[Music] Vinyl records

[The Sock of Poskett]

Managed to kit myself out handsomely via Freegle, when a lady in Shoreham disposed of her stacking system. So now have a Cambridge Audio amp, Yamaha tape deck, Sony CD player, and have replaced the Sherwood turntable with a better Sharp one. Pair of powerful JPW speakers and the combo does the job nicely.
My record collection has grown substantially over the last 10 years so am now gradually whittling it down to more manageable proportions by selling online and at local record fairs. Still can't resist a charity shop or boot fair trawl though. There are still gems to be found, although silly prices have taken over in some quarters.
Music on vinyl is a splendid thing

 

[Cian]

The stereo I bought for digitalising stuff had a fairly decent tape player with a Dolby option. The turntable sound was tinny and awful though. I have to put all vinyl recordings through Audacity to get anything approaching a decent sound, so have ended up just buying cheap CDs of albums I already own on vinyl, just to get a half decent digital copy.

Tape does degrade, but everything has it's upside. The fact that it degrades means that it can be used to make things like this (You need an hour and the right frame of mind):

Unless its a direct-drive capstan (which a higher end old model probably is tbh) there's still belts that can go wonky; and gummy pinch rollers are the usual cause of eaten tapes not the tape

Tape definitely does degrade but rubber belts and rollers go faster! The degredation used there is magnetic degradation of the actual metal particles stuck to the tape.

Still have to occasionally pull archive content off reel-to-reel in work (a radio station that's been around for a decent amount of time), and minidisc very frequently. Usually the tape is fine but some was worn from reuse before archiving even. But this is all done on a constantly serviced Tascam deck.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Project are excellent for the money, I must say. I had a mid-level one a few years ago and it was better than decks three times the price.

Ortofon are spot on cartridges, too.

 

[Stato]

Tape definitely does degrade but rubber belts and rollers go faster!

Well my cassette of 77 did have 42 years to degrade and Blood On The Tracks is even older.

 

[wadhurstseagull]

If anyone is into purchasing new vinyl and lives within striking distance of Bexhill can I suggest you pay a visit to Music’s Not Dead. Having closed its shop doors due to unacceptable rate and rent demands it has risen from the ashes in the cafe area of De La Warr Pavilion. Del, who owns it, is a thoroughly decent chap with an exceptional music knowledge. He also puts on some great gigs in the Bexhill area. Stock is limited (it’s no Resident) but it is building up again and I never leave without an arm full of vinyl. I always seem to come away with a ‘Del’s recommendation’ too - no duff suggestions to date. Shops like this need support to survive and I can’t think of a more deserving business.


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[Gregory2Smith1]

The last vinyl I bought was about 18 months ago
A present for my son

The Book Of Souls live chapter (triple album)
There's a photo on the back of the crowd from one of the O2 gigs from that tour,which my son and I are in

 

[stingray]

recently bought a Rega Planar 1 for £250 from hifi store on London Rd, not Richer Sounds. Good fun digging the vinyl out the garage, this particularly

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Eastern-So...inyl-Album/1913427301?iid=112628308428&chn=ps

 

[zefarelly]

That shop used to be Jeffreys hi-fi. proper beardy buffs in the 80's, I bought my Rega P3 there in 93, and a cyrus 2 amp PSX 2nd hand, it was a major investment along with AE109 floorstanding speakers, but its all still good stuff.

recently bought a Rega Planar 1 for £250 from hifi store on London Rd, not Richer Sounds. Good fun digging the vinyl out the garage, this particularly

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Eastern-So...inyl-Album/1913427301?iid=112628308428&chn=ps

 

[loco61]

My favourite six lps ended up framed on the wall 20 years before i got a record player as a leaving gift at work.. really enjoying it but my collection never really reached its former glory ...

Great option though!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The last vinyl I bought was about 18 months ago
A present for my son

The Book Of Souls live chapter (triple album)
There's a photo on the back of the crowd from one of the O2 gigs from that tour,which my son and I are in

That’s excellent.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If anyone is into purchasing new vinyl and lives within striking distance of Bexhill can I suggest you pay a visit to Music’s Not Dead. Having closed its shop doors due to unacceptable rate and rent demands it has risen from the ashes in the cafe area of De La Warr Pavilion. Del, who owns it, is a thoroughly decent chap with an exceptional music knowledge. He also puts on some great gigs in the Bexhill area. Stock is limited (it’s no Resident) but it is building up again and I never leave without an arm full of vinyl. I always seem to come away with a ‘Del’s recommendation’ too - no duff suggestions to date. Shops like this need support to survive and I can’t think of a more deserving bucsiness.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hope the rest of his name is Anthony Warr?

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

That’s excellent.

Yeah it is

Fantastic souvenir to have

Especially as were both big Maiden fans

 

[driddles]

My wife went to a neat event near Toronto a few weeks ago. Hamilton band Teenage Head re-released their first single (20th anniversary) and held a show at a record pressing company. Everyone got a new single 'hot off the press' + they got to take it off the press.

I love that vinyl has come back (most of mine never left) and I hope that these kind of events happen more often.

 

[ozzygull]

Just upgrade the cartridge on my Project Essential 2. It is not for the faint hearted. Upgrading from the installed Ortofon 5me to the Ortofon 2m Red which was a recommended upgrade. Looked up how to change the cartridge on many videos and forums. It’s not a cheep upgrade the cartridge is £90 so did not want to duck it up or my turntable. So I bought a downforce scale gauge tester and cartridge alignment protractor before I did it and pleased as It would have been almost impossible without them.

I thought I had it all set correct but the sound was not good at all. It turns out I also had to move the anti skate weight to a different position, then it sounded good. But as I mentioned in the opening post I am no audiophile and this really scary thing to do for a novice. Think if I need to upgrade again I might save up for a better turntable with the cartridge installed.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Yeah it is

Fantastic souvenir to have

Especially as were both big Maiden fans

Very special souvenir.

Saw them on the same tour over here. Was great fun. Me and my mate then travelled to Leipzig the next day to see AC/DC with Axl. That was some couple of days!

 

[Is it PotG?]

Just been shown by a colleague where I might be going wrong when I get a little crackle during playback.

Vinyl Cleaning Process
•3 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner (Tap water with Sporicidin) on custom rotating assembly at 1 RPM for one hour
•Vacuum off with Nitty Gritty
•AIVS Premium Record Cleaner Formula No. 15 applied with Mofi Brush while rotating on VPI 16.5
•McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner applied with Mofi Brush while rotating on VPI 16.5
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•L’Art du Son Record Cleaning Fluid applied with VPI Bristle brush
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•Whole Foods Deionized Water applied with Mofi Brush (Separate from AIVS Mofi Brush)
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•Flip record and repeat
•Place record on Plate Demgnetizer

Hope this might help anyone else with issues.

 

[Honky Tonx]

I've got a red one, he's got a brown one, he's a got a picture on one of his

 

[Lush]

Just been shown by a colleague where I might be going wrong when I get a little crackle during playback.

Vinyl Cleaning Process
•3 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner (Tap water with Sporicidin) on custom rotating assembly at 1 RPM for one hour
•Vacuum off with Nitty Gritty
•AIVS Premium Record Cleaner Formula No. 15 applied with Mofi Brush while rotating on VPI 16.5
•McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner applied with Mofi Brush while rotating on VPI 16.5
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•L’Art du Son Record Cleaning Fluid applied with VPI Bristle brush
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•Whole Foods Deionized Water applied with Mofi Brush (Separate from AIVS Mofi Brush)
•Vacuum off with VPI 16.5
•Flip record and repeat
•Place record on Plate Demgnetizer

Hope this might help anyone else with issues.

Alternatively, just blow the fluff off the needle.

 

[Kosh]

Alternatively, just blow the fluff off the needle.

Yep, as the owner of a large record collection all this audiophile stuff gets my goat... downforce measurers and tracking scopes... FFS... just put it on and enjoy it, for the most part all these slight alterations (fannying about) make ermmmm slight (.0000001%) audible differences during playback.

It’s bollocks.

When you consider you can spend 30k on a TT, the difference between a £100 TT and a £1500 TT is frankly negligible... it’s laughable anyone would actually buy into the low end audiophile market... it’s all in your imagination.

Now if you spend megabucks, well obviously I would expect a huge step forward in sound BUT so few of us fall into that category... there’s a reason why low end Pioneer gear from the 70s is still so collectible, it’s about as good as it gets... for those on budgets based in reality. Ultimately a minimum of 10k per source is required to hear a tangible difference and then only if your hearing is actually good. Realistically children are about the only humans who could really hear the difference.

Stick to budget systems and spend the rest of your hard earned money on your loved ones, as low end (so called) audiophile sound is the great con of man. £1000 or £100 ? I know what i’d do... especially when you consider a £100 speaker cable is no better than bog standard bell wire... I should know, i’ve heard them both.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I've got a red one, he's got a brown one, he's a got a picture on one of his

I have got that track unnamed, who is it? Music is obsolete?