Oh dear, I think I want to collect vinyl....

scrumhalf · January 2018

shefguitar said:

Oh and forgot to mention there’s the pleasure of the hunt. Nothing like the feeling of coming across a rare LP you’ve been looking for
for years.

I don't know of any record shops that would allow you to do that. Not even the ones in Soho.

shefguitar · January 2018

scrumhalf said:

shefguitar said:

Oh and forgot to mention there’s the pleasure of the hunt. Nothing like the feeling of coming across a rare LP you’ve been looking for
for years.

I don't know of any record shops that would allow you to do that. Not even the ones in Soho.

Some vinyl enthusiasts take it a bit too far! What do you think the plastic sleeve is for?

Phil_aka_Pip · January 2018

Neill said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

You're only in too deep when your turntable costs the price of a 2nd hand car and then the tonearm costs the same, as does the cartridge, and that's before you've bought the phono stage, the preamp, the power amp and the speakers

This is why digital music is so wonderful. When all we had was vinyl there was a big difference between those who could afford proper Hifi and the rest listening on their parents old dansette or radiogram. These days, by comparison almost everyone listens to music in "high fidelity" despite what the audio snobs say about MP3's.

I suspect a lot of folk who fuelling the resurgence of vinyl are those like @BRISTOL86 who missed it the first time round so there's a certain curiosity.

I dunno. You can still pay silly money for digital storage and streaming - just read the latest HiFi News.

And as for MP3, I'd rather listen to a Dansette or a Radiogram. MP3 is lossy shite and nowhere hear High Fidelity. Even CD is capable of widdling all over it.

stringsthings · January 2018

I would totally go for it. I'm biased because I grew up on LP's and they

will always hold a soft spot for me.

strumjoughlamps · January 2018

It’s a yes from me I loves my vinyl collecting I does..

it can be a pricey game but most collecting hobbies are IMO.

RobDavies · January 2018

I’d say no.

I’ve spent 500 quid on a Rega turntable and cartridge and for me, it doesn’t touch a CD player costing half that (using the same amp, speakers and cables).

Maybe I need to spend more? I won’t be doing so, but ultimately I’m disappointed.

strumjoughlamps · January 2018

RobDavies said:

I’d say no.

I’ve spent 500 quid on a Rega turntable and cartridge and for me, it doesn’t touch a CD player costing half that (using the same amp, speakers and cables).

Maybe I need to spend more? I won’t be doing so, but ultimately I’m disappointed.

Blimey that sounds odd..

I only have a modest system, Cyrus 6a Amp, Pro-Ject Carbon w/ Ortofon 2M blue and Acrylic platter, Pro-Ject phono stage and some bad ass 1983 KEF Carina II speakers..

my tastings have showed that for me Vinyl is my fave format, used Arcam, NAD and Marantz KI signature CD players and nope, always too ‘ting ting ting’ on the cymbals, less separation of instruments and a narrow(er) soundstage.. so much so that I haven’t had CD now for 2 odd years, Vinyl or streaming..

so I doubt you need to spend more(or much more at worse), you just more likely prefer the sound of seedee

Phil_aka_Pip · January 2018

@RobDavies you should get a decent sound out of a Rega turntable. It won't sound the same as a CD though - don't expect it to. If it really doesn't sound good then it may not be set up right, or maybe the phono stage in your amplifier isn't that good - but there are good separate phono stages available for you to plug into a line level input

Clashman · January 2018

Don't know exatly how many LP's and singles I have but it's a lot.I have now given up hunting for
rarities in Charity shops, your best chance of a bargain is Auctions now.The internet killed
Charity shop bargains i'm afraid.Five years hunting I ended up with about 10 valuable
records and must have looked through thousands upon thousands.

Clashman · January 2018

https://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=agnes+strange+strange&x=11&y=7
Turned up in a Charity shop in Hebden Bridge for a quid.

viz · January 2018

RobDavies said:

I’d say no.

I’ve spent 500 quid on a Rega turntable and cartridge and for me, it doesn’t touch a CD player costing half that (using the same amp, speakers and cables).

Maybe I need to spend more? I won’t be doing so, but ultimately I’m disappointed.

It’s a difficult comparison. At 500 quid you won’t get something that “matches” CD. In fact you will never match CD. The sounds of the two formats diverge and go down different paths. At £500 that divergence will already be noticeable, the records will sound warmer and smoother and the CDs will sound crisper and brighter and more precise. But the record will probably still sound a bit boxy even with a planar 3. It’s not until 2-3k that the record player will really show what the record is capable of, which is incredible responsiveness, depth and range, realism, separation and unclutteredness (is that a word)

for 500-700 quid I’d get a 3-400 quid rega P3 or equivalent, a 200 quid denon mc cartridge - I think they’re called 102R or something, an mc phono stage from pro-jekt or cambridge or similar, and use the amp and speakers you have. Compare that to a 500 quid CD player - that’ll fare quite well. It won’t be perfect and the CD player will still outperform in some criteria, but some of the above inherent benefits of vinyl will shine through enough and you will at least enjoy the listen.

Edit - oh, and some Art du Son solution and a trackmate windy-roundy-thing.

Neill · January 2018

Clashman said:

Don't know exatly how many LP's and singles I have but it's a lot.I have now given up hunting for
rarities in Charity shops, your best chance of a bargain is Auctions now.The internet killed
Charity shop bargains i'm afraid.Five years hunting I ended up with about 10 valuable
records and must have looked through thousands upon thousands.

So much of the appeal of vinyl was the fun of acquiring records, and finding gems from the past, but the thrill of the chase has gone.

Years ago well before the Internet, even mobile phones, I was reading a magazine featuring an interview with John Renbourn. He mentioned that one of his great regrets was he had lost his one and only copy of "Solomon's Seal", which was the only Pentangle album missing from his collection. The album had been discontinued long ago, and John mentioned he lived in hope of finding a copy secondhand. I had a copy of the album, so I contacted one of the specialist record stores I knew quite well and they did have John's address so were able to forward a letter for me.

A few days later a very excited John Renbourn rang. I explained how I had read the interview and clearly owning the album would mean a lot more to him than me, and I would be happy to part with it.

I would have given it away but John insisted on paying what in retrospect was quite a lot of money at the time. And he sent me a lovely hand written thank you letter which I still have.

The point is, none of this would happen in the digital/Internet era. I don't miss vinyl so much as the excitement, anticipation and and wonder of the age. Much of the appeal of vinyl lies it's context, and the context is a world that no longer exists. It's like owning a classic car from the 1960's and driving in modern day traffic.

Musicman20 · January 2018

Buying vinyl has been a big part of why I love buying music again. I've had a nice turntable and quality stereo for years, but I've only had room to have it unpacked and setup for the past 2 years.

Now, I love the buzz of getting a limted vinyl. But I also use my iMac and wireless speakers for music as well. Best of both worlds, plus there is something about owning music physically which hits a peak with vinyl.

JAYJO · January 2018

If you want to expand your music hobby then maybe collect sheet music or music books. Originals etc must be some decent art work included in some of them.

darthed1981 · January 2018

RobDavies said:

I’d say no.

I’ve spent 500 quid on a Rega turntable and cartridge and for me, it doesn’t touch a CD player costing half that (using the same amp, speakers and cables).

Maybe I need to spend more? I won’t be doing so, but ultimately I’m disappointed.

You sure your cartridge is aligned and the needle pressure set right, turntable level etc?

Vinyl doesn't nicely set itself up like CD does, if you want excellent sound out of the blocks and ease of use, I wouldn't even bother with CD these days necessarily, just get streaming...

Phil_aka_Pip · January 2018

darthed1981 said:

I wouldn't even bother with CD these days necessarily, just get streaming...

Which is all right until BT loses your internet connection, and so long as there is someone at the far end who has what you want to listen to and is willing to let you have it. Suppose you wanted to listen to something the Govermnent thinks you shouldn't? Far better to own it on a physical medium you paid cash for ...

RobDavies · January 2018

strumjoughlamps said:

RobDavies said:

I’d say no.

I’ve spent 500 quid on a Rega turntable and cartridge and for me, it doesn’t touch a CD player costing half that (using the same amp, speakers and cables).

Maybe I need to spend more? I won’t be doing so, but ultimately I’m disappointed.

Blimey that sounds odd..

my tastings have showed that for me Vinyl is my fave format, used Arcam, NAD and Marantz KI signature CD players and nope, always too ‘ting ting ting’ on the cymbals, less separation of instruments and a narrow(er) soundstage.. so much so that I haven’t had CD now for 2 odd years, Vinyl or streaming..

so I doubt you need to spend more(or much more at worse), you just more likely prefer the sound of seedee

See, that's just it.... I find the exact opposite - the soundstage on CD is much wider than on vinyl.

Maybe it needs setting up? But I invested in scales to get the cartridge weight right, and have used the Rega set up tool, so it should be ok.... Cartridge is a Rega Elys 2, which I bought specifically as the reviews said it had a particularly wide soundstage.
Amp is a Marantz PM6005 into AE Aegis 3 speakers.

darthed1981 · January 2018

Phil_aka_Pip said:

darthed1981 said:

I wouldn't even bother with CD these days necessarily, just get streaming...

Which is all right until BT loses your internet connection, and so long as there is someone at the far end who has what you want to listen to and is willing to let you have it. Suppose you wanted to listen to something the Govermnent thinks you shouldn't? Far better to own it on a physical medium you paid cash for ...

The govermnent? Those bastards!

I collect vinyl for my own use, and I keep MP3s of my old CD collection, so, yes I agree with you.

My point wasn't "f**k vinyl, do streaming", as I explained up-thread, I love both.

My point is, if you want easy and convenient, the product you want is probably streaming, not Vinyl, where the appeal is more the "experience". Yes, the overall sound is arguably better than CD in some ways, mostly based on Vinyl's inherent flaws, on any decent deck (I don't subscribe to the elitist idea that you need to spend thousands, you don't) , but that wasn't the appeal for me.

Chasing the "perfect" sound reproduction is in some ways like chasing the perfect guitar tone, you can spend any amount of money you care to name, but maybe a good decent setup is best for most of us?

Phil_aka_Pip · January 2018

@darthed1981 No I wasn't arguing the sonic benefits of vinyl or CD, just that if you don't own the physical storage medium you are at the mercy of someone else for access to it. For all I know if you've got enough bandwidth you could stream FLAC and get it at higher quality than CD, but it's no good if your internet connection goes down.

darthed1981 · January 2018

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@darthed1981 No I wasn't arguing the sonic benefits of vinyl or CD, just that if you don't own the physical storage medium you are at the mercy of someone else for access to it. For all I know if you've got enough bandwidth you could stream FLAC and get it at higher quality than CD, but it's no good if your internet connection goes down.

This is true

Mitigating that is the fact you can download your library from Spotify to your local PC or phone etc while you maintain a subscription, you need to go online every 30 days.

Further to your point however is that if that is all your music always, when you are old and grey you probably will not want to listen to new music as much as old, and maintaining a 10 or 20 quid a month subscription just to do that will probably grate on you.

Maintaining some kind of local library is wise

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Oh dear, I think I want to collect vinyl....

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