Vinyl, should I take the plunge?

Here we go again...go vinyl! It doesn't have to be a difficult experience, get yourself a 'table that is good at Prat, forget about ultimate detail, get yourself a good carbon-fibre brush, haunt the used stores, Salvation Army outlets and garage sales, spend little money and have fun. Afterwards having spent only a little, see if you're hooked. Then see if it warrants a "huge commitment". A friend of mine raised his kids with a Maplenoll in the house, and lost one cartridge to his cat. It happens, even from ham-fistedness (I once knocked off the stylus to my Fidelity Research MC, a classic, I cried for three days). He also has SACD, and we never listen to it, being distinctly unimpressed (his vinyl rig has "magic", his SACD player, a Sony 9000 or some number like that, quite high up the ladder, is pedestrian). So, start slow, concentrate on Prat (to start at least), buy cheap (to start), have fun, and be philosophical about disasters. Like AlbertPorter, I have a CD/Sacd player, a cheap one, which I keep strictly to buy releases not available on vinyl. I don't mind listening to it, but for real musical experineces, I listen to my analog rigs. Personally, I find flea markets and garage sales fun, as you also interact with all sorts of people, and end up with a serious collection of lamps!

I like the fact that I can go to my local music store and buy used vinyl for $3 each. I have bought many great albums this way. Just my 2 cents..

I have to concur with the last poster. Starting from scratch and with kids around (unless you have a dedicated room with a lock)you will need to expend a good amount of money and time to make it work for you. Only you can decide, but I would give SACD a good listen before dismissing it. The results you get with any format depends more on the individual recording than on the format itself; great sounds can be gotten with any of them.

Getting into Vinyl isn't that expensive, unless you want it to be. You obviously don't mind spending some $$$ on audio, but you could start out into vinyl with a used Thorens or Rega or a Well Tempered (a bit more but you may never need to upgrade), with an arm and decent cartridge for $500-1000. Lots of choices in phono preamps - that's where you may crack the $1000 mark, but you don't have to. I would also recommend getting one of the disk cleaning products (I like Disk Doctor).

Records are a joy, but they can be obsessive (what can't?). They can also bring you back to the joy of the music as opposed to the acquisition of equipment. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Enjoy,
Bob

Definitely go vinyl.
I have pretty decent playback for CD, SACD, and vinyl.
Though listening to CD and SACD is satisfying, it doesn't hold a candle to vinyl.
CD is definitely more convenient, but doesn't offer the wonderfully natural sound of vinyl.
You don't have to spend a lot to have analog playback that will better your digital. An entry level Rega turntable, or even an old Thorens in decent shape (both used), with an inexpensive Grado cartridge, will tell you whether you want to go higher. Good luck with it.
(Thanks for all the sites, Albert.)
--Neil