I feel I have stick up for new vinyl because I buy a lot and if you are selective the issues stated above and on other threads are in my experience rare.
Usually it is the very popular mainstream, modern releases and reissues that can have problems as these are mass produced and quality control seems non existent at times so unless it is a specialist release by one of the better quality reissuers I’d go with an early used copy if available.
More niche genres like Jazz both the new modern stuff and reissues of older stuff are almost always pretty good surprisingly the only label to sometimes let the side down is Blue Note their classic series though always beautifully remastered can be let down by the pressing plant Optimal but it is thankfully quite rare.
I have to say, I own several Jazz genre based CD’s and they are some of the best mastered I have, big Herbie Hancock fan, I do also have a number of Blue Note releases, I guess there are just more variables with vinyl. The thing with both of these formats is you actually physically own something and for those with collecting tendencies such as me, the opportunities are endless to explore and build.
I ripped all my CD’s to a NAS and play them through my NDX 2. I also subscribe to Qobuz and access Internet Radio. For this 71 year old I am quite happy living without vinyl/turntable and a CD player.
Always happy to see folks display photographs for their turntables and discuss the latest releases they purchase. Although I am surprised when members report the frequency of times they have been unsatisfied with the quality of their purchases and have had to return the items.
Don’t be afraid to make the change gradually @Danblakemore , there is no ‘one size fits all’. I’m not surprised much vinyl is poor quality though as I fairly regularly returned LPs in the 70s/80s with warps, pressing faults and scratches (the latter presumably by unscrupulous dealers playing/mishandling the merchandise).
Despite being a former LP12/Ittok/Lingo owner, with the lack of available new vinyl in the 90s I’ve been a mostly digital purchaser ever since. And streaming local rips, downloaded content and streaming services, especially with Roon now, is so seamless.
I appreciate everyone is different and I cherished my old vinyl with hundreds of first pressings and rarities, I even used to borrow vinyl (and later CDs) from my local library to sample new listens with a view to purchase but since online and download availability in higher resolutions I’m listening to SO much more music in SO many diverse genres and with such ease of use I could never go back.
Like @seakayaker though, I still enjoy seeing and reading about other members’ setups, analogue or digital, it’s the diversity that makes this pastime so interesting!
Same here. Ripped my entire CD collection (approx 2000 CDs) to a portable hard drive. Sold my original CDX2 and power supply. Bought the ND5 XS2 with the money and I either now stream or if I like the album enough, I buy the vinyl. I’d simply run out of space to have both my CD collection and vinyl collection on show. Jazz is my thing so there are lots of fabulous jazz reissues being done using the master tapes by top engineers. Either that or I buy second hand in great condition. I’m a bit wary about buying new vinyl for current artists. I’m not sure that much care and attention goes into producing new vinyl. Without generalising too much, I think to have a record deck and vinyl has become quite fashionable amongst the younger generation but I’m not sure they’re too bothered about the quality. As I say, there are obviously exceptions but I don’t see many teenagers going out buying a record deck, separate amp and speakers. So for me, it’s now vinyl and streaming.
So, having been a former vinyl user, having previously owned an 800+ CD collection (which I later ripped losslessly), and having been a Tidal fan for the past few years, I bought a turntable two years ago. The trigger was my wife was clearing out her childhood home after her parents had passed away and discovering a treasure trove of vinyl in excellent condition from her youth. We still have the collection under our stairs but my issues are these: 1) the dynamic range offered by digital will always beat vinyl - it’s simply a matter of physics and 2) unless one isolates the turntable from the speakers (e.g. in a separate room), the vibrations from the sound (and people dancing in the room ) will affect the performance of the turntable - it is after all, physically scraping a diamond through a vinyl canyon to retrieve the music based on vibrations which are then massively amplified.
I recognize the subjectivity and strongly held opinions that “analogue just sounds more natural” - an opinion I once held myself, however, if the main point of hi-fi is fidelity, it’s really tough to beat the digital format. Just my humble opinion.
I moved away from vinyl in the late 80s for various reasons, the main one was I found the more I’d spend on a TT, stylus and cleaning stuff the more crack pop scratch I’d hear.
I’ve always made sure I’ve had the best digital playback I could afford and tbh I haven’t missed vinyl. I did toy with idea I’ve getting back into vinyl early this year only to find I’d need to spend a lot more than I was will to to get the kind of performance I require. Also I think digital sounds a lot better now than those early cds and there’s some excellent hi res files out there as well.
So if you are going to go digital (1) make sure you have a good player/streamer (2) you’re ready and (3) if you can keep them both at least for awhile to avoid buyers remorse.
Buying fewer of the remasters by Mofi and AP because of QC issues and ridiculous pricing but there are still some excellent companies doing great work at affordable prices such as Speakers Corner, Intervention and even Sony Legacy doing some excellent reissues. The latest Steely Dan catalogue reissues/remasters is a great example…AP issuing at stupid prices but Bernie Grundman doing the same catalogue at huge discounts to Analogue Productions offerings and if BG’s remaster of Can’t Buy a Thrill is an indication of what’s to come I’ll be sticking with these ones all the way.
I have listened to a stack of Phono stages. I even have a couple of sets of Naim cards, which perform well, at and somewhat above their price point. BUT, buying a second hand Tron 7 G.T. really showed me what my LP12 is capable of producing. Certainly worth investing some time in a few demos, if you can.
NOT original, and I completely sympathise with the desire to NOT expand to new shelves. You could have knocked me over with a feather after I got the Tron.
I moved away from vinyl when CDs came out.
I have never looked back. I like the box sets
Because one has unissued material and a superb
Booklet. Some come with a hardback book.
But Bear family and Mosaic box sets are
Expensive.
I did not have a big vinyl collection so the CD
Was very good for my collecting. The only
Problem is i like jazz. Rock. And classical chamber
Music. It is an addiction i cannot stop buying
CDs. Also Books.
But i do not drink or smoke.
Started buying LPs in the 1980s and never stopped (except a couple of years when I lived in the US and did not have a record player).
A replacement stylus for my Ortofon 2M Black has caused me to play records more and more. I know that almost all new releases are sourced from digital masters and yet vinyl still sounds more compelling than ever.
The price of new records is astonishing, with £30 for new releases being increasingly common. The vinyl revival seems to create more coloured vinyl releases which have never been a favourite of mine. I also agree there has been a drop in quality, my Vinyl Flat is getting more use than ever. And yet at its best vinyl replay is just magnificent.
Started with streaming and then added vinyl. Now the long term system goal is for the TT to become the main and ultimate source so that my ndx2 + xps dr will only be used for casual and background listening . I think having a superior analogue source (thinking of Clearaudio Innovation / Linn Select) should make getting new records a bit more special knowing that they’re going to sound better than streaming. I’m often reluctant to pay £30 for a record knowing I can play it anytime I want in similar quality for the streamer.
) will affect the performance of the turntable - it is after all, physically scraping a diamond through a vinyl canyon to retrieve the music based on vibrations which are then massively amplified.