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who has completely abandoned records?

Like 89grand, I rarely want to sit through an entire album, nor do I have time to. That's another reason I'm losing my taste for vinyl. Add to that the fact that prices for records have skyrocketed, and CDs have plummeted. Add to that again, the fact that a lot of new pressings are really shoddy. It's a pain in the ass, and as good as the sound quality is, I like my CD player as much or more. If I could find a DAC that sounded as good as my CD player, I think it would be nearly over.

I actually like playing with record players, more than records themselves.
 
Getting into vinyl again after living with Mac mini-Dac-my reference system for a few years now has been a great experience for me. Remembering the "album experience", the sonics, the searching, the acquiring - has all been, in some regards, like discovering music all over again.

However, I like both!
 
As LPs still hold an edge over digital (although it's getting almost too close to call) and the fact that a "lot of music" that I like will probably never be available in digital, I believe that I'll probably be sticking with vinyl for the rest of "my" life.

I've got enough decent gear that I'll be able to get good results for the years to come. I'd say however, if someone is starting out that they would probably be better off going 100% with digital, if their favorite music is available. It's just a matter of time before digital will finally surpass good vinyl in absolute terms and perhaps within a few years even analog R2R master tapes.

Exciting stuff is happening, I just hope some of it sees the light of day.

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
dshoaf said:
For the jazz type guys like me, there's still quite a bit of older stuff from the 50s and 60s that never made it to digital. I keep LPs around for that reason alone.
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I just started collecting jazz LPs about eight years ago. I think I now have about 200 that I really like. For some reason, I still really love playing the jazz LPs, but don't find myself reaching for pop or rock on vinyl as much these days. I do sometimes think about selling off/donating a few hundred pop titles that I seldom play anymore.

While I still prefer to play an entire album in one sitting, I will agree that the ritual of cleaning records isn't as fun as it used to be. I think I have about 100-150 "new acquisitions" from used record stores and garage sales that have yet to be cleaned or played, and some of them are now three years old.
 
Not a chance. I love vinyl & always will.
I'm having second thoughts about my recording equipment though.
Cassette deck, R2R's, tapes & supplies take up a ton of space & time.
But they look cooler than hell & there is a lot of sentimental value.

So I guess I'll keep it all. :tongue:
 
I did that 25 years ago and eventually learned to regret it. I used to have nothing but vinyl and terrible gear to play it on. I wasted no time converting to cassette thinking somehow that was better and then when CDs came out that was all the rage in my life. I thought I finally found nirvana and so I got rid of the vinyl thinking I would have no desire to ever go back.
My regret came when I came into the vintage audio hobby and to AK about 2 years ago. I quickly found myself longing to return to the vinyl.
What really drove it home for me was after finally getting some vinyl and what has been considered a half way decent TT and learning how to set a TT up with a decent cart and all I spun my first vinyl in 25+ years and it blew me away. I eventually gathered about 140 records (now at around 170) and I learned how to clean my records from AK (including many other things) and sat down and cleaned them all (back when I had 140) over a weekend. I then started playing them one by one and discovered a great many of them had a different and pleasant sound to CDs. A few even sounded better than the CD version! I've been hooked ever since. (I even now have a 3 stage cleaning system I came up with based on record condition).
For me its all about the sonics. Some CDs sound thin and some don't. Some CDs are better then the vinyl counterparts and some aren't. Also there are albums I have that never made it to CD. There are some records I have that I also have on CD and the vinyl sounds better to me. The reverse also holds true.
I also happen to like cleaning records (and you don't have to clean them often really. If cleaned right and stored properly, you could get away with once a year or something). I also like the whole ritual of selecting a record, taking it out of the sleeve, putting it on the TT, running the carbon fiber brush over it, dipping the needle in the ME (cleaning item of choice), lining it up and dropping the needle to the record to sit back and enjoy. I'm also one of those nerds that read liner notes and such.
I think part of it for me it just takes me back to a simpler time I lived in and the whole tactile feel of it all.
I'll never make the same mistake again that I did 25+ years ago.
That said for me, it's not about being strictly vinyl, no no. I have all sorts of mediums I enjoy for different reasons and each has it's strengths and weaknesses. I have over 850 CDs (now about 175 vinyl albums), a few cassettes and a Squeezebox Touch (with each of my systems fitted with a dongle for the SBT to hook up to), the SBT being somewhat of a game changer as well.
I just enjoy music the way it's meant to be on whatever the best medium for said music is.:music:
 
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I guess I'm the exact opposite, still have all my cds, just don't have a cd player - at the moment- , I have a TB external hardrive about 3/4 full of music, just want to get a squeezebox or soundbridge and possibly one of the grant fidelity tube DACs to stream it through. I'll get there one day, but have been focusing on the analog system first. I still have all my LPs, from 30 years ago, and have always taken care of em. Carted around with me even when I didn't have a TT to play 'em on. Eventually I'll be able to access everything. I have a SX-450 I use as a 2 channel home theatre, so if the need strikes I can pop in a disc to the DVD, although it doesn't have the best sound.
 
I've done the drop LP thing twice.Once in the 80s and once a year or so ago. In fairness this last vinyl run was extremely short lived. I Love FLAC files and I don't see myself ever going back. I never cared about the album art. I just wanted to listen to the music. That kills one of the perceived downsides. I hate cleaning records, I hate an album skip etc etc

If you LOVE Vinyl, more power to you and I won't have any bad thoughts about you.

For me? Albums hold 0 value.
 
I did for several years when my Dual 1228 died in the early 90's but someone I met on Ebay gave me a great deal on a Marantz 6170 and now I'm back to playing LP's weekly.
 
It's so funny to read some of the comments here about it's easier to not use Vinyl or TT's or whatever.I 've been using TT's,Tuners,EQ's,CD's,Cassettes,R 2 R's you name it everyday most of the last 40+yrs that I've had the units or so and I don't consider it a chore to use any of it because of set-up or whatever! It's part of the/my Stereo experience to do whatever and then listen to the sweet sound that flows forth to sooth or rock the/my soul! When I was younger I enjoyed all of it and now in my mid 60's still do so it is kind of hard for me to fathom what I'm hearing because for me it is all part and parcel with being a Music,Stereo Buff and always has and will be! I guess it's all how you look at it and to each his own so long as you all get whatever enjoyment out of it your own way and this is mine:)
 
Agree:

Anubis said:
I did that 25 years ago and eventually learned to regret it. I used to have nothing but vinyl and terrible gear to play it on. I wasted no time converting to cassette thinking somehow that was better and then when CDs came out that was all the rage in my life. I thought I finally found nirvana and so I got rid of the vinyl thinking I would have no desire to ever go back.
My regret came when I came into the vintage audio hobby and to AK about 2 years ago. I quickly found myself longing to return to the vinyl.
What really drove it home for me was after finally getting some vinyl and what has been considered a half way decent TT and learning how to set a TT up with a decent cart and all I spun my first vinyl in 25+ years and it blew me away. I eventually gathered about 140 records and I learned how to clean my records from AK (including many other things) and sat down an cleaned them all over a weekend. I then started playing them one by one and discovered a great many of them had a different and pleasant sound to CDs. A few even sounded better than the CD version! I've been hooked ever since.
For me its all about the sonics. Some CDs sound thin and some don't. Some CDs are better then the vinyl countparts and some aren't. Also there are albums I have that never made it to CD. There are some records I have that I also have on CD and the vinyl sounds better to me. The reverse also holds true.
I happen to like cleaning records (and you don't have to clean them often really. If cleaned right and stored properly, you could get away with once a year or something). I also like the whole ritual of selecting a record, taking it out of the sleeve, putting it on the TT, running the carbon fiber brush over it, dipping the needle in the ME (cleaning item of choice), lining it up and dropping to the record to sit back and enjoy. I'm also one of those nerds that read liner notes and such.
I think part of it for me it just takes me back to a simpler time I lived in and the whole tactile feel of it all.
I'll never make the same mistake again that I did 25+ years ago.
That said for me, it's not about being strictly vinyl, no no. I have all sorts of mediums I enjoy for different reasonss and each has it's strengths and weaknesses. I have over 850 CDs (now about 175 vinyl albums), a few cassettes and a Squeezebox Touch (with each of my systems fitted with a dongle for the SBT to hook up to), the SBT being somewhat of a game changer as well.
I just enjoy music the way it's meant to be on whatever the best medium for said music is.:music:
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Well said my man:):thmbsp:
 
in my experience, digital is way easier to setup. it can sound great with minimal effort. provided you have decent media, transport and decoding. records have a lot of variables to consider.

but, PLEASE dont give up on vinyl. put it away for awhile, and when you break it out again, it will be almost as good as the first time!
 
I "abandoned" the format when I was 12 after my parents took the crate of my old kiddie records and some severely scratched up rock records I carelessly destroyed, and my Soundeisgn stereo with the crummy turntable at a garage sale. Needless to say, we sold the stereo for 10 bucks to an old lady and the records were donated to Goodwill. It wasn't really an abandonment, per se, as it was just getting rid of a junky stereo and records that were scratched with very worn covers.

Fast forward to high school in my days when I started to get back into vinyl. I found a nice Technics TT and bought a few records at Half Price Books. I have never looked back ever since and don't plan on abandoning the format anytime soon, or later. For those who are, I'll PM the address where you can send me your albums and turntables. :D
 
Yep, I just bought a digital music server. Stream them tunes.

But I also recently bought a new TT and cart. Spin them albums.

It's music. If they come out with a brainwave projector, I'll probably have one of those. Psyche them waves.
 
CD's hands down.....I can no longer listen to music filled with pops, skips, surface noise, albums were a serious waste of investment for me. After the 1st play, it just down hill to fast.
 
Vinyl LP to RTR

I too love the analog sound of a well produced vinyl record. :yes:

I also understand that every play of a vinyl LP introduces the possibility of a new tick or pop, and even with a fine TT and cartridge, begins to degrade the performance.

So, I am fortunate that back in the 70's, I was able to record a large number of vinyl LPs that were in excellent, or even new condition, to tape on my RTR.

Voila! IMHO, the best of both worlds! :banana:

And those 35 year old tapes sound as good as the day they were recorded!
 
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