Here's the place to talk all things vinyl. Talk about your setups, favorite records, record shops, whatever you desire. Feel free to post any records you're looking for as well.
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I find the stretch in my suit to be a little more restrictive than latex, but still wouldn't make the switch. what about everybody else?
TMI
Leather ass less chaps, my guy
All chaps are assless
My daughter just had her 15th birthday.
She asked for a record player.
We found a decent one with a CD player and bluetooth.
Her favorite artists are Queen and David Bowie though she also wanted Van Halen's first greatest hits album and a few others same era.
Amazon has a pretty good list of remastered vinyl still available.
CD player and bluetooth - it's analog for the vinyl, right?
Yeah. It's primarily for spinning vinyl disks. Pretty interesting setup.
She plays it everyday while doing homework so I need to get her more albums so I don't get sick of hearing the same thing all the time.
If you're looking to add to your collection on the cheap, check out this subreddit from time to time: https://www.reddit.com/r/VinylDeals/new/
It gets updated throughout the day and a lot of them are Amazon listings if that's your thing.
Thank you
I mostly buy limited run vaporwave and metal records.
This is Costanza - George 1 of 300. I liked this album well enough before they put it on vinyl, so I jumped at chance to get this outstanding cover art on a hard copy. The parental advisory sticker really makes it for me.
Dude! This is amazing!
It's been months since I played a record.
I have an Audio Technica LP60 and about 30 vinyls in my collection.
My current fav is:
And my funny but classic is:
Not sure how, but I have 2 copies of that Chuck Mangione record.
...because it "Feels So Good" to own it twice 😂
#flugelhornforthewin
Only reason I know of Chuck Mangione is because of King of the Hill
ugh, the Eagles. Not with you on that one.....
I wish we had a cd lounge😔
I've had Lake Street Dive's first album spinning these days
Couple of my current favorites that get in heavy rotation at my house
Been looking for a quality used turntable for a while. They're tough to find on the used market, and I couldn't convince the wife to allow me to spend as much money as I want to (....but dear...it's only a little over 1 grand!) for a new one. Would love to find a good direct drive model, Technics, Kenwood, Audio-Technica would be my top preferences, although if I ran across a good Sansui (that name will take some of you fellow oldsters back, I'm sure), would be interested. Not sure if I'd go for a linear tracking model. Would be interested in hearing what anyone with experience with a LT model has to say. Still have a decent collection of vinyl that's been in the closet since my old turntable bit the dust and CD's became a thing, and would love to be able to spin some of them.
I inherited my granddads stereo a while back with a Philips receiver, tape deck and record player. The record player bit it some time ago so I am also in the market for a dedicated turntable (although nowhere near the 1k range). Any good brands or models to look in to in the $250-500 range? Thanks!
I'm nowhere near the $1K range either. There are some good turntables easily within your price range, but you have to know what you're buying. If you're looking for a belt drive, you can get into a good turntable with a decent cartridge for around $250-$300. I tend to hold onto things for a long time, and have had some not so good experience with belt drives. Crutchfield has several in that price range, I'd look hard at Audio-Technica, Dennon. They even have one AT direct drive model at $400 I've been thinking about, but I'd love to find a good Technics model used. Also, be mindful of whether or not you need a phono pre-amp.
I purchased a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon at the beginning of the quarantine and have gotten a ton of use out of it. I did quite a bit of research before settling on that model. I would strongly recommend that or the next model up; Debut Carbon Esprit (if you're willing to open up your pocketbook just a little bit more).
I have a Rega P1 and I'm really pleased with it as my first turntable. From what I have read its hard to go wrong with an Audio Technica.
Still have all my Technics components that were in my '79 Freshman dorm room, cassette, turntable and stereo/amp. Tried out the turntable a couple months ago and it has lost a channel. I haven't had time to mess with it yet.
Just put on White Stripes' live album Under Great White Northern Lights, I still remember buying this one at Crossroads and getting caught in the rain taking the bus back to foxridge. As for stores, if you're in Richmond Deep Groove is my favorite. Great selection of new stuff, well curated used, and the owner is super knowledgeable (ask him to talk about some of the ticket stubs on display, he's got a story for every one). A relatively new store is Records & Relics in Church Hill. TINY spot but extremely well curated, records are always in great shape, prices are reasonable, and the selection goes way beyond the usual suspects, especially with jazz and R&B.
I second Records and Relics. I miss Small friend being on my side of town too. They always had a good selection of records and books.
Visited Shepherdstown, WV a couple weekends back for a wedding and was told about a little record store in town. Ended up walking out of the store with two Fleet Foxes, a Bon Iver, Bowie, Grateful Dead, Bright Eyes, Ramones Live, Father John Misty, and Dave Matthews Band...
All in all a successful, albeit pricey, shopping trip.
Anybody have any old cut out albums?
You can actually see my collection in my other posts where I show pics of my Hokie man cave.
I've got an autographed j cole vinyl, and some limited edition chance the rapper, and rapsody vinyls.
I also collect jazz records
Got some miles davis andVince guarldi
I want more classic hip hop vinyls, and probably some stands up..
I inherited a weird collection of jazz LPs because I used to work at a music store that sold used vinyl and when we'd get jazz albums, the owner would just let me take them home. It seems like the majority that came through the door were Dave Brubeck and Buddy Rich. Never any Miles, Coltrane, Parker or Monk.
Damn, must have a pretty nice collection!
Eh, it's pretty nice if you're really into Brubeck or Rich. Pretty small by most standards and doesn't have near the "standards" as I would like. But most of those standards are Blue Note records and I do not have that kind of money for records.
THE HOBBY!
So this is a conversation relevant to my interest.
Here's my discogs
Mostly been collecting video game vinyl lately. My two white whales that I'm chasing are the Oxenfree Soundtrack, and the soundtrack to the movie Almost Famous. They're both stupid expensive (linky)
This has been my recent jam:
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Can I ask why those Fall Out Boy records are so high?
Infinity on High and From Under the Cork Tree
Looks like they're limited editions with colored vinyl.
That's because that level of top notch and exceptional musicianship comes with a high price.
/Ssssssss
To be honest I don't know why a good chunk of my most valuable records are shitty pop punk and emo records from the 2000s. The universe has a sense of humor sometimes.
Hey, no shame. I like those two albums and another one of theirs. Lol
Love that Sturgill Record, it has gotten a lot of playing time at my house too.
I have Skyrim and the soundtrack to Castlevania season 1 in my collection. Both are pretty damn awesome to listen to.
NOICE. Definitely envious of that Skyrim wax. I keep an eye out occasionally to see if it gets restocked at any distros. Unfortunately on Ebay they're nearly always $100.00+ and that's too much for me to throw at a record.
I should clarify - the album I own is the ambiance single LP disc version which was easily found last Winter at a reasonable $30. By the time I actually realized the soundtrack was on vinyl the original run of the full soundtrack version (which was limited to begin with) was completely gone and it was beyond reasonable for me to purchase... However last night this thread prompted me to go out and see what was available for the 4 LP version and I did find some reasonably priced listings on ebay... I'm hopeful I'll be able to snag one.
EDIT: Just had the winning bid last night for the extended soundtrack. Can't wait for it to show up!
My favorite record store is Harvest Records in Asheville.
I recently picked up a 2nd pressing of The Wall on eBay. I would like to get a first pressing of Dark Side of the Moon.
The real kicker is that my uncle has a Japanese import of Dark Side with the posters. He just hasn't gifted it to me yet. He did give me all of his Beatles records. There are some good ones in there like White album on white vinyl. Sgt Peppers with all of the stickers and poster.
I used to collect Bill Cosby's comedy albums on vinyl. I'd find them at thrift stores and flea markets. Now it's just not as fun.
I have a 1st UK Pressing of Dark Side (with the light blue filled triangle on the label) - and 1 or 2 2nd UK pressings too. And a bunch of others as well.
As for The Wall, it was originally cut at The Mastering Lab - so anything with "TML" in the inner trailoff vinyl is basically a first cutting. These stampers were used in a bunch of countries (US, UK, Germany, etc). I like my German copy the best because it has the best vinyl and The Wall need quiet vinyl.
Ha. I have few comedy albums, I think only two Cheech and Chong records, but one of which is Big Bambu, and, with, you guessed it, that two-foot-by-one-foot 'cigarette' rolling paper in immaculate condition.
Dave's not here, man.
My introduction to Pink Floyd came my sophomore year in Vawter. My next door neighbor had put his very large speakers in the cabinets overy the closets. One Friday afternoon, I was hanging out waiting for dinner, and I thought I heard a helicopter approaching. It got really loud, like it was landing in the quad. Ran to the window expecting to see a Chinook, but saw nothing. It was so loud, one of our closet doors rattled open.
YOU! YES, YOU! STAND STILL, LADDY!
I've got a Pro-ject Essential going in to a Sonos Port to push the sound to the rest of my Sonos system.
Been spending the last few years trying to re-collect all the original pressing REM records (through Monster or so) that I got rid of during/right after college. Don't want to use discogs or anything, but would rather enjoy the thrill of finding such a record while flipping through bins. The current worldwide situation has put my efforts on hold for a bit.
And 100% agree with the Harvest Records recommendation above. It's great, as is Chaz' Bull City Records in Durham.
My first record as a gift was the Star Wars soundtrack (what eventually became Episode IV). First album I bought myself Who can it be now - Men at Work. Most recent record purchase, found a rare blues brothers album.
I just took a rough count and i'm sitting on 250 albums on vinyl, almost all of which were printed back when they were original. I think there are a few reissues in there, and there are a few modern albums (I think Unwritten Laws Elva and Offsprings Smash are the only two truly recent records) and I didn't bother to not count duplicates. Looks like I'm pretty well stocked on classic rock and a surprising amount of Otis Redding and Leadbelly.
I'm using a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and preamp pushed through a big boy Cambridge CXA80 Amplifier (with Bluetooth dongle) and Paradigm SE Atom speakers. Not super happy with the speakers, they're a little tinny. I'm going to have to upgrade them at some point.
I also need a good piece of furniture to support it and hold my records. Was looking at this from Ikea but I'm open to suggestions.
Got a pretty good mix of older records (pop's collection, secondhand classics from bin diving) and newer ones from my adolescence. I'll put my Discogs up when I get it updated.
Just copped a cheap copy of Manchester Orchestra's Mean Everything to Nothing, Sublime Sublime (2LP finally back in stock on Amazon), and I have a splatter of Every Time I Die Hot Damn! on the way that I'm amped about.
I'd argue that a piece of furniture for a record player should be HEAVY and DENSE to mitigate any outside vibrations, which mess with record playing more than any other format. If you're not one of those hyper-audiophiles that want to have like a recording-studio-quality experience with your vinyl then its whatevers clever
I would love something more solid, and I'm open to suggestions. But cost and practicality start to come into play. I might be better off just getting something made of MDF and adding a simple isolation platform to my setup.
I have no suggestions besides cutting down a tree and carving your stuff out of it.
Not helpful, I know.
Sometimes it's your floor. A spot next to an exterior wall is better than an interior wall, and a corner is even better in that regard, but may not be practical. But stable, heavier furniture is a good recommendation.
This is it - the vibrations travel through the floor more than anything. Best way to almost completely negate vibrations would be a shelf that is anchored into a wall stud rather than touching the floor. My old apartment had an issue where everytime I walked past the shelf my records would skip.
Turns out Pro-Ject makes a wall-mounted isolation platform. Maybe I should look into that.
I know several people who have had good success with stuff like that.
I personally didn't have enough wall space in the area where I have my stereo, so I put my turntable on top of washing machine foot vibration isolation pads on top of the carpet-lined plastic furniture sliders made for hardwood floors. It's not perfect, but works pretty well. Only time I have issues anymore is if my dog runs past the shelf too fast.
So this is random but I just happened upon a box of probably 40-50 old records in an abandoned house. Looks like most of them were subject to moisture, some a lot, some a little bit. Lots of these have mold on the outside cardboard sleeves but the records seem ok. Are they ruined if they got wet? Are they worth anything in this poor condition of the cardboard sleeves?
Lots of Classic Rock artists in them.
Thanks
Well cardboard decomposes pretty readily in the presence of moisture, but in my experience vinyl is must more resilient. Only way to tell is to clean them up and give them a spin. In general, records will survive moisture but not being warped by heat. So google record cleaning if you're inclined, toss the jackets, and let us know
Thank you. I suppose now I need to get a record player
Mold is the enemy of records which get wet. If you clean the clean the records with a proper anti-fungal record cleaning solution, you might be able to make the records useful for yourself.
But with regard to value, records are like pretty everything else - supply and demand determines value. Unless a record is really rare and/or desired, condition is predominant with regard to demand. The outer sleeve is a part of the value and a sleeve with mold basically renders a record worthless because the sleeve is in poor condition and any experienced record collector will run away from records with such damage even if the vinyl itself looks okay.
With regard to supply, even in excellent condition (and that doesn't mean "excellent" for a 40 or 50 yr old record; it means excellent...period), most classic rock records aren't worth much unless, again, they're quite rare and/or desired. Many were made in the hundreds of thousands or even millions not just in this country, but around the world. So that great looking copy of Frampton Comes Alive or The Police Synchronicity is worth maybe $5 if you're trying to sell it to a record store.
And folks, don't get caught in the trap of thinking "I've got a bunch of old Beatle and Rolling Stones LPs...they must be worth a bunch". By and large Beatles and Stones LPs aren't worth much - particularly US pressings (which were pressed in the millions and generally are considered inferior from a fidelity standpoint from British and other pressings). Original 60s British pressings of classic rock bands in excellent shape can be valuable because 1) the 60s UK market was much smaller and less wealthy than the US market and 2) nobody thought about the future value of the records so they got treated like frisbees. 70s & 80s re-pressings are often in better shape but are much more common and less desired by collectors; so while an original UK pressing of Hendrix's Electric Ladyland in excellent shape might be worth $500 or something; a late 70s copy in near like-new condition might be worth $25-$50. Now a record store might have some records up behind the counter for $200, but trust me, most aren't worth close to that, and the store is just hoping catch a whale.
The other value area for younger music fans are 90s bands who released small batches of their albums on vinyl in the dark ages of vinyl in the 90s. These are often quite rare and, depending upon the band, quite desired.
Thank you much.
If anyone on here around Richmond wants these, you are welcome to them. I don't have the time or desire to properly clean them. Best cost there is at Free.99.
Shoot me an email, knotthereelworld AT gmail.com
With all the repressing going on I would think the value of the vinyl is minimal. Original sleeves would be valuable but not with water/mold damage. There is probably some exceptions.
Great, thank you!
FYI, re-pressings generally don't have a negative impact of the value of 1st pressings.
Is this true when speaking solely about the record minus the sleeve?
I'm not sure I understand the question. 99.9% of records without an outer sleeve have little to no value - 1st pressing or otherwise.
The exceptions would be a very rare record or a particular pressing of a record which has an excellent reputation among audiophiles - thus the vinyl itself is the carrot - particularly if there is nothing distinctive about the cover itself and a replacement cover could be swapped in from a much less desired pressing.
I've done this a couple times with pretty rare records with, unfortunately, equally rare & distinct covers. I bought only the record on the cheap with the hope I could find a matching cover. Fortunately I got REALLY lucky with both and found matching covers in somewhat short order - and ended up getting the vinyl and outer sleeve of each for a fraction of what they would cost together.
That's kinda where my question was leading. Musically, a repressing is no different (remasters aside) than a first pressing. A first pressing is really only of higher value to a collector, not necessarily a listener, and a collector wants the whole package.
Your edit sorta states what i am stating with a real example.
Musically? Yes...generally. Occasionally, original pressings and re-presses will have different tracklists or different mixes of a song or whatever.
But there can be a world of difference between different pressing of an LP. I could write a book on all of this stuff, but IMO, as a general rule, I prefer original pressings over re-presses from a fidelity standpoint for a variety of reasons. But this is far from absolute. There are lots of great re-pressings out there.
Collectors and audiophiles have fairly different desires - although they aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Someone can be both.
And neither...like most casual record buyers. They just want a record with the music they like which will play without skipping and doesn't have a ton of ticks and pops. Nothing wrong with that, but for the most part these folks are buying common records in average shape for $5.
Cool, thanks for the info.
I use a Technica 120 which is the next step up from the entry and it works decent overall, but will upgrade at one point but don't want to go too crazy expensive as some of the high end models.
My collection is pretty broad with different genres but heavy on the metal scene overall. I used to much more into collecting almost everything from my favorite bands, but now I tend to only collect what I feel is really great albums since I don't have as much time to enjoy them with a small child. Heres my collection link on discogs: https://www.discogs.com/user/manonthemoon68/collection
Here's my current set-up, sadly it hasn't changed much from college. I want to upgrade from the LP60 and get a vintage record cabinet or console to clean up the look and increase the room for activities in my "study" AKA mancave. I haven't ever tallied up my collection and was surprised to find I have 53 records. Most are punk or classic rock, but I have a few outlaw and oldie country records too.
I'm always surprised by the quality of the LP60. I upgraded because a co-worker was offloading an unused turntable, but to be honest the difference is minimal, and only noticeable if all your other gear is top notch. It's just the perfect starter turntable. Love me some Parquet Courts too
I've loved LP60, I've just heard overtime it can wear records down quicker than turntables with an adjustable needle. I think because of that I'm being a little hypochondriac about every time I hear an imperfection in my vinyl.
~And Fuck Tom Brady!
First off RIP Eddie Van Halen, and this is my favorite band of all time despite being born in 1981. My first vinyl album was twisted sister at 3 in 1984 (my great aunt got it for me despite my grandmother going nuts😬) because I was addicted to We're not going to take it. Second album was Van Halen's 1984 and I never looked back. I have played drums since I was 4 and love all rock/metal and a lot of country and rap also to be fair. However, anytime I need a pick me up I put on a Van Halen (and some Van Hagar as I love Sammy too) album and enjoy the fun...also my 5 year old son always says in the car no matter what I have on the radio says "daddy, I want to hear Van Hawen". Luckily I got to see Eddie live in their 2015 tour with Roth and that was a bucket list thing for me...anyway again RIP Eddie😔🙏..."Do you know what the teacher's gonna look like this year?"
Love this topic. I've been collecting for about 15 yrs now and my collections is all over the place. https://www.discogs.com/user/vthokie98/collection . I had major issues with storing my records and decided to look for a solution that made searching much easier than turning my head and trying to read the small letters on the side of the records. Figured it'd be best to just make it myself. Started in March and I'm almost done. Just need to stain the top and the drawer faces. https://imgur.com/a/8d846n7
Obviously i have no clue how to add just the pic instead of the link
Gotchu FAM
You need to get to the link that has ".jpg" or similar and then paste it into Joe's nifty 🏔 symbol
Thanks for the assist. I'll definitely look for that next time I upload a pic.
That looks fantastic. Did you put the drawers on tracks or are they just sitting in there? I want to build a cabinet for my records to get them out of the milk crate they're in now. They're getting a little beat up
Thanks. The drawers are on tracks. I had to look at the spine of the records to go through them before I built this thing. I can't see shit now so I had to make a change. I have some kinks to work out but it works as expected so far. Just need a free couple days to stain and install the top and drawer faces.
From one woodworker to another....solid work! Looks great!
Thanks. I definitely will make some improvements on the next one. The collection just keeps growing.
Jacobean stain?
Carbon Grey - 2 coats.
Dang that looks tight. Maybe I should try something like that.
That looks fantastic! I've seen some similar things on reddit I think. I only have about 30 records but I'm hoping to eventually need that!
Don't worry. You'll blink and have 200
Good advice. Discogs is probably the best place on the web to buy used records. It's still a bit of a crap shoot but less of one than ebay (although if you're experienced, you can read between the lines and learn the right questions to ask of ebay sellers).
Another good storage unit is the Ikea Kallax, which comes in various sizes which can hold from ~200 to ~1200 records. You do have to look at the records sideways (which I actually prefer because I can look over dozens of records at a glance vs having to flip through dozens of records to find a particular one - but to each his own).
I have Boston's self titled debut album, but my wife is a big vinyl fan. Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story, almost all of Ryan Adams, Josh Ritter, and Jesse Malin's discographies, Big Star Number One Record
That's basically a greatest hits album. Every song is absurd. My dog chewed up my copy of that album and I have failed to find one that doesn't skip at some point. I will prolly buy one brand new if I can.
Piping Foreplay/Longtime through the Pioneer turntable and Onkyo receiver, amplified through Yamaha subwoofers and the Google Home digitally connected speakers is awesome.
Don't forget to turn it up to 11.
Boston probably contributed to my tinnitus as I saw them on their first tour and my ears rang for a day after that concert.
That's one more, innit?
This is right up my alley as well! I've got a Pioneer turntable from the early 70's that was my grandfathers, running a Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge into a Pioneer amp from the same setup as the turntable. Currently right around 150 LPs (and ~600 cds).
Most of mine are a mix of bluegrass, classic country, blues, and blues rock/southern rock (Allman Brothers, Marcus King, etc. type stuff). Haven't updated my discogs in a few years though, so it's horribly out of date.
I am looking to get my first record player. Does anyone have any recommendations or what I should be looking for when buying one new or used?
I've been really happy with my Rega Planar 1
I looked at it, said "oh, that's nice" and then I looked at the price.
I'm cheap, sell me on this thing.
Well if you're buying new the absolute cheapest you're going to want to go is ~$250 for an Audio Technica AT-LP150. ~$450 for a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon or that Riga is the next step. They have several advantages: belt-drive instead of direct-drive, this means the motor is separate from the platter mechanism by a belt instead of directly under it. This reduces vibration and vibration = unwanted sound.
Other ways of reducing vibration that these two offer include better (heavier) platters, better (heavier, more solid) base construction, and better (more rigid) tonearms. They also both have much better quality styluses out of the box than the ATLP150.
Last, they're much more modular. I know for the Pro-Ject you can upgrade to a dense acrylic platter, you can buy better feet, you can upgrade the stylus, and it's all very easy.
It's all about what you want. You can get a whole system for $500 that won't ruin your vinyl and will sound great. You can double that and tell the difference immediately.
Wow, very informative. Thanks!!
this may help too
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-turntables
Lots of options based on your budget. The only advice I would give is that if you think there is any possibility of going beyond just testing the waters with vinyl then I would consider something closer to the middle-range. I got lucky with my purchase (was a gift from my wife actually), but I've made a big upgrade in the stylus and now I know there are other options that I would like to have now (more adjustable counter weight, tracking adjustment, anti-skating, bias - all things that are absent from my P1), and I have to step-up . A mid-range turntable may be easier to unload or trade-in at a later date as well.
Just go in with your eyes open - this can be a real fun hobby and music lifestyle, but there is a cost to doing it right.
Agreed on this. Not be a snob, but honestly anything less than $250 and you're probably better off just playing digital.
Also, be aware you can't just plug a turntable into a line-level input, e.g. the CD or Aux input. The signal coming from a stylus is very low and essentially needs to be amplified twice to make it usable. So a phono pre-amp (aka a phono stage) of some sort is necessary - either one built into receiver or an outboard standalone unit (some less expensive TT's these days have a phone pre-amp built in as well).
Many receivers don't have a phono input (although you see them more these days with the vinyl resurgence), but you can get inexpensive standalone units for <$100. However don't chintz on the phono-stage. A $2000 turntable with a $75 phono stage (or stylus for that matter) is kinda like putting $75 tires on a Ferrari.
So like many things, with turntables, phono amps and styli 1) you get what you pay for 2) there is a sweet spot in terms of cost-benefit - after which 3) there are diminishing returns.
Here's a schitty solution to the phono pre-amp problem
I own one - I dont have anything to compare it to since its the only pre-amp I have owned, but its a big step-up from the built-in amp on my stereo.
Schitt arguably makes the bang for the buck stuff out there.
Just replaced my first stylus... that was a major PITA, and I have a super simple turntable. Now that I got that replaced I'm already hearing a difference but not in a good way - apparently my lps are dirty and in need of a good cleanse. Any suggestions on a good wet cleaner?
Did you align it? That can be a source of a lot of extra noise.
As far as cleaners - the Spin Clean is by far the most popular from what I've seen, and does a good job for a decent price. There are some people who make their own solutions and say they're a lot cheaper and work better, but I'm too lazy to try to figure all that out.
Took a lot of time (this being the first time I have done it), but yes I was able to get it aligned. Had a lot of inner-groove distortion that was a symptom of the stylus distance from the spindle being too great, even with the assist from an alignment tool.
Gotcha, I only asked because I didn't realize it was a thing the first time I swapped out a cartridge and it sounded like shit haha
you and me both... I was shocked and frightened at the same time, worried that I had been duped in to overspending and that I had broken something significant in the process. Turns out fine-tuning the angle and the cartridge distance is a big deal.
I wish I had a dime for every time people blamed a bad pressing for their problems when it's actually a bad set-up. Vinyl is not plug and play. Set-up is crucial and there's even more to it than most newbies probably think.
For example, a decent turntable should be perfectly level (a $3 circular bubble level can do the trick) - if not an otherwise decent set-up can be thrown anywhere from slightly to way out of whack.
Amazon is having a buy 2, get one free sale on a ton of records (and other stuff). I just grabbed a few for myself!
Buy 2, Get 1 Free
Awesome - thanks! Lot of decent stuff that I found (but already own) like some classic AC/DC and Metallica. Bought Dave Grohl's "Play" which should be an awesome 22 minute spin.
It looks like a lot of Pro-Ject and Riga turntables in this thread. I also went with a Pro-Ject turntable, but I went with the Debut RecordMaster. The biggest reasons were that I did not want to have to remove the platter to change speeds, but it also had a built in pre-amp, so now it is plugged into a Sonos connect and we can then play vinyl throughout the house.
I have it on a Boltz LP shelf, which is pretty expensive - but i contend it is worth it for how we use it.
We have a small house, so we need to be able to move the entire thing, so we can just unplug it, move it to another wall and plug it back in.
As for all-in-one systems (turntable, speaker, cd player, etc., etc.), I found the Electrohome units are probably the best. The arms are lighter than the other manufacturers, so it will not damage the vinyl like the other brands might. However...this does mean that it is more prone to skipping.
Ayy I went for the gloss red on my DC. I absolutely love it, it pops.
Man, those shelves are pricy. I think I'm going to start trolling thrift stores to look for something I can re-purpose to a vinyl shelf.
Yeah, we had specific needs and this was the only one I could find that met all of them, but it is top notch construction. You can see why it costs so much - it's sturdy as hell.
You can get much cheaper options if you aren't trying to move your entire set up somewhat regularly (it's main home is where the Christmas tree goes up every year).
Solid mail day today
Anyone else take advantage of Target's buy two get the third free sale?
Wait - Target a 3-for-2 sale as well yesterday?
Ended up buying Fluance RT82 based on reviews and price ($290 after discount and taxes). It is a belt drive table, with auto-stop, anti-skating, adjustable counterweight, Ortofon OM10 stylus and a optical sensor that continually measures/adjusts speed. I didn't want to spend over $400 and this one allowed me to get the Pro-Ject Phono Box and the turntable for under $400. I thought it hit the perfect balance of quality and price for a first turntable for someone that I would just be starting to listen to vinyl. Currently I have it hooked up to an echo studio, but I'm planning on grabbing a receiver and couple of tower speakers that my parents have had in storage for years next time I go home.
I may have splurged a bit thanks to this thread and both the Target and Amazon 3-for-2 sale, many of which had been on my "top vinyl to own" list:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Metallica - Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ... and Justice for All
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Dave Grohl - Play
Arctic Monkey - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
Skyrim - Ultimate Edition (4LP)
Got an email from Drop about their team-up with Audio-Technica yesterday on the Carbon Vinyl. Specs look pretty decent for the $350 price tag.
I definitely looked at it when I was shopping around but can't speak to practice experience. You should note that it comes around all the time so don't feel pressured to "buy before it's gone".
I'm not in a rush to buy a new one, not after all the fun (heavy /s emphasis) I just had installing a new cartridge. If/when I do need a full upgrade I'm already reserved to investing $750-$1000. The turntable from Schiit is probably highest on my list, but again I'm not making that plunge any time soon.... need a new amp and pre-amp before I do any investing anywhere else in my system.
Bringing this one back. I feel like vinyl collecting, lately, for me has become an addiction
My 2 favorite pickups recently have been the Walmart edition of Metallica's Black Album and the limited edition of Kumoyo Island by Kikagaku Moyo. I actually like Masana Temples better, but couldn't pass up this vinyl.
That's awesome. Do you listen to your to picture disc?
I do, I've never been one to collect things and not use them. I know they're supposed to be of poorer quality than standard vinyl, but I couldn't pass on this one.
I snagged a couple autographed records that I'm happy with: Marvelous 3 - Hey! Album and The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation. I pre-ordered a couple of the Lucero albums that are getting a re-release soon. I also got vid game soundtracks Stray and Horizon Forbidden West and those turned out amazing.
Gotta say tho I've bought way less records this year and the vinyl habit for me feels like it's nearly over. It's all too damn expensive. When I started I probably paid on average about $12-$14 and an additional $4 for media mail shipping. Maybe a few dollars more for a pre-order. Now you're paying $25-$40 minimum and media mail shipping is $7. IMO it's just not worth it. It's telling that when I was younger and broke AF I would still manage to scrape together $16-$20 every couple weeks for a record and now I'm making more money but have mostly stopped buying.
I'm still buying (too) regularly, but I have spent an equal amount of time the past couple years buying CDs again through eBay and my local record store. I even invested in a new CD transport a few months ago to squeeze as much out of the discs as I could. Everything I buy goes through a FLAC conversion so I can stream inside the house, but there's something enjoyable about the physical media.
In my musical travels I have also come across this - https://dr.loudness-war.info/
I'm using this now when evaluating specific formats of specific albums. If whatever I'm looking at on vinyl (edit) only has comparable range then I'm usually not going to buy it.
I love physical media too. That said, it's wild to me that cassettes were trendy a few years ago and now CDs are the in thing. Kids paying $60+ bucks for that first My Chemical Romance album on CD in the year 2023 blows my mind.
When did cds come back?
I've been buying up a lot of albums that I consider vital to my youth. Lots of hip hop, rnb, jazz. Been buying signed vinyls and limited editions when I can too. Oh, and video game soundtracks too lol.
I've got signed vinyls by J Cole, 50 cent, Alessia Cara, Jason mraz, Saba, and oddly enough Keanu Reeves (he's in a band? I snagged the autographed vinyl on a whim)
Anywho, I still haven't invested in a record player yet, but I'm pretty settled on which one I want. I just haven't pulled the trigger yet. In the meantime, all my vinyl makes for really cool wall art.. Which is a good talking piece when absolutely nobody comes to visit my cave :/
Man I tried to embed the pic but can't remember how
Any good record stores in the Philadelphia area worth checking out? I'm out in the West Chester area.
Outside of new pressings that come out, I'll buy some vinyl online that takes about 12 months to finally get here, to the point that I forgot I even ordered it...
Psyched for Kurt Vile's "Back To Moon Beach" to drop here in about 2 weeks.
A Philly Phriend of mine recommended hopfidelity. Apparently it's a record store and brewery.
They're in West Chester, and I happen to live in the neighboring township. Decent selection from time to time, or at least the last time I stopped in.
Your friend know anything closer to the city?
Here are his other recs:
Main Street music in manayunk and brewerytown beats in brewerytown, but that one is closing soon.
Pretty good little record shop in Manayunk on Main Street. And There's a phenomenal hole in the wall breakfast place next to it - Greg's
Edit. Guess I'm drinking on a Tuesday morning
I assume you're a phish fan?
Actually no, just being stupid. I do like the song about the side of the milk carton though.
I picked up an Atlantic Records anniversary edition of STP's Purple album. It's a good looking piece of plastic. I want to get their whole catalog on vinyl; they seem to be doing a bunch of special editions. So, why not get all special editions?
I definitely dig all of the new crazy colors that come out now. I picked up Dope Lemon's "Honey Bones" LP and it's completely see-through. KV's "Speed, Sound, Lonely" EP is another one I picked up not that long ago.
I guess purists would say that the special editions or remasters aren't analog, but then again I doubt many artists are recording completely in analog these days. Either way, my ears really can't discern the difference.
With that being said, I think I just like the thought of mechanical energy being turned to an electrical signal, then boosted into sound. Sounds pretty good through my system.
very very rare to have albums recorded direct to tape now. The last and maybe only album of "recent" that I know recorded direct to take was when Foo Fighters recorded Wasting Light, and it was a purposeful intent by Grohl to do this. Outside of that, the master recordings and remasters will typically involve some for of DSD in the production. So, that vinyl album that you swear sounds waaaaay better that the digital version? That had digital involved in the production.
So, to your point... dont get caught up in the Digital vs. Analog flame wars, dont get caught up in how equipment "measures", just worry about how it sounds to YOU and enjoying it,
Third Man Records has a series of recordings that are straight to vinyl or tape. It's a pretty cool process, but I always assumed it to be a little gimmicky. Honestly, I'm no HiFi guy and just like having live recordings of certain records, but this is another option for analog recordings for those looking.
They are likely going to keep this going to keep interest up, because they haven't produced a true STP album in 5+ years. I've only bought the Core 25th anniversary bundle and that was purely a want because I already owned that particular album 3x over - original CD, hi-res FLAC release, and a hi-res FLAC of the 25th anniversary. I bought the FLAC 25th edition of Purple as well and was pretty happy with it, but didn't see a need for the vinyl since I already owned a copy (regular, not 25th). I haven't bought any additional version of Tiny Music (vinyl, FLAC, 25th) just because its not worth it to me... probably the worst / least enjoyable (for me) of their albums.
Any way - if Vinyl is what you are after, you can probably grab those now at a decent enough price. If you want a color disc and all the box set trimmings, then wait. If you are just after a high-quality cut of the original albums, look at either Tidal for streaming, or HDTracks for a reasonably priced FLAC version.
Yeah... Tiny Music just isn't on par with the rest.
I had such high hopes for it just before the original release. I remember I had watched some MTV documentary covering the production and all the issues that Scott had leading up to the recording. I heard some clips of the songs and got excited... and then Big Bang Baby was the lead single and I was pretty disappointed. They haven't come close to making an album that could go head-to-head with either Core or Purple since then.
Yeah... but those are a really high bar. Robert DeLeo came up with some incredible stuff for those.
I did it y'all. I pulled the trigger and bought a turntable.
Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo w/ Speaker Box 5 S2 speakers, and a Maia S3 preamp.
Once I get everything set up I'll post some pics.
Congratulations! If you enjoy listening to music, there's nothing better than a good stereo. I pulled the trigger almost two years ago and have enjoyed every moment of it.
What was the first slab you played?
Thanks! Just finished setting up for now, about to let Miles Davis take it away for a test run!
Congrats on the gear! I got the Debut Carbon in 2020, prior to the release of the EVO model so consider me jealous.
I have since added the Acryl-It platter and Ground-It E base. Needless to say my wife thought I was a madman for requesting those upgrades... However, she loves the turntable nearly as much as I do so I don't hear her complaining.
IF she does complain, just turn up the volume.
Sorry, I swear I can never remember how to embed from my phone
Let's see if this works...
Looks like I figured it out. Lol. Anyway. This is the area where it's going. I'm gonna need some corner mounts for the speakers I got.
Initially I had it this way, but decided against it
The wall storage looks good. You gotta show off those stripes.
Plug for my friend Adam Kirk, owner/operator of Record Krate.
Buy/Sell/Trade with stores in Raleigh and Wake Forest NC.
Online sales too at Record Krate, complete with Artist/Music search.
Tell him his old employee Chris pointed ya there.
The link doesn't work, my friend.
Fixed
Wall mounted the speakers. Didn't have long enough line for the far wall, so I'm waiting for that to come in then I'll run it. In the meantime, I'm trying to find a viable solution to hide the wire running to the nearest speaker on the right.
Anywho
Here's the set up.
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo + Maia S3 preamp + Speaker Box 5 S2 speakers, wali bookshelf speaker wall mounts.
Autographed "inserts" with the albums I bought them with. Saba, Big Krit, and Jason Mraz. They look really nice framed.
And finally, my autographed vinyls. J Cole, 50 cent, and Alessia Cara.
Long term, I'd build in some decorative trim and embed the wire in a vertical piece going to the speaker base.
Short term, I'd run it behind the chair, behind Hendrix, across the back of Abbey Road and around to the speaker
Looks good, btw
Thanks! I'll look into it!
if it wasn't for the paint job you already had I would tell you to just bite the bullet know and run the speakers in the wall, assuming you have the ability to run through the ceiling and back down. Its a total PITA, but worth it in my mind to have a nice clean look.
You can also run through the basement or crawl space, too, if you can't get into the ceiling. I've done several installations that way.
Look at wire raceways, like this one or this corner one. They have an adhesive backing so it's a quick installation and they can be painted so that they blend in.
oops, meant to reply directly
New set up. Looks and sounds great. I will invest in one of those now playing record holder stands next.
Also, I've start protecting all my records and their jackets. Inner and outer sleeves, stored outside the jacket to prevent ring wear and splitting, framed the albums on the wall .. This hobby is getting expensive. Lol
Sorry I don't post much anymore but DAYUM that's a nice set up you have. I also just started protecting all my records with sleeves or UV glass because I noticed that a lot of my signatures were starting to fade. thesoundofvinyl.us routinely runs a lot of 30%-40% off sale so I grabbed a bunch of sleeves.
Uv glass? Interesting, I'll do a bit of research into that. Wondering if I should've been using that for my framed vinyls all this time...
Let for dropout / make some noise on the TV. And also the awesome set up
..why did I start this expensive endeavor? I can't stop buying vinyl, pls, send halp
I have a pact with myself that I need to enjoy the album cover to cover in order to purchase an album on vinyl. Without that, a lack of self control really takes over.
With that being said, every now and then I'll just take a stab on something (like that new Johnny Blue Skies album).
If you are like me it might stabilize after a while - I went through a craze where i was averaging something close to 3 albums a month and now lately I haven't been buying anything. I've bought almost all of my must-haves on vinyl, and now the stuff that is left I can easily listen to on Tidal. It hasn't helped (or has helped depending on the perspective) that this has been an absolutely boring year for new releases for what I listen to, and there hasn't been anything that I have wanted to buy.
Sade repress finally came in. Think I'm gonna start spinning that one today and see where the day takes me
installed: q up tone arm lifter. Such an easy yet effective quality of life improvement. Not having to worry about my needle getting messed up from not stopping a record from spinning is pretty nice. Simple and effective.
purchased: acrylic platter upgrade. I can't stand all the static that I have to deal with from the felt mat. After a bit of research, I just decided to go acrylic and call it a day. haven't got it yet, but I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival
My VPI turntable came with a lift assist, and it's definitely a lifesaver. Makes boozing while tuning more enjoyable!
My youngest daughter asked for and got a turntable for xmas this year.
The worm turns!
that's awesome, which table did she get?
She wanted a portable so she just got something we were able to find. Not high grade but cool.
Toe in the water.
She already went out and got some albums.
I'm finally in the market to upgrade from my LP60 and I am likely to go with a vintage technics turntable when I come across the right model/price, but man has this pro-ject table has caught my eye.
Doooo it
I actually just got my new to me Technics SL-6 up and running Friday.
Awesome set up, love it