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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!
I find that music made and produced for vinyl, sounds far better on vinyl.
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.
(according to Google).
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.
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.
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.
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.
I wonder if there's a market for full size sleeves/inserts as an add-on to the CD? Bought together or separately.
Chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them
Donald Trump needs kicking out of a helicopter
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.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
I have had my fair share of finds in charity shops and car boots