arguments against starting a vinyl collection?

I was in a similar vinyl dilemma a few years ago. Indeed there is more care and feeding involved in a vinyl system. However, after deciding to take the plunge, I have found the rituals involved to be pleasurable. The payback for me has been a more organic and satisfying sound.

With modern equipment, and record cleaning machines, the pops are rarely noticeable and when they happen, are not really objectionable.

Prior to vinyl, I had a Wadia 861 driving my CAT amps direct. Going to vinyl, I was obviously forced to purchase a pre-amp and bought a Supartek Chenin (with phono). I decided upon a Galibier turntable and Tri-Planar arm. This combination has been simply wonderful.

Fortunately, I had kept my LP from my youth, and have added several hundred primarily used albums to my collection. I find fun in hunting for used vinyl both locally and on the net.

Upon acquiring my vinyl rig, I found myself using it 95-99% of the time! With a $6K CDP essentially sitting idle, I decided to divest myself of it and move into the world of PC audio by purchasing a MacBook laptop and Wavelength Brick Silver DAD. I haven’t missed the Wadia, and now have the best of both worlds. I’ve gotten off the CD playback upgrade merry-go-round and if I choose, I can enhance my digital playback by simply acquirng a DAC. BTW, I believe that PC Audio is the future of digital playback. For me, it has been that good -- both sonically and from a spectacular convenience perspective!

You do have a significant investment in CD’s and it would be time consuming to rip them to a HD, but I’m getting ready to send my approximately 650 CD’s off for just that purpose. While over the years my son and I ripped most all of the tracks we liked from the collection into WAV files, they lack tagging info, and there are times I would like to play an entire CD or tracks other than what we ripped.

But I digress. Until I heard vinyl playback in my room/system, I wasn’t necessarily smitten with the sonics that I had heard at a local dealer.

I was fortunate enough to have my turntable manufacturer passing through my locale trucking a table from Colorado to N.Y. He brought a rack, the tt, placed it in my room and couldn’t energize the phono he brought. Believe it or not, I hauled one from storage a Phase Linear pre-amp from the 70’s fired it up and listened to a Galibier tt, Graham tonearm and Denon 103R. From the first few minutes of the first LP, I was sold, and the rest is history.

I have what I consider to be an heirloom turntable, and I love everything associated with vinyl playback. While superb quality recordings sound, well superb, one of the things I’ve found surprising, is Rock playback. I like most all rock material better on vinyl. It has immensely enhanced my critical listening repertoire.

I agree that i have to try vinyl at home to really give it a chance so now will wait till right oppty arises where quality used table is available locally that seller might assist setting up for a deal sweetener!

I don't think #5 is true, but #6 definitely IS true. I've been at this hobby for 45 years + (since I was about 16 and started building). I have nowehere near the total number of media you do if I added LP's and CD's and SACD's and DVD's together. I'd certainly give you permission to give vinyl a pass.

I'd also suggest that, if you wanted to give it a try either ask local audiogoners for an audition of their systems, or buy a used $2K turntable and a used $1K preamp and have a listen to a dozen albums new and used. You can then sell your media, TT and preamp here for at least 70% of what you paid for them so your total investment in seeing what it's all about would be less than a grand.

It would seem that you love music, so either way you won't lose.

Karmapolice,

IMHO, don't bother with Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and other such bands on vinyl. With all of the processing and digitization these bands use there is no point in recording it to vinyl. This is exactly why I keep both analog and digital sources.

But then, I'm coming at this from what appears to be the opposite side. For example, if it were me, I'd be starting a thread asking why I should spend more than a few grand on a digital source.

Dan_ed - I am going to be curious to see if your view on bands like Radiohead aren't worth pursuing on vinyl. Many people have commented how much better the recording is on the vinyl release than the CD. The Drive-by-Truckers just released five of their albums on vinyl and the band themselves talk about how much better it sounds on vinyl. You may well be right, and I currently can't evaluate for myself, but if that is a true statement, I'm going to be bummed.