Starting a Classical Vinyl Music Collection

@larryi +1

  I had hundreds of classical lps in the mid eighties.  I was so tired of surface noise, static, dust, poorly judged side breaks , etc, that I thought CDs were a godsend.  I still prefer digital, but there are just a few lps from back in the day that aren’t available digitally and this is what I limit my lp purchases to.  My original collection was destroyed in a house flood at the dawn of the CD era

while vinyl has unquestionably resurged, the factors that led to its decline are still present. A poor quality lp that was issued half a century ago doesn’t improve with use and ageing.

What has changed is analog equipment quality . One needs to be above entry level, but today’s gear can track and extract much better than the gear that most of us had in our youth. However the complete eradication of surface noise, especially on vintage lps, is an unrealistic goal

I lusted after DG lps in the day, and there are many that are treasurable, but on the whole it’s interesting how poor DG was a recording bass.  At first I thought maybe it was a Karajan thing, but many Bohm and Jochum recordings have the same issue 

OP

Do you know anything about Classical Music?  Your OP specifically mentions vinyl.

To me this implies that you know something about Classical Music, that this knowledge was acquired by other means (digital, radio, or performing it), and that you are wondering what is available specifically on vinyl.

  However, I suspect that what you meant to say was: 1) I only listen to vinyl 2) I know nothing about Classical Music, and what should I try?

  I suggest spending some time listening to a Classical Music Radio station to see what strikes your fancy.  Then perhaps stream a few different versions of the music you like, after identifying which recordings are available on vinyl.

  I could sit here all day and make specific composer recommendations, but it is a wide genre, and I am clueless as to what might light your fire

In my adolescence when I caught the Classical Music bug I listened to the radio a lot and then would explore stuff that struck my fancy.  It should be easier to do this now with streaming, and much harder if one is sticking purely to vinyl as a playback medium. 
  The Music ought to be the first priority, and the playback medium second.  Once. You discover what you like,you can then seek out vinyl editions 

It is an unreasonable expectation that lps of several decades vintage are going to sound pristinely quiet, regardless of cleaning machine.  Many of these were manufactured with inferior vinyl in the first place, as the energy crisis and other factors led to vinyl recycling.  And when lp was out of favor people stored them in attics, basement, garages, with no climate control.  Auditioning for noise before hand usually isn’t feasible, so it’s a crap shoot.

  New lps?  Ridiculously expensive, imho, and many of them use a digital mastering stage.  They might sound good but if any digital stage is used, then whatever theoretical advantage that vinyl has by maintaining an analog wave form is lost.  Like your virginity, once lost, it can’t be regained.  And if you are going to listen to a digital file, why embed it in a slab of petroleum, and then extract  with a needle slashing its way through the groove which it degrades with each playing?  With even careful maintenance, eventually your new expensive lps will start acquiring surface noise due to groove damage and other factors.  If you are going to play a digital file, use digital equipment.

   If you have a low tolerance for surface noise, analog isn’t for you.  I think you would be happier, OP, with a good digital setup. I reserve vinyl for recordings that can’t be obtained digitally, or that were poorly transferred from analog to digital.It is possible to achieve excellent sound either way.  The music is what counts most; the technology is a means to an end, and not an end it itself.