I want to get into vinyl, where do I start?

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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9502
    edited July 2017
    I upgraded my CD player (and speakers) about a year ago and put on one of my favourite albums. I listened to the same album on vinyl straight after. Like many comparisons, it would be hard to say that one was better than the other, but they were definitely different. The CD obviously sounds more immediately clear and you don't get the crackles and pops, but there was something about how the bass and drums meshed together on the vinyl record it sounded like I was listening to a band playing. The stereo image somehow seemed better on vinyl as well.

    I have a lot of 80s/90s albums on thin, poor quality vinyl that sounds crap, and a few old 60s/70s stuff that sounds great. Also a lot of early remasters were crap, so compare those with an early 70s vinyl version and the vinyl version will win.

    I listen to music on both vinyl and CD, iPod, hell, I even still have a cassette deck!
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  • BidleyBidley Frets: 2913
    Fidelity =/= quality. Digital is far higher fidelity, but it's perfectly viable to enjoy the sound of vinyl more.

    I find that music made and produced for vinyl, sounds far better on vinyl.
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  • rocktronrocktron Frets: 806
    For £100, you can find a Technics SLQ Quartz Drive turntable.

    Technics also make the SLB belt drive turntables favoured by DJs. If it was stored away and not in regular use, check that the rubber belt is driving the platter smoothly and that the rotation is even..

    You may need to change the cartridge (including stylus|). For Metal, I would choose an aggressive cartridge from the Shure range. For AOR (Pink Floyd|), I would look to a smoother pickup from the Ortofon cartridge range. 

    Stanton also make some cheaper cartridges, and you may be able to find Technics OEM cartridges..

    Don't be tempted to put an expensive cartridge in a cheap turntable.
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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3367
    Vinyl sounds good, Tape sounds soo much better, tape and tubes is the way to go.    
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27346
    Xandoor said:

    I want to get into vinyl, where do I start?

    The 1940s.

    (according to Google).
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27346
    Slightly more seriously ...


    I think vinyl is more about the experience.  It forces you to make time and actively listen to the music.  There's a lot more preparation, you've only got 20mins (then you have to turn the disc over), you study the album cover and can actually read the text on it.  it's all more of an event.  You anticipate it, you're fully involved in it, you remember it.

    Digital formats are about the convenience.  So, we tend to put a CD on, walk out of the room and back in, leave it on repeat, quickly skip tracks we don't like with a button push, etc.  It's a different experience, it's easier, it's less memorable.

    MP3s and streaming just take the CD "experience" to another stage of convenience.  But as it becomes more convenient, we value it less, we appreciate it less, and we probably enjoy it less.  Its easier, it's cheaper, it's less of an event.


    But I can't help thinking that the current re-interest in vinyl is largely created by music Co marketing departments.  Now that music has become virtually free (Spotify), old vinyl albums at £20/ea gives them a new revenue stream.  Nicely do.

    I've done the vinyl > cassette > minidisc > CD > mp3 > streaming journey, and have currently "regressed" back to CD for proper listening.  I'm not regressing any further.  I impose my own discipline of active listening (put that remote down) on some decent kit.  I don't get the pops and crackles - and I still can't read the text on the covers - but I still get the enjoyment from the music, without all the hassles (and costs) of the vinyl.


    FWIW.
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  • duotoneduotone Frets: 972
    A few months back I was seriously looking at getting a decent starter turntable (to connect to an old Marantz amp & B&W speakers I already own) & buying some vinyls of albums I really liked but didn't own on cds.  But the cost it of getting the new vinyls was the main factor in putting me off.  Another thing was storage space.

    Its something I'm sure I will get into further down the line, would eventually love a nice music room with a turntable/hi-fi setup etc. Currently I either play cds through the system or stream music through it via an old mobile phone which works fine for me right now.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    I haven't had a turntable for 25 years... but whilst packing up the house found all my old records... briefly considered getting a player but then remembered all the faff and with little kids about, just how breakable vinyl is!

    Was then a bit shocked to realise I don't even own a hifi any more. Almost all my music consumption is on the move. Mainly via the phone through car or headphones.
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  • lots of wisdom @TTony ;

    my personal experience when I was format testing is whenever I played CD version the soundstage was narrowed, very apparent in 60s/70s stuff (The Doors, VU, The Band, Van Morrison etc...)... a few other things different btu I am not starting a format war, I have no problem with CD just prefer Vinyl..

    I don't own CD now, just Vinyl and Spotify.
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  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    TTony said:
    Slightly more seriously ...


    I think vinyl is more about the experience.  It forces you to make time and actively listen to the music.  There's a lot more preparation, you've only got 20mins (then you have to turn the disc over), you study the album cover and can actually read the text on it.  it's all more of an event.  You anticipate it, you're fully involved in it, you remember it.

    Digital formats are about the convenience.  So, we tend to put a CD on, walk out of the room and back in, leave it on repeat, quickly skip tracks we don't like with a button push, etc.  It's a different experience, it's easier, it's less memorable.

    MP3s and streaming just take the CD "experience" to another stage of convenience.  But as it becomes more convenient, we value it less, we appreciate it less, and we probably enjoy it less.  Its easier, it's cheaper, it's less of an event.


    But I can't help thinking that the current re-interest in vinyl is largely created by music Co marketing departments.  Now that music has become virtually free (Spotify), old vinyl albums at £20/ea gives them a new revenue stream.  Nicely do.

    I've done the vinyl > cassette > minidisc > CD > mp3 > streaming journey, and have currently "regressed" back to CD for proper listening.  I'm not regressing any further.  I impose my own discipline of active listening (put that remote down) on some decent kit.  I don't get the pops and crackles - and I still can't read the text on the covers - but I still get the enjoyment from the music, without all the hassles (and costs) of the vinyl.


    FWIW.
    Nicely written post full of considered thought. I make time to sit down and "actively" listen to music on the "main" hifi in the lounge (Cyrus/Mission) and, for me, it's worth going through the ritual. 

    I wonder if there's a market for full size sleeves/inserts as an add-on to the CD? Bought together or separately.
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24211
    I'm thinking of getting back into communicating via carrier pigeon.  Can anyone recommend a decent pigeon and quill pen set to start with?
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    The OP has asked a very tricky question.  The easy answer is to list the usual suspects:  Rega, Pro-Ject etc.  The more difficult answer is to point out that vinyl music replay is expensive.  The disks themselves are not cheap.  Typically in Dublin these cost between €20 and €35 each.  Serious money and not a sum to be trifled with when a typical modest collection will be 50 disks!  50 disks equates to between €1000 and €1750.  The much hoped for 'charity shop finds' is a myth - all you get in those shops are dross that nobody would or could listen to.

    The other side of those costs is that you would not want to butcher the disks by playing them on poor quality machines.  And as has been pointed out, modern amplifiers don't have phono stages fitted.  So a decent phono stage is another cost to be borne.  Good turntables/arms/cartridges cost money.  Serious money in fact.  The reason is simple: vinyl is a mechanical medium.  Thinking about all the bits that move on a turntable would do your head in.  The signal that the cartridge generates is tiny and every wobble by a bearing adds gibberish to that weak signal.  So bearing tolerances are of necessity very tight.

    CD, and to a greater extent streaming, is mainly electronic.  So the possibility of a better component, such as a DAC or USB adapter, being manufactured is highly likely.  Thus improving the sound quality without wholesale replacement of working kit.  A turntable on the other hand is only going to get worse from use.  Especially so the cartridge which deteriorates from day one.

    I am not trying to put the OP off vinyl.  IMHO vinyl done right is a very fine music medium.  The 'done right' bit is where most vinyl systems fail.  Vinyl is an expensive way to listen to music.  But if the OP still persists, then he should go to a hi-fi dealer, one who sells vinyl replay equipment, and talk to him.  Mixing and matching of kit is a job that requires experience and knowledge.  A good dealer has that knowledge.  There are not many around these days.  And you may have to travel but it is better to get it right first time.

    If you live in Ireland, one of the few dealers I would recommend is Cloney Audio in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.  No matter what part of the UK you live in, phone them anyway for the best advice. [I am not associated with any company that sells or services hi-fi equipment]

    If the OP thinks that guitars are addictive, it is only scratching the surface when compared to vinyl music replay.  Been there, done that, got the Tee shirt and all the rest. 


    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3367
    I dunno, I got lucky a few times in charity shops, most of them do price records accordingly nowadays.
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • camfcamf Frets: 1190
    For me, it was mainly about losing a good few pounds and being quite liberal with the talcum powder.
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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3367
    If anyone fancies reviving their vinyl I have a spare record player that ive been told I must part with, a nice little Trio deck, I also have a lovely NAD cassette deck that im being forced to sell as well, my spare hifi bits cupboard is being turned into a shoe cupboard.
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • robgilmo said:
    I dunno, I got lucky a few times in charity shops, most of them do price records accordingly nowadays.
    +1

    I have had my fair share of finds in charity shops and car boots
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    robgilmo said:
    If anyone fancies reviving their vinyl I have a spare record player that ive been told I must part with, a nice little Trio deck, I also have a lovely NAD cassette deck that im being forced to sell as well, my spare hifi bits cupboard is being turned into a shoe cupboard.
    Potentially interested in the record deck. What model is it and how much?
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  • XandoorXandoor Frets: 6
    The Audio Technica deck i bought has arrived and is in general exceeding my expectations. The issue i have found is that the left speaker on the stereo set up is shagged! Anyone recommend anyone who can fix it in or around central london?
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  • GagarynGagaryn Frets: 1553
    duotone said:
    A few months back I was seriously looking at getting a decent starter turntable (to connect to an old Marantz amp & B&W speakers I already own) & buying some vinyls of albums I really liked but didn't own on cds.  But the cost it of getting the new vinyls was the main factor in putting me off.  Another thing was storage space.

    Its something I'm sure I will get into further down the line, would eventually love a nice music room with a turntable/hi-fi setup etc. Currently I either play cds through the system or stream music through it via an old mobile phone which works fine for me right now.
    Don't say vinyls again or I will kill you.
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  • GagarynGagaryn Frets: 1553
    Rocker said:
    The OP has asked a very tricky question.  The easy answer is to list the usual suspects:  Rega, Pro-Ject etc.  The more difficult answer is to point out that vinyl music replay is expensive.  The disks themselves are not cheap.  Typically in Dublin these cost between €20 and €35 each.  Serious money and not a sum to be trifled with when a typical modest collection will be 50 disks!  50 disks equates to between €1000 and €1750.  The much hoped for 'charity shop finds' is a myth - all you get in those shops are dross that nobody would or could listen to.

    The other side of those costs is that you would not want to butcher the disks by playing them on poor quality machines.  And as has been pointed out, modern amplifiers don't have phono stages fitted.  So a decent phono stage is another cost to be borne.  Good turntables/arms/cartridges cost money.  Serious money in fact.  The reason is simple: vinyl is a mechanical medium.  Thinking about all the bits that move on a turntable would do your head in.  The signal that the cartridge generates is tiny and every wobble by a bearing adds gibberish to that weak signal.  So bearing tolerances are of necessity very tight.

    CD, and to a greater extent streaming, is mainly electronic.  So the possibility of a better component, such as a DAC or USB adapter, being manufactured is highly likely.  Thus improving the sound quality without wholesale replacement of working kit.  A turntable on the other hand is only going to get worse from use.  Especially so the cartridge which deteriorates from day one.

    I am not trying to put the OP off vinyl.  IMHO vinyl done right is a very fine music medium.  The 'done right' bit is where most vinyl systems fail.  Vinyl is an expensive way to listen to music.  But if the OP still persists, then he should go to a hi-fi dealer, one who sells vinyl replay equipment, and talk to him.  Mixing and matching of kit is a job that requires experience and knowledge.  A good dealer has that knowledge.  There are not many around these days.  And you may have to travel but it is better to get it right first time.

    If you live in Ireland, one of the few dealers I would recommend is Cloney Audio in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.  No matter what part of the UK you live in, phone them anyway for the best advice. [I am not associated with any company that sells or services hi-fi equipment]

    If the OP thinks that guitars are addictive, it is only scratching the surface when compared to vinyl music replay.  Been there, done that, got the Tee shirt and all the rest. 


    Plenty of new amps being released with decent phono stages at reasonable prices - I got one of these and it sounds damn fine!



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