GARAGE SALE VINYL

[Mike Lindsey]

Craig,

Big Band and Sinatra are a completely different story! I love that stuff, even though I don't have a lot of it. The classical I just purchased was a different story, however. If there are some nice classical pieces... music that I can get involved in... then please let me know the titles. I would also be interested in hearing some nice piano recitals as well...

Mike

[T2K]

Sorry about that Craig. Couldn't resist!

BTW, did I hear you say you needed a schematic for a 299B? If so, I have a good Sams Photofact Folder for the 299B including the schematic.

Keith

[AndyKubicki]

I also listened to a CD that AndyKub sent me tonight can't remember the name but this music will nock your socks off and make you jump out of your seat. Andy fill them in on what it is !!

By the way andy both the CD's you sent me have some nasty pops thruout them. Is there something wrong with your burner or software ?

Craig, that must be Stravinsky's Firebird. Sorry about the pops, I'll have to investigate what caused it. I had to burn at a slow rate, and maybe I need to slow it down even more.

[NOSValves]

Andy,

I hope I can talk you into sending me another one when you get it figured out !!

Keith,

I have the 299B Sams Thanks though. I question there bias setting of 55ma per pair of output tubes seems hot to me. I didn;t take offense I really thought it was funny !!

Craig

[lovedrummin]

Mike,

If you're interested in classical piano; check out Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". It's pretty mellow, but very soothing.

[akshobhyavajra]

A lot of great stories here. Wow. I hit the jackpot twice in the past six months. First, I happened to arrive at the local thrift shop at the time a lot of LPs arrived. They were all DGG, Philips (Europe), Angel, London FFrr and Red Label. I took 96 LPs for 25 cents each - most pristine - all were classic performances by Karajan, Boehm, Horowitz, et al.

A few months later I hit the jackpot at the local Goodwill - this time classic rock (60ies - 80ies) - all mint. I walked out with 65 LPs @ 25 cents a piece. I also ended up with 6 boxed sets by Arthur Fiedler, Rubenstein, etc - looked unplayed and had no surface noise. These were RCA.

Truly a fun way to kill a few hours

Regards,

~Michael~

[JBryan]

Here's another thrift adventure I never tire of telling...

I collected LPs almost unconsciously when I was in high school and college. When I moved back to the folks' house, I realized just how many I had amassed. I didn't bother to count but I had over 1000 titles that I had played once to record and "archived" to boxes and at least twice that many in thrift store and yard sale finds. I actually broke an axle pin on my Audi trying to transport a portion of the collection home. When my job and girlfriend convinced me to move me to Baltimore, I decided that I just couldn't keep up and left all the LPs and my turntable behind thinking that CDs were my future - so much more convenient... and transportable! 3-4 years passed and I thought that I was off the needle for good but one day I cruised through a thrift shop for god knows what and I saw a few stacks of LPs sitting atop a coffee table. I glanced through the top few for old time sake and was immediately stunned to find a pristine, still-in-the plastic Parlaphone copy of the Beatles' Revolver LP - in mono! As I flipped through the stack, I found most of the Beatles' entire catalogue along with the corresponding Capital titles and they were all in beautiful condition. But there was more! I found oodles of Rolling Stone, Who, Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers and Dylan titles and they were all in relatively clean, unplayed condition and with all the inserts. Imagine finding the White Album with the photos and the Live at Leeds and Dark Side...with the posters still crisp and folded. It was like someone had collected the albums I had either worn out or had never had the chance to pick up and decided to drop them off an hour before I graced the door. I was dumbfounded. I carefully collected myself and asked the shop owner how much she wanted for the LPs. "A dollar each", she said. I asked her if she had a box... To extend this story, I ended up with over 150 LPs, ended paying less than .50 ea. with a volume discount and got an earful from my boss for taking an overly extended lunch. But no matter, I was giddy - absolutely amazed with my find. The rest of the day was shot, of course. I couldn't consentrate on anything but my newfound treasure. So many titles, I forgot I had bought half of them. I drove home after work and hauled the boxes to our 8th floor apartment and spent the few hours carefully going through them, putting them in order, checking out the inserts, etc. When my girlfriend finally arrived, I was busting to show ger my good fortune. She did not share my excitement. "What are you going to do with them? You can't even play them." She was right, of course, and the spector of me hauling the rest of my collection from North Carolina into this 1 bedroom apt. didn't appeal to either of us - especially her. My brief moment in heaven had been interrupted by reality but I still hovered over my find until the wee hours. A few days later, we headed down to Bethesda to see her folks and passed a yard sale in the neighborhood. I dropped her off at her mom's and went back for a look. Almost immediately I spied a Thorens turntable and started inspecting it. It had an Audio Technica cart. with a spare. I asked the fellow "Does it work?" "Don't know", he replied. "There's a plug over there if you want to try it out." "How much?" After a short pause he said, "Twenty bucks." I paid him and after cleaning and set up, it worked like a charm. I put on the first LP (Rubber Soul, I believe) and was mesmerized. After 4 years just listening to CDs, I was shocked at the detail, intimacy and overall quality I had been missing. I can only assume it was a coincidence of fate (or the devil) which put me back in the grooves but its been 10 years since my "find" and I've upgraded my system and TT a couple of times and I've gathered almost as many LPs as I left back home. My taste in music has veered somewhat to jazz - particularly 50's and 60's monos but I still mark that day as my re-entry into LP collecting and I thank that person, whoever he/she is/was, for renewing my adventure. Of course, if my wife ever finds you....she leads with her left and hits low. Thanks for reading, Bryan

[Cybernalt]

I recently learned the bottomw has fallen out of the Vinyl Market. Apparently "conventional wisdom" is they are starting to do CD's more-correctly, so there is less audio incentive in the "old" way of listening.

Of course, there is a lot of music only available on Vinyl, just expect prices to be dropping.

[Clipped and Shorn]

Over and above the preferred audio, hard core vinylholics are ultimately collecting historical artifacts just as other collectors do. If you know what you are doing they only go up in value.

-c7s

[JBryan]

I've observed that over time, the vinyl market fluctuates as most any other market does. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in interest and therefore, LP prices as those 'philes who have been either out of vinyl for years or never heard it in the first place flood the market gathering all the "sought after" titles and gear. At some point, even the hardiest enthusiasts begin considering the price/value ratio and the prices stabilize and in some cases, even fall. I think the LP market is in an ebb and thankfully, prices will begin reflecting that although I'm sure the market is still healthy - just take a look at the new table sales. Also, the issue of convenience must play a part. The reason CD technology took off in the first place was the extreme convenience it offered. The idea of not having to clean the CD each time and flip it over after 4 songs was just a godsend to most listeners and no pops and scratches was windfall. CD players quickly (10 years) took over the music market and it looked grim for the aged LP. But as usually the case, there was a bit of a backlash when prices exceeded what the average listener wanted to pay. MP3 and other compression programs became a viable alternative and for the tiny audiophile contingent, LPs were re-examined. True, there was still the inconvenience and the occassional pop and scratch but beyond that, 'philes discovered that the LP offered much better resolution and detail. Soon web groups and reviewers alike were expounding the triumph of LPs over the smeared and harsh-sounding CD. Of course, the audiophile market represents less than 10% of music and equipment sales but for a couple of years, LP sales grew faster than CD. Still there is the convenience factor and with the advent of higher bit CDs and SACDs offering sound quality which approached the LP, the market had began to shift again. There have always been 2 markets for the LP, audiophile with prices easily topping $100 for a single, used but collectable record and the "bin" sales which are represented by flea markets, thrift stores and used shops. I can still find the occassional "6 for $1" sales but recently, even Goodwill has seen the opportunity and raised their prices to $1...EACH! I think after all the hubbub, the LP market will settle back into its 3-5% niche and there will be some great deals on used tables. As long as there are audiophiles willing to put up with the hassles of vinyl, there will always be a market and as far as I'm concerned the industry will be as hard-pressed to make a digital source that offers the sonic benefit of vinyl as it is making solid state gear sound like tubes. Just my opinion of course and If you've read this far - congratulations! You must have had as much coffee as I. Can't you just smell the espresso...Bryan

[T2K]

Interesting point bryan, and one that I haven't seen mentioned here before.

SS components/new formats ARE beginning to sound less digital and more 'tube like'. Its a shame everyone here hasn't experienced that.

Keith