Anyone Collect or Still Listen to Vinyl?

[Ziggy]

What's a recommended reasonably priced turntable these days?

I'd like to know this myself. As weary as I am about getting into it, I'm still interested in case I ever do.

It depends on how much you're willing to spend and how much of an audio nut you are.

If you're on a budget, or you just don't care enough, this Sony table really isn't bad. It's the table I had before my current one. I got mine used off eBay for about $30 shipped. The best feature of this table is that it has a built in preamp. This is important if your stereo receiver doesn't have a phono input, which most these days wont. It just makes it that much easier for the average person. It's "fully automatic," but who cares? Other than that, it's a run of the mill current day table that vinyl enthusiasts would probably shun.

When I got my new table, I gave my Sony to a friend. He started collecting some vinyls but had no table, so he was more than happy. I gave it to him for free, he just had to pick up a new belt and stylus. Interestingly enough, I linked him this stylus on Amazon. One reviewer said it actually improved the sound on his Sony table.

This Audio Technica has all the same features of the Sony linked about. I've never used one, but it looks like it got decent reviews on Amazon. It also has a built in preamp.

If you get a table without a preamp, that's not a huge problem. You can always get a phono preamp to hook your table up to any receiver. But just like anything else in the audio field, you can get a cheap one or a top of the line one for big bucks, and anything in between. I currently have a $15 Pyle preamp from Amazon. I think I mentioned before, my receiver has no phono input and I had my new table for months without being able to use it. I didn't have the extra money to splurge on the preamp I really wanted, so I just settled for the $15 one for now so I could at least use my table. I'm glad I did, because it really doesn't sound bad at all. But I hope to one day get a better one.

If you're willing to spend more money, you could get a decent stereo receiver with a phono input for not a lot of money. There's this Onkyo receiver that looks pretty good.

But of course, if you're willing to spend the money on a receiver, then you'll probably wanna spend the money on decent speakers (if you don't already have some) at which point, you'd probably want a better table. It's easy to get swept away when you're talking about things like audio quality.

My current table is a Numark TT-1520 that I was lucky enough to score for cheap. It's my first direct drive table (as oppose to belt driven). Here's a good brief write up of direct drive versus belt drive. The Sony table that I mentioned above, the reason why my friend had to get a new belt for it was because the old belt was worn out. It still worked, but the belt was stretched and as a result wouldn't spin the platter at the correct speed. It was a tad too slow, which results in a slightly lower pitch. So, having to replace the belt is the most annoying feature of belt driven tables. Belt drive doesn't always have to be inferior to direct drive, but that's usually the case. Tables at a lower price are always gonna be belt drive, and high end table are usually always gonna be direct drive.

[GSZX1337]

I started collecting vinyl records in early 2011. My collecting's been pretty slow with me only having 15 records, but I definitely plan on getting more soon. I've been thinking of saving some money and purchasing a ton of classic albums in one big splurge. While I was alive during the transition from records to CDs, I don't recall ever listening to a record, or seeing anyone else listen to one. I knew about them, and I also saw my parents' records, but I had no actual experience with them until recently. While most of the time I listen to MP3s, records are really fun for when you want to immerse yourself into an album.

As for which sounds better: I listen to Heavy Metal music and records seem to enhance an album's sound. I know that a CD would be technically superior, but I prefer the characteristics of the less accurate vinyl transfer. I don't know what word to use to describe it, but there's a distinctive quality to a good record. I purchased the vinyl reissues Skeletonwitch's first two albums with their label and greatly prefer them to the 256Kbps MP3s I torrented years prior. I don't have any Techno records, but I don't really see any Electronic Music being enhanced on vinyl. Perhaps I'm wrong.

[gtmtnbiker]

The only thing I miss about vinyls is listening to the music while studying the album cover & liner notes intensively. Some bands were very creative with their album artwork.

I was a big Led Zep fan so I remember their albums the best:
- III with the wheel spinner so you can rotate pictures on the cover
- IV - with no mention of the band's name anywhere on the cover
- Physical Graffiti - it showed a brownstone and in each window, there's a picture of someone doing something
- In Through The Out Door - came with a brown paper cover that kept the album artwork from view. There were 6 different possible covers showing a guy with a drink at a bar.

I also remember the Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers album that had a real zipper that could move up/down.

There were other interesting covers but these were the ones I could remember.

When CDs came out, I stopped buying vinyl, only CDs. Sometime after that, I gave away all of my records. I don't miss them one bit. No thanks to the hassle of moving the needle or having to clean them or worse, putting up with the clicks/pops on a well-worn record.

[skate323k137]

This is maybe half of my collection. Last count was ~1000 pieces total, about 500 of which I keep track of on Discogs. A lot of house music, some dubstep, some drum and bass/jungle, a little ghetto-tech from detroit, and a shitload of hip hop records. Also a few albums in there like 311, no doubt, tool, glassjaw, and some other randoms. I love vinyl, and still DJ using records when I play out.

related, for ~20 bucks, this is the best 'dry' record cleaning brush I've found. Pulls insane amounts of dust out of record grooves. http://www.dak.com/reviews/3306story.cfm

[Ziggy]

The only thing I miss about vinyls is listening to the music while studying the album cover & liner notes intensively. Some bands were very creative with their album artwork.

I was a big Led Zep fan so I remember their albums the best:
- III with the wheel spinner so you can rotate pictures on the cover
- In Through The Out Door - came with a brown paper cover that kept the album artwork from view. There were 6 different possible covers showing a guy with a drink at a bar.

Yes! I have those two Led Zep albums "borrowed" from my mother. She told me about In Through The Out Door, I love that.

Also, gatefold albums are pretty awesome as far as studying the artwork goes.

[Hobie-wan]

Nice family shot.

[MulishaSoldier929]

Not to start a flame war on whether cd's or records are better but I just read an article on Cracked . com talking about how record label's alter the sound quality of songs to get your attention more which in the end hurts the quality of the music. Very good read and might very well be the reason why so many believe in the sound of records over cd's since it was harder to alter tracks back then compared to now.

http://www.cracked.com/article_20256_5- ... ey-do.html

Its #4 if you want to skip right to it

[Retrodude]

I wouldn't say I collect records, but I do think it's fun to try and find older albums you like in the original format. It's also fun to pick up an interesting oddity now and then, like Rebel Mission At Ord Mantell, which is sort of a radio play that takes place in between the first two Star Wars movies. You could say that was the beginning of the Expanded Universe (along with Splinter Of The Minds Eye, of course). Cool stuff.

My problem is that when perusing records at a flea market or thrift store, I always forget to check if the right record is in the right sleeve, so I sometimes get surprised when I pull it out to listen when I get home. Oh well.

[Hobie-wan]

Its #4 if you want to skip right to it

Yup, that's the Loudness War.

Here's a database of screwed up albums too.

[Luke]

Paul's Boutique on vinyl will be played in less than two hours on my ones and twos.

But only on the ones.