Want to Start vinyl

"Don't listen to the haters" No one is hating. Were just saying that if you don't have a collection already there is no point in bothering with vinyl. As far as buying used vinyl goes it's very hit or miss. I have bought 30 used records in the past 2 months and only 5 are worth listening to. Luckily the store where I bought them from issued me a credit. Now if money isn't a problem and you can afford new issues from Analogue productions, Speakers corner and Pure pleasure records then I would say go for it. Just remember these high quality records run a minimum 25.00 and can go up to 100.00.

If you clean your used LPs properly, most will sound great. Don't underestimate the value of a good cleaning regimen.
There are also many new rock LPs released that sell for $12-15. Many now also include codes for digital downloads, so I can enjoy LPs at home, and take the songs via Ipod on the road. The bigger record labels are also starting to get back in. Things are trending the right direction.
Even if you don't have any LPs now, I think it's well worth it to get into vinyl! Cheers,
Spencer

Starting vinyl from scratch is usually not a good idea. Take this from someone who's got 3x more records than CDs and loves to play records. However, I started buying LPs back in 1977.

Most times is better to donate the money to the poor.

***

what city do you live in or near

some places have lots of vinyl
others scarce

go for it!

I bought a $3k setup
and now have a $17k setup
and I'm back in the magic of music
something the cd can't quite deliver

For some people, like Jjmali mentioned, hunting for vinyl is half of the hobby. It's the thrill of finding something great, or even just the prospect of finding something great. And when you do, the payoff means getting to listen to some of your favorite music, which is a real kick!

For others, like Taters, hunting for vinyl is a hassle. There's a lot of effort involved with inspection and seeking good used sources, and even then you will end up with some records that will sound like they were played with a dull thumbtack attached to a stick.

So it really depends on how you approach the hobby. Personally, I'm in the "thrill of the hunt" camp, and really enjoy the feeling of coming across a mint copy of something I was looking for (or something I didn't know I was looking for), even if I end up buying 75% duds to get there. I know that if I absolutely NEED a vinyl copy of something, I can afford to pay $20-$60 here and there as a special treat, but you will be very surprised at what kind of gems you'll uncover in used bins.

I'm with JohnnyB53 on the Technics SL-1200 turntable. You will find that the main opposition you will run into on this forum regarding the Technics turntable is that it is Direct Drive as opposed to Belt Drive, but you can do a search in the forums to find both sides of that argument thoroughly expounded upon. But if you do decided to pursue this route, I would also recommend finding the website of KAB USA and investing in some of their upgrades for the SL-1200 (or just buy a pre-upgraded table from them). This will put a turntable on your rack for under $700 and leave PLENTY of money left over for a cartridge (I say get the best Dynavector your budget allows) and vinyl hunting money.

As a personal aside and necessary disclosure, I started with a Linn turntable at the recommendation of posters who said that a belt drive was my only option as a budding audiophile, and since I've made the switch to the Technics SL-1200 I am playing a lot more records. I'm just one set of ears though, so if you get a chance to do some of your own comparisons then I would highly, highly recommend it.

It's always more fun to TRY something than to NOT TRY something, and the resell value on audio equipment is very decent so if you can afford to try it, then go for it!

Good luck with whatever you decide,

Dusty