Thanks for this thread Nrchy. The posts might help me sort through the questions I've been pondering for years. For myself, I'd be better off measuring my vinyl by the ton. It's a bunch. My system is not made of the stuff most audiophiles own. It's an all Linn Aktiv system and does what I like better than anything else I've ever heard. Lesser quality recordings sound great and that's what most of my favorite music is. Only this week I've drop kicked digital by selling my year old player. After a decade of collecting CD's the total is 47.
jrd's statement about music collectors is what has always confused me. I know a number of folks with huge collections that never listen to anything and it seems those I know with the mega-buck systems don't have much software. Maybe it's a matter of money since it takes a lot of cash to have both. Some, but not all, of the high end owners would never consider playing a lesser recording so I conclude that for them (no insult intended) it's about the music when the sun, moon and stars line up......rarely.
I once made mention in these forums of owning a couple of truely rare pressings and was criticized for such. I didn't intend to come across as a collector/snob since I feel strongly that my collection is quite simply a sampling of our musical heritage and I listen to what I own. It's not in my collection for the sake of collecting.
I also play selections based on musical merit and that rarely has anything to do with sound quality. My audiophile pressings are seldom played because, IMHO, Mobile Fidelity, Nautalus, etc. selected music based on the merits of the signal rather than the music. They certainly show off what a system can do and I enjoy it a lot when the music has merit.
I've gained a lot of respect for 50's jazz recordings in mono but live for stereo 60's jazz pressings. The vinyl is of great quality and the recording sessions were done very well. Country music, of which I'm no huge fan, has been recorded very well and is a joy to the ears.
Last night I listened to Quicksilver Messenger Service "What about me" and was blown away by the content. I followed that with Traffic's "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys". Talk about poor recordings! Maybe it's nostalgia or something. Having lived through this era and seeing these bands live and remembering their contributions and the impact on my future tastes makes the music timeless.
I know a couple of AudiogoN regulars that have very revealing systems and listen to a lot of the same music I enjoy. Those are the people I admire the most.
