![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,037 Likes: 69
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,037 Likes: 69 |
100% agree. It's definitely a lifestyle oriented way of enjoying your music. Vinyl for me is a treat that I use when I have time to relax and kick back for a while. For younger enthusiasts like me I think the vinyl resurgence in popularity over the last few years is definitely due to a backlash against the organic part of music delivery being erroded away. There is something to be said for holding music in your hand, preparing it and then sharing it with friends over drinks and laughs. Its kinda silly, but I enjoy that feeling of being the custodian of something delicate and fleeting. Especially since lots of used vinyl out there came from estate sales at some point; or at the very least someone's youth. There is reverance in appreciating something that was cared for and loved in someone's past. Geez, what a hippie eh? ![](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120923194404/liberapedia/images/0/08/Hippie.jpg)
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 129
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 129 |
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5
Axiom Engineer devotee
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Axiom Engineer devotee
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5 |
Very true, Mark. Setting aside the time and going through the rituals meant you were going to sit down and enjoy the playback. And I admit I have a certain nostalgia for those times. I still live in that world! Call it nostalgia or whatever, vinyl playback in my system with a good LP can still trounce my digital front end. But you CAN live in both worlds. Most of the time, when I just want to play something for background, while cooking, or whatever, I stream from a music server to a Roku player connected to my system. It's fast, convenient, and sounds good. But when I want to listen for pure enjoyment, or to a particular rendition of a classical work, I always reach for an LP. It does help that my vinyl collection is seven times that of my CD collection. A few items for the list: A good quality spirit level. This is one of the most important, and many times overlooked, aspects of setting up a turntable. I'm not a fan of the cross-point or circular levels as they are not very accurate. A good quality record and stylus brush. I'm a fan of the old Decca and Hunt brushes from the UK, but there are a number of excellent carbon bristle brushes on the market. Lyra makes an excellent stylus brush that comes with their cleaner. The Disc Doctor cleaning system. Simply the best brushes and fluid I have ever used for really deep cleaning an LP. Finally, if you have the scratch, the biggest improvement you can make to your record collection is a vacuum cleaning machine. They are expensive, starting at around $600, but they make a world of difference! I'm a fan of the smallest, auto rotating Nitty Gritty model (1.5?) which I've used for over 20 years with no issues, other than replacing the cleaning pads from time to time. The VPI 16.5 is also excellent and runs around the same price as the Nitty Gritty. Enough! I could talk about this all day, but I have work to do! ![smile smile](/boards/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif)
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,863
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,863 |
Enough! I could talk about this all day, but I have work to do! Just document the time as "customer service" well vouch for you. ![laugh laugh](/boards/images/graemlins/default/laugh.gif)
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,270
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,270 |
Hey hellcommute,
Far out, man. Nice thoughts of yours on vinyl and the place it holds in one's life. Although I hardly ever play vinyl, I can't bring myself to get rid of the hundreds of LPs I own. I can pull one out and tell you where I got it, what age I was, etc. There is something organic about the big LP jackets and the graphic impact.
With rare exception, I hold no such affection for any of the many CDs I've acquired (except for the sound quality and freedom from distortion). The graphics are annoyingly tiny. However, there is one CD I bought in Germany while on a press trip before CDs were released in Canada. It's a gorgeous performance of the Brahms Liebeslieder waltzes by an excellent German male & female chorus with piano accompaniment, still the best version I've found.
Alan
Alan Lofft, Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172 |
Having grown up collecting and listening to vinyl, I don't miss it at all. I vividly remember all the scratches, warped records, feedback from bass, wow and flutter (having said that in a while), accidental bumps of the tone arm… I had hundreds of albums and got rid of them all except for 1 box of about 50 I still keep in storage for the kids who may be able to sell them for a tidy profit one day.
Sure brings back memories…
Last edited by Boltron; 11/20/12 05:13 PM.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5
Axiom Engineer devotee
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Axiom Engineer devotee
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5 |
Enough! I could talk about this all day, but I have work to do! Just document the time as "customer service" well vouch for you. Noted!
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5
Axiom Engineer devotee
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Axiom Engineer devotee
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 334 Likes: 5 |
Having grown up collecting and listening to vinyl, I don't miss it at all. I vividly remember all the scratches, warped records, feedback from bass, wow and flutter (having said that in a while), accidental bumps of the tone arm… I had hundreds of albums and got rid of them all except for 1 box of about 50 I still keep in storage for the kids who may be able to sell them for a tidy profit one day.
Sure brings back memories… My biggest issue with vinyl, and you rightly point out a number of equally valid examples, is that there is a very high cost threshold that you need to cross to get at the best a good LP can offer. People that hear my system regularly ask how an LP can be so quiet, and "If I buy a turntable will it sound like this?". Unfortunately the answer is no unless you are willing to invest time and serious money into both the playback equipment AND the records and cleaning methods that go with it.
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,015
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,015 |
One funny story about vinyl is in the town I grew up in, there was a woman that ran a record shop, the only record shop in town, other than department stores. We always thought of her as a witch. I remember buying a Beach Boy's album from her. When I tried to play it on my cheap turntable, it was so warped that it kept knocking the needle out of the grooves. I took it back for an exchange. But she was trying to convince me that there was nothing wrong with it, by placing it on her turntable, which was much smaller in diameter and playing it. It played successfully on hers, but still warbled up and down. She almost got mad when I refused to go away without a refund or exchange. This is when I ended up with my first Vanilla Fudge album.
That was my first and last trip to her record shop.
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![](/boards/images/icons/default/book.gif) Re: Christmas Ideas for Vinyl Lovers
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955 |
Witch eh? Did she float like tiny pebbles?
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