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Stuck in the Past - a 33 RPM thread for vinyl listeners and collectors
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PetriP-TNT
Member
I can spot a difference between a reissue and an original, I have bought rare OG pressings of blues, rockabilly, powerpop etc. records from the same bins but it takes time and patience, usually I find like one record worth buying with 5 visits to the same bins, shuffling through 500 shit records to find one passable.
Got a question for the experts...
So I found out my parents have a neglected record collection full of some great stuff (Pink Floyd), some horrible stuff (Cher), and some weird stuff I've just never heard of. My girlfriend and I brought them home, along with a turntable, and have been listening to them whenever we get the chance.
Is it worthwhile to get vinyl records of modern bands like The Antlers or Band of Horses? Are they distinctly better than their CD recordings? I've heard some make the effort to have comparable quality while with others there's a marked difference. Is there a website that details which bands have vinyl records that are superior?
And on a sad note: we worked our way over to the lone Jimi Hendrix album and it had been warped to shit. I tried helplessly to bend it back to its original state (
), but nothing could be done. Was pretty sad. 
So I found out my parents have a neglected record collection full of some great stuff (Pink Floyd), some horrible stuff (Cher), and some weird stuff I've just never heard of. My girlfriend and I brought them home, along with a turntable, and have been listening to them whenever we get the chance.
Is it worthwhile to get vinyl records of modern bands like The Antlers or Band of Horses? Are they distinctly better than their CD recordings? I've heard some make the effort to have comparable quality while with others there's a marked difference. Is there a website that details which bands have vinyl records that are superior?
And on a sad note: we worked our way over to the lone Jimi Hendrix album and it had been warped to shit. I tried helplessly to bend it back to its original state (
Most modern vinyl will best the CD counterpart in sound quality. The primary reason for this is something a lot of people aren't aware of: dynamic range compression. Most mastering engineers are instructed to make CDs sound as loud as possible so that they sound good on iPods or in car stereo systems. However listening to a dynamically compressed recording on a nice home stereo will leave you with a major headache. That being said most artist instruct engineers (or the engineers take it upon themselves) to create a more dynamic master for the vinyl. I've always found that odd since CD specs allow for more dynamic range.
Check out http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/ to see how your fave albums stack up from a DR perspective.
And on a sad note: we worked our way over to the lone Jimi Hendrix album and it had been warped to shit. I tried helplessly to bend it back to its original state (), but nothing could be done. Was pretty sad.
If the record is already trashed, something you might try as a last ditch effort: put it in an oven on extremely low heat between two platters. The heat will soften the wax enough to straighten out. The hard part is not doing so long that you don't melt the grooves as well, but if it's already unlistenable then you don't have anything to lose really.
edit: holy typos
How many degrees would that be then? It's impossible to see and as soon as you see the vinyl melt it's definately ruined.
PetriP-TNT
Member
100 celsius, couple of minutes.
i actually have a lot of jazz records. i bought high quality 180g or 200g vinyls of most of my favorite jazz albums, however, i dont usually double dip, and i dont have any of the 45rpm 2 LP sets that are all the rage now. not sure i can justify the cost, or if there'll be any discernible differences. mostly i buy the reissues which are affordable. specially "Impulse!" reissues are awesome, and sound excellent. i also buy plenty of Blue Notes. sometimes i get lucky browsing the old stuff, bought a pristine quality set of all the Stan Getz bossa nova albums recently, German pressing. individual copies of Jazz Samba or Getz/Gilberto sell for upwards of $30 for the reissues, and a lot more for good quality vintage.
Charmicarmicat
Banned
Seeing as we are talking about old records, does anyone have a good recommendation for Holst's The Planets on vinyl? Would really love to grab a copy once my turntable gets here (tomorrow ).
).Seeing as we are talking about old records, does anyone have a good recommendation for Holst's The Planets on vinyl? Would really love to grab a copy once my turntable gets here (tomorrow
You could ask in the classical thread on the Stevehoffman forums, they should be able to tell you what to get since there are probably hundreds of different renditions.
Charmicarmicat
Banned
Cool I'll do that, thanks!
Whoops. Already chucked it.
Mind letting us know what answer you get? Holst's The Planets is probably my favourite classical record. Would like to grab it as well.
Charmicarmicat
Banned
Whoops. Already chucked it.
Mind letting us know what answer you get? Holst's The Planets is probably my favourite classical record. Would like to grab it as well.
I didn't even need to ask, a Google search brought me to this: http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-181669.html.
The Andre Previn and Zubin Mehta ones they mentioned are about on ebay (in the UK at least), I don't think they are the exact pressings they talk about though, I might pick one up anyway as they aren't too expensive.
Gotta love those forums, you'll find an answer to every question about pressings.
Also since you seem to be new to this thing, Discogs is the best place to buy used records. And it's much easier to know if you're getting the right pressing. Also by reading a seller's neutral and negative feedback, you can quickly find out if the seller's grading is correct so you won't get a VG+ record instead of NM.
Zubin Mehta version for £3 in near mint condition
Andre Previn version for £12 in mint condition
Adrian Boult EMI - several offerings in UK
I've listened a bit to all of these renditions on Spotify and I prefer the Adrian Boult rendition.
Citizen_Insane
Member
Stop making me hate you.New records for my birthday.
How are Untrue and Give Up on vinyl? I already have Funeral and it's beautiful.
Stop making you hate me? You are the one who just recently got Kid A, The Suburbs, The XX and Hospice! None of those are in my collection and all of them should be. By the way, what is the other record in that batch? I don't recognize it and given your taste in music I feel that I ought to.Stop making me hate you.
How are Untrue and Give Up on vinyl? I already have Funeral and it's beautiful.
Untrue and Give Up both sound fantastic. It's been a while since I properly listened to The Postal Service, and after seconds I was immediately reminded of why I used to love them so much in the first place. I also absolutely adore the packaging. It comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve, has some high quality inner sleeves, a beautiful booklet with lyrics and artwork, a separate double sided art piece that folds open to reveal a third and larger piece of artwork. And last but definitely not least. It comes with a second record filled with B-sides, remixes and covers (Iron and Wine's - Such Great Heights Cover!).
And as for Untrue. Well I've been addicted to Burial for little while now, especially with the recent release of Kindred (which I will get on vinyl sooner rather than later). And Untrue is just pure bliss to listen to and absolutely sounds perfect on vinyl.
I also updated my little record wall with the three frames from UO that did make it alive across the pond. All that is left is to get a good set of speakers.
Citizen_Insane
Member
Haha good point. It's Rooms Filled With Light by Fanfarlo. Here's links to some songs: Replicate and Tunguska. Definitely give the album a listen if you like it.
Wow. Give Up has some of the best packaging I've ever seen. Didn't know there were b-sides and remixes included. That's so awesome! I've been meaning to get the album for a while. Last time I was going to get it I ended up getting this poster instead lol. http://i.imgur.com/wCDMn.png (Looks better without the instagram filters, trust me.
)Great to hear about Untrue. I only really got into Burial a month ago, but I love him already. The records on the walls look really cool man! I should get some of those and hang up a couple of mine. Your whole setup is so nice. Love how clean it looks.
Fanfarlo? I have their 2009 album (Reservoir) somewhere on my ipod. I remember enjoying them at the time because their sound felt similar to Arcade Fire. Have to admit I haven't listened to them too much. Will give them another whirl. Thanks for the links!Haha good point. It's Rooms Filled With Light by Fanfarlo. Here's links to some songs: Replicate and Tunguska. Definitely give the album a listen if you like it.
Wow. Give Up has some of the best packaging I've ever seen. Didn't know there were b-sides and remixes included. That's so awesome! I've been meaning to get the album for a while. Last time I was going to get it I ended up getting this poster instead lol. http://i.imgur.com/wCDMn.png (Looks better without the instagram filters, trust me.
Great to hear about Untrue. I only really got into Burial a month ago, but I love him already. The records on the walls look really cool man! I should get some of those and hang up a couple of mine. Your whole setup is so nice. Love how clean it looks.
Yeah I was pleasantly surprised by the packaging. Definitely don't forget to pick it up next time! That poster is fantastic by the way. That image is on the back of the gatefold sleeve so I know it looks fantastic. Where do you pick it up?
I also only recently got really into Burial. I enjoyed Untrue, Street Halo and his work with Four Tet and Thom York before, but his work really started to click with me a month or two ago. Thanks man. Pretty pleased with my setup myself. Took a while to get it where it's at, but I enjoy the slow and steady progression. Would love to see your setup by the way.
Edit:
Yeah! Just caught a really lucky break. Was at my grandma's place to celebrate her birthday, and at the end of the evening she asks me if I can set up her new audio set so she can listen to the radio properly. I then notice she has a pair of ancient Sony 3-way speakers (Sony SS-A207) that she's no longer using. I asked her if she still needed those and, if not, whether I could take them with me. So I now finally have a pair of speakers to go along with my heaphone setup!
They may not be the highest quality speakers in the world and they certainly don't match my HD595s, but they're pretty awesome for a pair of free speakers.
So happy with them!
sneakypete
Member
pic is shitty but the musics are not
I got me an acryl-it platter and a phono box s for my debut iii. Shit is sounding awesome. Also going to order a ortofon 2m blue stylus for my 2m red cart.
Recently got vinyls for me burial - kindred, jj - N2, korallreven - an album by korallreven, jesse ruins - dream analysis ep, kraftwerk - tour de france, talk talk - laughing stock, pet shop boys - actually and I just pre-ordered cfcf - exercises
loving life at the moment.
Recently got vinyls for me burial - kindred, jj - N2, korallreven - an album by korallreven, jesse ruins - dream analysis ep, kraftwerk - tour de france, talk talk - laughing stock, pet shop boys - actually and I just pre-ordered cfcf - exercises
loving life at the moment.
Patrick Bateman
Member
Good question. I'm interested in this, too. One suggestion I have is to try to order from the label. I did that for two Joanna Newsom albums and it was cheaper than ordering from Amazon.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Give Up sounds amazing on vinyl, I just picked it up a few weeks ago. Been looking around for Untrue as well, going to order it soon. Wasn't there an issue with the first pressing or did I research that incorrectly?Stop making me hate you.
How are Untrue and Give Up on vinyl? I already have Funeral and it's beautiful.
Only downside there is that I'm hoping to get multiple albums from different labels without having to pay shipping for each of them. But yeah, still worth looking into.
Neat although modern dj software does this for you now apart from bpm you also get the key for your tracks so you don't end up all over the place.
bobbyrawlins
Banned
I'm looking to put a system together but this is all brand new to me. I'm also on a severely strict budget. It is possible to find a decent turntable for under $100 or should I give up for now? I know I'll have other components to acquire but right now I'm just focused on the heart of the system.
Look on craigslist for a vintage (70s/80s) Technics or other reputable brand. It will also help if the seller has some knowledge about turntables if you have any questions. You can definitely find a good turntable for $100 or less.
Yes, it's very possible to get a good TT for under $100. Look for some of the technics models. SL-1700, SL-1800 can be found on CL. The SL-1200MKII is expensive used unless you buy a parts unit and fix it up, but the other technics units are very good for very little money.
I picked up one last year (SL-1700) that was in fantastic condition for $20 in the Boston area. Just keep checking CL a few times a day and be patient. You may need to do a little bit of maintenance if there's speed issues - look up how to use Dexoit on potentiometers.
If a cartridge and stylus is included, don't assume it will be fine, there may be lots of stylus wear, especially on a older used TT.
Get a brand new cartridge and stylus. Red Ed is a good starter cart and stylus for around $30, or Shure M97XE which is a steal at $50. You may need a headshell, and don't be tempted to use a Stanton headshell on a Technics arm, the pins are too long and it won't fit properly.
I'm also looking into getting a reliable TT. I would like a pro-ject debut iii or essential but as badly as I want one I think it might be best to start out with a cheaper TT.
After tons of research I keep coming back to Technics. The models mentioned in the post above have come up a lot too. I'm wondering why a vintage TT over something new? Were these built to last or what exactly?
After tons of research I keep coming back to Technics. The models mentioned in the post above have come up a lot too. I'm wondering why a vintage TT over something new? Were these built to last or what exactly?
The Project Debut III is very nice. The reason vintage TT's are mentioned a lot is that they are available for a price that you can't buy a good new TT.
The Technics are built amazingly well. Direct Drive means you don't need to worry about belts or the motor. As long as the main bearing, tonearm bearings and tonearm/RCA wiring is good then you are all set.
If I could spend $300 on a Project then I probably would, but can pick up a Technics for under $100 (including a new stylus and cartridge). There is no new TT at $100 worth considering.
PetriP-TNT
Member
(High end) vintage hi-fi equipment are like build from stone, they can last forever, they look cool, work well and can be found for cheap if you are ready to hunt one as long as you know what you are looking for.
Good rule of thumb is that is it's from reliable label (Technics, Dual, Marantz...) and weights a ton (and works) then it's most likely worth buying if that price is right.
The Interrobanger
Member
Always check the label first, since they often have the best price.
Second, check www.discogs.com
Thirdly, check Amazon/Ebay
If all those avenues let you down, get the releases catalog number and throw it into Google along with the keywords "buy" and/or "vinyl" and you'll probably find a bunch of smaller stores and distributors.
It really depends on the style of music you like too. For a lot of electronic releases you need to import from the UK or Germany since they get no distro here. I order from www.juno.co.uk and www.redeyerecords.co.uk a lot because if you order 10+ records at a time shipping isn't too bad.
Insound is pretty good for Americans but as a Canadian is fucking horrible because they only ship via UPS. You get killed with shipping charges ($20+ for a single record) and then killed again with customs charges (at least $20) when they deliver. So fucking annoying, because they have a lot of exclusive releases you can't get anywhere else.
Thanks for the tips, especially Insound!
PetriP-TNT
Member
Definitely check your local stores first.
My local shops are okay. There is only one that sells new(ish) stuff, so Insound should help supplement the new, as well as the classics I can find locally.
I kinda forgot that I'm in Victoria BC. We have a massive hipster culture that is (naturally) heavy into collecting vinyl. There's a very good record store that I tracked down yesterday. Got every album I was after, save The Antlers.
Thanks for the tips, though. Unfortunately The Antlers' label just directed me to InSound.
Thanks for the tips, though. Unfortunately The Antlers' label just directed me to InSound.
Bought two old second hand records today. At €8 and €5 they weren't exactly super cheap, but I'm happy with them. Especially The Story Of The Who is awesome. Great cover art and it has 26 tracks! Low Budget isn't exactly The Kinks' best greatest work, but it's still a pretty awesome old skool rock album.
bobbyrawlins
Banned
Thanks for the info guys. I picked up a TT at a price I couldn't pass up(free!), and I was wondering if it's of good quality. It's a JVC model QL-FX5B. I've been trying to research it online but can't seem to find any info on the thing. Anybody have any experience with this model in particular or just JVC TTs in general?
The turntable in question:
The turntable in question:
PetriP-TNT
Member
Looks pretty basic (and dirty, heh!). Does it have a needle/spin properly? Is it direct or belt driven?
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