would you bother?

I think of vinyl more as a cult. Pass the kool-aide!

Dan, I do wear my shades when spinnin 'n grinnin. The Kool-aid I place on the CDP to free-up my hands. ;>)

I use both A & D and have stepped in crap and sniffed roses from each. It depends on the software.

A well-recorded, produced and manufactured LP or CD (played over some decent gear) can give a lot of joy. The objective is...finding the f@#kers!

I'm 32, never owned a record up until 12 months ago (save for some 12" remixes), and started to build a serious analog setup a little less than a year ago. I guess I have about 300 records now, many of them new releases, and about 4 months ago, sold my Wadia 860x to invest in a better cartridge and tonearm.

I've never had so much fun or enjoyed music as much as I now do.

My most recent addition, a Basis Vector, has completely transformed my system. Adding the Vector has probably been biggest improvement I've made since getting bitten by the upgrade bug. Before the Vector, it was often a toss up between CD and LP; whichever had the better recording won. And although I can't compare to my Wadia, I do know that my LPs have never sounded so great. The Vector improved everything! Explosive dynamics! Big body! Lush, liquid tone! Great detail without the hot sibilance! Coherency, musicality, imaging... everything! I'm pretty blown away... how the hell can a tonearm make that much of a difference??

anyway... now more than ever, I am SO glad I decided to just go for it. It's been so worth it (admittedly, I've spent a small fortune on my analog rig).

Yes - I too was put off by the hassles. But since I could not decide on a decent CDP, decided to give Vinly a try. Was/is a little more work, but very enjoyable. A different sound. Adventures finding music, plus more variety. I am still looking for a CDP. Will be even harder now that will have to compete with vinly. But in a way good, not looking to replicate vinly but compliment. I may just take the funds for CDO and get one of those sexy Teres, but even my current setup provides enjoyable sound so actually content for a while.

I'm 26 and didn't own a single record 1 year ago. Like most of the young posters in this thread, I bought the records because I was curious. I played them on a friend's rig until I could get my own analog setup. I did the same with video games, movies, and even CDs. I always buy the media before the player.

You're going to have to go out and buy some records before you get the analog front end. The setup itself is easy. Just plunk down the green and upgrade from there. The hard part is getting records. You're going to need to see how easy and enjoyable it is for you to acquire records both locally and via mailorder. Either you are going to like it or you won't. And you won't know until you try.

My tastes largely focus on classical and heavy metal. And I have local supplies of both. But just as there are some titles in both genres that I can only get on vinyl. The same holds true for the 5 inch polycarbonate disc. So I have both front ends. Contrast this with my SACD venture which was largely a waste of time. At least is was for me. YMMV.