Quote:
Originally posted by tbabb
Fred,
You make some valid points which brings me to another question. How hard is it to find LP material that is "killer" quality? Would you say that 98% of LP's stink too?
What methods are audiophiles using to find these top pressings?
Gosh, it's been about 16 years since I listened to an LP.
Thanks for all your feedback guys. |
I listen mainly to classical music. There are a lot of stinkers.
Two way to compare "crummy" LP's: 1)against other LP's; 2) Against CD's.
1)LP's vary greatly in quality. You have to go by brand, for me anyway. I know a London FFRR will sound much better than a Turnabout, generally speaking. You would think "digital" LP's would suffer from modern technology. Most digitally recorded LP's are pretty nice. I would say the crummy LP rate is about 70%, better than the CD rate. But LP's suffer from physical problems, like noise, etc. A record cleaning machine won't fix damaged vinyl.
2)LP's that are in good shape I prefer to most CD's. I was away from LP's for many many years. When CD's came out, I switched to them. Then I got my "almost high end setup". I received a Rotel phono stage for a present. WOW! The old Technics turntable and Audio Tecknica cartridge did sound much better. Then I invested in the Music Hall MMF5 turntable...BOOOOMMM. The new sound was very very obvious. That was it. I have added many hundreds of records to my collection in the last year.
And discovered my old stuff.
You also have record and stylus care to think about. I started using "Last" brand stylus cleaner. My stylus did not like it, and the damping went bad in less than three weeks using that stuff.
$80 needle down the drain. Had a spare though.
You can get new lp's easily, by the hundreds, if you search the net. Not cheap though. But audiophile CD's are not cheap either.
I gamble on EBAY a lot. I have received very few junkers, and am very selective whom I buy from. I have some regular sellers I get stuff from. I have gotten great albums for $1, and got outbid on some I wanted when they went over $25 each.
Classical LP's are usually better cared for than rock or other stuff.
If you prefer a music type other than classical, you might consider a nicer CD setup. I am an old fart, so I am used to hiss and clicks and pops...I grew up with them. Younger people may not have the tolerance for record noise.
Then there is the matter of making copies of stuff and special compilations. What will you use? Cassettes? Minidiscs? CD recorder? Records wear out. The records I listen to the most I recorded to CD. A serious listen gets the LP. General listening gets the CD. Minidiscs do NOT do LP's justice. Sorry MD fans.
LP's are no guarantee of sound quality. Good gear IS. I would make sure you have a good CD system before you blow big bucks on LP.