Listening habits and LP storage


Does your LP storage scheme affect your listening habits?

The majority of my albums are in the basement while my system is on the ground floor. I keep about 30-40 albums near the system (so that they don't overtake the room).

I find that when I listen, I'm picking from the nearby albums instead of my entire collection. I also have lots of new albums that need to be cleaned before I'll listen to them and I'm not getting to those very quickly at all (although I keep buying them :-)).

I'm not at all frustrated by this - if I was I'd be motivated to get up off my rear and rotate the selection near my system. Rather, I find myself content as I put something on and get swept up in the music.

How about you?
madfloyd

Showing 2 responses by whart

My records are on the same floor as my system, but they are not well-organized, and yes, there is always the temptation to play what you know, rather than explore new things. I was sorta 'off' audio for a while, but am now back, with a vengence. I decided that, during every listening session, I would pull out several records I never listened to, or hadn't listened to in a long time. I now go through the selection, when I can, before a listening session- because, for some reason, my mind just goes blank while i am 'in session', or i get a sudden impulse to find X (knowing I have X somewhere in the rows of around 10,000 records), but never, ever, can I find the thing I'm looking for at the moment I want to hear it. (Of course, the next time I go into the room, that record just magically pops into my hand). Anyway, the moral of the story here is- pull the selections out in advance, even if you 'over -select' and don't wind up listening to all of them at the time. And, force yourself to try something you haven't listened to. (I did pull out that older audiophile reissue of Dusty in Memphis last night but after playing half the first track, pulled it off the turntable, because I remember why I hadn't listened to it in a while- it was a mediocre recording, made worse by the remastering. I gather the latest effort is better).
I also have gotten away from alot of those audiophile records- they actually don't sound that good- and many of the heavy vinyl reissues are actually crappy pressings. It's amazing what's on the grooves of the garden variety vinyl that was sold at normal retail prices (let alone cut-outs) in the 60-70's.
I do plan to organize stuff when I move, but there seems to be little point right now.
Jazzcourier, it is hard to find good help these days. My preference, before the downturn, was to use a hand wound Victrola. FWIW, there is a book called "Lost New York" which has pictures of elegant old buildings that have long since been razed. In one, showing an earlier incarnation of the Waldorf Astoria, the book depicts a room done with Persian rugs, samovars, and hookahs. As I recall the description of the picture, it was the 'Turkish smoking room w/ boy assistant.'
I think the Titanic was similarly equipped.
:)