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Is it all worth it?

Do you ever get the feeling when you start to question whether playing records is really worth it all?
You know with everything involved with great record playback.
The setup, the cleaning regime, the $1000 plus cartridges that start their finite lifespan as soon as stylus first touches vinyl and spirals into less and less value with every play.
All the tweaks involved, cables, mats, isolation etc.
Then the media itself with it's inevitable disapointments.

Don't you just like to push a couple buttons on your phone app and be listening to great sound with a worldwide catalogue at your fingertips.

Or is it that when all of it lines up and the sounds are just sublime, then yes you sit back with a wry smile and say...

Yep, it's all worth it!
128x128uberwaltz
larryh111's avatar
larryh111
33 posts
 
I spin vinyl about 5% of the time which is about as much time as I get to myself.  That is to say alone time when I get to listen to music and relax.  That said, a friend sent me a link to this cartoon many will find humorous.  http://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a19180




uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
I'm definitely getting it today and tonight.
Spun records only today and I picked some real beauties to enjoy.

Life is good...
😇😉😁
fleschler
2,002 posts
 
The Townsend Seismic Sink is also essential for many turntables as well as transports/DACs.  My VPI TNT VI sounded no better than my VPI 19-4 until I placed it on an HDF platform under the TNT resting on a Townsend Sink .  Now it's high end.   

I HATE setting up a new cartridge.  First it has to break-in for 50 hours.  My SME IV arm has a spring mounted VTA and no SRA adjustment (use tiny shim to correct).  This is the worst part of preparing to play an LP.  However, my arm is not VTA critical once set.  It sounds about as good on 120g as 180g records.  

To Mozartfan-Nope, I have at least 7,500 LPs which have not and probably never will be in the digital stream or CD realm (1,000 ethnic LPs for sure).   However, I generally prefer listening to my Living Stereo and Living Presence classical music on greatly remastered CDs.  Again, unfortunately, those that were pop are generally unavailable in the digital realm.

I listen to either CD or LP format about equally.  I've become lazy and only listen to my 78s about 5% to 7% of the time.  I used to transfer them to cassette and for 15 years to CD.  That really makes it convenient to hear 10" 78s.  
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
The Seismic Sink. One of the first iso stands and to be honest really not too bad. But things progressed a lot since those days. I would hardly call the Seismic Sink high end. But it’s certainly better than nothing. It should be in a museum of iso stands.
jhills
613 posts
 
I still have and listen to my old LPs and occasionally pick up a new vinyl, but at the prospects of soon replacing an expensive (short lived) cartridge and with the convince and the much improved sound quality of both CD and streaming, my enthusiasm for Vinyl isn't what it used to be. However, with hundreds of classic vinyls, in every genre (a good many of them master recordings) I don't think I'll ever be ready to completely abandon LPs; just a little more time spinning the silver discs and a little less spinning the LPs....Jim 
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