advertisement


Considering a Move to Vinyl

I missed that about the OPs remarkable youth, and Logan's Run musical tastes. In that case, I'd stick to digital.
 
Sure, if you stick to vinyl pressed in period (and avoid any reissues).

I don't avoid any reissues, but there are plenty of good ones, as well as plenty of bad. Of course, it all involves a lot of research and faff and occasional disappointment. This is really why we have audio forums though.
 
This is an interesting topic for me as well, even though I seem to be going into the opposite direction from the OP: deciding on whether to finally get out of vinyl replay completely.

I started buying records ca. 2001 or so, I never built up a huge collection and now own about 150, of those are ca. 50 I keep for sentimental reasons, as I also own a CD copy or download of those records. I recently got rid of my low level LP12, but I still own a Technics 1200 mk2.

Most of the current/recent stuff I listen to via Tidal (currently streaming Laura Gibson) I wouldn't dream of buying on vinyl, mainly because of the price, but also because of the sometimes dubious quality of the vinyl and the fact that those recordings started out in digital form anyway - all reasons others have already stated.

That's not to say that a modern recording on vinyl can sound better than its digital counterpart - if the mastering on the former is better than on the latter this will certainly be the case. But it seems a bit arse-about-face to me to cling on to an antiquated format with many inherent problems (EOS anyone?), just because people elsewhere f*** it up.

Now, that's not to say that I don't/didn't enjoy playing records* and have heard them sound spectacular, either in my own rig or elsewhere at shows or at dealers.

However I increasingly have problems justifying paying lots of money to playback only certain genres I listen to on vinyl where *to me* it makes sense buying them in that format (jazz, latin from the 60ies to early 80ies), particularly if digital playback competes for the same funds.

I currently enjoy my pretty minimalist system (see my sig), which component-wise is so small I can actually put it on my bookshelf and have long XLR cables going to my active speakers, and find it increasingly difficult t go back to the traditional HiFi altar between the speakers**. So, things don't look good for vinyl playback here.

Long rambling story short: to the OP, proceed with caution in your particular situation. However for someone who has already built up a huge collection over decades, obviously things are very different.

*OK, granted, coming home from a particularly stressful day and shutting down everything with a screen and an internet connection and just listening to records does have something almost catharthic to it.

**OK, granted, a small, slightly irrational part of me still thinks it's kind of cool.
 
I love vinyl as it has always been part of my life. I started trading records back at school with my dinner money and have ever since bought, sold and collected regardless whatever else I was doing. Now, for the first time in my life, I am finding vinyl to hard to find and too expensive to really enjoy buying. I am struggling to find non-classical stuff to list each week now. I have a fairly large and now very valuable record collection (not counting the pfm shop stock) but as I get older I can certainly see myself downsizing to just my TD-124 and say 200-300 seriously good jazz titles and just a handful of my most fondly remembered rock and pop albums. Selling my collection is very much a part of my retirement strategy! Time may prove me wrong, but I’m currently stocking up big time on CDs as I have a feeling the market is at the very bottom and will recover once the penny really drops about mastering. I’ve bought a lot of seriously good and rare CDs over the past few years!
 
At the end stage of reproduction, vinyl is analogue and with analogue you get a different sound, which some prefer and love.

If you don't love it, well that's fine. But why concern yourself that some people do love it.

Joe
 
The reissues would have gone through a digital stage.

Gosh, you're really looking for an argument that doesn't exist. Music Matters Blue Note? Mobile Fidelity? Numerous Japanese reissue labels. But that's just 'high end'. Prestige OJC reissues; plenty of good 80s Dutch pressings; all these are cheap and easy to come by, just for starters.
 
What I would say is if you like vinyl and even a have an almost non existant collection to begin with, once you get a deck, no matter what it is you will start to see records for sale everywhere even in places where you never thought to look and in places you regualry visit but just never noticed them.

Sometimes I will pop out to get something and come home with half a dozen or so Lp's from a charity shop for example.
 
Joe

I've always been a music capitalist.
Where can the most music be enjoyed for a unit of €£$¥?

John
 
John,

Streaming is probably the cheapest, but if you want to own media right now it's CDs, especially classical box sets.

For about buck or two a disc you're getting the best orchestras, best conductors and best musicians. It amazes me that people spend so much time arguing about wire when we should be telling each other about these amazing bargains to be had.

Joe
 
Joe

I don't like the way musicians get treated by streaming services, and I'm a recording format nerd, so no good for me.
The Ferengi would be strongly against sharing the bargains, so I heartily agree re: spreading the news.

John
 
I don't like the way musicians get treated by streaming services

Do they get treated any better by record companies?

Many of my musician friends are really happy about the way streaming services have freed them from the slavery to record companies.
 
I love vinyl as it has always been part of my life. I started trading records back at school with my dinner money and have ever since bought, sold and collected regardless whatever else I was doing. Now, for the first time in my life, I am finding vinyl to hard to find and too expensive to really enjoy buying. I am struggling to find non-classical stuff to list each week now. I have a fairly large and now very valuable record collection (not counting the pfm shop stock) but as I get older I can certainly see myself downsizing to just my TD-124 and say 200-300 seriously good jazz titles and just a handful of my most fondly remembered rock and pop albums. Selling my collection is very much a part of my retirement strategy! Time may prove me wrong, but I’m currently stocking up big time on CDs as I have a feeling the market is at the very bottom and will recover once the penny really drops about mastering. I’ve bought a lot of seriously good and rare CDs over the past few years!

'Selling your collection' : You might get better prices now than in 10 years...
 
Yep - record labels over scores of years have a much better track record, don't they? FFS

There have been plenty of very rich musicians who could (individually or together) have started record labels offering a better deal to other musicians: how many did ?
 
Do they get treated any better by record companies?

Sometimes.

Many of my musician friends are really happy about the way streaming services have freed them from the slavery to record companies.

Not suggesting it's all bad. No doubt you are not under the delusion that streaming is all for the good.
For new releases my first port o' call is the musos website in the hope of buying direct.

Yep - record labels over scores of years have a much better track record, don't they? FFS

You continue to be special.
 
Sometimes I will pop out to get something and come home with half a dozen or so Lp's from a charity shop for example.

The random bargain finds are part of the excitement of the hobby.
Next to the Okki Nokki I have just such a small stack from one local CS within walking distance:

Django Reinardt - Bruxelles 1947 Paris 1951-1952-1953. £1.99
Chris Rea On the Beach 12" £0.99
Bix Biederbecke Great Original Performances 1924-1930 £1.99
Stephane Grappelli Joe Venuti Venupelli Blues £2.99
This: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Second-Suite/release/1579251 £2.99
Lee Ritenour Rio £1.99
Inner City ‎Good Life (Chicago Mixes) £1.99
Sinatra Ol' blue eyes is back £1.99 (orig. price label on the back "£1.45 exclusive of VAT".)
Hot Chocolate Man to Man £1.99

:)
 


advertisement


Back
Top