Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Sorry for the off-topic gear post.

I recently converted back to vinyl, when I acquired my state-of-the-1977-art, new-old system. I finally (thanks mostly to acousticsounds.com and eBay) was able to afford the system that I wanted to put together these last 30 years. I had heard a so-called "analog" system at a friend's house over Thanksgiving.

My system has a nice Sony CD jukebox which is chock-full, but I am now buying uncirculated LPs and new pressings, and giving the CDs a rest.

The heart of my system--which I could have never afforded back then--is a Transcriptors Skeleton turntable, handmade in Ireland in '77, with a German Clearaudio wood cartridge.



Coupled with some Klipsch 3.5 tower speakers and a high-end Sansui integrated amp, this $3K system reveals texture and detail, playing vinyl, that I'd forgotten existed since converting to CDs back in '83. The difference between a CD and the same LP played on this system is astounding.

I thought to myself, "we've been sold a false bill of goods". I didn't expect to hear any difference and was amazed at how obvious it is...

The only problem is that my older LPs are too scratched to sound OK on this system.

So, just last week I picked up a complete tube-amplified system from fellow Forumite and bandmate George B. This one has a nice Thorens turntable with a less-pricey Shure cartridge, a Scott integrated amplifier of 1962 vintage, and a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers. This resides in the dining room, and does a beautifully warm job of rendering all my older LPs listenable.

CDs are relegated to the car player lately...

A bit of statistics: more LPs and turntables were sold last year than any year since 1985.

The prediction is for two separate storage/playback media to co-exist in the future: LPs and a new digital standard which far exceeds the overcompressed standard of mp3s.

I'd chucked my last turntable and given away or threw away what vinyl I had in the late 80s.

Then about 7 years ago I started buying it again, in thrift shops, used record stores and ebay. I bought a 70s Marantz receiver and had it gone over at a shop. I have three or four Technics tables I've picked up for next to nothing.

When I started buying albums again, I used to live and shop at a used CD store that also sells vinyl in Paul W's old 'hood in Chgo. It is just a few doors down from the fictional "Championship Vinyl" storefront used in the film High Fidelity.

When I was in there I noticed there were always a few early 20 something white guys going through the old vinyl (and I could tell they weren't rappers.) Then I realized if you're really into music, $20 goes a lot farther with vinyl than it does with used CDs.

I'm sure those guys do, too. So, some of those who were born after the CD not only do know what records are, they buy them and they aren't ganstas.

In addition to all the old rock stuff, I've put together a pretty nice collection of original Sinatra platters I've found in my local thrift.

And in my "new" 'hood, SF, there is a vinyl store in North Beach which sells everything from 8-track players and old Bogen PA amps (mostly overpriced ****), to albums--many unopened--at $5 each. The vinyl is in the basement. I'd estimate a couple of million albums, uncatalogued except for general category. They are in milk crates; aisles are 12" wide, bare bulb lighting and some tumbledown shelving.

I live in Mill Valley, and walking distance (3 blocks) from my house is legendary Village music, which Elvis Costello once called "the best record store in the universe". Don't know about that, but if you want mint old vinyl, it's the place in Northern Cal. Clean store, friendly owner and staff, good prices and atmosphere, everything carefully categorized.

Latest find: "Brothers Four Greatest Hits" (1962) and "Don Ho--East Coast West Coast" (1968). Obscure stuff is no problem, but they still didn't have the "Sorcerer" soundtrack album, Tangerine Dream's best effort IMO. In searching for that, I did come across a copy of Vangelis' "Albedo 0.39"--great early electronica from the time before he started believing his own press releases...

"I recently converted back to vinyl..."

Gee whiz, J.J., I never quit vinyl...it's always taken up a fair amount of my various living rooms/storage spaces. It gets played all the time...

There are occasional advantages to being a Luddite...

Converted, only in the sense that it is getting played more than CDs, Dane.

My place in Brasil has all my old vinyl (several hundred albums, including first pressings of everything the Beatles and Beach Boys released between '61 and '70, including those weird "Duophonic" releases), along with my other '77 Sansui components, all of which I bought new.

My turntable there is a B & O "Beogram" linear tracking unit. Not really audiophile, but a well-designed unit. I've got an AR-Xa 'table somewhere in storage there, too.

The thing is, I found chucking the vinyl I had was a better deal than paying to move it around in the years after college. Rebuilding my collection, I bought up a lot of albums for next to nothing at thrifts and whatnot, and found some pretty cool stuff.

I had a good source on my block, a thrift shop, but some guy started working there five months or so ago and there has not been a decent record there since.

Before that, I found a mono copy of the Velvet Underground Warhol LP in great condition for a buck, and lots of fabs stuff. One noteable thing I found there is a copy of fifth dimension with the shrink and promo sticker that says "Includes Mr. Spaceman."

I also have a Marantz receiver, a 2385, it sounds almost a nice as a tube amp and puts out 185 watts RMS per channel @ 8 ohms both channels driven continuously, and 240 @ 4 ohms with very low distortion (forgot the specs). Now that is the way they used to rate amps, nowadays the same receiver would be rated @ 500 watts peak power, music power or some such garbage. I use double large Advents with it, it really rocks the old house or very soon the new apartment.
I too never gave up on the vinyl. I have a couple of old half speed master LP's: Abbey Road and Aja, Steely Dan, they both absolutely kill the CD's, they sparkle.
I play and buy CD's now as more of a convenience, you don't have to get up and change them, many sound brittle and artificial compared to LP's.

Bob, when I bought my first decent component system (Sansui MIJ stuff), back when it was good, solid, and ALL METAL, 1977 or '78, I had AR-3a speakers and an AR-Xa turntable, too. I spent about half my first royalty check on it...

First album I bought was Aja. That album still stands as a high water mark for me...I named my last doggie "Aja".

Yes, that album is unbelievable especially Aja itself with Steve Gadd on drums.
I have always been a fan of James Taylor (good Massachusetts boy that he is), love his guitar playing. I brought my wife to see him last year he had a great band and I noticed his drummer right away thinking wow, that guy is good. He and the fiddle player then did a duet and I was thinking, wow, that drummer is REALLY good. James came out after and introduced Steve Gadd. He is unbelievable still.
I could never understand why they broke up, their last album Gaucho was as good as anything they had ever done before I thought.