Is it wise to buy vinyl from auction sites?

[floyd droid]

Come on, you're not serious are you, what is it 1985.

There is no comparison between CD and vinyl. A £50 CD player can outperform a vinyl set up of hundreds of pounds, easily.

'tard award of the day.

 

[DIB]

I can't personally understand why anyone would want to buy a vinyl copy of any album (unless it's been deleted of course). They are bulky to store, a faff to use, sound poor, the only redeeming feature I can see is the artwork is nice. Since the sound quality is comparable to mp3 at best, you'd be better of downloading it from Amazon or iTunes or better still just buying a second hand CD, at least then your getting a Hi-Fi quality recording (if mastered well).

Hey Egg, you clearly haven't heard but everything sounds much better on vinyl. Get on message man.

Come on, you're not serious are you, what is it 1985.

There is no comparison between CD and vinyl. A £50 CD player can outperform a vinyl set up of hundreds of pounds, easily.

If you hadn't already guessed, there was a little bit of tongue in cheek involved.

.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I can't personally understand why anyone would want to buy a vinyl copy of any album (unless it's been deleted of course). They are bulky to store, a faff to use, sound poor, the only redeeming feature I can see is the artwork is nice. Since the sound quality is comparable to mp3 at best, you'd be better of downloading it from Amazon or iTunes or better still just buying a second hand CD, at least then your getting a Hi-Fi quality recording (if mastered well).

Well done, you've managed to cram a whole barrelful of utter boll*cks in just 3 sentences.

 

[lindsayt]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl. So far every single one of them sounds better on vinyl. The differences are large enough to easily hear within the first few seconds of most tracks.

Anyone who doesn't rate vinyl needs to spend some time listening to a record player of the standard of an EMT 950 to change their minds.

 

[chebby]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl.

That's not a big enough selection to make statements on the superiority of any format.

 

[Tear Drop]

About 2000+ CDs (the format I grew up listening to), 4000+ LPs, several dozen hi-res downloads, gave SACD a dabble (maybe 100 or so discs) - the humble LP has no real challengers when it comes to high-end music reproduction.

 

[lindsayt]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl.

That's not a big enough selection to make statements on the superiority of any format.

How big a selection is then?

Would you or anyone else like to bring round or post a load of CD's to me so that I can compare them to the vinyl versions?

I'll stick my neck out and predict that the majority of them will sound better on vinyl than CD on my system. Albums that I'd expect to sound worse on vinyl would be greatest hits and compilations.

And lps sound worse than 12" singles.

If vinyl really were as poor sounding as eggsontoast said, then surely at least 1 out of 5 of my albums would have sounded better on CD? It's not as if I've cherry picked albums or anything. They're just some random albums that came as part of job lots that I happen to own on both formats.

 

[eggontoast]

I'll take that Pepsi Challenge any day of the week. Besides, if LPs suck so much, why are you around this section of the forum? Pretty transparent.

I don't really go to any section of the forum, I just click on latest posts and go through the list. There is certainly some passion in this section though, what hostility lol, I'm even being called names from some members with limited brain cells and vocabulary :rofl:

Don't get me wrong I really want to like LP's (please help me convert) but every time I revisit them I find they just sound rubbish. Perhaps it's something to do with mainly listening through headphones, I think it highlights vinyls limitations such as the lack of detail and all the erroneous noises which go with the format. I guess judging by the number of vinyl advocates that the enjoyment of music doesn't have to necessarily be Hi-Fidelity.

I can't personally understand why anyone would want to buy a vinyl copy of any album (unless it's been deleted of course). They are bulky to store, a faff to use, sound poor, the only redeeming feature I can see is the artwork is nice. Since the sound quality is comparable to mp3 at best, you'd be better of downloading it from Amazon or iTunes or better still just buying a second hand CD, at least then your getting a Hi-Fi quality recording (if mastered well).

Well done, you've managed to cram a whole barrelful of utter boll*cks in just 3 sentences.

Really.....which part, explain the merits of this waning format over its digital counterparts.

 

[eggontoast]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl. So far every single one of them sounds better on vinyl. The differences are large enough to easily hear within the first few seconds of most tracks.

I'm curious, what do you hear that makes it so much better, is it better sound quality, more musicality. Conversely it might be easier to describe the shortcomings of the digital formats.

What I hear (on headphones) is a loss in crispness and clarity with vinyl, it sounds warmer, a reduction in airiness. All the things I like to hear, the finer details, are just not there.

 

[floyd droid]

What I hear (on headphones) is a loss in crispness and clarity with vinyl, it sounds warmer, a reduction in airiness. All the things I like to hear, the finer details, are just not there.

Turntable / arm / cart / phono ???.

 

[Tear Drop]

I'm curious, what do you hear that makes it so much better, is it better sound quality, more musicality. Conversely it might be easier to describe the shortcomings of the digital formats.

What I hear (on headphones) is a loss in crispness and clarity with vinyl, it sounds warmer, a reduction in airiness. All the things I like to hear, the finer details, are just not there.

I think you're mistaking a bright, forward sound for detail, and then assuming that detail is missing from LPs because they have a 'warm' sound. Good analogue has a much lower noise floor (better described as the sound floor) than digital. Many LP listeners over the years describe 'listening fatigue' when listening to CDs because they are essentially straining to hear low level musical information which isn't actually there because of the higher sound floor of CDs.

 

[lindsayt]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl. So far every single one of them sounds better on vinyl. The differences are large enough to easily hear within the first few seconds of most tracks.

I'm curious, what do you hear that makes it so much better, is it better sound quality, more musicality. Conversely it might be easier to describe the shortcomings of the digital formats.

What I hear (on headphones) is a loss in crispness and clarity with vinyl, it sounds warmer, a reduction in airiness. All the things I like to hear, the finer details, are just not there.

The biggest and most consistent difference between my 5 double format albums are that the CD versions sound like an incredible shrinking man with a metal scouring pad has jumped down into the grooves of the vinyl and scrubbed away all the little details. So that vinyl sounds more like real human sized musicians playing real instruments compared to CD tending to sound like clumsy giant musicians playing giant toylike instruments.

Getting a first class record player and phono amplification is vital for getting the best out of vinyl. If I had a budget record player on a floor mounted stand close to my speakers there's a high chance that I'd prefer the CD versions. If you told us your turntable / arm / cartridge / phono amplification that you used to compare CD to Vinyl, Eggsontoast, this would probably give us a very good explanation for your preference for CD's.

 

[Clare Newsome]

We just sold our turntable and vinyl (300 records - all now with the lovely guys at Diverse Vinyl - now there's a good place to buy new and second-hand stuff), because since upgrading the system to include a music server (Naim HDX-SSD) we simply weren't playing vinyl anymore.

For both sound quality and convenience, the turntable ( a Clearaudio Performance with seriously upgraded arm and cartridge) simply couldn't compete, and that was just with CD rips. The best 24/192 stuff blew even our best 180g vinyl into the weeds....

It was sad to see the records and deck go, but we've still got our Revox B55 reel-to-reel for when we fancy an analogue fix

 

[chebby]

...since upgrading the system to include a music server (Naim HDX-SSD) we simply weren't playing vinyl anymore.

For both sound quality and convenience, the turntable ( a Clearaudio Performance with seriously upgraded arm and cartridge) simply couldn't compete, and that was just with CD rips. The best 24/192 stuff blew even our best 180g vinyl into the weeds....

 

[Clare Newsome]

Not intending to be confrontational - just sharing my experience.

Never thought we'd sell the lot. Miss all those lovely record sleeves, mind you....

 

[BigH]

We just sold our turntable and vinyl (300 records - all now with the lovely guys at Diverse Vinyl - now there's a good place to buy new and second-hand stuff), because since upgrading the system to include a music server (Naim HDX-SSD) we simply weren't playing vinyl anymore.

For both sound quality and convenience, the turntable ( a Clearaudio Performance with seriously upgraded arm and cartridge) simply couldn't compete, and that was just with CD rips. The best 24/192 stuff blew even our best 180g vinyl into the weeds....

It was sad to see the records and deck go, but we've still got our Revox B55 reel-to-reel for when we fancy an analogue fix

Thanks for that, so what makes the Naim so special?

Could I not get a similar result using something like AccurateRip and a SSD?

 

[chebby]

I have a total of 5 albums on CD and on vinyl.

That's not a big enough selection to make statements on the superiority of any format.

How big a selection is then?

Sorry, upon reading it again I realise the ambiguity in your sentence. I thought you meant you had a total of 5 albums.

I once knew a Linn LP12 / Naim / Linn Sara owner who only had one LP and two 12" singles and a Radio 3 performance of Wagners's Ring Cycle on open-reel tapes for his Revox B77. He used to play the same few records/tapes over and over. (Total 'gear-head' and the first Linn/Naim owner I ever knew.)

So you can understand that I was prepared to believe that someone might only have "a total of 5 albums"

It would not have suprised me.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Thanks for that, so what makes the Naim so special?

Could I not get a similar result using something like AccurateRip and a SSD?

The What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision review of the original HDX sums it up nicely:

"Yes, we know that for a lot less than the price-tag on the new Naim HDX digital music player you could put together a computer-based solution able to do most of what this machine can manage.

What the HDX does, however, is put together everything you need to store music at CD quality and beyond, and make it elegant, easy to use and great-sounding."

 

[BigH]

Thanks for that, so what makes the Naim so special?

Could I not get a similar result using something like AccurateRip and a SSD?

The What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision review of the original HDX sums it up nicely:

"Yes, we know that for a lot less than the price-tag on the new Naim HDX digital music player you could put together a computer-based solution able to do most of what this machine can manage.

What the HDX does, however, is put together everything you need to store music at CD quality and beyond, and make it elegant, easy to use and great-sounding."

Yes but I don't want to spend £5,000, so you are saying its the same but more convenient and elegant?

 

[Clare Newsome]

I have no idea, as I haven't compared it to a 'DIY' solution; we only considered high-res capable, scalable options that didn't require a computer being on.

And yes, it's not cheap - but it costs way less than our turntable set-up did....

 

[MakkaPakka]

The mastering for digital and analogue is usually different so you can't be sure you're purely comparing formats.

A couple of recent LPs I've bought had CDs included but I haven't got round to a comparison. I know for a fact though that the vinyl has more dynamic range so could easily sound better for that reason alone.

 

[BigH]

The mastering for digital and analogue is usually different so you can't be sure you're purely comparing formats.

A couple of recent LPs I've bought had CDs included but I haven't got round to a comparison. I know for a fact though that the vinyl has more dynamic range so could easily sound better for that reason alone.

Well cd format usually have more DR than vinyl but recent cds are often mastered for loudness so have less DR. So it depends what cds/vinyl you buy.

 

[lindsayt]

I'm with Clare on this one. I don't like the Clearaudio Performance much either. To the extent that I too would sell mine if I had one.

 

[DIB]

We just sold our turntable and vinyl (300 records - all now with the lovely guys at Diverse Vinyl - now there's a good place to buy new and second-hand stuff), because since upgrading the system to include a music server (Naim HDX-SSD) we simply weren't playing vinyl anymore.

For both sound quality and convenience, the turntable ( a Clearaudio Performance with seriously upgraded arm and cartridge) simply couldn't compete, and that was just with CD rips. The best 24/192 stuff blew even our best 180g vinyl into the weeds....

It was sad to see the records and deck go, but we've still got our Revox B55 reel-to-reel for when we fancy an analogue fix

I went down that path early last year. Sold all my turntable set-up but couldn't bring myself to go over the final hurdle and actually sell my records, some owned from new over 40 years old. I bottled out, and put them in boxes instead..Fast forward 12 months and I was missing playing some of my LPs so bought the P3 to satisfy the itch again.

.

 

[DandyCobalt]

For both sound quality and convenience, the turntable ( a Clearaudio Performance with seriously upgraded arm and cartridge) simply couldn't compete, and that was just with CD rips. The best 24/192 stuff blew even our best 180g vinyl into the weeds....

Do you mean you sold your Nat King Cole 45rpm LP set?

That must have been a tough decision.