Rediscovering records


I have a large collection of records (about 2000-3000) but  culled about 200-300 to play over and over again through the years.  I picked the best sounding ones when I had a mediocre analog setup because I thought most of the collection sounded poor. Some time ago I did a major upgrade to my record playing system (about $8000 worth) but still listened to the few hundred exclusively. Just recently I started to listen to the rest of the collection and discovered to my delight that most sounded wonderful.  The better equipment changed my listening habits dramatically.

rvpiano

@mahler123 “l don’t see why people are so bothered about comparing….”

It appears we both have more in common than l first thought. 
My collection is 40/60 vinyl/CD. The CD side took off when shops started dropping LP racks from their shelves, so limited choice other than cassettes. CDs by default became the prominent media for the next 30 years if l wanted new. That tipped the balance. Now LPs are beginning to catch up again as l subliminally choose between CD or LP for each new item.

The most recent example is the first release in this country on the LP “1492 Conquest of Paradise” by Vangelis. There has always been the CD which l have had for 30 years, but this year a new double LP is available. I jumped at the chance to compare the new album. The recording has lost none of its brilliance and time will tell which gets more playtime in the future. At the moment the LP just edges it for enjoyment. Will have to see if the novelty wears off.

Obviously by what l have written, l am not into streaming. Net radio is about it, but as it never holds my attention for very long, I’m in the physical media camp. It is not really a concern which format l buy. Often it is just a choice of availability and price.

@mylogic 

It’s shame about those barren years for LP buying. I ended up with thousands of CDs that I would have much rather have on vinyl. It’s ironic that we’ve ended up back with vinyl decades after being forced to give it up.

@newton_john “…those barren years…”

l took advantage of those barren years.

l specialise in original film soundtracks and CDs of classic film scores don’t cut it. There were opportunities that presented themselves. I managed to cherry pick from guys caving in, ditching their collections, who were sold by the appeal of the space age technology of the silver disc.

Part of my existing collection is made up of LPs from an author who was an authority on film score writing. Looking at their true value now, he must be wondering what a big mistake he made. He had taped some of them, to get his money back. 

The book was about Italian film composers and the first of its type. The soundtracks are now rare Italian 1960s and 1970s Cinevox, Cam, General Music, RCA and Japanese equivalents not available elsewhere. I couldn’t believe my luck. It was quite a short sighted mistake to just sell everything off. Quite a few on Audiogon have admitted doing the same. 
 

I was smitten by the analog  bug when I got my Rega P3 turntable pre-CD era.  I and my friends at the time were very unhappy with the SQ of CDs.  Records just sounded better. I never thought once of getting rid of them.

Of course I had to start  collecting the tiny discs because that’s where the majority of the new releases were.

I had purchased a high end Nakamichi CD player shortly after the CD came out. At the time... no pops, incredible bass. I plugged it in a few years ago... it was simply god awful. I mean sounded terribly screechy and horrible. No wonder I kept collecting vinyl. It was so bad, I just don't understand why I bought any. Granted my turntable and phonostage were not nearly what they were a few years later.