Vinyl

[mikew]

I have heard that 45s sound better than 33s due to "physics" (I didn't read the full article). When you say "with greater modulation," is that part of the 45 thing or is that something else? I'm still kinda dumb with this stuff.

High modulation refers to the greater amplitude of the analogue waveform as it's cut into the vinyl.

But I think that the speed difference can have a greater impact on the sound quality. It allows for a higher resolution recording and a lower noise floor.

I must admit though that in the real world it rarely makes a lot of difference. It all depends on the quality of the record and your HiFi gear.

Still it's worth trying out a 12" single or two. Some of the club discs I have from the eighties have incredible punch and clarity.

[djeclypse]

It appears I'm the only person who posts in this thread now, but I don't care. Wanted to share the latest batch of vinyl:



Actually it looks like I got the top left a year ago lol. But the second Faux Tales arrived in October IIRC, and I got the 2 Gunship albums for Christmas. They're two of my favorite bands of all time, I'm super excited to have these in my collection.

I have a bit of vinyl. Just a smidge lol. That rack I built holds about half my collection.

[DiamondDave]

I’ll play.

[cellophane]

I have one or two records. Most are arranged by genre, then label, then cat number (lots of techno, gabber, etc. so it is easy to do that). Categories I have less of are just by artist. There are two crates in the other room currently, so just imagine the crates to the left are full. The blue crate on the top is currently housing 45's. The artwork on the right needs to be hung up at some point...
And because everyone else is doing it- also have a picture of a couple recent acquisitions.

[Magmoormaster]

Nice!! That is quite a step up. I have an RT80 and love it. Forgive my bluntness, was it worth it? I haven't tried a more expensive system before.

[cellophane]

Nice!! That is quite a step up. I have an RT80 and love it. Forgive my bluntness, was it worth it? I haven't tried a more expensive system before.

Personally I would say yes. The nicer tables will be heavier and/or more rigid, which will minimize skipping from movement (there's a reason the SL1200's were the club standard for decades), they will be direct drive instead of belt drive, and the components are generally higher quality. I prefer the S-shaped arm over a straight arm; if you want you can read more about them here and here. Higher end tables will also be a lot easier to change the cartridge out if you want to upgrade. Some of the low end tables don't have a counterweight or anti-skate function, making it essentially impossible (or at least a really bad idea) to change the cartridge out. From personal experience, the 1200's are also user serviceable without too much hassle. I've replaced (with help from friends) the tonearm wiring on one of my tables and replaced the RCA cables with some that have an internal ground. I presume the newer Technics and other higher-end tables are serviceable as well.

Used SL1200's can be found in the $300-$700 range depending on which model you go for.

[Warmongrel]

Thanks! yea, its a definite upgrade over the RT80. The Technics is over 20lbs and the RT80 is like 10lbs. I know they say the cartridge is key when upgrading but as cellophane said weight makes a difference. I'll probably eventually upgrade the Ortfon 2m red to a blue or bronze, but for now I'm happy.

[Magmoormaster]

Personally I would say yes. The nicer tables will be heavier and/or more rigid, which will minimize skipping from movement (there's a reason the SL1200's were the club standard for decades), they will be direct drive instead of belt drive, and the components are generally higher quality. I prefer the S-shaped arm over a straight arm; if you want you can read more about them here and here. Higher end tables will also be a lot easier to change the cartridge out if you want to upgrade. Some of the low end tables don't have a counterweight or anti-skate function, making it essentially impossible (or at least a really bad idea) to change the cartridge out. From personal experience, the 1200's are also user serviceable without too much hassle. I've replaced (with help from friends) the tonearm wiring on one of my tables and replaced the RCA cables with some that have an internal ground. I presume the newer Technics and other higher-end tables are serviceable as well.

Used SL1200's can be found in the $300-$700 range depending on which model you go for.

Good to know. The RT80 seems to hold up well for what it is; it has an S shaped arm, has an adjustable counterweight and anti-skate function, and it's only ever skipped when I've bumped the table it's on. But it's still on the lowe-end of things, I mean it has a built-in pre (one of the reasons I went for it, honestly). So it's good to know what to look for when I decide to upgrade.

[Twisted G]

My holy grail of my collection. First pressing with the original shrink wrap, price tag, and promo stickers. Perfect condition vinyl. One of my favorite albums. .

[cellophane]

Nice find! Did you get it original or second hand?

[Twisted G]

cellophane 2nd hand. Great price for what it is. They made a ton of these so its nothing rare like a david allan coe record. His dirty albums sell for over $100!

[cellophane]

Still awesome to find it with the hype stickers though!
I know what you mean about pricing... I have some stuff in my Discogs list that routinely sells for $150+ =( Of course when there were only 103 copies pressed in the first place it makes it a bit harder.

[Warmongrel]

Good to know. The RT80 seems to hold up well for what it is; it has an S shaped arm, has an adjustable counterweight and anti-skate function, and it's only ever skipped when I've bumped the table it's on. But it's still on the lowe-end of things, I mean it has a built-in pre (one of the reasons I went for it, honestly). So it's good to know what to look for when I decide to upgrade.

The RT80 served me very well for years. You could definitely upgrade the cartridge if you want, just take into consideration it's a budget entry level turntable so I wouldn't put a $500 cartridge on it. You could upgrade it to the Ortfon 2m red for $100. I would probably upgrade to the Fluance RT85 at that point though which comes with an Ortfon 2m Blue cartridge, you would need to buy a phono pre-amp.

[Magmoormaster]

Periphery, which is my favorite band, released a repressing of their entire discography on vinyl a couple weeks ago. Six albums with 500 copies each, all sold out within 10 minutes. That said, I was able to snag copies of Periphery 1 and Periphery 2, thus rounding out my collection (not including live albums and EPs that I want nothing to do with).




Bit of a shame that P2 and P5 look so similar, but what can you do. I was also a bit bummed at P1 when I saw it online, thinking it looked a little lame. But in person it looks incredible.

[cellophane]

Most recent acquisitions:
Ghost - Infestissumam: 10th Anniversary Edition
Plastikman - Sheet One: 30th Anniversary Edition. I can't believe this is 30 years old... One of the most influential albums I own - at least 2 vinyl, 1 CD, and digital, plus a bunch of singles. The flip side of the Gak single is a massive track, even today.
45 Thieves - War War: Translucent Green Vinyl; signed by Vic & Jason
Knocked Loose - A Different Shade of Blue. Local band that is apparently popular everywhere but here. Go figure.

I also picked up a Pioneer XDJ-RX3 a few months ago. I still dream of DJing from time to time, and the digital systems are a game changer (for DJing) compared to using vinyl. I still prefer records when I am just listening.