My New Obsession. Vinyl Records

[SlammedZero]

About 6-8 months ago a couple co-workers were chatting about playing some records over the weekend. I jumped into the conversation, as I have seen that vinyl records are having a resurgence, and thought about joining the trend. I miss dealing with physical media. With everything going digital, I sold my CD collection a few years ago, and highly regret it.

Fast-forward to Christmas and BOOM, I received a record player. This got the ball rolling. Bought a couple records and away I went. Unfortunately, it was a cheap player with built in speakers. Was terrible. Sounded terrible, played terrible (would skip around on brand new records), and just overall was not great. It was a fantastic gift idea and I appreciated the thought, but the reality was, the turntable wasn't going to cut it if I was going to enjoy this hobby.

Fast-forward again, to current day, and I have a new turntable and small collection starting. Bought me a Sony turntable that is much, much better. It has Bluetooth capabilities, auto start/stop, and built in phono preamp. I'm super happy with it. Now, I know audiophiles will frown upon the idea of Bluetooth on a turntable. Going from analog to digital defeats the purpose. I get that, however, it is a super convenient option if I want to tote a Bluetooth speaker around the house or my headphones for private listening. The turntable has surprisingly good Bluetooth distance. I do have a temp stereo system I can hook-up for that true analog sound but I do want to figure out something a little bit more permanent for my setup.

With all that said, I'm really enjoying it! Though it is more expensive than I anticipated (records going from $20-$60 on average and into the $100's for hard to find albums), I'm still here for it. I missed that physical connection to my music. Shopping online hunting down an album, going to the store (a lot of places are starting to sale records again) and flipping through the records for something that catches your eye, getting it home and ripping it out of the packaging, holding the big record in your hand, the artwork, the motions of putting your music on.....you get the point. Though some people will argue what sounds better, and vinyl can be victim to certain noises, it just has it's own charm and is a prettier tangible form of music. I'm loving it.


*Not my collection. Just a generic online pic

 

[morasp]

I just need a new cartridge and my old Sony PS-X70 turntable would be good to go. The Marantz AVR has a phono input with built in phono amp. My mom just sent me an original pressing of Al Hirt Honey in the Horn.

 

[Jammer]

I had about 100 vinyl records I kept in pristine condition that I purchased in the mid-80's. I would play the record one time to record on a cassette tape. I would then put the LP back into the album cover and put it in a heavy gauge vinyl sleeve. I rarely played the record again. I knew they would probably be worth something in the future (the future being now).

Sadly, I have no idea what happened to them.

 

[cowboyec]

nothing beats album cover art...and actually holding the vinyl.
i prefer the sound on CDs because to my ears its more clear.
but nothing beats vinyl.
doesnt matter if the record looks like glass or snaps crackles and pops....it makes a connection that is hard to break.

 

[Denim Chicken]

I have the original score from the first star wars on vinyl. I wonder if its worth anything.

 

[DanteEXT]

nothing beats album cover art...and actually holding the vinyl.
i prefer the sound on CDs because to my ears its more clear.
but nothing beats vinyl.
doesnt matter if the record looks like glass or snaps crackles and pops....it makes a connection that is hard to break.

I started buying my music on vinyl instead of CD or digital in the last couple years or so. Never been in on the one sounds better than the other as I really couldn't tell (unless the vinyl has a lot of wear and tear). Mostly buy them because of the physical size of the album cover. I missed that from my youth even though I ended up buying more cassettes then due to their portability. A lot of the stuff I buy comes with a digital download of the album so I have a copy to put on my phone for when I am on the go and one for when I am at home. If it doesn't come with the download I have Amazon Music so can usually download digital from there.

 

[jsb357]

bought hundreds of albums since 78

only sold one

still have all the others

cassettes & 8 tracks not applicable since some have been eaten

 

[CouchCoach]

I moved to PA in 89 and stored my vinyl collection, around 3500, in the basement and never having had a basement didn't put them up on pallets. My wife asked me to sell them because she was tired of us carting them around and we were moving back to Dallas and I had already moved onto my next obsession, replacing those with CD's.

The largest vinyl club in the world is the Keystone Record Exchange and my radio station, Oldies, had done a remote for them every time they had a convention. I knew the Prez of it and he agreed to come over on the Saturday we returned from Dallas and give me a price for all of it. On the Thursday before we were to return a pipe burst in the basement and there is only one thing to rival a sponge for soaking up liquid, a record jacket. Total loss.

I took it very hard because some of those were like friends to me and I had always cared for them and kept them in perfect condition. I had a Yamaha tube amp, Denon turntable and a stylus that should have come with a car, I never did tell my wife what I spent on it and Klipsch Cornwall's that she hated, except when music was coming out of them, because of their size. A tube amp, great stylus, horn speakers and vinyl is as good as recorded music can get. It is played exactly like the engineers intended it to be before digital processing and compression.

When vinyl started a comeback I thought about that but my hearing really couldn't pick up on the nuances and the additional expense would be wasted on me. I do miss the initial greatest experience of a new album, those liner notes and that artwork. Having that while we listened to a new album was a most excellent way to spend an evening. My music education was by liner notes.

 

[Jammer]

I

When vinyl started a comeback I thought about that but my hearing really couldn't pick up on the nuances and the additional expense would be wasted on me. I do miss the initial greatest experience of a new album, those liner notes and that artwork. Having that while we listened to a new album was a most excellent way to spend an evening. My music education was by liner notes.

I had forgotten about that. It was an unforgettable experience putting a new record on the player and listening to it while you read the liner notes and just admired what you just purchased.

 

[Runwildboys]

About 6-8 months ago a couple co-workers were chatting about playing some records over the weekend. I jumped into the conversation, as I have seen that vinyl records are having a resurgence, and thought about joining the trend. I miss dealing with physical media. With everything going digital, I sold my CD collection a few years ago, and highly regret it.

Fast-forward to Christmas and BOOM, I received a record player. This got the ball rolling. Bought a couple records and away I went. Unfortunately, it was a cheap player with built in speakers. Was terrible. Sounded terrible, played terrible (would skip around on brand new records), and just overall was not great. It was a fantastic gift idea and I appreciated the thought, but the reality was, the turntable wasn't going to cut it if I was going to enjoy this hobby.

Fast-forward again, to current day, and I have a new turntable and small collection starting. Bought me a Sony turntable that is much, much better. It has Bluetooth capabilities, auto start/stop, and built in phono preamp. I'm super happy with it. Now, I know audiophiles will frown upon the idea of Bluetooth on a turntable. Going from analog to digital defeats the purpose. I get that, however, it is a super convenient option if I want to tote a Bluetooth speaker around the house or my headphones for private listening. The turntable has surprisingly good Bluetooth distance. I do have a temp stereo system I can hook-up for that true analog sound but I do want to figure out something a little bit more permanent for my setup.

With all that said, I'm really enjoying it! Though it is more expensive than I anticipated (records going from $20-$60 on average and into the $100's for hard to find albums), I'm still here for it. I missed that physical connection to my music. Shopping online hunting down an album, going to the store (a lot of places are starting to sale records again) and flipping through the records for something that catches your eye, getting it home and ripping it out of the packaging, holding the big record in your hand, the artwork, the motions of putting your music on.....you get the point. Though some people will argue what sounds better, and vinyl can be victim to certain noises, it just has it's own charm and is a prettier tangible form of music. I'm loving it.


*Not my collection. Just a generic online pic

I don't think the Bluetooth in this instance is bad. You're still playing the music on vinyl, so it's not be compressed, which is how other mediums lose the high and low ends, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[cowboyec]

I started buying my music on vinyl instead of CD or digital in the last couple years or so. Never been in on the one sounds better than the other as I really couldn't tell (unless the vinyl has a lot of wear and tear). Mostly buy them because of the physical size of the album cover. I missed that from my youth even though I ended up buying more cassettes then due to their portability. A lot of the stuff I buy comes with a digital download of the album so I have a copy to put on my phone for when I am on the go and one for when I am at home. If it doesn't come with the download I have Amazon Music so can usually download digital from there.

i love both vinyl and CD.
i dont have a great set up speaker wise for vinyl.
but i prefer CDs because to my ears Elvis' voice sounds clearer and more powerful.
on concert recordings i have on CD...he sounds like he's in the room.
i like the convenience of digital downloads...but i hate the sound.
i love the nostalgia of vinyl.
i love actually holding the album cover and reading the back cover.
i love the album cover art.
i love holding the record.
and i love everything about how they sound...even the snaps crackles and pops.
but for me...i thought the sound on CDs was much clearer and fuller.
digital downloads....not so much.

 

[nightrain]

I haven't spun a disk in about 36 years. Would love to que up my Hendrix High Live and Dirty album. Special appearance (crashed stage) by a loaded Jim Morrison with his impromptu diddy, FHITA.

 

[SlammedZero]

I moved to PA in 89 and stored my vinyl collection, around 3500, in the basement and never having had a basement didn't put them up on pallets. My wife asked me to sell them because she was tired of us carting them around and we were moving back to Dallas and I had already moved onto my next obsession, replacing those with CD's.

The largest vinyl club in the world is the Keystone Record Exchange and my radio station, Oldies, had done a remote for them every time they had a convention. I knew the Prez of it and he agreed to come over on the Saturday we returned from Dallas and give me a price for all of it. On the Thursday before we were to return a pipe burst in the basement and there is only one thing to rival a sponge for soaking up liquid, a record jacket. Total loss.

I took it very hard because some of those were like friends to me and I had always cared for them and kept them in perfect condition. I had a Yamaha tube amp, Denon turntable and a stylus that should have come with a car, I never did tell my wife what I spent on it and Klipsch Cornwall's that she hated, except when music was coming out of them, because of their size. A tube amp, great stylus, horn speakers and vinyl is as good as recorded music can get. It is played exactly like the engineers intended it to be before digital processing and compression.

When vinyl started a comeback I thought about that but my hearing really couldn't pick up on the nuances and the additional expense would be wasted on me. I do miss the initial greatest experience of a new album, those liner notes and that artwork. Having that while we listened to a new album was a most excellent way to spend an evening. My music education was by liner notes.

That sucks!! Sorry to hear. I 100% absolutely understand how much of a gut punch that must have been for you.

I don't think the Bluetooth in this instance is bad. You're still playing the music on vinyl, so it's not be compressed, which is how other mediums lose the high and low ends, if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah you may have a point. I won't pretend to be an expert in this department. You can still hear the pop and crackle when the stylus first touches down and that vinyl charm through the speaker. So.....I can't argue with you on this one. lol

 

[Melonfeud]

* Although I've shotgunned/ on the fly wing shooting practiced, a princely sum of moneys worth of l.p.vinyl records , I've No regrets ,for if I were to harbor such inclinations ,well? I'd probably feel pretty bad about it

 

[The Fonz]

I had about 100 vinyl records I kept in pristine condition that I purchased in the mid-80's. I would play the record one time to record on a cassette tape. I would then put the LP back into the album cover and put it in a heavy gauge vinyl sleeve. I rarely played the record again. I knew they would probably be worth something in the future (the future being now).

Sadly, I have no idea what happened to them.

same here and i think i have over 600 some 45' some 12"..in the 80's i used to buy used ones just to discover more music