vinyl is king in my book. Reel to reel sounds better but just doesn't have the amount of software to make it worth it to me. I've been into it for years.

I've always found that a good general rule of thumb is that a good pressing near the original release of the record will always sound better. The longer the time between the original release and the re-release, the more chance that someone has slipped in a submaster or the tapes have started to flake.

Another rule of thumb is stuff always sounds best in its native format. 78s sound best as 78s, not when they're reissued on LP. LPs sound best as LPs, not reissue CDs. Digital recordings sound best as CDs.

Of course everything depends on the mastering and mixing, and when it comes to the crappy pressings of vinyl in the late 70s and 80s, all bets are off. Anything is better than that.

See ya
Steve

Vinyl is by far my favorite source for headphones due to it's outstanding musicality. Some of the new vinyl releases from small houses sound exceptionally good (as ADD noted a few posts back), but I also really love the sound of the stuff I bought 30+ years ago, even with the ever present surface noise.

The only drawback is it is far from portable. Books and records are why I don't have a great fondness for moving.

Buying a vinyl setup for me would lead to much upgrades and much wallet leakage. I consciously choose not to get into vinyl for that reason... it's addictive.

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That is true, the quality got to be hit and miss towards the end of the golden age. But, unlike today, if you got a bad pressing (in terms of manufacturing anyway), you could simply go back and exchange it, no questions asked. One of the drawbacks today when buying current releases is that most (if not all???) retailers can not afford to do this.

I think about it...I try not to think about it too much...

I got into hifi when CD became 'affordable' with a Philips CD160 and this far into the software investment it is going to take an epiphany to get me to switch. I miss the mechanics of using Vinyl and maybe that is why I enjoy using my Naim CD5i so much...I have to pull open the platter, place the CD and clamp with a magnetic puck before pushing the platter back in manually.

I've considered going back into vinyl again (had an LP12 a long time ago), but despite feeling that on pure sound quality grounds that it has the edge, have not bothered because:
- I don't have any LPs
- I have a stereo system to listen to the music that I've accumulated over the years on CD. It might not even be possible to replace on vinyl some of what I have
- My personal opinion is that digital DOES sound different to vinyl. Linked to that, I believe that it's quite possible to optimise a system for one of the other, but anything in between results in a cludgy compromise. At present digital sounds great on my system, I'm guessing there's a high chance that I'd disrupt that synergy if I added vinyl by ending up replacing my amp or similar
- Getting a decent vinyl rig is not a cheap thing anymore. Yes I know you can buy "cheaper" vinyl sources, but that's not where you're really getting the benefit from the medium. Given that I believe it would need a decent investment (not only the deck, but also the arm, cartridge, phono stage, record cleaner etc), I'd rather spend that potential dosh on improving my existing digital based system, thus further maximising what I get with my existing music collection.
- Using a digital source based on a Squeezebox, it's mug proof, very easy to use and has far less chance of being physically abused by my son when get starts crawling and investigating.
- As is, I really do enjoy listening to music on my existing system, and more recently really haven't felt any need to look at more upgrades or changes. Could be that I'm feeling skint, but it could be that I've got to the point where I really do feel that hitting the play button results in have Richie Blackmore and his cohorts appear in my lounge. Magical really.

Still want to build my own turntable. For the platform i would turn to this DIY turntable

For the arm i still have to finish my prototype of a revolutionary new arm design. if it works out, no more hight adjustment and perfect angle on any position of the record.

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This is all potentially very true, although in my case the vinyl hardware upgrades have been a once-only affair, whereas other things (amp, headphones, etc), I have changed probably three times over. I just found with vinyl that once you are prepared to spend a certain amount to get into a certain quality level (or better), then anything more than that is not really necessary unless you are fanatical, obsessive about getting that last 2% of sound quality and a compulsive upgrader.

As for the vinyl itself, there has certainly been much wallet leakage in my case. I calculate I have spent over $1300 on new vinyl the last six months. I would normally never buy music at anything remotely approaching that rate (it used to be about 20 CDs per year), but in the case of vinyl, I am trying to play catch up to all the releases that have come out since 1994 and are still in print. I still have at least 50 - 60 LPs on that wish list but no more money to buy them with.

I wish I had gotten back into vinyl a few years ago rather than last year. It would have made this catching up business a lot easier.

Vinyl has "something" that is missing in digital. It just sounds much more "real" to me.
When cd came out I sold my records and turntable, used the money to buy cd's. Now I am looking for those records again. Many of them never were released as cd's and are now very hard to find, sadly. I learned my lesson. There is no good reason to only use one format. Tons of good music can be found only on vinyl, or only on cd, so why not have both?

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...another moth drawn to the flame over the faint hum hovering just above the noise floor?

I keep running across that ad for The Doors boxed set and it's taunting me to buy the new ClearAudio/Marantz!

Glad I got the willpower!

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If that's the case, I wouldn't pay more than I was willing to risk. I can go out and get Living Stereo records from the fifties at the swap meet for three to five bucks. If they're in good shape, they sound spectacular. If they're thrased... oh well... in the trash. If a retailer doesn't stand behind the quality of the product he's selling, he better not be charging more than a few bucks. He's got a lot of competition at the swaps.

See ya
Steve

The quickest way to tell what the difference in sound is between an LP and digital is to get a good capture card and try capturing an LP. Then balance your levels and compare the capture to the original LP. I've done this. There is absolutely no audible difference.

The reason digital sounds bad is the same reason that LPs sound bad sometimes. Poor engineering. It has nothing to do with the format itself.

See ya
Steve

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all kidding aside....

I really wonder whether the surface noise has something to do with the appeal. Think about soft white noise like a fan running in the background or a distant babbling brook.

White noise can be quite soothing...that and patchouli!

It's the ultrasonic high freq stuff in the +20khz range that I find questionable as most of us, depending on age and noise exposure, can't hear at even 20khz...let alone the marketing scat pandered by the ultrasonic advocates.

???

White noise is like curling your toes in a deep shag!!!

I agree about the mastering, which is why I tend towards vinyl and SACD. The formats have their merits, of course, but the quality of engineering is generally better than a "hot" CD for those with sloppy subwoofers. A good CD sounds great, but vinyl and SACD suffer much less compression as they're aimed at the audiophile crowd.