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What will you pay for a new LP?

When I started collecting LP’s in the 60’s I paid $2 to $4, choosing from a bin at the neighborhood market. Considering the limited space, they had a surprisingly good selection including Rock & Roll, my preference at the time. A kid then, I had decent cash flow from a paper route.

Records (I don’t care for the term “vinyl”) have gone up in price since then like everything else. In today’s dollars, those $2 or $4 Long Play records cost $17 to $35. You can get unlimited streaming for less than that. Used records can be cheap(er) but collector grade are expensive.

New releases seem to range from $17 to $25 for a standard 150gram and $35 and up for 180/200g reissues. Audiophile labels can go much higher, the Mobile Fidelity One Step 45rpm series list for $125. Colored vinyl too.

I have an ample LP collection and only buy a few new releases each year. I like to play what I have and don’t hear much new music I want to own. I buy a reissue occasionally to replace a noisy record but it’s a gamble on fidelity, sometimes the sound is not as good as the original was.

I did get a wild hair and bought a 45rpm One Step, kinda choking on the $125 price. I wanted to see what the fuss is about and determine if it was worth it. It does sound impressive-and quiet! I was disappointed to find a noisy patch on one record, which the vendor replaced without question and without requiring me returning the bad sample. Will I buy another one? Maybe, if they offer something I really like.

What are your thoughts on album purchases?


128x128bslon
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bslon's avatar
bslon OP
2,043 posts
 
@big_greg

You’re right about the appreciation on the One-Steps, I’ve seen out of print copies posted for sale at 3x their selling price. Same thing with other audiophile labels sold in limited runs. I agree on the UHQR disc’s sound quality.
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
Then there's the company called  Better Records who goes thru a painful process of comparing used lp's to find which ones are sonically superior, calling them "hot stampers."

Tbeir prices vary from approx. $100-$600. Notice I said "approx."  While I have heard a lot of good things about these records, it makes me wonder how long it would take before buyer's remorse sets in. IMO, it wouldn't take a whole lot of plays to have that recording go high on one's crap list.

This to me seems like a whole lot of cash outlay, considering the cheap a$$ I am. But that's just me. :-)))
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,162 posts
 
You can get a 96/24 copy of Physical Graffiti for $12.48 remastered for digital. I would never in my life spend $150 for a record of it. The new digital versions are top notch.
I don't care about the money or the value. I buy records because it makes me happy. Not for resale or value. My wife can do whatever she wants with them when I am gone. Modern recordings are better off in digital. Older recordings it depends. You never really know what you are getting up front which is why you need to love the music. 
While records may sound better in some instances digital is always going to be more accurate. I understand this is a painful truth for many vinylholics. Life can be tough. But, there is a satisfaction collecting records that is missing with digital files.  
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,744 posts
 
one step are an indulgence, i savor those that choose to step up for….
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