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Record collecting versus hoarding

At what point does "collecting" records become hoarding? Unless you are in the business of selling records either primarily or even secondarily, why do so many people here talk about having 2,3,4,6,10,000 records and CDs? It's not stamps or coins.

Let's say you listen to records 15 hours a week (a good estimate for me) that equates to about 750 hours a year or 1000 records a year. I like to listen to mine at least once every three months - I have 300 records and change. In the rare instance when I replace one for a better sounding one (I've done it maybe 4-5 times), I immediately sell the old one - with only one exception. The Sgt Pepper UHQR. I already had it on the Beatles Collection and do occasionally listen to it when I want a treat. It does sound better than the regular Mofi one, which sounds great to me.

Why would you have multiple copies of the same record and not just listen to the best sounding one and sell the rest?

Why would you want records you listen to less than once a year?

Maybe some people listen a lot more than me (and replace cartridges/styli pretty ofter or have a bunch of them)?

The reason I bring this up is because Acoustic Sounds is releasing Steely Dan's studio albums from the 1970s on their UHQR brand (not sure how they now own the name and not Mofi, but that is not the point), I am a huge fan and will be getting a few of these overpriced (IMHO) records, which will replace a few of my non-audiophile (except the Aja Mofi) records. I plan to sell the Aja Mofi immediately after getting the UHQR, which I am sure will sound much better. That is worth a few bucks, but the others I sell should be worth $10-15 in trade at a record store.

Anyone with records they play less than once a year or keep multiple pressings of a single album, please let me know your rationale.

Are you a hoarder? Too lazy to get rid of them? Like the way they decorate your room?

sokogear
roadwhorerecords
256 posts
 

My rational is, even if I don't listen to an album but once every couple of years, I have it when I get the itch. As for multiple copies, I listen to the best of the bunch and gift the other if someone bonds with a piece of music I've turned them on to. 

mitchagain
407 posts
 

Within my circle of friends it is evenly split between the hoarders/collectors and the audiophiles. The one thing the collectors have in common is that they own a lo - fi or less audio source (in one case only a boombox), while the audiophiles tend to have a reasonable sized music collection. Not surprisingly, the higher up the food chain (or budget) of the audiophile's system, the smaller the music collection gets.

I guess it's all about what your individual priorities are. To each their own.

bsmith
68 posts
 

I have about 800 LPS and 600 cd / sacd/ dvd-a

And I have a one year rotation threw the LPS.

The rotation works for me to rediscover forgotten records.

But I do long for the 70s when I could get my min and arms around 60 or so.

esarhaddon
137 posts
 

First off it would not be out of the ordinary for me to play 5 to 10 hours of music (of all varieties of sources) in a days’ time and that does not include many nights that I play music radio while sleeping.
You seem to place your likes and usage as some kind of standard which it is not. Next I ONLY have slightly over 2,000 albums, now that is by title and not counting for pieces that I have duplicated (for my personal usage) or a couple units that have turned up missing. Through the years My musical tastes have changed and I go through a wide variety of listening moods so I might pick out some old classical albums on week and slide into Broadway-show tunes the next and all the way to bluegrass the next. There are albums that I haven’t listened to in over 10 years but that does not mean that I will never listen to them again. Also at the age of 70 I have the time to listen and a person’s memories are sometimes all or at least the most important thing they have left in life.

 

jl35
3,909 posts
 

I've been buying records for 60 years...I keep everything I ever liked, sell the rest...a few multiple copies because they can sound different, not better or worse...really takes little space to keep a few extras...was never a collector, just bought what I wanted to hear...but I'm sure at times there is a thin line between buying what you like, collecting, and hoarding...

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