just an observation for comment

alot of folks making great points. i too have had the occasional new record or reissue sound great, but as much bad as good, and at thirty to forty dollars a pop , with better tech. and materials at forty bucks i should be impressed more than 50% of the time. dont they listen before they sell? an example a recent purchase of a queen reissue was so bad i only listened once then filed it away.but my neil young after the gold rush,fantastic. mostly just venting , as i love this hobby and love listening to music.

Vinyl is OLD tech, not new.

It has some unique advantages in some cases, but marketing hype obscures the reality, making people expect better results always under the false pretense that vinyl is inherently better in all or most cases.

The reality is it can indeed be better, but only in certain cases, and getting to that state is not trivial.

So it still makes for a nice new hobby if one is up for it, but just don't expect a new panacea in all cases.

For older folks like me that have had records for years, its a no brainer to invest in what is needed to be able to preserve the investment in records over the years, many of which offer outstanding sound quality.

Used records in good shape for reasonable price is the way to go in most cases IMHO.

The packaging and artwork inhernet with lp format is another feature of vinyl that can help justify the investment for many, including me. But nowadays, digital has the most to offer for most.

I decided to try measuring vtf,at the correct position ,by using a stack of CD's to be about 3mm under the surface on which the record rest's .
The digital scale is quite popular.
Adjusting for 1,75 grm on the CD's ,and then with the scale on the surface where the record rests,read 2,9 grm's.
Which means most of us using this scale, are running our cartridges too light.

I've been buying old Columbia,RCA,Decca records from the 50s and 60s because even though I may mot prefer to be listening to the soundtrack from Camelot, it sure as hell beats listening to some of the flat (digital?) crap coming out now. Wide open sound stage, startling dynamics, female voice to die for, delicacy, air etc. all miles better.

The problem I have with buying used records again and again is damage that can't be seen, only heard. I find albums that look to be in great shape, then get them home, only to find out the previous owner(s) destroyed the album, most likely from playing it with a damaged stylus. This has turned me off from buying loads of used albums like I used to. If I had to guess, I'd say about 15% of the used albums I buy are either warped (hard to see until you have it on a turntable), or have needle damage that makes it unlistenable.