Vinyl

So this is apparently back and only growing in business. Its record store day today so I had a nose around because I've been thinking of picking some up lately, Mac DeMarco if anyone's interested.

I realised I have no idea where to start with a Vinyl player though so I thought I'd ask how the forum is feeling about its resurgence and for some recommendations too.

Away you go.

I have a bit of a collection. I like the sound and the big cover art, and it's more of an ~experience~ than listening to downloads or CDs. Some labels / retailers are taking advantage of the upturn in popularity and expect you to pay £18+ for a new release or even a reissue. Most of the time you get a download code as well though.

This is my player - Denon DP-200USB Turntable - easy to set up and works perfectly, and you can convert your records into mp3. The Project Debut is often cited as a good beginner's turntable but is dearer and looked a bit fiddly to me.

£150 is a bit more than I want to spend really, would be good to see some pictures of your setup. Do you have an opinion on what type of music sounds better/best on Vinyl.

I tried a vinyl topic last year but it never took off

Haven't done RSD this year, I might pop down later today. There's only one release I want which is by Rival Sons and they have never sold out in previous years so I didn't bother waking up early watch as I can only get it on eBay as they've sold out

I've still got all my vinyl from when I was a kid, I've been lugging it around with me for over half my life, from parent's house to bedsits, bedsits to shared flats, various girlfriends' houses etc. all I need now is a turntable, amp and speakers

I've never stopped buying vinyl, so I'm getting mightily strawberry floated off at the huge jump in prices now that it is getting popular again. Even second hand vinyl is rocketing in price after years of languishing in dusty second hand record shops.

OnlyShallow wrote:I've still got all my vinyl from when I was a kid, I've been lugging it around with me for over half my life, from parent's house to bedsits, bedsits to shared flats, various girlfriends' houses etc. all I need now is a turntable, amp and speakers

I've never stopped buying vinyl, so I'm getting mightily strawberry floated off at the huge jump in prices now that it is getting popular again. Even second hand vinyl is rocketing in price after years of languishing in dusty second hand record shops.

It does seem crazy, HMV were asking for £30+ for Led Zepellin 4

It was good to see lots of people out at my local independent for RSD

Just went on The Popsike site out of curiosity, searched for one of my albums and found that a copy sold for $100 in 2012...

Another one went for $123

http://www.popsike.com/BUTTHOLE-SURFERS-Independent-Worm-Saloon-LP-Vinyl/300419127998.html

I got a funky looking blue Crossley deck with speakers built in. They're £125 in urban outfitters, £60+ on eBay and if you're lucky they'll strawberry float up delivery and send you two.

The most I've ever paid is about £130 to import a 4 track EP from the States then I went to see that particular band in London and they had them on the merch stand for £20 extra facepalms for lending my friend the only £20 I had for drinks beforehand because he only had a credit card

Plus the local record shop has a resident cat so that's nice.

Captain Kinopio wrote:£150 is a bit more than I want to spend really, would be good to see some pictures of your setup. Do you have an opinion on what type of music sounds better/best on Vinyl.

Long time record buyer here, so happy to help if I can.

Firstly, forget the 'vinyl sounds better' argument. Many records from 30 years ago can sound better than their CD pressings, but that's because CDs were an emerging technology and were badly mastered for years. Nowadays most CDs are well mastered (assuming you avoid overly compressed releases) and, as the record studios are digital, the records are often just the CD files etched into wax. They can sound terrible. There are exceptions, but often you'll find that the sound produced by CDs/high quality downloads is at least equal to the vinyl pressing, if not significantly better.

Secondly, this is especially true if you're spending anything less than £300 on a new system to listen to records on. You'll need a good turntable that isolates motor vibration well with a good cartridge/stylus, you'll need a decent amp/preamp, and you'll need good speakers. I have a Rega RP1 turntable and a Marantz PM5004 amp and that's still considered low end. An all-in-one solution like a Crosley will have tinny speakers, won't take into account the varying weights of records, and will have a cheap needle on the end. Some say that those players can actually wear down your records over time (although I'd imagine that's the case with all record players to some degree).

(My speakers are old and gooseberry fool. Let's gloss over them quickly.)

Thirdly, and most importantly, none of this really matters. Records are great because you are paying for music. Music nowadays is almost infinite and free; by paying a couple of quid for a record, it has value to you. I find that if I'm sent an MP3 album by a record label it's highly unlikely that I'll listen to it at all because it's all but worthless. If I spend £10-20 on a new LP, I will listen to it intently. It's a piece of art that I'll pay attention to and want to get the value out of it that I've spent on it. Sometimes I've bought an LP, listened to the actual record maybe a dozen times, but listened to the included MP3 version over and over again. Many people don't get that at all. It's an expensive habit.

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to buy records. I've heard tales of people buying records who don't own a record player and don't ever intend to; they get them because they're a physical object and, with the included downloads, they can still hear the music.

If you want a £50 Steepletone with a tinny speaker to play a scratchy copy of The Maccabees, that's totally fine (on't go in expecting amazing clarity if you do that, mind). Do figure out why you want to buy records and go from there.

If you want to get a proper player, I'd suggest looking at a Sony PS-LX300 turntable. They can be plugged into almost any speaker system, they have USB out so you can record to your computer if you like, and they're relatively easy to pick up. Think I saw them in Clas Ohlson for about £100 a few months back.

Any questions, drop me a PM.