Should I sell my vinyl rig?

[Koeitje]

I don't have many records (about 150-200), but I sold my turntable years ago. Still buy a record once in a while, I just like the form factor as a collectible.

 

[daftcombo]

Guess you have a rack to put them in or are they on the ground. . To have them in a rack placed such that it eliminatie first reflections is a good functional option.

I have racks, but didn't think about using them that way. Sounds an interesting idea!

 

[FrantzM]

Hi.

I understand your query. It is very personal and our answers canonly be data points. Things to listen to and ponder about, so that to make your (personal ) decision
I still have a decent TT, perhaps 2000 LP, a phono preamp. I was thinking about getting a modern phono preamp with digital output and digital RIAA curve and ...

I realized that for the past 5 years, i have not played an LP. Not once.
I will keep the keep the LPs for memory's sake. They're in a room we use for storage.. in boxes..
I will keep the TT in the system as jewelry... It will remind me of days gone. I will likely never use it to listen to music. Same with a R2R, I just remembered about...

Peace.

 

[JSmith]

I realized that for the past 5 years, i have not played an LP. Not once.
I will keep the keep the LPs for memory's sake. They're in a room we use for storage.. in boxes..
I will keep the TT in the system as jewelry... It will remind me of days gone.

Same actually... probably longer. Mine needs a new cartridge anyway, but I still have it on display for memories sake too.

All my records are also in boxes stored in a spare room also mostly used for storage.



JSmith

 

[Snarfie]

This question is less technical and more... philosophical? So apologies if it offends. I'm asking here because I think ASR leans away from vinyl being a good way to listen to music, so I'm hoping I'll get from you good, rational reasons to counter my slightly misty eyed ones.

The facts:

• I have a low spec 1980s Linn LP12 turntable with a new MC cart, which I run into a mic amp, then into an AD converter, then into a Mac mini where I do digital RIAA and room correction before sending it to a DAC and then on to speakers.
• I've a small but growing collection of around fifty records.
• My partner gave birth to our twins ten weeks ago.
• Our house needs renovations.
• If I sold the vinyl-enabling portion of my system, I'd probably get around £2000, which is a long way towards a badly-needed new kitchen.
• I am under no pressure from my partner to sell anything.

My arguments for vinyl:

• I love the ritual of playing records, and how my records sound.
• Before the twins were born I loved going to second hand record shops.
• I have found some great music this way, that I wouldn't have done otherwise.
• I like having a slowly growing physical representation of my favourite albums, rather than them just existing as little hearts in the Tidal ether.
• I like the thought that in years to come the twins will leaf through and find music they might never encounter on YouTube, or whatever young people use by then.
• Records look nice.
• My LP12 looks nice.
• I am proud to have created a vinyl playback system that is balanced from cartridge to speaker, that enables me to room correct a turntable, that is I think totally unique (not so humblebrag, sorry).

My arguments against vinyl:

• Records are expensive
• Records definitely don't sound as good as the same music streamed.
• Modern LP pressings are often really disappointing.
• My system would be far simpler without.

What should I do?

Thanks!

James

Had in the 80ties more or less the same amount of vinyl records. Basicly gave them away to freinds an bought the cd's never looked back again. For what ever reason i still have 2 records from that time David Bowie - Station to Station an Joe Jackson - looking Sharp. Joe Jackson has a new decorative function on my drum side table. Mabey a idea for the twin room. You en your wife have a happy twin life.

 

[MCH]

Hi.

I understand your query. It is very personal and our answers canonly be data points. Things to listen to and ponder about, so that to make your (personal ) decision
I still have a decent TT, perhaps 2000 LP, a phono preamp. I was thinking about getting a modern phono preamp with digital output and digital RIAA curve and ...

I realized that for the past 5 years, i have not played an LP. Not once.
I will keep the keep the LPs for memory's sake. They're in a room we use for storage.. in boxes..
I will keep the TT in the system as jewelry... It will remind me of days gone. I will likely never use it to listen to music. Same with a R2R, I just remembered about...

Peace.

My personal experience: accessibility plays a big role. You probably never play them because they are in boxes somewhere else. I have them in my living room in a preferential place, keep them busy eliminating reflections as someone pointed out, and keep always a couple (not more, i live in a house, not in a shop) in a place that i can see them. I cannot resist the attraction of playing them often!! Not that i am doing that on purpose, it is just the way it is for me.
Guys, there are no MegaHertzs that compensate the big pictures, the memories of when and where you bought it or you were given it, the notes and drawings from unknown previous owners, the excitement of finding a rare jewell in a flea market, going to places you would never go otherwise to find that record shop in that city you are visiting...

 

[FrantzM]

I Got you @MarcosCh !But they moved to the "storage" room because I wasn't playing them... I have a pile of Mercury Living Presence, RCA shaded dogs and Decca London ... Some of these performances, I love ... but they're available on CD that were ripped to a NAS and now I can find some on Qobuz ... Spotify takes care of non-classical Music needs ... No ticks , pops, crackles. No need to clean plus the convenience lists and have Roon suggesting gems you had forgotten from your own collection ...etc.. 2000) LPs is very difficult to manage. You will forget many of those or not even know where they are...
Memories are irreplaceable but I am looking ahead and enjoying today's quality and convenience.
Aside from decoration, I have no needs, nor wants for LPs.

Peace

 

[Puddingbuks]

@Jas0_0 what’s it gonna be boy? Yes or no?

 

[NiagaraPete]

I don't see a 1980s LP12 fetching £2K. Maybe £500 plus what the cartridge is worth s/h.

You might as well store it and have fun with it when the children are old enough to appreciate it,

I don't play vinyl anymore but have kept it all and a record deck (well 2 decks actually). You never know what you'll want/need in the future.

I got more than 2K for mine with MM and a LVX arm.

 

[Jas0_0]

@Jas0_0 what’s it gonna be boy? Yes or no?

Ha. I’m still mulling. Some great points raised.

I think I’ll give it a few weeks, though right now I’m erring on selling the hardware. I looked at my record collection the other day and thought, “I’ve listened to all these a million times”. I’ve discovered far more music recently via Tidal/Roon/YouTube/Soundcloud than I have via buying records, and I can’t justify going out buying new ones at the moment.

If I do end up selling the hardware and then buy again in the future, based on what I’ve learned on this site I probably wouldn’t need to spend £2k again to get the same sound quality (unless I suddenly get rich and fancy some audio jewellery).

 

[daftcombo]

If I do end up selling the hardware and then buy again in the future, based on what I’ve learned on this site I probably wouldn’t need to spend £2k again to get the same sound quality (unless I suddenly get rich and fancy some audio jewellery).

True for a part, but this site doesn't measure turntables nor cartridges.

 

[Jas0_0]

True for a part, but this site doesn't measure turntables nor cartridges.

Yes true, though I was more thinking on the pre/ADC side.

 

[MattHooper]

There is no rational reason to play vinyl.

But who the hell says humans are always rational when it comes to fun?

As long you have fun, do what you enjoy to do.

I've seen that before and I get your point. You are not really dumping on vinyl.

But I think this use of the term "rational" still seems a bit odd.

It is indeed rational to do and buy things that give you pleasure (which you can afford).

Especially if vinyl provides certain pleasures that someone can't or doesn't get from other mediums, it makes it more rational to go with vinyl than the alternatives.

Cheers.

 

[tomtoo]

I've seen that before and I get your point. You are not really dumping on vinyl.

But I think this use of the term "rational" still seems a bit odd.

It is indeed rational to do and buy things that give you pleasure (which you can afford).

Especially if vinyl provides certain pleasures that someone can't or doesn't get from other mediums, it makes it more rational to go with vinyl than the alternatives.

Cheers.

Iam not in the boat to make feelings rational. Iam completly happy with my not always rational feelings.

 

[MattHooper]

Iam not in the boat to make feelings rational. Iam completly happy with my not always rational feelings.

But that's still a strange concept of "rational."


Rationality is essentially the coherence between your desires beliefs and actions. That is, you have a desire/goal and rationality is how you reason toward what action is likely to achieve that goal, based on your beliefs.

So if you felt like drinking a can of coke, and you believed the only place in your home where there was a can of coke was in your fridge, then it's a rational act to go to the fridge and get the coke to fulfill that desire.

But if you instead walked outside to your backyard, where you knew there was no coke, to get the coke, THAT would be irrational.

Or if you believed there wasn't a coke in your fridge, but you still went to the fridge to get a coke. THAT would be irrational.

Rational actions are based on fulfilling desires/goals, and all desires are subjective as the starting poine, so you are always doing things "based on what you like/want/desire."

If for instance your goal is to achieve as much sonic accuracy as possible, then that's a value judgement of your own, something you like or want to achieve. Then choosing something like digital sources over vinyl will be the more rational action to achieve that desire. But at bottom, there is not Law Written In To The Fabric Of The Universe that "accuracy is to be sought in music playback sources!" That's a value judgement or personal desire you start with, and others may share.

If your goal is NOT accuracy per se, but that you like some of the aspects of vinyl - the physicality, the artwork, turntables are cool to you, it maybe changes the way you listen etc - then the act of buying a turntable and vinyl is the rational choice. It would be irrational to choose streaming digital, since that does not actually meet your desire/goal. It would be like desiring to eat the salmon main course on a menu, looking to fulfill that desire, but ordering the steak instead. That's irrational.

So there is no fundamental way in which buying digital music is "rational" and NOT based on feelings/desires, where buying vinyl isn't rational because it is only based on feelings/desires. Both start from wanting to satisfy some feeling/desire.

 

[levimax]

Keep rig and records.. TT's are not like DACs.... They are limited production mechanical devices and will always be expensive. While having a TT and records may be an impractical luxury for you now at some point you will be glad you kept them and will be surprised and delighted when you put on an old favorite record.

 

[MaxBuck]

I personally don't understand fascination with vinyl. On the other hand, I don't understand why people like sweetbreads, jazz dance, crocheting or Russian poetry, nor why gay people are attracted to ... whom they're attracted to. But none of that is important. What matters is what you like.. If futzing around with turntables, cartridges, phono stages and large disks containing musical information is enjoyable for you, don't let anyone tell you that it's a waste of time, energy or money. You have to decide for yourself!

 

[Robin L]

You'd probably would be better off storing the LP-12 for the duration. It's one of those things that a youngster just might want to play with.

 

[TolaJr]

Another factor is if music is if the vinyl in a collection is readily available in CD or digital formats. Personally I have about 800 records that because of their age, origin or rarity ( Africa, South America, Caribbean etc ) aren’t available anywhere else. Digitizing them would take forever and still wouldn’t gain regarding audio quality. I’ve learned to just enjoy them for what they are.

 

[Moonhead]

Depends on how often you put a record on, if once a week then maybe sell if daily then keep it.
When my eldest boy where a year Old I decided to sell my collection and turntable and go with actives,
for me it was the right choice and I Think its not very pratical with toddlers messing with your vinyl, IMO.