The excitement of buying albums...

Cuttlefish · 29-12-2019 9:11pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

What turntables are people using?

I have a Thorens TD-150 MK II.

I bought a second hand Technics SL-Q3 from eBay Germany and I love it

Here is my HiFi set up...

https://youtu.be/eB4VUWak0tQ

Arghus · 29-12-2019 9:17pm

Never got the fetishisation of vinyl over the CD myself either.

Sure, vinyl looks lovely and all, but I feel it's a rip off, when a CD played through a good system will probably give you superior sound. There's a lot of wu-wu out there about the intangible magical qualities of vinyl. By all means buy it if it's your only option of buying physical music, but people who place it on a pedestal and look down on CDs are deluded imo.

NewbridgeIR · 29-12-2019 9:18pm

Cuttlefish wrote: »

I bought a second hand Technics SL-Q3 from eBay Germany and I love it

Here is my HiFi set up...

https://youtu.be/eB4VUWak0tQ

Nice gear. How do you find the amp? At some stage I need to change mine (Pioneer - nearly 25 years old now)

coolshannagh28 · 29-12-2019 9:18pm

Cuttlefish wrote: »

I bought a second hand Technics SL-Q3 from eBay Germany and I love it

Here is my HiFi set up...

https://youtu.be/eB4VUWak0tQ

Linn axis , also a Lenco L75, a hobby I enjoy very much

Kansas City · 29-12-2019 9:20pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

True but there isn't always a consistent listening experience with any format.
In the dark days of the early 1990s, quite a few albums sounded awful because they were crammed onto one piece of vinyl. Neil Young's Unplugged and De La Soul 3 Feet High & Rising are probably the worst examples. The record companies were doing their utmost to phase out the format so really didn't care.

Nowadays most LPs are doubles so are cut louder but it's not unknown for new albums / reissues come with pressing defects or are noisy (pops n clicks galore). Given the high price point, this really isn't good enough. I struggle to see the attraction of paying €30 for a reissue of a common 1970s/1980s title when an original LP can be picked up for half the price and sounds better.

In recent years, there's a seriously OTT negative sentiment towards CDs. I have noticed this among my own circle. "I don't own a CD player anymore" is the new "I don't have a television". This is coming from people who weren't buying vinyl back in the 1990s. The second hand CD market is great though - loads of cheap used copies out there as people are dumping their collections. While it's not a perfect format, for any large-scale project or multi disc set (e.g Cherry Red's post-punk, folk, electronic boxes), CD is still the ideal delivery method.

Discogs is a great resource for finding out about potential problem releases and also for finding some of the albums I'm never going to get in the record shops in Ireland without paying a premium. I can't say I've been stung with any of the records I've bought recently and none of the remasters I've got have had the problems of multiple pops and clicks that come with dirty or dusty plates being used for the pressing although I've read the horror stories online. The one record I have that's considered a disaster is the Jamie XX album which many people give out about because of the tightness of the groove considering the dynamic range makes for a very quiet record which was a nightmare for people trying to DJ with. They subsequently released a multi-disk version of it. Me personally, I'm never going to be playing it at a volume where I'm going to have issues with it so it doesn't bother me.

I'll buy old versions of albums when I can but they can be way more of a shot in the dark than the modern remasters imo. Some can have a lot of surface scuff marks and deeply ingrained dirt and l don't an expensive cleaning system to sort them out. But then I've been able to get my hands on albums that have been forgotten about and left behind by the likes of Spotify and not available on streaming platforms... stuff like the debut albums by Syd Straw and A House and old jungle tracks that I can only get to hear on YouTube these days so there's times when I'm happy to take the risk and generally it has worked out. Discogs grading system, although based on trust, is generally pretty reliable especially when combined with a decent seller rating.

I still have hundreds of CDs in the house and I have my Spotify account for listening to stuff in the car and walking and for checking out new music. Vinyl is just another option.

NewbridgeIR · 29-12-2019 9:31pm

Kansas City wrote: »

Discogs is a great resource for finding out about potential problem releases and also for finding some of the albums I'm never going to get in the record shops in Ireland without paying a premium.

I remember trying to DJ with 3 Feet High & Rising back in 1990 and it was a nightmare.

Yeah, Discogs is great - I buy a lot from there and sell a few bits too. Generally positive experiences. Grading much more reliable than Ebay. The Steve Hoffman forum is pretty good also for commentary on mastering / new vinyl.

Cuttlefish · 29-12-2019 9:34pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

Nice gear. How do you find the amp? At some stage I need to change mine (Pioneer - nearly 25 years old now)

My amp I bought from my brother when he went bigger and better with his technics in the mid/ late 80's and it is going strong. Turned on 4/5 times a week playing either vinyl, mini disc, cassette, CD or music from my iMac (iTunes)

I know they ain't high end separates but I am proud of my HiFi set up.

Is your Pioneer still working fine?

Cuttlefish · 29-12-2019 9:35pm

I have tripled my CD collection with great stuff from adverts.ie and also local charity shops getting some CD's for less than a euro

NewbridgeIR · 29-12-2019 9:41pm

Cuttlefish wrote: »

My amp I bought from my brother when he went bigger and better with his technics in the mid/ late 80's and it is going strong. Turned on 4/5 times a week playing either vinyl, mini disc, cassette, CD or music from my iMac (iTunes)

I know they ain't high end separates but I am proud of my HiFi set up.

Is your Pioneer still working fine?

Still going ok - a few small things, jammed power button and issue with volume (feedback when turning from 0 to about 25% of the way). To get round I have a mixer connected to it and control the CD and turntable volume from its channels. My turntable dates from 1973 but was refurbished in 2009. I had an Ariston deck before that.

Strumms · 29-12-2019 11:10pm

Arghus wrote: »

Never got the fetishisation of vinyl over the CD myself either.

Sure, vinyl looks lovely and all, but I feel it's a rip off, when a CD played through a good system will probably give you superior sound. There's a lot of wu-wu out there about the intangible magical qualities of vinyl. By all means buy it if it's your only option of buying physical music, but people who place it on a pedestal and look down on CDs are deluded imo.

I’m sat here, typing away on the iPad, some good tunes being selected on Spotify being played from here on my lap to a quality Sony wireless speaker...
Why anyone would want on a Sunday night to be wanting to keep getting up and
changing records or cds every 10/20 minutes, pissing around with covers and sleeves and whatever when you can have it ALL at the touch of a screen... some idea of being ‘real’ or ‘authentic’... i dunno, it’s sounding great here... it’s comfy as fûck here and the world of music is literally at my fingertips.... to my ears.

Cuttlefish · 30-12-2019 12:30am

Strumms wrote: »

I’m sat here, typing away on the iPad, some good tunes being selected on Spotify being played from here on my lap to a quality Sony wireless speaker...
Why anyone would want on a Sunday night to be wanting to keep getting up and
changing records or cds every 10/20 minutes, pissing around with covers and sleeves and whatever when you can have it ALL at the touch of a screen... some idea of being ‘real’ or ‘authentic’... i dunno, it’s sounding great here... it’s comfy as fûck here and the world of music is literally at my fingertips.... to my ears.

Yes I totally agree that streaming is fantastic even better than my "cutting edge' method - iTunes and iPod - and it is the way all media will be in the future if not already now - streaming music, movies, news info etc nonetheless for some if is rekindling the buzz of going to decent record store sifting through the rows of vinyl deciding where to spend your cash and walking out with your purchases in the distinct shaped bag...ðŸ€—

It is a niche market and yes youngsters are 'getting into' vinyl but I admit that is all it will be.

You can sink into your IKEA sofa as you stream tunes to your wireless Sony speaker but it doesn't beat putting down some vinyl be it Led Zeppelin or Bowie and enjoying the sound eminating from your HiFi seperates.

And yes I like to piss around with my vinyl and CD collection ðŸ˜‰

Rothko · 30-12-2019 1:20am

Kansas City wrote: »

I can't imagine many people would call me a hipster, I'd be on the nerd end of record collecting tbh. The fact is that an artist is more likely to make money off vinyl sales than streaming so I get to give artists I like revenue while getting to listen to albums in a format I really enjoy.

Albums being cut to vinyl have to do undergo a slightly different mastering process to purely digital because of the limitations of the medium so there's going to be no heavy clipping and only minor limiting on the finished product which means less listener fatigue. Vinyl tends to shine in the mid range which is the most comfortable to the human ear which is why people tend to think of vinyl as sounding warmer. So it might all be recorded digitally as one poster said - even if it isn't recorded digitally, is going to end up in a digital format in the mastering process - but the format you listen to it in is going to have a major effect on what you hear.

I wouldn't worry about being called the "H" word. It's a term that is absolutely meaningless at this stage.

Raconteuse · 30-12-2019 1:52am

Speaking of album artwork, Vaughan Oliver, he of the 4AD label sleeve designs for e.g. Pixies, The Breeders, Cocteau Twins, has died aged 62. His work was wonderful, sad to hear.

Strumms · 30-12-2019 1:58am

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

What turntables are people using?

I have a Thorens TD-150 MK II.

A Sony PS-x5. Have it about 5 years but the old amp I had is cream crackered, must look into getting a cheap one.

Cuttlefish · 30-12-2019 2:03am

Strumms wrote: »

A Sony PS-x5. Have it about 5 years but the old amp I had is cream crackered, must look into getting a cheap one.

Try second hand adverts.ie have some good listings

Strumms · 30-12-2019 2:19am

Cuttlefish wrote: »

Try second hand adverts.ie have some good listings

Really good suggestion, thanks, :cool:

Cuttlefish · 30-12-2019 2:46am

Strumms wrote: »

Really good suggestion, thanks, :cool:

Where I bought my pioneer cd seperate and daughters amp and tannoy speakers

30-12-2019 9:31am

I have an Audio Technica AT-LP5X hooked up to Marantz Separates with some DALI speakers. Lovely set up.

Millicently · 30-12-2019 9:46am

I took a wander around Golden Discs the other day, I ended up feeling very very old. I remember my brother being obsessed with record collecting in the late 80's early 90's.

PicardWithHair · 30-12-2019 1:05pm

I used to go into the Sound Cellar on Nassau Street - Tommy there would always give me a quid of a CD.

Pac1Man · 30-12-2019 1:07pm

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

What are you looking forward to buying !?? Any recommendations? I am looking for new bands in particular!

The Handsome Family

Strumms · 30-12-2019 1:21pm

Pac1Man wrote: »

The Handsome Family

Relikk · 30-12-2019 1:24pm

Cuttlefish wrote: »

I bought a second hand Technics SL-Q3 from eBay Germany and I love it

Here is my HiFi set up...

https://youtu.be/eB4VUWak0tQ

Exorcising Ghosts, and Sylvian & Sakamoto on the tape deck. Nice.

I recognise what's on the MD player, but I can't quite remember what it is.

Pac1Man wrote: »

The Handsome Family

I engineered one of their gigs in Whelan's in about 2009? They were impressive. Nice people, too. And then I remember watching the first season of True Detective and hearing how familiar the performers of the theme were until I found out it was them.

Pac1Man · 30-12-2019 4:32pm

Relikk wrote: »

I engineered one of their gigs in Whelan's in about 2009? They were impressive. Nice people, too. And then I remember watching the first season of True Detective and hearing how familiar the performers of the theme were until I found out it was them.

They have the right amount of 'strange'.

Weightless Again & Bottomless Hole are two of my favourites.

iamstop · 30-12-2019 5:44pm

You can't beat a good record dig. The joys of finding some rare 12", LP or 45 you've been looking for for years and then you find it for a very reasonable price is class.
Thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets, bargain bins, car boot sales, buy and sell type websites. Anywhere there is records I'll be getting my fingers dusty.

EmmetSpiceland · 30-12-2019 6:50pm

Cornelius Crow wrote: »

John Denver sticks out particularly in my mind for some reason.

‘Windsong’ is a good John Denver album. If you see it there stick it on first.

As for everyone lauding Golden Disc for its longevity you could say the same for it comparative outlet in the books “game” Eason(s).

They both cater for the same “end user”, the shopper out for a copy of ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ or ‘Tattooist of Auschwitz’ type drivel. The same person would then be into Golden Disc for something equally as bland.

A person of discernible “tastes” wouldn’t be spending too long in either outlet. The only reason to go in, really, is out of boredom whilst out shopping in one of the zombifying M50 shopping centres that houses these establishments.

30-12-2019 7:09pm

Great thread. Gone off in all sorts of diverse directions yet remains coherent and interesting.

Adyx · 30-12-2019 8:20pm

I bought Tool's latest album on CD - even waited for it to arrive even though I have Spotify. Some bands, I'll always go for a physical relaase. Even if it costs me €80

Used to always head down to BPM in Waterford on payday and come out with 3 or 4 CDs. Miss that place

Sober Crappy Chemis · 30-12-2019 10:21pm

As a metal fan in the late 80s I used to love browsing the albums in the Sound cellar run by Tommy Tighe.

Very seldom bought anything as I was poor.

Some of those records were thumbed and fingered more times than David Attenborough’s passport.

Cuttlefish · 31-12-2019 11:08pm

Adyx wrote: »

I bought Tool's latest album on CD - even waited for it to arrive even though I have Spotify. Some bands, I'll always go for a physical relaase. Even if it costs me €80

Used to always head down to BPM in Waterford on payday and come out with 3 or 4 CDs. Miss that place

Was that in George's court?

The excitement of buying albums...

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