Your vinyl LP buying habits...

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

For those of you who buy vinyl, do you actively search for new/used items? (If so, where?) How many do you add per month on average? OR, are you no longer expanding your collection?

I finally joined Ebay and bought a Julie London LP (All Through the Night), and was browsing a bunch of other stuff I've been wanting.

I stop by a few local record stores and browse the latest new and used offerings on a regular basis. We visit Berkeley and the SF Bay Area a couple of times a year and make the rounds there. I buy an LP online occasionally. I would say I add maybe 15-20 new discs per year in recent years. I digitized 35 LPs last year. Each one takes about 2 hrs from start to finish, and I stop by my audio dealer every other month or so to clean new acquisitions before playing. So, it's not as if I have time to clean, listen to, and digitize tons of new acquisitions. Most of my new music comes on CD anyway, and I have too many discs I need to listen to as it is.

[Baron Scarpia]

My most recent LP transactions involved hauling about 300 pounds of vinyl to the curb, where it was picked up by our garbage collector. I was fortunate to live in a municipality where whatever you leave gets collected. You don't have to pay extra when your trash is more than one full bin.

[Elk]

Buying vinyl doesn't happen much for me anymore, though a friend of mine and me went through many 1000s last year donated to "The Friends of the Library" which were in storage, and we bought a bunch. Mostly, I am given records by people who are divesting themselves because age or a death.

I still play a lot of vinyl because my records are in such generally excellent shape and my playback system is of such excellent quality (circa 1975)(Technics SL1100/ Denon DL103 floating on a board covered, partially inflated bicycle inner tube), I cannot justify replacing them. Besides, I'm frugal (read: cheap), and many favourite albums have never been issued on CD.

Aren't rationalisations wonderful?

[Daverz]

I went thru a rather manic period of record buying in the 2000s, with many day trips up to Record Surplus and Amoeba Hollywood.  These days I'm too lazy to clean the damn things (I have a VPI machine and a Nitty Gritty with a leaky fluid tank in the closet).  And truth be told, I probably collected a lot of junk.  I can't say that I'm ready to haul them to the trash, though. 

[Baron Scarpia]

I can't say that I'm ready to haul them to the trash, though.

It was cathartic. Most intense enjoyment I ever got from them!

I kept about a dozen. Most cherished, the Smithsonian collection of classic jazz.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I've pretty much stopped buying, but I went thru a semi-orgy of LP buying a few years ago, after I bought my turntable.

My main sources:

Irvington Music in Oregon (thanks for the rec, Todd)
Discogs
Reckless Records in Chicago (my main non-online source, tho' they also do online orders)
and the audio dealer where I bought my system, which had a big stock of classical LPs due to the death of a large-scale collector.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

When I have some spare change I like to fish around in the second hand classical section of the local vinyl shop where they are mostly A$1. Recently I found a pretty nice record of some Ravel and Mussorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition. I rarely buy new pressings because they cost around fifty times as much.

[vandermolen]

Very occasionally I buy LPs - like Honegger's 2nd and 3rd Symphony on DGG (Karajan). It has a much better cover (drawing of Honegger) than any of the CDs, which tend to feature photos of Karajan, which I can do without.

[Karl Henning]

[...] which tend to feature photos of Karajan, which I can do without.

Oh, how can you say that, Jeffrey?  0:)

[vandermolen]

Oh, how can you say that, Jeffrey?  0:)

He looks like he's doing the Nazi salute on some of them.

[vmartell]

My first post at GMG CMF!

...and a long one... as all my posts are...

So -  See lots of... well... not hate, but dismissal of the vinyl medium right here in this forum - and it makes sense as per the reasons many times posted - I will summarize; I am old enough to have lived thru the transition from vinyl to CD - and yes, the first time I heard a CD it seemed like magic to have the music emerge from total digital silence... I remember the CD very well, it was a the Muti Water Music/Fireworks... BUT the thing is that at the time I did not have the knowledge and yes, economic means to do classical music on vinyl the right way... as it has to be...  no wonder most Classical fans took to CD - it is way easier and cheaper to get good performance...

So to Classical Music on vinyl the  right way several things come into play

1.- A good record cleaning machine
2.- Good stylus - not only needs to be able to get in the groove, it also needs to be great tracker - my Audio-Technica VM750SH with a nude Shibata stylus is perfect for CM at a reasonable price.
3.- Good vinyl habits and the accessories to implement them  - I mentioned cleaning machine, also stylus cleaning, brushes, etc...

Yup - is a bit more work - the rewards comes with the vinyl sound  - I will not say is better or worse, but to me it imparts a quality that makes the music pop out. Not true to the original sound? sure - but to me even a DSD digital recording is also not a true representation of live music...

which brings me to

4.- Yup, no. 4 in the list is actually the answer to the OP question - vinyl buying habits! - I have settled in certain personal policies.

- For the most part, only new vinyl - there is enough around now that there is no shortage of things to get. Of course, regular pressings from the majors are in general the last option/resort. My gotos are the high quality pressings by companies like Analogue Productions, ORG, Speakers Corner, Analogphonic, Mobile Fidelity, Impex, and others.  Boutique labels, also have good pressings.

- But I make exceptions for some used vinyl  - for the obvious things, not just any $3 crate dig -  Shaded Dogs, maybe (and that is a very big maybe) White Dogs, Wide band Deccas (but not  London), maybe some DG tulips, Living Presence, British EMI, King Super Analog,  Mobile Fidelity - as in the past they pressed lots of more classical - in fact, the  new MoFi only has one classical record in its current catalog, so most classical MoFi will be used stuff..

Those vinyl buying policies together with best practices  make up for a very satisfying vinyl Classical Music experience - I practically never hear a pop, tick and much less crackle - those are for hipsters with Crosleys!

v

[vmartell]

My first post at GMG CMF!

...and a long one... as all my posts are...

So -  See lots of... well... not hate, but dismissal of the vinyl medium right here in this forum - and it makes sense as per the reasons many times posted - I will summarize; I am old enough to have lived thru the transition from vinyl to CD - and yes, the first time I heard a CD it seemed like magic to have the music emerge from total digital silence... I remember the CD very well, it was a the Muti Water Music/Fireworks... BUT the thing is that at the time I did not have the knowledge and yes, economic means to do classical music on vinyl the right way... as it has to be...  no wonder most Classical fans took to CD - it is way easier and cheaper to get good performance...

So to Classical Music on vinyl the  right way several things come into play

1.- A good record cleaning machine
2.- Good stylus - not only needs to be able to get in the groove, it also needs to be great tracker - my Audio-Technica VM750SH with a nude Shibata stylus is perfect for CM at a reasonable price.
3.- Good vinyl habits and the accessories to implement them  - I mentioned cleaning machine, also stylus cleaning, brushes, etc...

Yup - is a bit more work - the rewards comes with the vinyl sound  - I will not say is better or worse, but to me it imparts a quality that makes the music pop out. Not true to the original sound? sure - but to me even a DSD digital recording is also not a true representation of live music...

which brings me to

4.- Yup, no. 4 in the list is actually the answer to the OP question - vinyl buying habits! - I have settled in certain personal policies.

- For the most part, only new vinyl - there is enough around now that there is no shortage of things to get. Of course, regular pressings from the majors are in general the last option/resort. My gotos are the high quality pressings by companies like Analogue Productions, ORG, Speakers Corner, Analogphonic, Mobile Fidelity, Impex, and others.  Boutique labels, also have good pressings.

- But I make exceptions for some used vinyl  - for the obvious things, not just any $3 crate dig -  Shaded Dogs, maybe (and that is a very big maybe) White Dogs, Wide band Deccas (but not  London), maybe some DG tulips, Living Presence, British EMI, King Super Analog,  Mobile Fidelity - as in the past they pressed lots of more classical - in fact, the  new MoFi only has one classical record in its current catalog, so most classical MoFi will be used stuff..

Those vinyl buying policies together with best practices  make up for a very satisfying vinyl Classical Music experience - I practically never hear a pop, tick and much less crackle - those are for hipsters with Crosleys!

v

haha - I just realized I replied to Feb 2018 thread - I thought it was a Feb 2019 thread, so thought it was not so bad - apologies if someone is bothered - not my intention to resurrect zombies or flog dead horses...

v

[aukhawk]

So to Classical Music on vinyl the  right way several things come into play
1.- A good record cleaning machine
2.- Good stylus - not only needs to be able to get in the groove, it also needs to be great tracker - my Audio-Technica VM750SH with a nude Shibata stylus is perfect for CM at a reasonable price.
3.- Good vinyl habits and the accessories to implement them  - I mentioned cleaning machine, also stylus cleaning, brushes, etc...

Yup - is a bit more work - the rewards comes with the vinyl sound  - I will not say is better or worse, but to me it imparts a quality that makes the music pop out. Not true to the original sound? sure - but to me even a DSD digital recording is also not a true representation of live music...

It always was a ritual.  A bit like tea-drinking.  For my parents, there was always a ritual aspect to tea - warming the pot, judging the right amunt of tea, allowing the correct time for brewing, etc.  Not at all like bunging a tea-bag in a mug (think: CD).

The vinyl ritual made it closer to concert-going, as a musical experience.  You had to set aside time, pay attention to detail.  Now we have streaming which is the total antithesis of concert-going.  The music is available on demand, and individual movements can be skipped or re-ordered at will.  If the music starts well, we will carry on listening, if not, we won't.  Contrast with the concert experience where if the music does not start well, we are a captive audience, and ultimately the most important thing (for audience satisfaction) is that the music finishes well.  Composers arrange their finales accordingly.

[vmartell]

The vinyl ritual made it closer to concert-going, as a musical experience.  You had to set aside time, pay attention to detail.  Now we have streaming which is the total antithesis of concert-going.  The music is available on demand, and individual movements can be skipped or re-ordered at will.  If the music starts well, we will carry on listening, if not, we won't.  Contrast with the concert experience where if the music does not start well, we are a captive audience, and ultimately the most important thing (for audience satisfaction) is that the music finishes well.  Composers arrange their finales accordingly.

You do have a great point - in addition to everything you say in your comment which is 100% true, the other thing is that vinyl forces you to concentrate  and/or pay more attention to one piece at a time - I know, I know - nothing to keep you from doing that with CDs or downloads or streaming - but there is something about pulling up, let's say, Also Sprach on Decca with Karajan and Vienna, the  vinyl release... it is just you and Also Sprach - that one does not even have a coupling... once you pull up the record, in some sense that's. There something about it that keeps that thing spinning - much different experience pulling up the Karajan megabox and digging for Also Sprach - it will probably has a coupling, etc...

Again, I know, nothing to keep you from having the same approach with other media - but somehow vinyl compels that relationship with the piece and its interpreter...

on the other hand, what do I know...

v

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

You do have a great point - in addition to everything you say in your comment which is 100% true, the other thing is that vinyl forces you to concentrate  and/or pay more attention to one piece at a time - I know, I know - nothing to keep you from doing that with CDs or downloads or streaming - but there is something about pulling up, let's say, Also Sprach on Decca with Karajan and Vienna, the  vinyl release... it is just you and Also Sprach - that one does not even have a coupling... once you pull up the record, in some sense that's. There something about it that keeps that thing spinning - much different experience pulling up the Karajan megabox and digging for Also Sprach - it will probably ha a coupling, etc...

Again, I know, nothing to keep you from having the same approach with other media - but somehow vinyl compels that relationship with the piece and its interpreter...

on the other hand, what do I know...

v

When I listen to Karajan's Also Sprach Zarathustra by streaming the FLAC file from my computer it's just as much me and and Also Sprach, I cue up the tracks, start it, and it plays. I have to set aside time, but I don't have to pay attention to irrelevant detail. It is also irrelevant that there might be 10,000 other tracks on my hard disc because I haven't loaded them. I don't have to be conscious of whether there is a bit of dust accumulating on the stylus, or whether I am getting poor tracking at the end of the program because my anti-skate force is not adjusted just right. And it doesn't stop in the middle and wait for me to get up, turn the record over, clean the stylus and start the second part. It is just me and Also Sprach. You seem to have the notion that those of us who stream just put our entire classical library on shuffle.

If you think your LPs reproduce the concert hall experience better than digitial playback you must patronize a concert hall that has leaky steam pipes to simulate tape hiss, bowling balls rolling around in the cellar to reproduce LP suface noise, and someone with a sack of balloons and a pin to simulate the pops of LP scratches.

[vmartell]

You seem to have the notion that those of us who stream just put our entire classical library on shuffle.

I did not say that - in fact I kind of agreed with you - Let me repeat/quote myself

Again, I know, nothing to keep you from having the same approach with other media -

This reaction confirms my comment in my original post re: vinyl in this forum - as I said in my post where I unknowingly resurrected this thread, it does seem there is, if not a consensus, something of a majority that believes that vinyl should be consigned to the dustbin of technological history, along 8-Track, the cassette  and others... that's ok... some people think the same about Classical Music - and yet here we are, alive and well

If you think your LPs reproduce the concert hall experience better than digitial playback you must patronize a concert hall that has leaky steam pipes to simulate tape hiss, bowling balls rolling around in the cellar to reproduce LP suface noise, and someone with a sack of balloons and a pin to simulate the pops of LP scratches.

I refer back to my original post -

So to Classical Music on vinyl the  right way several things come into play
1.- A good record cleaning machine
2.- Good stylus - not only needs to be able to get in the groove, it also needs to be great tracker - my Audio-Technica VM750SH with a nude Shibata stylus is perfect for CM at a reasonable price.
3.- Good vinyl habits and the accessories to implement them  - I mentioned cleaning machine, also stylus cleaning, brushes, etc...
4.- Yup, no. 4 in the list is actually the answer to the OP question - vinyl buying habits! - I have settled in certain personal policies.

- For the most part, only new vinyl - there is enough around now that there is no shortage of things to get. Of course, regular pressings from the majors are in general the last option/resort. My gotos are the high quality pressings by companies like Analogue Productions, ORG, Speakers Corner, Analogphonic, Mobile Fidelity, Impex, and others.  Boutique labels, also have good pressings.

- But I make exceptions for some used vinyl  - for the obvious things, not just any $3 crate dig -  Shaded Dogs, maybe (and that is a very big maybe) White Dogs, Wide band Deccas (but not  London), maybe some DG tulips, Living Presence, British EMI, King Super Analog,  Mobile Fidelity - as in the past they pressed lots of more classical - in fact, the  new MoFi only has one classical record in its current catalog, so most classical MoFi will be used stuff..

I bolded the section above because, while I do get some used records, I mostly get audiophile pressings from reputable companies - yup,  a bit more expensive  - at least $30 a record, as opposed to CD megaboxes or for G*d's sake, Tidal or Qobuz... but because of the reasons I mentioned in my post, very worth it, imho opinion. And to directly reply  - I do not get pops, ticks, crackle,  steam pipes, bowling balls or popping balloons - and I am not qualifying it - I just don't; it is not that difficult, just follow my rules.

I also said:

Those vinyl buying policies together with best practices  make up for a very satisfying vinyl Classical Music experience - I practically never hear a pop, tick and much less crackle - those are for hipsters with Crosleys!

In addition to "hipster with Crossleys" I should have added  people that do not know how to "do vinyl" correctly!

But I understand - it is definitely not that you are wrong - strictly speaking, your are not wrong!  PLEASE NOTE THIS! .  BUT, It seems like you are looking at from a somewhat prejudiced perspective - let me explain.

Not sure how old are you - but  I will admit to this - I am old enough that I lived thru the tail end of the vinyl era, overlapping with the appearance of the CD - will qualify it, by saying not that old! I was a precocious kid - I bought my first records at the age of 8.

That said, I did not have the equipment, knowledge and yes, economic means to do vinyl correctly.

Therefore, I have vivid memories of hearing the CD (digital!) for the first time. To hear the music coming out of complete digital silence seemed like magic. So yes I got rid of my records and went completely CD from then and added digital files later (waaay later).

However, around 2006  - before the vinyl resurgence, I might add, I found my neigbourhood record store. Classical guy there is an expert that curates his records properly. He introduced to and played me Classic Records pressings of stuff I knew well on CD and SACD.  I was hooked. I came back to vinyl, this time having researched and learned before jumping; knowledge put together with the resources to do it  right (see rules) made all the difference.

Of course, I am not stupid, nor ignorant - I know there is a lot of stuff that will never come out on vinyl - the DaCapo SACD Rued Langgaard Symphony cycle, for example - for that, the SACD is ok. I can play those too.

Now, to do the obligatory car analogy - a muscle car is very impractical, expensive to run car - yet it will crush my Prius. Muscle car owners want a different experience. We too want a different experience from our reproduction.

Now to turn the tables and I will show a prejudice - I will never understand people that only do streaming. It has been demonstrated how streaming only benefits the streaming companies first and the record companies second. But they don't care they are hurting the artists they profess to support and do not value the music they profess to love - at least value it enough to buy it. Artists get more for each new record I buy than from thousands of streams...

I am wrong? probably - same as people are wrong about vinyl...

Again, pls don't look down on us - we are not stupid; we just want a different experience.

Peace - hope I was not too confrontational...



v

[Draško]

These days I buy vinyl rarely and only in two cases: if I accidentally run across something that wasn't reissued in any other form (which is super rare), and occasionally I buy opera sets as they can be found cheap, LPs themselves are usually in good shape due to being in the box and libretti are big and easy to read. Any other vinyl purchases are in my opinion waste of time, space and money.   

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

You do have a great point - in addition to everything you say in your comment which is 100% true, the other thing is that vinyl forces you to concentrate  and/or pay more attention to one piece at a time - I know, I know - nothing to keep you from doing that with CDs or downloads or streaming - but there is something about pulling up, let's say, Also Sprach on Decca with Karajan and Vienna, the  vinyl release... it is just you and Also Sprach - that one does not even have a coupling... once you pull up the record, in some sense that's. There something about it that keeps that thing spinning - much different experience pulling up the Karajan megabox and digging for Also Sprach - it will probably has a coupling, etc...

Again, I know, nothing to keep you from having the same approach with other media - but somehow vinyl compels that relationship with the piece and its interpreter...

on the other hand, what do I know...

v

Welcome aboard, vmartell. I agree that there's something compelling about vinyl, but I would put it differently. What "forces you to concentrate" (in my experience) is the tactile nature of the experience - both the physical aspect of the LP record and the ritualistic motions you have to go through to play it. Some people hate this, which is understandable as doing LP playback right can be a pain - a perusal of vinyl forums makes that clear.

But the same things that some people hate, other people enjoy. For instance, I like the fact that I can do various things to make a record sound better (cleaning it, playing around with the alignment and so forth). With a CD, all I can do is buy better audio equipment, which feels kind of passive.

For what it's worth, I don't think one format sounds intrinsically better than the other. I've compared LPs and their CD reissues: sometimes the LP sounds better, sometimes the CD does, sometimes I can barely tell the difference. The "concert hall experience" thing is kind of a red herring: no recording format is going to give you a concert hall experience!

BTW I recently read an interesting book on this subject, The Revenge of Analog by John Sax. He goes into the reasons behind the LP revival, but also the persistence of physical books, film, and other printed media. Basically, a lot of people want real, tangible objects that they can own, rather than abstract computer files. 

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

For what it's worth, I don't think one format sounds intrinsically better than the other. I've compared LPs and their CD reissues: sometimes the LP sounds better, sometimes the CD does, sometimes I can barely tell the difference. The "concert hall experience" thing is kind of a red herring: no recording format is going to give you a concert hall experience!

+1

An LP sounds good because it adds its own peculiar coloring to the signal, like a Marshall tube amp was needed to create Jimmy Page's guitar sound. A properly made digital recording is absolutely transparent, signal out utterly indistinguishable from signal in. I should go in the business of selling digital recordings of playback LPs on of a super-expensive turntable.

[aukhawk]

The "concert hall experience" thing is kind of a red herring: no recording format is going to give you a concert hall experience!

Hurrah for that.  As a colleague of mine (also a sound engineer, like me) once said, while announcing he wasn't going to any more concerts: "Not enough top."  We all nodded in agreement.