at the moment which brings me to the question; is it worth it to get back into vinyl just because I can, or is there any other practical reason to do so other than nostalgia?


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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

worth it?... depends on what you think. Vinyl is expensive to get into properly. My uncle sold a 71' Boss Mustang for 30k so he could buy a 25k turntable. Then you have the cleaner machine which is some 700, needles, power supply, and he has about 4k in isolation materials under it. 

It sounds amazing though. Not sure how a 2k total setup would sound but overall Vinyl is more expensive since it's a "niche" market these days.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I was a big vinyl collector in the 80's and early-to-mid 90's. I ended up ripping and selling my collection when my wife and I bought our first home and kids entered the picture. At the time it was a total space/convenience issue...but I've found myself missing the pure tactile nature of vinyl...feel and smell of the records (themselves), the artwork on the sleeves and covers...even the groove notes. There's really something to be said about the uniqueness of vinyl as a medium.

I know that vinyl can sound VERY good. It does take time/care (and the right equipment) to get it to that point. Lots of cleaning. ;-)

I guess jumping back into the vinyl game will really depend in your ability to derive pleasure from re-collecting music you enjoy. Are you the type of person that enjoys the thrill of the hunt? If you are, you might enjoy jumping back into the land of records!

On a side note, I was down in Washington, DC this past weekend and walked past three record stores...all of them had customers flipping through record bins. Great to see.:T


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## Saturn94 (Jun 8, 2013)

Not worth it to me.....too fussy and high maintenance.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Ive got a relatively cheap turntable, a Sony T20 (no idea what it is worth these days) it sounds ok and the 15 or so LPs and about 25 45s hardly makes it worth upgrading to anything better. 
Im still in the camp that if the recording is done well a CD will beat the quality of most vinyl on a reasonably priced turntable. Sure there is something to be said about the feel and artwork of Vinyl and its nostalgic if nothing less.


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## Philm63 (Jan 1, 2015)

Todd Anderson said:


> ...Are you the type of person that enjoys the thrill of the hunt? If you are, you might enjoy jumping back into the land of records!
> 
> On a side note, I was down in Washington, DC this past weekend and walked past three record stores...all of them had customers flipping through record bins. Great to see.:T


I can appreciate a rare find, and I did walk past a record store this past weekend - couldn't help myself; I had to go in and check it out. Had no idea what I was looking for, but for some reason, it felt natural to me flipping through those bins...


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

That might be half the fun of it...the other half is listening 

I miss the days of flipping through a bin and finding something you've been looking for. One of my favorite record shops of the past was little joint in Silver Spring, Maryland called Vinyl Ink Records. Very reminiscent of the shop in Grosse Pointe Blank (which I'm sure could be found in a lot of places across the US back in those days). 

The store looked like a dump from the street (in fact it was tucked away on a side street that was pretty unremarkable). It had an air conditioner directly over the entry door that dripped down on customers as they entered...the inside of the store, itself, was kind of dingy...but it was a treasure-trove of British Indie vinyl. I distinctly remember the excitement of flipping through a bin and finding a new EP...or a rare 7-inch...maybe a release in limited edition colored vinyl. It's a great feeling.

I was only in High School at the time (and used to drive an hour to get there)...it got to the point that the shop keeper would occasionally stash a small stack of records behind the counter for me. When I'd walk in he'd simply say: "Here, buy these."  Usually, the stack was laced with a rare McCarthy LP...the latests releases from small labels in England such as Creation Records or Sarah...bands and labels that are long gone.

Wow. I _really_ miss those days.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Oh where to begin!? I guess I should mention I listen about equally CD and vinyl, even though I own twice as many albums as CD's. Convenience can be king! So.. you want the bad news first or the good?

Yeah, vinyl hardware setup and maintenance are a hassle and cost extra. Yeah, record cleaning is definitely not a _fast-food-society-microwave it-now-and-tan-in-15-minutes-because-I-need-instant-gratification-yesterday_ type of experience. Even getting up to change songs is a distraction. And speaking of distractions, one wrong move near the stylus (that's the "needle") can set you back money you don't want or have to spend... not to mention the beating your ego takes. And then there's the fact that even after all your labors of love, even brand-new records can have surface noise and tick-pops. For someone used to the convenience and pristine sound of digital, analog can be something of a disappointment at first. I grew up with it, so I can't say for sure, but I'd hazard a guess that it's an acquired taste for younger folks.

YET. . .

There's something about vinyl played back on a properly set up 'table (of sufficient quality) that connects me to the performance in a way that keeps me riveted and spinning songs well into the night in a way that digital cannot. Yes, a quality' table will set you back more than an equally performing digital player, but not outrageously so. And a more expensive analog rig will not be near as noisy and tick-poppy as it's cheaper cousins. About a thousand should do it for 'table, tonearm, and cartridge. That may sound like a lot, but consider what an Oppo BDP-105 costs. If that's too steep, even a complete modern rig of only $500 works sonic wonders.

And like others have mentioned, there's pride of ownership and accomplishment. Life-size artwork on the album cover is also a plus. And if you're older, you won't need a magnifying glass to read liner notes like most CD's.

Some online stores will let you try a product for 30-days risk free (except for shipping maybe). Look for names like Rega, Pro-ject, Music Hall, VPI, and Clearaudio.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

not sure I agree that you need an OPPO or equivalent CD player to get great CD sound. A $100 CD player will be almost as good. Thats the challenge "is the juice worth the squeeze"


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Fair enough when you consider diminishing returns, but I'm undecided whether or not "almost as good" applies to any $100 player, especially in sighted tests that have "Mattel Close-n-Play" on their faceplates. 

Thanks for the reminder; I didn't mean to mislead. With help from the knowledgeable members like you here at Hometheatershack, I'm still shaking off a lifetime of audiophile snake-oil and pseudo-science. 

BTW, forgot to mention that some on-line stores will set up the cartridge before shipping.


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## Philm63 (Jan 1, 2015)

Since I put the Oppo 103D in my living room system, I just KNOW my CDs sound better. (no, really!) (ok, maybe...?)

I, too, grew up on vinyl. I remember once when I was a little kid and the power went out, the sound of Burl Ives winding down in RPMs - I could hear his voice getting slower and deeper until the record stopped turning. I'll never forget that. Vinyl has always been something very real, even though back then I really didn't have the same respect for the format as I do today. Digital is something I can download from the Internet now - not so "real" per se, but the quality of the sound can be quite good, and it is oh so convenient...

There would be no problem for me dropping $400 or $500 on a table, provided I could get reasonably good quality sound, the likes of which I am now enjoying digitally on my Oppo. But I suppose that is subjective, part of the experience being the interaction with the table and the records - all so manual - you have to watch how hard you walk, can't bump into ANYTHING, "...if you scratch that record, so help me!"


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Well I would suggest starting really cheap.
Cheap turntable.
Buy a couple cheap albums of something fun and rambunctious that you like.
Mess with it for a while and see if it's something you want to do.
Don't worry about starting with good gear or high dollar vinyl until you play around with it some.
My music is all ripped, some in wav, some in ALAC, some in MP3. 
Anytime I want to listen I switch over to the HDD or the iPod and select what I want to hear.

Listening to vinyl albums is a completely different experience and it has little to do with sound quality.


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## engtaz (Jul 9, 2010)

The best think about vinyl is the sound. But, if your lazy, dont waste your money. You have to clean the records and get up to turn album over. The sound is awesome though.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

chashint said:


> Well I would suggest starting really cheap.
> Cheap turntable.
> Buy a couple cheap albums of something fun and rambunctious that you like.
> Mess with it for a while and see if it's something you want to do.
> ...


With all due respect, your last statement is incorrect. Even old but properly cleaned records can sound great on a decent 'table (excepting worn and damaged ones, of course)?

A canoe floats on water as well as a yacht, but only one is better suited for the high seas. Both a Chevette and a Corvette get you from point-A to point-B. Just as different boats/cars get you to where you're going, not all will allow you to appreciate the ride. To many people, most of the fun is getting there. To each his own.


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## Blacklightning (Nov 22, 2011)

For me it's not worth it as I will go Vinyl crazy for 2-4 weeks and then never return for 1-2 years.
I will say that I plan to get a good turntable once my main system is complete and setup but it's more for having the option if someone brings a LP over.


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## Philm63 (Jan 1, 2015)

So far I am hearing good arguments from both camps. 

Seems like the sound from vinyl could have something digital just couldn't produce, assuming a purely analog system. Shortest path from source to ears, and all that. And then there's the pure, tactile nature of the medium, cover art, holding the record and manually loading/unloading, etc.

On the other hand, the equipment can be expensive, maintenance is much higher, and the entire process can be fussy. It was said to the effect a good recording on a CD can sound as good or better than vinyl on a reasonably priced system.

Sooooo, if one was to get into vinyl, starting from nothing, the suggestion would be to start small, with this I agree. But it also sounds like there is a learning curve to consider. Perhaps I will take this leap...


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

The trouble with starting out cheap to figure out if you like it is that you will hear a very high noise floor, static, pops, wow & flutter, etc leading to disappointment. The vinyl-philes will argue that you have been let down due to the cheap gear. So you will then buy expensive gear and still hear a high noise floor, static, pops, wow & flutter and still be disappointed (compared to digital). 
Even with brand new virgin $25 vinyl that has been properly cared for and washed, there probably will still be static and pops.

I got back into vinyl just over a year ago, hear is a copy of my first posting about the experience....

_"This Christmas I bought myself a turntable, Pro-ject Debut Carbon. I have not had or listened with a turntable since 1988. I got the turntable because my parents have many LP's that we don't have digital versions of, so I wanted to hear some different music. 
Also I was very curious about the raging debate between digital and vinyl fanatics about which is superior. I went into this with the notion that digital is superior and so far I still hold that opinion. Of course vinyl fanatics will argue that because I didn't spend at least $1000 on a TT (and I don't use a $500 LP cleaner), then it will not sound as good as it can. 

This purchase also reinforces my experience that the most important aspect of sound quality is the engineering of the audio. MP3's, CD's, Hi Res downloads, and LP's can sound good or they can sound bad. Over the last week I have listened to many LP's that sound wonderful and many that sound dreadful (same experience with MP3's, CD's, and Hi Res dwnlds). But playing vinyl does have several negative aspects that are noticeable even with well engineered audio, these include very high noise floor, the pop's & clicks, and maintenance of both the vinyl and the TT.
But there is much more appreciation for the music when it is so tactile. The TT needs to be set up properly, the vinyl needs to be properly cared for. And there is a good feeling when you start to play an LP, it doesn't sound right with extra popping & clicking, and doesn't sound clear, then you take the vinyl off and physically wash it, dry it, wipe it with a brush, clear the cartridge needle of debris, put the vinyl back on the platter, drop the needle, and now there is noticeable improvemnet in the sound. There is a sense of accomplishment in that process.

As far as the TT goes... I have nothing to compare my Debut Carbon with, but I love the look and feel of it. There are many great reviews that have already been written for this piece of gear." ....
Read more: http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...st-turntable-many-years-pro-ject-debut-carbon _


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

^^^^^^ thank you for this post.

Like i said....
Listening to vinyl albums is a completely different experience and it has little to do with sound quality.

If you enjoy the LP experience by all means enjoy it, but there is a lot more to it than just listening to music.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

There is plenty of music that never made the transfer to digital, and digging through the bins at a record store and finding an old favorite for $2-4 is a lot of fun. I would never buy a new digital recording that has been transferred to vinyl "just because", though. 

Vinyl can sound very good, but it takes decent gear and dedication. I got started on the cheap, and went as bare bones as is possible while still getting satisfactory results, for me.

First, I found a NOS h/k turntable at a pawn shop. You can find nice used TT's, too, locally or online. These are the items that got me spinning and enjoying the sounds.

- Ortofon Super OM 10 cartridge (best match for my tonearm, call Needle Doctor or another shop like that for advice, matching the tonearm to the cartridge is KEY!).
- Cartridge protractor for alignment.
- Stylus force gauge (turntables.com has great prices).
- Spin Clean beer powered record cleaner. 
- Carbon fiber brush, for a quick clean and to remove static.

That should get you going and give the results you are looking for. You can also skip the 'table/cartridge hassle and buy a 'table that is ready to go, the ProJect Carbon is a great deal.


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## eracer (Mar 14, 2015)

I just bought an album - the first one I've owned in 30 years. (All the ones I used to own are long gone, replaced by a rather substantial CD collection...) Actually, I pre-ordered the album: Mark Knopfler's 'Tracker'.

I'm going to play that album in my bedroom on a new turntable (only $150, but has an aluminum platter, and a MM cartridge) that should be here on Monday, running into the phono preamp of a new (old) 35W RMS Marantz PM5004, feeding a pair of new Axiom M3 v4 bookshelf speakers. The turntable is fully automatic, so when I put on side one and snuggle up with my sweetie, I don't have to worry about that dreaded "tick, chrrrrrr, tick, chrrrrrr, tick" sound that used to rouse us from our haze-induced 'Dark Side of the Moon' torpor (back in the day.)

Total equipment cost: $1,000. Album cost: $29.95









Why?

I honestly don't know...Just seems like fun I guess...


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## engtaz (Jul 9, 2010)

Enjoy Let us know what differences you here.


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## TheGimp (Jan 27, 2015)

Don't overlook "Thrift Stores". I occasionally find near pristine albums for as little as $1 each.

One advantage to old vinyl is the changes that have taken place in the recording industry WRT compression and the volume wars.

"Remastered" CDs suffer from this as well as new music. So, old albums, with all their issues, may actually sound better than some re-releases. 

I'm contemplating building an Ultrasonic record cleaner to clean my albums with.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

In the following rebuttal, I'm not arguing the superiority of vinyl over digital or vice versa, so I skipped over any related comments made by the quoted participants. I listen to both formats, and enjoy both. I have roughly the same amount invested in playback gear for each in order to extract as much enjoyment as possible _for my tastes_. YMMV.



chashint said:


> Like i said....
> Listening to vinyl albums is a completely different experience and it has little to do with sound quality.
> If you enjoy the LP experience by all means enjoy it, but there is a lot more to it than just listening to music.


I'm trying to understand exactly what you mean by "little to do with sound quality." I think you paint with a very, very wide brush. Do you mean to say that vinyl has NO sound quality because it has:
surface noise (the "sssshhhhhhhh" sound),
transient noise ( the "ticks and pops"), and
high maintenance?

You agreed with and thanked Glenn for his post, but it actually contradicts your views on many points. Please elaborate.



gdstupak said:


> The trouble with starting out cheap to figure out if you like it is that you will hear a very high noise floor, static, pops, wow & flutter, etc leading to disappointment.


I agree.



gdstupak said:


> The vinyl-philes will argue that you have been let down due to the cheap gear. So you will then buy expensive gear and still hear a high noise floor, static, pops, wow & flutter and still be disappointed (compared to digital).


I disagree. You obviously haven't heard a properly set up uber-expensive rig that costs as much as a high-end luxury car! Seriously, I'm not sure where the price-to-performance threshold lies, but when I upgraded from a ((Direct-Drive, servo-controlled Dual 501 turntable with the venerable Shure V15 Mark-IV cartridge)) to an ((integral belt-drive VPI HW-19 JR turntable with the Sumiko Blue-Point Special cartridge)) AND adopted a wet-clean over dry-clean LP method: 
surface noise all but vanished
the number of ticks & pops were reduced (variable results)
 wow & flutter only increased if the belt was improperly installed, or when it stretched with age
turntable rumble was dramatically reduced

Price difference? Roughly $600-700. Hardly a raid-the-kids-college-fund endeavor. And sorry, no empirical data to back my claims except hundreds of thousands of other subjective testimonials. Actually, there are probably published objective studies out there somewhere. If not, maybe the staff could have a shootout comparison like they did for the amps?



gdstupak said:


> Even with brand new virgin $25 vinyl that has been properly cared for and washed, there probably will still be static and pops.


True, but... see my last comment below.



gdstupak said:


> This purchase also reinforces my experience that the most important aspect of sound quality is the engineering of the audio. MP3's, CD's, Hi Res downloads, and LP's can sound good or they can sound bad. Over the last week I have listened to many LP's that sound wonderful and many that sound dreadful (same experience with MP3's, CD's, and Hi Res dwnlds).


I agree you've heard both bad and good. Me, too! :T 



gdstupak said:


> But playing vinyl does have several negative aspects that are noticeable even with well engineered audio, these include very high noise floor, the pop's & clicks, and maintenance of both the vinyl and the TT.


Almost. I'm assuming by "noise floor" you mean vinyl surface noise, table wow & flutter, table rumble, etc. A very high "noise floor" is present only with very poor quality hardware and very poor quality media. But "noise floor" has an inversely proportional relationship with quality; the noise floor diminishes with increasing hardware/media quality. The act of performing maintenance has nothing to do with sound quality. The fact that it needs to be performed does. If an album isn't properly cared for, don't expect it to sound it's best. On the flip side, if a CD isn't properly cared for, it will eventually fail--catastrophically. So maintenance doesn't really factor into the equation, because both formats need it--it's just that digital media has the upper hand, because it's robust.



gdstupak said:


> And there is a good feeling when you start to play an LP, it doesn't sound right with extra popping & clicking...


I can only answer that with a quote from an editorial title Excerpt From The Absolute Sound 2011 Buyer’s Guide to Vinyl Playback

"I also think that not all listeners hear things the same way. For some, the occasional tick or
pop of vinyl jolts them out of the immersion in the music. For others, the distortion imposed
by standard-resolution digital never allows that sense of immersion in the first place. Both
types of listeners are “right” in their preferences."


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## Blacklightning (Nov 22, 2011)

For me I just think of it as another format. Same reason I have a VCR kicking around.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

There is also a following of people who are convinced laser disc is a better format. I have a Pioneer LD player and 6 LDs I think the last time I gave one of them a spin was about 5 years ago.


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## Philm63 (Jan 1, 2015)

Good or bad, popular or not so popular, the more I think about it, vinyl, to me at least, is as much about the act of playing a record as it is about what comes out of the speakers. That's what I can remember about playing records back in the day. 

As technology advanced and folks moved eventually to digital, if you were in another room and someone put some music on, and you could hear a slightly elevated noise floor or a few ticks and pops, you'd know they put some vinyl on, and not a CD. 

I think it is also about one's expectations. Sure, you can attempt to duplicate the exact sound quality from a record as you can get with a CD by upgrading your table and associated equipment, and for many; this is the way to go. But if you appreciate the tactile parts of playing a record, chances are you can also understand one's appreciation for the "differences" between what they hear when they play vinyl vs. a CD or other digital media.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

RE: Listening to vinyl albums is a completely different experience and it has little to do with sound quality.

First, I am not arguing for or against vinyl in general.
As far as sound quality goes greatness can be achieved with CDs (digital music) and LPs.
So for the sake of this conversation lets say equal sound quality can be achieved just to take that moving part out of the conversation for an instant.

The experience listening to music from a server/ipod/HDD/CD changer......... you get the beverage of your choice sit down in your comfy chair and relax ... turn on your system and choose the song/album/playlist or shuffle all from your library press play and you are listening to music. You decide 30 seconds in you were wrong about wanting to hear XYZ press a couple of buttons and in a few seconds something more in tune with the mood is wafting through the room.... opps you have to do something so you hit pause.... nothing to worry about for hours on end if necessary.

The experience listening to vinyl (boy it has been so long ago I can barely remember).... select album by rifling through the stack, humm are they up on an easily accessed table or down on the bottom shelf, ug I am not nearly as spry as I used to be.... get ut all the stuff and clean the album, dont forget to clean the stylus with different stuff, put LP on platter, turn on TT, sit stylus on LP and the music starts as you go to your comfy seat. Hummm XYZ really isn't what you wanted after all but you give it two songs because you just went through putting the LP on.... nope thats not what you want to listen to, get up, move tone arm, remove LP, put LP back in sleeve, select new LP, clean it, clean stylus, put LP on platter, turn it on, put stylus on LP, music starts playing on the way to your comfy seat and 30 - 40 seconds into the song you relax and finally get the first sip of the beverage that now has sweat all over it and then you need to do something, do you hit pause....no you get up, lift the stylus, think hummm should I turn it off or leave it running, .......

If those two experiences (which have little to do with sound quality) do not seem very different .... well I don't know how to describe it.

Yes I agreed with gdstupak, and I do not think his post is at odds with my original entry.
Now that the instant has passed even if an LP has equal or greater sound quality how will you ever know since it has a higher noise floor, pops, clicks.....

I have spent literally 1000's of hours playing LPs and recording them onto reel to reel to preserve the LPs.... I just don't see going back to it for myself, but if that is what floats your boat enjoy it in all its glory.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Thank you, chasint, for taking the time to explain it to me. There were a few smiles in there, too. Well done! I think I took it too literally and was quick on the trigger, so thanks for not ripping into me.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

The 'splaining was not intended to rip, I am very sorry that it came across that way.
The written word can be harsh even if the one writing it is laughing about it.


Oops I misread your post.
You didn't do anything to get ripped for.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Group Hug !! 
Okay, let's just settle for a


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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

To the comment on the laserdisc... my uncle has his with about three dozen movies or so. For a good while after DVD was released he said the LD was still better... but after years passed and the players improved and/or proper disc usage or whatever he said DVD finally surpassed LD. No question out there BD is superior to all of the above (currently)

I have heard LP on one of the systems that cost more than a car... his "Basis Audio" LP deck alone cost some 26k and he has an external power supply and some other stuff, really I'm not that familiar with the LP systems

BUT... I can hear a huge improvement of soundstage on the LP vs. the same CD. Not sure what else to say but for one I know that LP has a better sound. However he has all the expensive wet cleaning tools and all sorts of other stuff to go with it. It helps he has over 2000 albums on LP but thats 40 years of collection.

He does say the LPs do wear out... he has multiple copies of his favorite albums and told me that there was one album he has worn out three copies but has 4 more in there ready to go. 

LP is expensive and really it's not ever gonna be for me. call me cheap


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## Blacklightning (Nov 22, 2011)

Talley said:


> To the comment on the laserdisc... my uncle has his with about three dozen movies or so. For a good while after DVD was released he said the LD was still better... but after years passed and the players improved and/or proper disc usage or whatever he said DVD finally surpassed LD.
> 
> BUT... I can hear a huge improvement of soundstage on the LP vs. the same CD.
> 
> ...


It's hard to compare one to the other or say one is better than another. You can look at the specs and see which one has the potential to be better. At the end of the day a well made VHS could look better that a Bluray.

I have so many versions of Starwars and I can't believe the different. The DVD transfer on one of my copies is beautiful, you would think it was a Bluray and in the same packaging is the "original" copy taken from the LD and it looks very poor. My old DVD of Outbreak looks like they copied it straight from the VHS, it even has the scan lines at the far bottom that are cut off on my CRT but show up on my projector.

As far as LP and CD's. I believe on average LP's are made to a higher standard back in the day. Spec wise CD's overall are "better" but music does not bring profit so they need to cut back on mastering.

LP's can be cheap or expensive, just don't get it in your head that you need to spend X amount of dollars to get something good.


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## TheGimp (Jan 27, 2015)

There was a big downturn in LP quality in the late 70s to early 80s. Thinner pressings resulted in more edge warps, and recycled vinyl resulted in higher background noise just to mention a few issues.


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## vanderschel (Dec 27, 2012)

I can't recommend it from a fidelity, value, or a convenience standpoint. If you're interested in exploring the history of music and/or music reproduction, that's a different issue. Some music never made it to digital.

I have approx. 800+ LPs, and my LP cleaner was close to the cost of my turntable/cartridge (I already had the 2-channel vintage equipment). Do I enjoy listening to vinyl? Of course I do. It can be transferred to digital, and it will have the same sound as vinyl. It's a time-consuming, tedious task, tho.

FWIW, I also have a 1916 Victor/Victrola. I use that to help guests that overstay their visit make an exit.


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## bigsausagepizza (Feb 11, 2015)

TheGimp said:


> There was a big downturn in LP quality in the late 70s to early 80s. Thinner pressings resulted in more edge warps, and recycled vinyl resulted in higher background noise just to mention a few issues.


A lot of new releases these days are pressed on 180 gram, virgin vinyl. Mastering is dependent on the engineers. Some new stuff sounds great (often the 180 gram stuff), but some of it is not mastered or pressed well. My friend brought over something brand new recently and I thought it was something used from the 70s.


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## bigsausagepizza (Feb 11, 2015)

I've said this plenty of times before, but for me I like vinyl because it is inconvenient. No that's not a typo. The inconvenience of vinyl makes listening to music more of an event, instead of just background noise. It helps make music the main event, which it isn't for many people today.

Also, it helps a lot that most of the music I listen to is primarily released on vinyl. It's not usually exclusively vinyl (sometimes it is), but it's obvious that vinyl is the flagship.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

:yeahthat: :yourock: utstanding:


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

well, just a little overboard on my part, but I'm still juiced-up on that chasint's coffee. sip, sip


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## slovell (Sep 27, 2015)

Great sound, setup is almost a black art. Fiddly, very fiddly, but also very rewarding and kinda fun when you get the hang of it. 2K will get you a used VPI Scout and a tubed, fully adjustable, Jolida JD9 phono stage, and a Spin Clean record cleaner. Then you're pretty much set.


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

There are those (me for example) who have large vinyl collections much of which will never be released on CD. If we want to hear that music a TT is necessary. So, considering my collection (3500+ LP's, 1600+CD's), having a TT is essential. I have a dedicated music server PC to which all my CD's have been ripped. However, being realistic, because it's done in real time there are too many LP's in my collection for me to rip all of them. 

I've started "ripping" some of my favorite vinyl to my music server as 16/48 FLAC files. That it's time consuming is a given, especially if you manually remove excessive "ticks and pops". I have all the accoutrements needed (vacuum RCM, brush, Zerostat, strobe, stylus pressure gauge, stylus protractor) to unsure maximum playback quality. Besides, I've become used to the whole "thing" that is inherent in vinyl playback. One thing I've noticed is that many CD releases of LP's do not sound as good as the LP. My rips of those LP's sound a lot better than the commercial CD. So yes, IMO it's worth it.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

I just recently bought an entry level AT LP60 turntable and pulled out the few LP's I had left because I sold most of what I had and gave them a spin. It brought back allot of memories even the one where my spine would cringe when that bad skip in the record occured.  After realizing the few records I had were not in very good shape I decided to check out some local shops and see what I could get for a reasonable price and quality. I found this great little place called Joe's Albums and went in and struck up a conversation with Joe. We talked about what allot of you are mentioning here and before I knew it it was an hour and a half later and I was leaving with a smile on my face and 3 LP's that I haven't heard in years. I spent about $28 and the records were all in NM condition. I went home and listened to all 3 and for a little while i was 18 again and singing along with those songs from yesterday. If your to young to have that same type of feeling because your birthday, as they say on the Goldbergs is 1980 something then maybe LP's aren't for you. I since have purchased a new 1970 something Technics TT and have about 50 LP's back in my collection and for not allot of money I really enjoy vinyl again. It seems to me that if I had to spend a ton of money, which I don't have, I would not have done it so my advice would be the same as mentioned, Start of slow and buy something reasonable and you might find you have a new hobby and if not then it won't hurt too much when you sell it to someone else for a little less than what you paid. :T


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