Getting Back into Vinyl. What Amazing Albums to Buy?

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panda said:
don't waste your coin on fancy cables, there is no benefit, if anything they sound worse than the sensible properly made ones. blue jeans is fine, i prefer what the pro audio guys use (mogami).
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Totally agree on the Blue Jeans recommendation. Pro quality and fair prices. Great HDMI cables too.
 
WildBoar said:
Been trying to get my rig back up and running, and getting a 35 yo B&O TT back in operation is on my wish list. Gotta sort why the amp keeps blowing fuses, too. Hope to get our little boy exposed to vinyl/ analog.

Lots of great quality vinyl out there these days. Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct have a ton.

New Zeppelin sets are out. Can't go wrong exposing your kids to Page, Plant, et al :)
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I placed an order with Music Direct for LPs last week and bought some of my kit from them too. They also carry Mobile Fidelity LPs. Good luck with getting things up and running.

k.
 
Have you checked out Needle Doctor?

http://www.needledoctor.com

They are local so you can actually check everything out. I got a Rega from them sometime in the late 90's when they were still in Dinkeytown and haven't used it in years. You are welcome to take it and play with it if you want. I have a pre amp too but will have to track it down and figure out what it is.

I think Carole King Tapestry would sound great on vinyl.
 
Chuckles said:
Have you checked out Needle Doctor?

http://www.needledoctor.com

They are local so you can actually check everything out. I got a Rega from them sometime in the late 90's when they were still in Dinkeytown and haven't used it in years. You are welcome to take it and play with it if you want. I have a pre amp too but will have to track it down and figure out what it is.

I think Carole King Tapestry would sound great on vinyl.
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Nope, I've visited the website, but didn't even know they were local. Oh well. It's nice to know there is a good place in town to get kit/service.

And thanks for the offer of playing with the Rega. Once I have my system set up, I might take you up on that.

k.
 
daveb said:
"Mr. Drinky goes to Dinkeytown" Could be a great movie....
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Strange, but several forum members call(ed) me dinky or did for a long time before realizing there was an 'R' in the mix. I always thought to myself way back when, "Who the eff*** would call themselves 'dinky'?" Oh well, it never bothered me, so bring the movie on. ;)

Btw, this vinyl thing is a rabbit hole. I have spent the good part of a day researching how to clean LPs. I've gone from cheap spinners, to expensive units, to all sorts of enzymes and solutions, to finally steam cleaning. The steam cleaning seems the most promising along with microfibers and some select cleaning solutions. Oh, and don't forget the Mobile Fidelity sleeves for your vinyl.

k.
 
wow i've still always read it as dinky, i never realized there was an r in there either!

another place to check out is ttvjaudio and lpgear
and for in depth info vinylengine.com

once your collection gets to a good amount, those ikea 2x4 units are perfect for storage, i use one horizontally and place my tt on top of it.
 
knyfeknerd said:
Metallica-Master of Puppets
The Roots-Do you want more?!?!?!
Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique
Can't go wrong with Steeley Dan I agree.
Zeppelin......
....so much stuff!
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An interesting thread on Audiogon is discussing which great albums sound horrible on vinyl. Several have mentioned that Zeppelin LPs are almost universally bad. Another comment was that Steeley Dan is also bad -- except for Aja, which ironically sounds horrible on CD to some.

k.
 
Look for closest to original pressings if you can, otherwise opt for Japanese pressings, they tend to be EQed less and closer to the original mix. Gaucho american sounds pretty good to me.
 
mr drinky said:
An interesting thread on Audiogon is discussing which great albums sound horrible on vinyl. Several have mentioned that Zeppelin LPs are almost universally bad. Another comment was that Steeley Dan is also bad -- except for Aja, which ironically sounds horrible on CD to some.

k.
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Now I will need to pull out my Steely Dan records that aren't MoFi to check them out.

Aja sounds great in surround. If you don't have a DVD player that can play surround or are looking for one Oppo makes a killer one. Great customer service too.
 
Bill13 said:
Now I will need to pull out my Steely Dan records that aren't MoFi to check them out.

Aja sounds great in surround. If you don't have a DVD player that can play surround or are looking for one Oppo makes a killer one. Great customer service too.
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I have the oppo 103 hooked up to an NAD 765.

k.
 
So I finally got my speakers today. I decided on some GoldenEar Triton 7s. I got a good deal on them along with a Peachtree Nova 125SE integrated amp/DAC. But my turntable is on back order, so no discs a spinnin' yet.

k.
 
Had you heard the GoldenEar before buying? The ribbon tweeter looks interesting but I have heard (ha) that it's hard to pull off because the sweet spot is small. Love Peachtree products and if they made a phone preamp I would buy one.

The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the pink Robots in 5.1 is a great release (since you have the Oppo).
 
Bill13 said:
Had you heard the GoldenEar before buying? The ribbon tweeter looks interesting but I have heard (ha) that it's hard to pull off because the sweet spot is small. Love Peachtree products and if they made a phone preamp I would buy one.

The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the pink Robots in 5.1 is a great release (since you have the Oppo).
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I heard them at the store a couple days before I purchased them, but I have to say they sound even better at my home. Maybe the music material they played wasn't the best -- I'm not sure. Also, my ears aren't really trained to catch all the audiophile intricacies (yet), so there is that too. But I had read enough rave reviews on the 7s that I felt confident. I'm too sure about (familiar with) the folded ribbon tweeter 'sweet spot' issues. A handful of the speakers I was considering had them, but I imagine GoldenEar's Sandy Gross has the lineage to pull it off. At least I hope so, and so far I like the sound.

My room size is also perfect for the speakers size/output IMO, and the price was amazing. I got an open-box demo special and a $250 credit for buying a Peachtree amp/DAC, which also was on sale, so for 8 bills, it was an even better deal for a set of speakers that sound much, much more expensive.

And I am with you on the Peachtree. I really like it. And the SE package is definitely worth it IMO for the added optical and USB ports and upgraded electronics. A new basic Nova 125 can be had for $800 on Audiogon, but it just doesn't had the connections to make it truly useful without having to buy other kit an clutter. I also just ordered a refurbished Apple TV so I can stream Spotify, Pandora, and my iTunes library more easily through the peach tree. The days are done when Pandora comes through my crappy TV speakers via Roku.

k.
 
I would agree that Sandy has the knowledge to pull it off. I just remember when Michael Kelly of Aerial Acoustics was talking about building the 20T speaker he said that was the hardest thing to get "right". I consider him to be another speaker designer who has a great sound and no hype.

I have debated for years trying out a Peachtree in my office, maybe when the SE package starts popping up on Audiogon I will try one;).
 
I had Heil amt 4s for many many years and I am looking forward to hearing those 7's tomorrow.
 
Framingchisel said:
I had Heil amt 4s for many many years and I am looking forward to hearing those 7's tomorrow.
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I'll be interested to hear what you think. When I was at the audio store, they had a really good sound, but not the blow-me-away sound I experienced with my KEF 25 years ago, but I felt they had potential in my house, and they did. The passive radiators seemed to work better on my hardwood floor too. '

Btw, that music stack site is really nice along with popsike. Musicstack is much better than scouring eBay -- though I bought a handful of albums off of eBay too. I only get the more modern pressings off of Amazon when they have the digital download, but more than that I just go to the label directly and buy from their store. Probably three out of four of the LPs I have bought have come directly from the record labels. They usually have the best price and often better availability.

k.
 
So I finally got everything set up, ran the cords through the wall, hid most things to please the wife, and I love it. And the room where I set the TT up is where I spend most of my time now. Instead of relaxing in front of the TV at the end of the day, we now sit with the lights dimmed and listen to music. Right now Priscilla Ahn is playing and it is just perfect. I really don't want to make too much of this vinyl thing, but I am really surprised at how much this seemly modest change in music listening has adjusted other daily habits. Watching less TV was worth it alone.

k.
 
Was listening to some older Green Day, Kerplunk, and the wife chased it with some Frank Sinatra, Where are You? Now I am listening to some San Fermin. I do have some grounding buzz I need to figure out at some point, but right now I am just kicking back and enjoying music and a beer.

k.
 
Now playing 'To the Races ' by Eric Bachmann (of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers). Incredibly hard to find record, but it was one of my top vinyl desires. Next up is some Chet Baker.

I love this turntable so much, BUT don't get me wrong, a turntable in this day and age is a complete f***in' money pit. And there are 101 things that can go wrong that demand that you tinker with things. Shielded cables, cartridge alignment, stylus cleaner, anti-static brushes, leveling your player, high frequency sibilance, choosing the right phono amp, acrylic platter (for up north), mofi sleeves, any number of cleaning solutions, a steam cleaner or record cleaner, and it will go on and on. But it still is really awesome.

k.
 
mr drinky said:
Now playing 'To the Races ' by Eric Bachmann (of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers). Incredibly hard to find record, but it was one of my top vinyl desires. Next up is some Chet Baker.

I love this turntable so much, BUT don't get me wrong, a turntable in this day and age is a complete f***in' money pit. And there are 101 things that can go wrong that demand that you tinker with things. Shielded cables, cartridge alignment, stylus cleaner, anti-static brushes, leveling your player, high frequency sibilance, choosing the right phono amp, acrylic platter (for up north), mofi sleeves, any number of cleaning solutions, a steam cleaner or record cleaner, and it will go on and on. But it still is really awesome.

k.
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Why an AP, CNC aluminum should be fine?
It's indoors so minimal temp variations
 
Some of my personal favorite records:

Martha Aregerich Debut Recital (DG)
Arthur Grumiaux Bach solo Partitas and Sonatas (Phillips, and 2 damn expensive pieces of plastic)
Joan Baez in Concert Volume 2
Rite of Spring ('81 Dorati, Decca, the best version of this piece IMO)
Elegant Gypsy - Al di Meola
Central City Sketches - Benny Carter

My setup is extremely modest; Thorens TD-125 with AT150 into a Onkyo TX-2500 mk II with some Klipsch RB25 bookshelf speakers. It does suit my apartment just fine though. To be honest, most of my listening is on my computer these days; I really like my HiFiMan headphones and I chose to spend my money there rather than floor standers. Conversely; my vinyl setup is mostly raided from little shops for not much money back in my university days (which granted, wasn't but a few short years ago).
 
mr drinky said:
Now playing 'To the Races ' by Eric Bachmann (of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers). Incredibly hard to find record, but it was one of my top vinyl desires. Next up is some Chet Baker.

I love this turntable so much, BUT don't get me wrong, a turntable in this day and age is a complete f***in' money pit. And there are 101 things that can go wrong that demand that you tinker with things. Shielded cables, cartridge alignment, stylus cleaner, anti-static brushes, leveling your player, high frequency sibilance, choosing the right phono amp, acrylic platter (for up north), mofi sleeves, any number of cleaning solutions, a steam cleaner or record cleaner, and it will go on and on. But it still is really awesome.

k.
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I've been thinking about a small phono preamp for when I want to move the TT out of the office and listen in the main room. Do you have any you would recommend for around 500?
 
Bill13 said:
I've been thinking about a small phono preamp for when I want to move the TT out of the office and listen in the main room. Do you have any you would recommend for around 500?
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Some of the ones I looked at were:

Cambridge Audio Azur 651p
REGA - fono MM MK2
Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 Communicator

In the end I decided on the Rega. It is only moveable magnet though.

k.
 
Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 here for many happy years, I would like to hear the REGA.
 
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