Vinyl lovers I must be crazy


I have been in the hobby for about 40 years and it seems that I enjoyed my simple system back in the 70's more than my high end system of today. My old system consisted of a receiver (sherwood, marantz) a basic turntable (later upgraded ro a B&O) and various speakers. My current system the cables cost 5 times the entire 70's system and the rest of the gear is top notch. I am not saying the 1970's system was better but I think I enjoyed it much better than today's system. The 70's system was a all vinyl system and my current system I strictly listen to Cd's. Is that the problem listening to CD's? For you vinyl lovers what do you think? For those that made the switch back to playing records are you listening more now? Enjoying your system more? What type of vinyl dollar outlay did it cost to reach vinyl nirvana?

Any feedback would be appreicated. Thanks!
bobheinatz
Bought my first Turntable in 1982. Wished there was a format that had zero surface-noise, because the pops and clicks were so distracting. JUMPED into cd format without regret until last year when I impulse purchased a Dual 1264 I found on Craigs list. Bought a couple of used lp's, and played them through my main rig at the time. I still find the surface noise irritating when it rears-up, but far less irritating than listening to a cd that was digitally mastered by someone that had little or no interest in preserving the dynamics of the original recording. For me;to vinyl, or not to vinyl depends largely upon whether or not a
quality rendering (and I DO think "Digital" is rendering)is available. I don't think you need to spend a couple grand on a turntable/cartridge to figure out whether or not it's your thing. I now play records on a JVC QL-A7 with an Ortofon mm
cartridge and am very happy with it(paid a hundred bucks for it-including the cartridge). The cd player I'm using is the Marantz SA-7s1 and I'm very happy with it also.
I wonder what he will have when he gets older? Link[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4E_BrGruCA&feature=related]
Bobheinatz,
1. Your '70's system was simpler, and life was simpler. This generally kept us happier.
2. I play CDs, but I listen to LPs. I don't need to debate which sounds better or has more potential. To listen to an LP, I need to maintain it, I need to be there to lift the arm at the end of it, and I hold a 12" square piece of artwork/tracklist in my hands, or pass it around to my guests, while it plays. CDs, and the increasingly compressed digital media that followed, are all about convenience, both for the buyer and seller, and earbuds are not about socializing around the music! With a CD on, I cook, or drive, or wander off. The medium IS the message.
3. I do maintain a restored 1976 Tandberg receiver with Denon turntable and JBL speakers, and a 1978 Kenwood TOTL system with KD750 deck and Ohm speakers, to remind me of the good old days. They remain very engaging, but not as engaging as my Rega decks with current cartridges through modern tube gear with high-efficiency speakers.
4. I don't enjoy listening to cassettes much, but I strongly prefer the tactile mechanical tape recording process versus "programming" my CDR, or my phone, or my coffee maker, or any of my other modern "conveniences." See #1.
Morgenholz,

I enjoyed reading your response. I also did own a Tandberg receiver back on the 80's and it was real nice. Progress is nice but sometimes I crave for simplier times like the 70's.
Bobheinatz, I have bought two "modern" systems in the past few years: a Quicksilver Line/Phono/Mini Mites and a Primaluna ProLogue Three/Sevens. Both have on/off switches, input selector, and volume knob. No remotes. Manufacturers can keep their feature creep.