[dcstep]

I recently rediscovered vinyl, but I started collecting LPs back in 1957 when it was the only choice. I bought my first album at 10 ("Tutti's Trumpets" because I'd just started playing trumpet. It's still an amazing album.) In the late '80s I went digital, lost track of my TT, but, thank goodness, retained my record collection (about 1200 LPs).

I'm seriously into digital also with a Korg MR1000 hard driver recorder (records in 1-bit up to 5.6MHz). I've also got a Pioneer Elite 58AV universal player modded by Ric Schultz. I've got over 1000 CDs and maybe 30 DVD-A or SACDs that I play through a 2-channel system, including a Woo WA6 driving AKG 701s and my newest arrivals, my Audio Technica ATH-W5000s. My turntable is a top of the line Pro-ject.

My musical tastes run from Miles Davis, to Radiohead, to Pink Floyd, to the Chicago Symphony, to Harry James, to Pat Metheny, etc., etc.

Most of my generation left their vinyl totally behind and never looked back. I came back with verve and I've probably purchased 50 new LPs since I got the Pro-ject last August. I'm loving it and buying vinyl whenever it's an option for something that I crave.

I think that vinyl reveals more inner detail and is just more engaging than most digital sources (the DVD-As and SACDs are often very good and I've gotten some excellent hi rez downloads, such as Linn's "Messiah") but more often that not vinyl gives me the most enjoyment. I find this particularly so when I listen through my cans rather than my Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grand speakers.

This is a younger forum than Audiogon and the other places I frequent so I'm asking here to learn the views of younger converts. (Old farts' observations are also very, very much appreciated also). Generally I don't recommend to the average acquantence that they get into vinyl. Generally digital is "good enough" for all but the most serious music lovers. I just met a young doctor in his 20s that crossed over and he's gone crazy buying jazz albums. So many LPs have come in recently that he hasn't heard all of them yet.

My youngest daughter is pure iPod generation and a serious musician. She heard my 2-channel system playing vinyl asked what made it so holographic and "real" and I said it was the purety of the signal.

So, I'm wondering what's attracting people that didn't grow up in vinyl to it now. I see lots of people getting Pioneer 1200s or entry level Regas and Pro-jects and seeming very happy with their rigs.

What's the biggest attraction to those of you that have added vinyl? (I suspect most are like me and still have a quality digital rig also).

I suspect it's all about the sound quality. I've been listening to Radiohead's "In Rainbows", which I think really stands up to the Beatle's finest recordings. The LP is very well pressed and the dynamics are appropriate for the instruments and effects used, yet I see people complaining about the quality of the CDs and downloads. So maybe I'm answering my own question, but what's attracting you guys and gals?

Dave

 

[Punnisher]

I guess I'm starting to fall into that category. I've got a Pioneer PL-112D here waiting for a new head and some very nice vintage receivers, and hopefully soon I'll start buying more vinyl.

I'm interested in the pure analog goodness. Don't get me wrong, I love digital audio's convenience and longevity, but I'd like to broaden my horizons to formats that are still hi'fi but no longer the "norm".

 

[dcstep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess I'm starting to fall into that category. I've got a Pioneer PL-112D here waiting for a new head and some very nice vintage receivers, and hopefully soon I'll start buying more vinyl. I'm interested in the pure analog goodness. Don't get me wrong, I love digital audio's convenience and longevity, but I'd like to broaden my horizons to formats that are still hi'fi but no longer the "norm".

What music are you listening to on vinyl?

 

[Manny Calavera]

Sound quality,and the artwork on them.As well,some albums I want have tracks,or mixes that are not
for sale in CD format.

 

[ADD]

I listened to vinyl as a child since that was all that was around back then. By the time I had completed all my schooling and professional education such that I was actually earning an income, classical vinyl was disappearing from the shelves and wasn't a viable investment.

Listened (unhappily) to CD for 20 years because that was all you could buy in my country.

Went back to vinyl last year because CD did not cut the mustard in sonics, whilst vinyl did - and I could see there was a resurgence in interest in vinyl, with a large body of re-releases of stuff I would have bought had I been alive and earning an income in the late 50s and early 60s.

Unfortunately I made a poor decision last year in buying a Project Debut III turntable rather than a much better quality one. It was fine for "normal" LPs but fell apart completely when asked to play reissues of 50s and 60s "audiophile" recordings.

I would recommend anyone contemplating getting back into vinyl to not make the mistake I made and to get something of high quality right from the start. It's cheaper and less frustrating in the long run.

I listen to audiophile reissues of old classical Decca, Mercury, RCA and Everest recordings from the 50s and 60s, but I have also just started purchasing original used pressings from those eras too, now that I have my cleaning technique down pat (and that in itself was a very big learning curve).

Also, if it's recorded after 1969, or the original recording used more than three microphones in total, it won't find it's way into my collection unless it is a truly exceptional and / or important recording. Examples are the Tacet "tube" only reissues recorded in recent times, but only using equipment dating from the 1950s (and only using two microphones!).

 

[blmelon]

my journey into vinyl has taken several steps along the way. it has transpired over the course of almost 10 years now. i snathed my dad's old turntable after i saw that a few cd's i wanted were coming out on LP also. i then started getting some of my favorite albums on LP.

upon finishing school, i moved to chicago. the ability to buy real quality used and oop records gave me a new hobby. i was now on a mission to find all of the older beastie boys 12" singles. the main reason was i wanted to get all of the artwork that i had never seen anywhere else.

i moved back home (tulsa, ok) after three years in chicago. the interest stayed for records. i had a decent collection now and really enjoyed the nostalgia of LPs. having things from my chilhood really appeals to part of my personality, i.e. original nintendo is the gaming system of choice in the house. this alone kept the charm of LPs alive and well. the collection continued to grow steadily and i acquired my dad's and my uncle's records. a lot of them i have since gotten rid of, but a good say 40 or so are still around and being used.

the next significant moment came just about this time last year. i boxed up my cds and took them to the new indie record store i had become a frequent customer of. the cds were traded in for some cash and a good chunk of store credit. i had officially made the move to vinyl only in the house (i put all the cds i wanted to keep onto the hd fro ipod use).

the funny thing is now that all we have in the house are LPs, we listen to more music and watch less tv than when cds were our music format. i love the records. some people talk about the sounds and the warmth you get from them and yes i agree with that, but for me records just make listening to music such an activity. you have to get up and flip through the jackets to find the album you want to listen to. then you have to go to the record player and turn it over after about 15 minutes.

this may have been more than what you expected in a response, however in this case it isn't a simple one. it has grown and morphed over the years.

 

[Punnisher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcstep /img/forum/go_quote.gif What music are you listening to on vinyl?

Currently, nothing, but my dad has tons of records that I'll throw in. Some James Gang, lots of Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix.

 

[enjoiflobees]

Alot of people including myself get into vinyl because it is very popular in the indie rock culture/scene. Almost all of my favorite indie bands release their records on vinyl. So I started to get into vinyl even before high end audio and once I started to get into headphones and speakers, the obvious thing for me to do was to keep going with vinyl.

 

[classic_rock_69]

My father used to have a fantastic Jazz and classic rock collection in his twenties. He gave them to a friend when he was moving and of course has never seen them again. He hasn't had a vinyl record in 30 years or so.

I just recently changed that and bought him a bunch of vinyl(40 records) that he used to have in his collection. I thought it would be a nice gift, and a surprising one at that, for his aniversary. This way he can start the collection again.

I love the sound of vinyl, the naturalness of it and the sound of music the way it was originaly recorded makes it special. I also love opening the cover and reading the lyrics while the song is on and looking at the cool pictures. It's a nice experience overall.

 

[poo]

I have been very slowly building up a collection of records over the last 4 years or so. Plan to sort out a player some day, but really low on my priority list right now. I'm really enjoying what digital audio has to offer and pushing all I can out of it.

I love the artwork of vinyl, the variety and rarity of different releases and the vinyl itself - so many possibilities (picture discs, colored vinyl, transparent, metallic, holographic...)

I look forward to my journey into vinyl... but at this stage I'm enjoying just collecting some fantastic albums along the way!

 

[dcstep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by poo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been very slowly building up a collection of records over the last 4 years or so. Plan to sort out a player some day, but really low on my priority list right now. I'm really enjoying what digital audio has to offer and pushing all I can out of it. I love the artwork of vinyl, the variety and rarity of different releases and the vinyl itself - so many possibilities (picture discs, colored vinyl, transparent, metallic, holographic...) I look forward to my journey into vinyl... but at this stage I'm enjoying just collecting some fantastic albums along the way!

Wow! You're four-years into it and you don't even have a TT yet? Man, I don't see how you resist. Talk about delayed gratification. Please post your story when open those babies up and hear them for the first time. (Get as good a TT/cartridge as you can afford).

Dave

 

[jsaliga]

I'm one of the old farts who came back to vinyl about a year ago, after about a 22 year absence.

I have come to the sad realization that on the CD format the term "remastered" very likely means "optimized to play loud on portable digital audio players." After enduring CD after CD with clipped levels, I have simply decided that it was no longer worth buying CDs if the content I want is available on vinyl.

Getting into Vinyl is no walk in the park. I have done very well with used vintage vinyl from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. But I have also had problems with bad pressings (even on some new 200g Classic Records reissues), damaged grooves, or simply worn out records. I don't want to overstate the magnitude of the problem. Relative to all of the great records I have bought, the size of the problem is small. And the good news is that if you come across a bad record you can very likely find yourself a good one. By a CD with cooked levels and they all have cooked levels so nothing can be done about that.

I buy most of my rock from the 70s and 80s on vintage vinyl from a few eBay sellers that I have come to trust, and a couple of record shops near Boston. The eBay sellers will credit me for any record that I have a problem with, which is great. But that doesn't lessen the disappointment when your excitment turns to disappointment as your new acquisition suffers from a locked groove or otherwise has incurable loud pops caused by a scratch or pressing defect.

If you're going to get into vinyl then I recommend two things. 1) Get yourself a record cleaning machine. This really is a requirement if you are going to be buying used records in any kind of volume. I found a used VPI 16.5 that was only a few months old and snagged it for $300 plus shipping. 2) Play test your records as soon as you can after you buy them. This applies to new pressings as well used vintage records. Last October I purchased the 180g pressing of Jimi Hendrix Live at the Fillmore East from the Authentic Hendrix website. I just got around to playing the records last week and was shocked when side 1 track 3 had a locked groove. I emailed Authentic Hendrix and they told me I was SOL since the return window is 30 days. So there went $52 down the drain that I had to eat. I also bought the 3 LP set Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock from them on 200g vinyl from Classic Records. That came in the mail early this week and the 3rd LP had deep scratches that ran into the grooves on side 5, tacks 1 and 2. Since it was within the 30 day return window Authentic Hendrix is going to issue a replacement.

Now that the negatives are out of the way let me mention my mostly positive experiences. For starters, as others have noted...vinyl is more musically involving than CD, at least for much of the music I listen to.

Right now I am listening to a 1st pressing of Fleetwood Mac's "Then Play On," which was the last Mac album that Peter Green appeared on. The CD is not even close to the energy and verve that I hear on the vinyl. A copy of this title on vinyl in this condition (near mint) was not easy to find, but it was well worth the looking.

I have also had many wonderful experiences with new pressings. Three days ago I had a 180g pressing of Cat Stevens' "Tea for the Tillerman" arrive. I was left speechless after spinning this record. Perfectly quiet without even a hint of a crackle or a pop, incredible dynamics, three dimensional sound stage, and rich bass response. This record never sounded better. The CD sounds thin and lifeless by comparison.

These sorts of vinyl revelations are pretty common in my experience. So the rewards far outweigh the disappointments.

I have a fairly large CD collection of about 2,500 titles. I intend to keep them all for the time being. I still like many of these CDs. I don't think the iPod generation has ruined classical music on CD yet. I have a lot of classical music on SACD and am completely satisfied with those discs. But the news for Jazz fans is not too good either. There are a lot of great jazz titles that have been remastered on CD that, like their rock and blues counterparts, have clipped levels. Better to stick with vinyl reissues or original pressings if you can find them.

This trend in cooking digitial audio will continue until people simply stop buying it. Unfortunately, audiophiles are in a distinct minority here and I don't see things improving in my lifetime. Thankfully, there are plenty of records out there that I want to buy that will satisfy my hunger for quality music.

--Jerome

 

[dcstep]

Nice Jerome.

As I recall, my original pressing of Tea For The Tillerman was pretty darn good. You inspired me to pull it out tonight. Who knows, I may buy the new pressing.

Have you got Hugh Mesakela's Hope on vinyl? It's absolutely stunning. Dead quiet tracks with explosive dynamics a dead on timbres. The reissue of The Romero's Flamenco got four listens last weekend. That's also an amazingly dynamic release, with foot stomps and castanets that rock the room.

Dave

 

[jsaliga]

Dave,

I have original pressings of most of Cat Stevens' catalog. I think these records all sound phenomenal. I'm listening to Teaser and the Firecat right now and it really sounds divine. I think the credit goes to the recording and mastering engineer. What I really like about the 180g reissue of Tea for the Tillerman is that they did not try to muck around with the sound as if they knew something that the original engineer in the recording studio didn't. They knew to leave well enough alone and not tamper with a great sounding master recording.

They took it from the master tape, made a stamper from it, and then from there it went to 180g vinyl in a press. IMO, that is exactly the way these things should be made.

The only remasters that I will really consider carefully on vinyl are done by Steve Hoffman. He did a great job on Tres Hombres by ZZ Top.

--Jerome

 

[ethebull]

I left home for college in 1977 without a music system. Over the summer of 78, I went back home and worked hard as a helper for a local house painter, saving every penny to buy a good audio system to bring back to school. I had about $600 saved up, but my tastes and ambitions were more lofty. Much to my mother’s horror, I cashed out my grandfather’s $550 savings account he had given to me when I turned 18. She was really pissed at the time, as the money had accumulated from a stock dividend fund Grandpa had set up when I was a baby. “That money was only supposed to be used for something really special” she said, holding back the tears. “But Mom, having a good stereo is really important to me”, and it has been ever since.

My first system included a nice HK integrated amp, their top loading cassette deck, and a pair of Polk 7A speakers. I spent the last month of the summer furiously recording from my older brother’s extensive LP collection onto 100 Maxell SA90’s I bought at the best bulk discount outfit listed in Stereo Review.

I bought my first turntable a year later. When CD players first came out, the selection of titles was very limited and the players were too costly to earn my business. My record collection had quickly grown to 500+ and though I bought a CD player around 1984, I continued to buy records - generally preferring them over CD’s. Sadly, record stores morphed into CD stores as the 80’s came to a close, and I like most everybody, began building a large collection of CD’s.

I never got away from vinyl. It’s always been my favorite medium. Of the 2000 or so recordings in my current catalog, it’s 50/50, LP/CD.