Is there anyone else out there still collecting records? I love sitting back and listening to my vinyl; it's so relaxing! There's something about that delicious crackle that comes only with LPs... I think this thread could be a nice thread to converse in general about records, so feel free to do so, but I'm also wondering if anyone out there has some vinyl they would like to part with. I'm frequently interested in picking up little collections that are presently unused. Feel free to send a PM!
Vinyl Records
- Thread starter adonnellyr
- Start date
yes, I collect vinyl and cd's. i'm an all around music nut, but haven't really had the funds to buy new music as i'm trying to start a company. i've considered selling my entire collection but ebay seems like a right pain the butt
I love the vinyl. Always keep my eyes open. Yard sales, thrift shops, junk shops, flea markets. It's everywhere and much of it is in A+ condition. Lowering the diamond into the groove is a satisfaction that can't be had from digital.
24 bit digital sounds pretty smooth. That said, there is a real thrill in listening to Not Fade Away by Buddy Holly in the original vinyl pressing.
Last year, because of storage limitations, I sold many, many good old LPs to the fine Grooves store in San Francisco. I kept the real good stuff.
Last year, because of storage limitations, I sold many, many good old LPs to the fine Grooves store in San Francisco. I kept the real good stuff.
I listen almost exclusively to vinyl. Not only do I prefer analog sound to digital (and tubes to transistors), but I enjoy the whole ritual of prepping the record for play, cleaning the stylus and generally makeing sure that everything is just exactly perfect. If your records are crackling, you need to get yourself a good vacuum wet/ery record cleaner, a la VPI HW 16.5. The best part is, if you walk into a used record store, you can walk out with a huge pile of records for $50 to $100, instead of just half a dozen or so CD's.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
I have a few but not too many. I used to pick them up whenever I saw them. I want to get back into that, but however our player broke a few years back and hasn't been replaced yet.
I have a huge collection of jazz LPs. Davis/Coltrane/Monk/Ellington/Many very rare collectors items. Started collecting when I was about 12 years old! Haven't bought any in a while though, but they get plenty of play 
I have a decent collection and much prefer the sound of LPs. Mrs. Leche usually picks up a few for me around bday and Christmas.
Big vinyl fan here. So much so that I actually own 4 turntables (well, 2 are really from my days as a DJ). Vinyl just sounds fuller than digital and that was most evident when I worked in a dance club and was mixing both vinyl and CDs.
I have a large collection of vinyl that I started while still in elementary school. so it spans the '60s to the '00s.
I have a large collection of vinyl that I started while still in elementary school. so it spans the '60s to the '00s.
I'm still buying vinyl to add to my 38-year-old collection. The first LP I bought with money I earned at a real job, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, still sounds great. The sound quality of CDs is still improving, but LPs usually are superior. And LPs also make better-sounding CDs and digital files than most CDs. "Perfect sound forever," indeed.
I still have about 200 LPs mostly on good condition that I listen to now and then. New stuff I buy on CD which is itself becoming obsolete. Good CD sounds almost as good as great vinyl now IMO. This was not the case 20 years ago when the best vinyl won hands down on sound quality.
That's why we see so many remastered CDs. The early issues sucked. Next up: remastering of the entire Beatles U.S. catalogue.
Excellent thread! I too prefer the slightly scratchy hiss of vinyl when I can get it. Even more recent releases sound better on record. I have a small collection of LPs, 45s AND 78s, although they are getting tougher to find...I have mostly punk vinyl, everything from the Sex Pistols to more current stuff by the Unseen, and other stuff like Tom Waits and Warren Zevon. My 78s are mostly old jazz or vocal groups, sort of like the Comedian Harmonists (which is an excellent film, if anyone has in interest in old German music from the 20's and up). I'm glad to see that there is such a variety of format these days, but I still like vinyl. I have a portable turntable with built-in speakers that plays all 3 speeds. Its not the best equipment, but it was affordable and relatively light weight. Plus, its rugged being built like a suitcase, so its travel-friendly
Before you dismiss me as a barbarian, I'll preface this by saying I'm a huge fan of vinyl (and analog over digital in general). I had a faithfull Linn Sondek turntable and an unbelievable Sutherland phono stage, which was as good as anything I've heard. Having said that, I prefer digital.
Analog can be as good as digital, but every single time you listen to it it's not as good as it was the time before. For better or worse, digital solves the problem of archiving. And although the first digital releases were poor, at best, modern audiophile recordings are nothing short of amazing. If you haven't experienced some of the better releases from companies such as Mobile Fidelity, Reference Recordings (perhaprs the best), Telarc, et al, you're missing something. If you listen to, say, Dorian's scary version of Mussorgsky's Pictures, (organ transcription by Jean Guillou), you'll hear a dynamic range and power that you may not have thought possible.
I applaud all of those who keep the vinyl flame aglow, but I'm just not buying any more.
Analog can be as good as digital, but every single time you listen to it it's not as good as it was the time before. For better or worse, digital solves the problem of archiving. And although the first digital releases were poor, at best, modern audiophile recordings are nothing short of amazing. If you haven't experienced some of the better releases from companies such as Mobile Fidelity, Reference Recordings (perhaprs the best), Telarc, et al, you're missing something. If you listen to, say, Dorian's scary version of Mussorgsky's Pictures, (organ transcription by Jean Guillou), you'll hear a dynamic range and power that you may not have thought possible.
I applaud all of those who keep the vinyl flame aglow, but I'm just not buying any more.
Granted, these audiophile companies do a great job on their digital products(and Mobile Fidelity still produces direct half speed master vinyl recordings) but you are talking about a very limited catalog! The amount and variety of vinyl still available, while not as extensive as it once was, it still sizable and covers just about every musical genre, not just classical and Jazz/blues, which is the vast majority of the Telarc catalog.
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Barbarian!
But seriously, I have some CDs from non-audiophile labels that are amazingly good. Check out Columbia's most-recent jazz reissues, including the Miles Davis sets; the most-recent concert sets from the Grateful Dead website; or the Rudy van Gelder reissues from Blue Note and other jazz labels. I have some of the Miles stuff on audiophile LP and CD, and it's hard for me to tell the difference, but Columbia's first few tries on CD were so bad that anyone could hear the superiority of the vinyl.
When I have a choice, though, I buy new vinyl and make a digitial file with it; there are a number of good, reasonably priced phono preamps that hook into your USB port. That way, you only have to play it once.
Bottom line: The important thing is the music. Enjoy!
I have a couple of turntables and several hundred old LPS and even older 78s. I don't listen to the vinyl anymore at all. It just doesn't fit my lifestyle. I have close to 1000 digital albums as well and mostly listen to those. I say digital because many of them I have not even purchased on CD and ripped down for storage. I actually purchased (or gained otherwise) the digital files an converted them to CD copy for storage and sharing purposes.
While I would love to have the time to sit and listen to vinyl I simply don't and can't find it any place in my week. I have a mid/high end stereo and frankly hardly use it as well. I listen to most of my music from my Ipod to my home theater system in my living room, or through the headphones while I'm on the subway. These days I mostly listen to podcasts and so music is being moved even further to the side.
While I would love to have the time to sit and listen to vinyl I simply don't and can't find it any place in my week. I have a mid/high end stereo and frankly hardly use it as well. I listen to most of my music from my Ipod to my home theater system in my living room, or through the headphones while I'm on the subway. These days I mostly listen to podcasts and so music is being moved even further to the side.
When I have a choice, though, I buy new vinyl and make a digitial file with it; there are a number of good, reasonably priced phono preamps that hook into your USB port. That way, you only have to play it once.
Bottom line: The important thing is the music. Enjoy!
My friend, a confirmed analog guy (and owner of the finest speakers I have ever heard) had a nifty (and not inexpensive) ADC from Wadia. I don't see many of those around any more, and it was a kick making some phenomenal digital recordings off of vinyl.
I am not a country and/or western fan, but listening to Willie Nelson's Stardust Memories on vinyl on my Linn Sondek turntable and system is truly a heavenly auditory experience.
