Do you still collect vinyl?

[OzRadio]

For those that buy vinyl, are there certain labels or orchestras/conductors that you'll pick up automatically? I browse the local used record selection every week or two and would like some tips on material that is probably worth grabbing right away (these sell for $1 apiece). Usually I'll take any DGG stuff that appears, which is not a lot.

[Scarpia]

I don't know of a shop that sells used vinyl in these parts.  Earlier when there was such a place nearby I sometimes browsed for recordings that had never been issued on CD or which had pretty cover art (for $0.50, why not?)

[Carolus]

Wanted vinyls:
English Columbia, Decca Stereo, DGG stereo red label on front, any French stereo before 1960, Mercury stereo,RCA living stereo, Remington originals, Continental, Philips stereo. In general, every FIRST edition on any label, and any stereo before 1960. DON'T wanted except special cases: Angel, Seraphin, Vox, Turnabout, London, RCA mono, Philips mono. And do not despise 10" vinyls. Some of them are worth 3 figures.

[DavidRoss]

Yes.  But originals, not spendy audiophile reissues.

[Carolus]

Correct. Avoid any one with the legend "electronically
modified to simulate stereo" or similes. And quadraphonics! Take note besides, that not only the record must be on a VG-Excelent-Mint condition, but the cover also. Any broken, written, marked or open on edges cover and the record is valued on a third or less, except exceptional rarity. And look for closed (nor opened) records.

[OzRadio]

Wanted vinyls:
English Columbia, Decca Stereo, DGG stereo red label on front, any French stereo before 1960, Mercury stereo,RCA living stereo, Remington originals, Continental, Philips stereo. In general, every FIRST edition on any label, and any stereo before 1960. DON'T wanted except special cases: Angel, Seraphin, Vox, Turnabout, London, RCA mono, Philips mono. And do not despise 10" vinyls. Some of them are worth 3 figures.

Do you buy these for their collector value or because you like the quality? Or both?

[DarkAngel]

I did collect vinyl 15yrs ago but...........

Keep in mind how labor intensive vinyl playback is.........

Every 20-25 minutes you have to run over and change record sides and prepare new side for playback,
for Beethoven 9th that means stop everything and make three trips to change record, for classical playback this is insanity

Not to mention dealing with surface noise of vinyl playback vs 110+ db of signal to noise silence of CD playback for classical quiet sections......I had very expensive Linn Sondek LP12/Valhalla turntable with Itok arm I sold in 1995 and was never happier to remove that burden from enjoying music without all the hassle 

[Scarpia]

Keep in mind how labor intensive vinyl playback is.........

Every 20-25 minutes you have to run over and change record sides and prepare new side for playback,
for Beethoven 9th that means stop everything and make three trips to change record, for classical playback this is insanity

Not to mention dealing with surface noise of vinyl playback vs 110+ db of signal to noise silence of CD playback for classical quiet sections......I had very expensive Linn Sondek LP12/Valhalla turntable with Itok arm I sold in 1995 and was never happier to remove that burden from enjoying music without all the hassle 

My solution is to transfer the LP to a CD, then listen to the CD.  No getting up, the pops and tracking error are what they are, no temptation to fuss over tracking force adjustment or whether there is a molecule of dust on the stylus.  I have an old DAT recorder and a Sony CD recorder that both work nicely.  The thing is the LP retains that analog "warmth" which some people got nuts for even when transferred to a CD.  This makes sense, since the resolution of a CD is so far beyond what an LP can convey, it has more than enough resolution to perfectly reproduce LP distortion with wonder fidelity!

[Carolus]

Do you buy these for their collector value or because you like the quality? Or both?

I buy vinyls when I want the work/player, made them copied to CD and got rid of them. And I buy vinyls that I don't want or like, but because they are rare and/or worthy, and I keep them for sell sometime. Rare vinyls is IMHO a good investmen, because there wouldn't be more. What it is, is all
you'll have.

[Szykneij]

For those that buy vinyl, are there certain labels or orchestras/conductors that you'll pick up automatically? I browse the local used record selection every week or two and would like some tips on material that is probably worth grabbing right away (these sell for $1 apiece). Usually I'll take any DGG stuff that appears, which is not a lot.

I buy vinyl recordings to listen to, not for their collectible value. If you come across music that you're curious about or recordings that you like and don't already own, for $1.00 apiece, how can you go wrong?

[DavidRoss]

I buy vinyl recordings to listen to, not for their collectible value. If you come across music that you're curious about or recordings that you like and don't already own, for $1.00 apiece, how can you go wrong?

Amen.

[Carolus]

go to www.collectorsweekly.com and you'll know how much people are ready to pay for a vinyl (or any other stuff).

[czgirb]

The statement of ... LP sounds better than CD ... I absolutely agreed.
But since LP suck my money ... I stopped it.
To owned an 45-rpm records is a changes that I will never ever missed.

But now ... I hear most Lossy (MP3/MPC/AAC) and Lossless (FLAC/APE/WAV/ALAC) only.
Cos it saved my money. 

[RJR]

Oh yes, there is. ALL paramters (dynamic range, noise level, etc.) clearly show CDs to be superior in sound. The argument that 16bit resolution is not enough to reproduce music in all detail was always BS. The myth of the superiority of LPs dates from the early CD era, when some CDs were simply dreadfully remastered compared to the older vinly masters and the sound engineers of the analogue era were not fully capable of utilizing digital technology properly.

I beg to differ.

[Bogey]

I beg to differ.

I agree with you.  It varies.  Sometimes the cd sounds superior, sometimes the vinyl.  A poor piece of vinyl will sound poor....a poorly mastered cd will sound poor. 

At the risk of bringing up the Star Wars' soundtrack I just played the vinyl and  the cd for a friend back to back and he was more impressed with the vinyl.  He heard instrumentation on the vinyl that was buried on the cd.  You really need to take each recording case by case.

As a blanket statement, I tend to enjoy solo piano on vinyl more. Just a warmer sound most of the time.  However, all that I have written in this post is a matter of taste.

On a final note, however, if you do not like even the faintest of pops, stay clear of the vinyl.  Even $50 audiophile pressings that are newly opened can have some of this.  These do not bother me, so I continue to purchase the ol' platters.

[RJR]

Love those 'ol Platters. Only you...

[jowcol]

I haven't had the heart to toss my old vinyl collection, but I don't listen any more.  My collection had a lot of tough love-- so there were lots of pops.

I do think that the vinyl sound had more presence and the dynamic range of CDs can be a problem when ambient noise interferes. 

There are current artists in the rock world that mix for vinyl, and complement their CD releases with vinyl releases just because they preferred the sound, and I agree-- I just find digital more convenient.

[Szykneij]

After spending the last few days transferring my Beatles vinyl to digital, it dawned on me that my early record purchases were probably the wisest financial moves I've ever made. My "Meet the Beatles" album that I bought in 1964 (actually, my father bought it for me -- Thanks Dad!) probably cost around $1.00. (I remember how upset I was when albums crept over $2.00 in price years later.) I've listened to it frequently over the years, and it still sounds great. Now, I have it on my computer and cdr's to enjoy forever at no additional cost. I can't think of any other item that I've owned for nearly 50 years that cost so little, provided continual enjoyment, and is still as functional as the day it was purchased!

[ajlee]

So what are the LPs' advantages over CDs? (I'm not trying to dismiss the older medium here; just that I've never even held an unwrapped LP in my hand before & thus know nothing about it. Some ppl seem to be still very enthusiastic about them!)

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

I stopped collecting Vinyl when the CD came to life. No need for unwanted surface noises. Today I try to prevent buying CDs. If I can get lossless digital data files, I buy them.