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What might a "sensible" vinyl playback setup look like?

DSJR said:
Got to add that these days, vinyl systems are anything BUT sensible :D
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There is a lot of music that didn't make it onto CD, let alone streaming.

The mastering for digital simply isn't the same.

Used vinyl can be very cheap if you know where to look.

I love lossless streaming on Apple Music, etc., but vinyl still has its place in my world.
 
DSJR said:
Can I just have your SL95B to add to my Garrard collection please? :D
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If you can figure out how to get it to run at the correct speed, I guess I would have to give it to you :)

It runs fast at ~33.9 with a retreaded idler and slow at ~32.9 with one of those new "aviation quality" aluminun + thin band of rubber idlers. Interestingly, my restored SL72B loves the Canadian idler and runs nicely at ~ 33.46. And in general the SL72B is much less of a PITA. I put it down to having that lighter, one piece platter. In contrast, the 95B has what I call a "grandpa platter" since its humungous two-piece monstrosity is so cranky with every idler. The 72's tonearm action during the auto cycle is also much smoother, which I again put down to its having the lighter platter so it doesn't have to herky jerk so much like the 95B. BUT THE SL95B STILL WINS BECAUSE IT LOOKS S0 BEAUTIFUL.

Sorry for my running up against the limits of off-topicness. I must've gotten lost on my way to AK.
 
J.M. Noble said:
There is a lot of music that didn't make it onto CD, let alone streaming.

The mastering for digital simply isn't the same.

Used vinyl can be very cheap if you know where to look.

I love lossless streaming on Apple Music, etc., but vinyl still has its place in my world.
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I love lossless streaming of ripped CDs. Used CDs are often very cheap indeed. I recently bought a bundle of 9 CDs for £8 + postage. Even new CDs are usually cheaper than downloads, which makes no sense to me at all!
 
teched58 said:
If you can figure out how to get it to run at the correct speed, I guess I would have to give it to you :)

It runs fast at ~33.9 with a retreaded idler and slow at ~32.9 with one of those new "aviation quality" aluminun + thin band of rubber idlers. Interestingly, my restored SL72B loves the Canadian idler and runs nicely at ~ 33.46. And in general the SL72B is much less of a PITA. I put it down to having that lighter, one piece platter. In contrast, the 95B has what I call a "grandpa platter" since its humungous two-piece monstrosity is so cranky with every idler. The 72's tonearm action during the auto cycle is also much smoother, which I again put down to its having the lighter platter so it doesn't have to herky jerk so much like the 95B. BUT THE SL95B STILL WINS BECAUSE IT LOOKS S0 BEAUTIFUL.

Sorry for my running up against the limits of off-topicness. I must've gotten lost on my way to AK.
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Maybe best for a PM, but I've typed chapter and verse, along with BBen on VE, on how to check and smooth the mechs on these.

Actually and this IS on topic I think, Old turntables whether manual, auto, direct drive, belt or idler, ALL need remedial work done. I was presented with a late 60's Thorens 150, the owner wanting a tonearm change. Totally oblivious that the main bearing was worn out and that this DOES affect noise and in my subjective opinion, sound quality too - the suspension had been got at as well - grrr :( So, it's darned good that one can get decent performing decks (if carefully sited and pickup'd) for a very few hundred quid or dollars.
 
Platypus20 said:
Most my used CDs run between $2-$3/ea and the vinyl runs between $5-$15/ea, usually titles that are hard to find
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I've bought collections for less than 50 cents/record. Some of those $0.50 records I see for sale for $50.00 at the vinyl boutiques (old very clean reggae pressings etc), which means I could sell them for $20-25 on consignment or discogs.

I find $1 bargain bin used vinyl at local shops with music that simply isn't available in any other format. I think long and hard before spending more than $3 on a record for sure. I enjoy digging, however.

Your market might not be as favorable as it is here in the San Diego area.
 
Vinyl records, new, are now as expensive as they've ever been.

CDs, second-hand, are now as cheap as they've ever been.

Since they're so cheap, I bought a few more :)

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Brian Hall said:
New CDs are usually half the cost of the record. Better quality for a lower price sounds like a win to me.
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Lossless streaming is almost free and even better than Red Book quality with all the hi-rez options. I love Apple Music Classical!

I also buy a lot of $1-2 records with music that never made it to CD, let alone streaming, so the highest available quality for that stuff is in fact vinyl.

CDs seem like the worst of both worlds in 2024, but I'm glad people are enjoying them. :)
 
J.M. Noble said:
Lossless streaming is almost free and even better than Red Book quality with all the hi-rez options. I love Apple Music Classical!

I also buy a lot of $1-2 records with music that never made it to CD, let alone streaming, so the highest available quality for that stuff is in fact vinyl.

CDs seem like the worst of both worlds in 2024, but I'm glad people are enjoying them. :)
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CD quality lossless is great. The "Hi-Res" stuff is all snake oil BS as far as playback goes.

Unless:

You listen to "music" with a dynamic range from a pin drop to a jackhammer, 24 bit is a waste.
Your DAC is defective and doesn't filter out the useless noise frequencies above 22khz. Anything above CD quality 44.1khz is filtered out before it goes to your amp.
 
Brian Hall said:
CD quality lossless is great. The "Hi-Res" stuff is all snake oil BS as far as playback goes.

Unless:

You listen to "music" with a dynamic range from a pin drop to a jackhammer, 24 bit is a waste.
Your DAC is defective and doesn't filter out the useless noise frequencies above 22khz. Anything above CD quality 44.1khz is filtered out before it goes to your amp.
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That's a weird position to take in a measurement-oriented forum.

If you think Red Book is the be-all and end-all for your uses, that's wonderful. But the difference with hi-rez formats easily measured and therefore not snake oil.
 
J.M. Noble said:
That's a weird position to take in a measurement-oriented forum.

If you think Red Book is the be-all and end-all for your uses, that's wonderful. But the difference with hi-rez formats easily measured and therefore not snake oil.
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Do you have a broken DAC that passes frequencies above 22 khz to your amp? Does your amp specify output above of frequencies above 20 khz? If those are both true, do you have superhuman hearing?

There is no benefit to higher rez than CD quality for playback. CD quality, 16/44.1 khz can accurately reproduce any music up to frequencies of 22 khz. Any higher dynamic range than can be reproduced with 16 bits (for playback) is useless.

What possible benefit do you think you get from a dynamic range you will never need or frequencies you will never be able to hear even if your equipment could reproduce it?

"Hi-Rez" music for playback is pure snake oil. People see higher numbers and think it has to be better. It is beneficial to work with higher dynamic range and frequencies when recording and mixing. After that it is useless and wastes bandwidth and / or disk space.
 
My current thinking is that I might want to pick up a Parks Audio Waxwing DSP phono preamp, and upgrade current Ortofon 2M Red to 2M Blue or Bronze.

I recently purchased a secondhand copy of Newvelle Season One. I had been particularly wanting to hear Jack DeJohnette's Return, but it's a vinyl-only release, and and sold-out one at that. Buying the complete boxed set seemed like the better deal than buying individual albums, so that's what I did. Ironically, despite the impressive size and heft of the boxed set, if you want liner notes, you'll have to download them in PDF format.

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