# Getting Back into Vinyl. What Amazing Albums to Buy?



## mr drinky (Dec 24, 2014)

So after taking care of kids for several years, I am really enjoying music again. For the longest time I couldn't put on the headphones, crank up the volume, or just zone out because I always had to have an ear out for the errant cry, stumble, or waking-up munchkin. But now things are changing. 

I have been ordering vinyl for a little while, and I am just about to pull the trigger on a new turntable kit. But recreating a digital collection in vinyl is impossible and not advisable, so I am really taking stock of what I like in terms of whole albums and carefully buying my music. It is sort of fun and essentially a treasure hunt with some groups. 

Some of my vinyl is from new groups (relatively) and others not. But sometimes it is also disappointing to realize that you will never get that favorite album of yours on vinyl. Oh well, I guess that is what DACs are for...

So with that said, give me your favorite albums you think would sound amazing on vinyl. Frankly, I am probably not going to buy much of the suggestions -- I have a budget, but then i again, I will probably some of it. It has been kind of fun rethinking my music taste in terms of albums instead of songs. 

Cheers,
k.


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## chinacats (Dec 24, 2014)

Traffic: John Barleycorn Must Die
Dead: Live Dead
Steely Dan: Aja 
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Beatles: Sergeant Pepper

in no particular order

...and then a whole lot more

Cheers


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## apicius9 (Dec 24, 2014)

No CD ever sounded as good as the scratched vinyl albums of my youth, sigh...

i have a quirky taste, so I won't recommend much. But I do second any one of the classic Miles Davis albums, Sketches of Spain is one of my favorites. I love female standard jazz singers of the 50s, so any good recording by Ella Fitzgerald (e.g. Gershwin songbook or Ella and Louis singing Porgy and Bess), Sarah Vaughan (in HiFi) Nancy Wilson (with Cannonball Adderly), Carmen McRae etc. make me happy - wish I had them on vinyl but I sold my trusty old Thorens turntable before I came to the US.

Stefan


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## panda (Dec 24, 2014)

smashing pumpkins - siamese dream


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## bartleby (Dec 24, 2014)

Amazon (at least in Europe) is not the best place to buy vinyl. Look for specialized mailorder shops or simple go to a local recirdstore, they are happy to order for you!
A lot of the new stuff is available on vinyl, usually with a free mp3 download included (which is nice if u wanna take your music with you too work etc.).
If you like to buy used vinyl go to discogs.org, thats the place to be!


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## mark76 (Dec 24, 2014)

discos.org ? pretty little response there...


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## bartleby (Dec 24, 2014)

www.discogs.com  sorry. mixed up the top domain....


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## Framingchisel (Dec 24, 2014)

Try
http://www.popsike.com/index.html for info
and
http://www.musicstack.com/advanced.cgi
to buy
enjoy........


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## Mucho Bocho (Dec 24, 2014)

Pet Sounds--Beach Boys
Live at Filmore East-Allmans Brothers


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## Bill13 (Dec 24, 2014)

Any of the Steely Dan albums, Roxy Music, Mobile Fidelity, Supertramp, Tom Petty, and Talking Heads. The new Beatles records are supposed to be good too.

I buy/sell a lot of stereo stuff on Audiogon.com. It's where I picked up my current TT - a Rega P5:doublethumbsup I highly recommend the site for picking up quality audio gear. Rega's RP1 is a great "budget" TT.


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## mr drinky (Dec 24, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> Any of the Steely Dan albums, Roxy Music, Mobile Fidelity, Supertramp, Tom Petty, and Talking Heads. The new Beatles records are supposed to be good too.
> 
> I buy/sell a lot of stereo stuff on Audiogon.com. It's where I picked up my current TT - a Rega P5:doublethumbsup I highly recommend the site for picking up quality audio gear. Rega's RP1 is a great "budget" TT.



Yeah, I have written about some turntables on Audiogon and waiting to see about a Rega P3. I may go the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB package. I'll see how it shakes out. I am also looking at the Rega Fono for my phono amp. 

As for music, Miles and Ella are definitely going to be part of my collection. The wife also wants some Nina Simone and Beatles. I've looked at the mono and stereo box sets a bit, but they get up there in price. 

k.


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## DSChief (Dec 24, 2014)

Check out this site, Hi quality 180 gram pressings, a fairly wide selection.
http://www.mofi.com/category_s/1824.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=1824&show=10&page=3


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## Castalia (Dec 24, 2014)

The Beatles in Mono Vinyl Box Set

:whistling:


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## panda (Dec 24, 2014)

bill, i have a p5 also, but it is highly modified and sounds nothing like it did when new. i call it the frankenrega. funny thing though of all things i did to it, the cheapest item provided the biggest upgrade in sound to me (the rega white belt). what i really wanted was a roksan radius but this will tide me over for a long while.

mr drinky, for a starting out deck, you can't go wrong with a technics sl1200 (that hasn't been used by any non audio enthusiasts if you know what i mean). with an ortofon 2m red, and cambridge 540p for some serious bang/buck.

one more music suggestion: amy winehouse - back to black


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## WingKKF (Dec 24, 2014)

@OP, just curious, are you getting into vinyl just for the nostalgia of an analog source or do you really believe that vinyl sounds better like some audiophiles do?


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## mr drinky (Dec 24, 2014)

WingKKF said:


> @OP, just curious, are you getting into vinyl just for the nostalgia of an analog source or do you really believe that vinyl sounds better like some audiophiles do?



Not so much nostalgia. My father was an early convert to cassettes (skipped 8-track), so I was more likely to have cassettes growing up than LPs, but of course we did have a turntable and a bunch of LPs, but after he cashed everything in for Jesus, the rock albums simply disappeared, never to be seen again. 

I have heard vinyl on a number of occasions and found it to be truly satisfying to listen to in terms of sound quality, but the main reason is that I feel the digital music age is getting so ADD with all the genius mix, shuffle, playlist management, streaming etc and ultimately it takes away from the relaxing enjoyment of music IMO. I just wanted to slow down and listen, and analog seemed the best route to go. 

k.


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## mr drinky (Dec 24, 2014)

panda said:


> bill, i have a p5 also, but it is highly modified and sounds nothing like it did when new. i call it the frankenrega. funny thing though of all things i did to it, the cheapest item provided the biggest upgrade in sound to me (the rega white belt). what i really wanted was a roksan radius but this will tide me over for a long while.
> 
> mr drinky, for a starting out deck, you can't go wrong with a technics sl1200 (that hasn't been used by any non audio enthusiasts if you know what i mean). with an ortofon 2m red, and cambridge 540p for some serious bang/buck.
> 
> one more music suggestion: amy winehouse - back to black



Well, I pulled the trigger on the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable. I wish I could have gone for a Rega, but I think that will be my upgrade down the line. The unit comes with an Ortofon 2m red and acrylic platter. I read that up north the basic Pro-ject kit had a lot of static issues up north during the winter. 

I also got a Peachtree integrated amp/DAC (Nova65SE) with BT1 for bluetooth capability and my digital music. I already have some PSB synchrony bookshelf speakers that I am going to use. The only thing left is to get some good cords (RCA cables and speaker cables) and my phono stage. Right now I am leaning towards the Rega fono MM for my phono amp, but a couple of people have suggested the Cambridge units. 

And, yes, Amy Winehouse would be a very good album to get. 

k.


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## knyfeknerd (Dec 24, 2014)

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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## apicius9 (Dec 24, 2014)

mr drinky said:


> Not so much nostalgia. My father was an early convert to cassettes (skipped 8-track), so I was more likely to have cassettes growing up than LPs, but of course we did have a turntable and a bunch of LPs, but after he cashed everything in for Jesus, the rock albums simply disappeared, never to be seen again.
> 
> I have heard vinyl on a number of occasions and found it to be truly satisfying to listen to in terms of sound quality, but the main reason is that I feel the digital music age is getting so ADD with all the genius mix, shuffle, playlist management, streaming etc and ultimately it takes away from the relaxing enjoyment of music IMO. I just wanted to slow down and listen, and analog seemed the best route to go.
> 
> k.



An old university friend in Germany has a small high end company and a listening room with optimal sound conditions. We tried the CD versus vinyl comparison there a few times and always came out thinking that - under these conditions - the vinyl does sound better (although it was not a blind test...). However, if you listen while the kids are crying, the traffic noise is coming through the window, and the dishwasher is rumbling, I don't think you should bother 

Stefan


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## chinacats (Dec 24, 2014)

I take great pleasure in getting up to flip the album every twenty minutes or so


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## mr drinky (Dec 24, 2014)

DSChief said:


> Check out this site, Hi quality 180 gram pressings, a fairly wide selection.
> http://www.mofi.com/category_s/1824.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=1824&show=10&page=3



That mobile fidelity site is dangerous. I think I am going to have to get the Priscilla Ahn, some Patricia Barber, and Miles. 

k.


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## ecchef (Dec 24, 2014)

The Ramones (you know which ones); Robert Gordon (Tuff Darts/Link Wray/Chris Spedding); pretty much any punk stuff from 1976-77.
Any Eno and/or Fripp.
But that's just me.


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## Eric (Dec 25, 2014)

Van Morrison - astral weeks and moondance
Talking heads 77
Joni Mitchell blue
Dire straights first album
Greatful dead uncle johns band


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## apicius9 (Dec 25, 2014)

mr drinky said:


> That mobile fidelity site is dangerous. I think I am going to have to get the Priscilla Ahn, some Patricia Barber, and Miles.
> 
> k.



Interesting, gotta look up P, Ahn. Never really warmed up to P. Barber, like her piano more than her singing. Of the contemp singers, I really like Tierney Sutton and Madeleine Peyroux. Also enjoy Stacey Kent a lot, she sometimes reminds me of the old Blossom Dearie tunes. - Just thought about Eva Cassidy, She would definitely be on my list of voices.

Stefan


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## DSChief (Dec 25, 2014)

mr drinky said:


> Well, I pulled the trigger on the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable. I wish I could have gone for a Rega, but I think that will be my upgrade down the line. The unit comes with an Ortofon 2m red and acrylic platter. I read that up north the basic Pro-ject kit had a lot of static issues up north during the winter.
> 
> I also got a Peachtree integrated amp/DAC (Nova65SE) with BT1 for bluetooth capability and my digital music. I already have some PSB synchrony bookshelf speakers that I am going to use. *The only thing left is to get some good cords (RCA cables and speaker cables)* and my phono stage. Right now I am leaning towards the Rega fono MM for my phono amp, but a couple of people have suggested the Cambridge units.
> 
> ...



Check out Tara Labs,
http://taralabs.com/products/2-interconnects

I've been using their stuff for about 15 yrs. They will build to order if you need custom lengths.


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## mr drinky (Dec 25, 2014)

Yeah, P. Barber is more for my wife but I still like her. But the wife REALLY likes her and we have seen her at the Green Mill in Chicago before. I'll have to check out those other artists -- though own music from Peyroux and Cassidy already. 

Here is a cool video of Priscilla Ahn.

[video=vimeo;9873263]http://vimeo.com/9873263[/video]


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## mr drinky (Dec 25, 2014)

DSChief said:


> Check out Tara Labs,
> http://taralabs.com/products/2-interconnects
> 
> I've been using their stuff for about 15 yrs. They will build to order if you need custom lengths.



Thanks, I will check them out. 

I also saw that Blue Jeans Cables got a lot of good plugs on Audiogon and was looking at them a bit. I have to admit that this cable thing is a bit confounding to me. Dropping the coin on cables that some do just seems bizarre. I guess the whole audiophile thing can be a bit frustrating as opinions run wild and all over the place and there are always very strong opinions on which part of your system should be prioritized (i.e., speakers, amps, cables, components, phono cartridges, etc.). At the end of the day I just see these people trying to move from the 90th percentile of sound quality to the 99th percentile -- and that's when the big bucks come into play. For me, I am happy residing in the 80th percentile for a fraction of the cost. 

Knives on the other hand is a different issue 

k.


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## DSChief (Dec 25, 2014)

Many schools of thought, my preference is take 50% of your budget for the speakers, 20% for the power Amp. Then fill in everything else with whats left.

Prices have gotten super crazy, the cables i had made to feed my DQ-20's back in 1990, would probably be 3 or 4 K now.


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## panda (Dec 25, 2014)

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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## WildBoar (Dec 25, 2014)

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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## Bill13 (Dec 25, 2014)

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).



Totally agree on the Blue Jeans recommendation. Pro quality and fair prices. Great HDMI cables too.


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## mr drinky (Dec 25, 2014)

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



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.


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## Chuckles (Dec 25, 2014)

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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## mr drinky (Dec 25, 2014)

Chuckles said:


> Have you checked out Needle Doctor?
> 
> http://www.needledoctor.com
> 
> ...



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.


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## daveb (Dec 25, 2014)

"Mr. Drinky goes to Dinkeytown" Could be a great movie....


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## mr drinky (Dec 26, 2014)

daveb said:


> "Mr. Drinky goes to Dinkeytown" Could be a great movie....



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.


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## panda (Dec 26, 2014)

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.


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## mr drinky (Dec 26, 2014)

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.
> ...



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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## panda (Dec 26, 2014)

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.


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## Bill13 (Dec 26, 2014)

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.



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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## mr drinky (Dec 26, 2014)

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.



I have the oppo 103 hooked up to an NAD 765. 

k.


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## brainsausage (Dec 26, 2014)

Flaming Lips- Embryonic
Mogwai- Come On Die Young
Sunn O))) & Boris- Altar
Literally ANY Deerhunter album


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## mr drinky (Jan 7, 2015)

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.


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## Bill13 (Jan 8, 2015)

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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## mr drinky (Jan 8, 2015)

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).



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.


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## Bill13 (Jan 8, 2015)

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.


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## Framingchisel (Jan 9, 2015)

I had Heil amt 4s for many many years and I am looking forward to hearing those 7's tomorrow.


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## mr drinky (Jan 12, 2015)

Framingchisel said:


> I had Heil amt 4s for many many years and I am looking forward to hearing those 7's tomorrow.



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.


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## Bill13 (Jan 12, 2015)

Just got my Stereophile magazine and they give a nice review the GoldenEar Triton One.


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## mr drinky (Jan 19, 2015)

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.


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## mr drinky (Jan 20, 2015)

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.


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## mr drinky (Jan 23, 2015)

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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## DSChief (Jan 25, 2015)

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.



Why an AP, CNC aluminum should be fine?
It's indoors so minimal temp variations


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## mr drinky (Jan 25, 2015)

DSChief said:


> Why an AP, CNC aluminum should be fine?
> It's indoors so minimal temp variations



A lot of places recommend the acrylic because the static is so bad during the winter. 

k.


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## tcmx3 (Feb 10, 2015)

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).


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## Bill13 (Feb 17, 2015)

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.


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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## panda (Feb 17, 2015)

bill i have a naim stageline N you're welcome to try out for a while if you use moving magnet cartridge.


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## mr drinky (Feb 17, 2015)

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?



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.


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## Framingchisel (Feb 19, 2015)

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


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## Bill13 (Feb 19, 2015)

panda said:


> bill i have a naim stageline N you're welcome to try out for a while if you use moving magnet cartridge.


 
Panda, I have a dynavector high output moving coil cartridge. I will do some looking into this, thanks for the offer!!


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## mr drinky (Feb 19, 2015)

Framingchisel said:


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



I really felt like I should have gotten the Graham Slee, but to tell you the truth, I am not sure if I could hear the difference. I just have no relative baseline at this point. The Rega is performing very well though. Both the Graham Slee and Rega got top marks from What Hi-Fi. 

k.


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## panda (Feb 19, 2015)

Bill, you should get an ortofon 2m bronze or audio technica 150mlx so that you can try my phono haha. I find MMs have more personality. MCs are subdued in comparison even though they are generally technically superior. But technical stuff goes out the window when it comes to subjective nuances..

Dynas have good tonality but I think they are lacking in dynamics (the stuff that makes you want to dance)


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## mr drinky (Mar 4, 2015)

The wife has been wanting some Beatles music for the turntable, so I decided to get her the Beatles Mono set for her b-day. Shhh, don't tell her. I also got some Johnny Cash. 

k.


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## WildBoar (Mar 4, 2015)

They are real mono presses, right? Did you get a mono setup as well? (sorry, too lazy to read back through the thread to see)


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## mr drinky (Mar 4, 2015)

WildBoar said:


> They are real mono presses, right? Did you get a mono setup as well? (sorry, too lazy to read back through the thread to see)



Most of the Beatles albums were mixed for mono playback, so they have just gone back to the original mixes. This was the NPR article I read last night that convinced me to try it out. 

k.


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## WildBoar (Mar 4, 2015)

Right. With your setup, doesn't that require a swapping to a separate mono cartridge? And if so, will it work ok with your phono amp? Since these are for the wife it makes those questions pop into my head, as not many would go through the trouble of swapping and setting up a different cartridge.


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## mr drinky (Mar 5, 2015)

WildBoar said:


> Right. With your setup, doesn't that require a swapping to a separate mono cartridge? And if so, will it work ok with your phono amp? Since these are for the wife it makes those questions pop into my head, as not many would go through the trouble of swapping and setting up a different cartridge.



Roger. I understand now. You are correct in that my pre-amp doesn't have mono and nor do I have a mono cartridge. I am sure I would likely get better sound with that set up, but I know I will never dismount and remount cartridges and align them for just this set of LPs (albeit 14 records). I read some threads on Audiogon and people were raving about the LP set and many of the members were just using their stereo cartridges and thought it sounded amazing. Plus I have read that these newer mono pressings are different than older mono pressings, which makes a mono cart not as necessary as with older LPs. I guess I will see though. Maybe I will love the set so much I'll get another TT setup 

k.


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## panda (Mar 5, 2015)

beatles recordings sound like turd anyway, why even fret over it.


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## panda (Mar 5, 2015)

i really want to get this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NU9UWKG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## CutFingers (Mar 5, 2015)

The vinyl sounds better than lots of digital junk. If you want to spend a few bucks on new vinyl I recommend Jimi Hendrix Axis Bold as Love...But make sure you get the mono version, not stereo. Get the Classic Records version not the Sony re-issue.

The oppo is a fine digital player, I've got the older Oppo 93 unit and it's solid. I'd recommend getting a carbon dust brush and a needle brush to keep the stylus clean.


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## mr drinky (Mar 6, 2015)

CutFingers said:


> The vinyl sounds better than lots of digital junk. If you want to spend a few bucks on new vinyl I recommend Jimi Hendrix Axis Bold as Love...But make sure you get the mono version, not stereo. Get the Classic Records version not the Sony re-issue.
> 
> The oppo is a fine digital player, I've got the older Oppo 93 unit and it's solid. I'd recommend getting a carbon dust brush and a needle brush to keep the stylus clean.



I am definitely falling into the camp that thinks vinyl sounds better. But I have yet to fully factor out my biases. I just dropped enough coin on a TT, setup, and vinyl that my mind is telling me it sounds better regardless of how things actually sound. 

With that said, I am listening to some Johnny Cash Folsom Prison right now it is awesome. 

k.


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## panda (Mar 6, 2015)

There are some crappy sounding vinyl mastering as well, its not guaranteed to sound better than digital version, especially if it was originally recorded digitally and not tape.


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## mr drinky (Mar 6, 2015)

panda said:


> There are some crappy sounding vinyl mastering as well, its not guaranteed to sound better than digital version, especially if it was originally recorded digitally and not tape.



That is true. There are a few places that I really like buying from, but Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab and Acoustic Sounds release some amazing stuff. Elusive Disc also stocks good pressings it seems. 

k.


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## panda (Mar 6, 2015)

Musicdirect


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## mr drinky (Mar 6, 2015)

panda said:


> Musicdirect



I did order some stuff from MusicDirect a couple of times, but I will frankly never use them again. Out of 7 things I ordered 5 were actually out of stock even though the website said they were in stock. Their online inventory is not even close to up to date. I also ordered my original Peachtree DAC from them and it came in pretty bad shape. Granted it was a demo model (and I knew that), but major chips on the face around the edges and no documentation manuals or anything, was pretty bad IMO. They didn't disclose that, and it would have been rated a 6 (maybe 7 at best) on AudioGon. I ended up sending it back. It was easily worth $100-200 less than they were selling it for. And even the two items they did have in stock, took way too long to ship. 

With that said, they do carry a lot of good pressings (if they are actually in stock). 

k.


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## panda (Mar 6, 2015)

Yikes guess they've dropped the ball as of late. I order most of mine from amazon if I can't find at a local store.


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## mr drinky (Mar 14, 2015)

Btw, I am loving that Beatles Mono set. And the wife LOVED IT for her b-day. Started spinning vinyl early and scared the sh!t out of one kids who was still asleep. 

k.


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## Dusty (Mar 15, 2015)

My two most listened to records this weekend:

Phosphorescent - Muchacho

Ethereal, psychedelic alt.country, with some singalong moments.

Both sound pretty amazing on vinyl.


Darkside - Psychic

Roomy, psych, guitar based ambient with a fantastic bass-game and some electronic tweaky noises.


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## panda (Mar 15, 2015)

Nine inch nails - hesitation marks
Btw discogs also a source for vinyl.


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## SolidSnake03 (Mar 16, 2015)

Some of the earlier Florence and the Machine stuff on vinyl is fairly well done and her voices sounds as hauntingly beautiful and powerful as ever.

Also, everyone that owns vinyl owe's it to themselves to pick up some great hip-hop and rap albums in this format, it just sounds so right....
(Wu-Tang, NAS, Scarface etc...)


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## samit (Mar 17, 2015)

morphine - cure for pain
also morphine - good (boderline terrible recording)

both are easily found, Yes also had a vinyl release but its can be expensive to find

i love sandman's music. i even bought Good, and am looking for Yes. The Cure for Pain vinyl release is very listenable


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## Castalia (Mar 17, 2015)

Glad to hear you enjoying the Beatles! 

How about Velvet Underground and Nico, the one with the banana on the cover? And of course the rest of the Velvet's discs as well.

Dylan- Blonde on Blonde

:dance:


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## petefromNY (Mar 17, 2015)

Flying lotus- youre dead YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED ! or anything thundercat


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## Namaxy (Mar 17, 2015)

Easy to find old vinyl, easy to find rare vinyl. Very hard to find (affordable) pressings with dynamic range and sound stage. Try ECM pressings of Keith Jarrett. ECM does a good job. I think someone above mentioned Music Direct - also a credible source for decent 180 and 200 g vinyl.


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## mille162 (Aug 3, 2015)

We do a vinyl night about once a week on average, mixed taste in our group, but mostly steer towards classic rock or 80's pop. Vinyl shopping on the boardwalk is still a summer pastime and after we find a good pressing, usually seek out other variants to do A/B listenings to pick out the difference. Year pressed, country pressed in, even the color of the vinyl (which probably has more to do with the which came off the press first).

Listening at home is on a highly modified SL1210M5G with Ortofon Quintet Blue, McIntosh C100 preamp, McIntosh MC252 amp, and Sonus Faber Grand Piano speakers. All Transparent Audio interconnects, speaker cables and power cables.

Our usual hangout/friends listening room is MUCH more high-end and is really where the subtle nuances in different pressing come out.

My go to favorites:
Cash, American IV. Red vinyl (have demo'd multiple colors of this album, our listening group unanimously agreed red was audibly better pressing). "Hurt" is by far my favorite cover ever recorded by any artist

Alkaline Trio, Damnesia. Acoustic recordings of a lot of their more popular songs.

Led Zeppelin, Mothership. Comparing this to the originals and other reissues, this album stands head and shoulders above the others.

Metallica Box sets (45 RPM, 180g sets). Some of the few re-releases that actually sound better than the originals. S&M is a 6 LP set and you truly feel like you're there live.

Pixies (all of them), I had most of the albums already but the Mineateur set release put out the best sounding pressings yet

Nirvana Unplugged NY, 180g Germany pressing

US Rattle & Hum is an interesting album. Some songs are stellar, others are absolute garbage...but cool to sit down and listen straight through and instantly tell a huge difference between where it was recorded and by whom.

Green Day, Demolicious (RSD exclusive)

Green Day, American Idiot

Dire Straights Brothers In Arms, 180g 2 LP set

Doors, Strange Days (RSD) reissue is great, the RSD version is the original Mono mix.

*Discogs.com is one of my favorite sites. My entire collection is up there with notes so I can pull it up and browse when shopping in the store to see if I have it and what condition mine is in (not to mention check pricing). I also like the extensive commentary on different versions so I can compare different pressings and find the right pressing anywhere in the world.

My all-time "favorite" album though isn't because of audio quality. This is Steve Caballero's band, The Faction. One of the coolest professional athletes/celebrities I've ever met. Went out of his way to personally mail me one of their original 45's, and signed it. Gotta get around to having this framed sometime soon!


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## mr drinky (Aug 4, 2015)

mille162, first off, that is a sweet set-up you have. Really nice. I need to spin some vinyl with you next time we head south 

I also like your music taste. Since posting this I have gotten some of the albums you mention: Cash IV, A good selection of Green Day including a first release Kerplunk in near mint, Pixies Surfer Rosa (I should get more though), and some Alkaline Trio. My wife has fallen in love with Dan Andriano, so we also have his new release coming any day now. And since I was literally on Epitaph's site making an order (the page is still open as I type), I might as well throw in Damnesia too. I almost pulled the trigger on it a couple of months ago, but it slipped through the cracks. 

My newest albums have been leaning punk: Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Stiff Little Fingers' Inflammable Material, The Menzingers, Bouncing Souls, NOFX's Punk in Drublic, some Ramones, and the new Screaming Females. I also got a couple Jawbreaker albums and a used Kevin Seconds record. They keep coming  Next on order is a Dwarves album (The Dwarves are Young and Good Looking) along with Milo Goes to College by the Descendents. And then probably some Buzzcocks and Naked Raygun.

k.


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## Adrian (Aug 4, 2015)

Unless I have minded it, I am surprised not to see anyone recommend Deep Purple, Made in Japan. Possibly the best live album of all time. I still have my original vinyl records, but no turntable. I keep meaning to remedy that.


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## Bill13 (Aug 4, 2015)

Adrian said:


> Unless I have minded it, I am surprised not to see anyone recommend Deep Purple, Made in Japan. Possibly the best live album of all time. I still have my original vinyl records, but no turntable. I keep meaning to remedy that.



I will now have to mention Talking Heads "The Name of this Band" double live. The second record has Adrian Belew on guitar, and he was on fire the entire tour.


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## mille162 (Aug 4, 2015)

mr drinky said:


> mille162, first off, that is a sweet set-up you have. Really nice. I need to spin some vinyl with you next time we head south
> 
> I also like your music taste. Since posting this I have gotten some of the albums you mention: Cash IV, A good selection of Green Day including a first release Kerplunk in near mint, Pixies Surfer Rosa (I should get more though), and some Alkaline Trio. My wife has fallen in love with Dan Andriano, so we also have his new release coming any day now. And since I was literally on Epitaph's site making an order (the page is still open as I type), I might as well throw in Damnesia too. I almost pulled the trigger on it a couple of months ago, but it slipped through the cracks.
> 
> ...



Mr Drinky, LMK when you're in the area. I haven't set up anything in Miami yet, everything is in Philly area still at my original place (back and forth 1/2 time).

There are 6 Cash cover albums in the series, they're all good. Check Discogs for the color options and where they were in the pressings. The earlier pressings are audibly better when compared side by side. On IV I know it was the clear red, I can't remember which colors I ended up with for the others.

I see the Descendants all over the racks, although I'm a fan, didn't think they were a band I'd appreciate in vinyl. LMK what you think of the recordings and if they're better than a normal MP3. For me to buy it on vinyl, the recording has to be superior to a MP3. I've bought a few albums I'm not even a fan of the music, but it was such a great stereo recording I enjoy playing it on my system.

Another one I forgot to mention is Dinosaur Jr. I've got most of their and J.'s solo recordings and all are very well mixed and play extremely well.

For Green Day, I'm amazed at how great their recordings come across, the American Idiot album is phenomenal and last RSD they had a live Tokyo album that could be mistaken for a studio recording. So far, I haven't noticed a difference in their original pressings and the new 180g reissues.

Set an ebay alert for the Pixies Minotaur deluxe box set, it's the size of a small suitcase and looks great on your coffee table, but more importantly it's 5 albums done at 180g from the original tapes and then the CD and DVDaudio of same albums for nice side by side comparisons.


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## mr drinky (Aug 4, 2015)

mille162 said:


> ...LMK what you think of the recordings and if they're better than a normal MP3. For me to buy it on vinyl, the recording has to be superior to a MP3. I've bought a few albums I'm not even a fan of the music, but it was such a great stereo recording I enjoy playing it on my system.


 I have to say that I absolutely love when I get records that I feel sound better on my TT than through some data file, but at this point my emphasis is simply getting back into active listening of music. I think I mentioned this up thread, but I felt my music listening in the past was getting too ADD and very similar to channel surfing on the TV. I fully recognize that some of the albums I buy don't necessarily sound better on vinyl (most punk albums probably don't) BUT I listen to them more, can have lyrics and liner notes at hand, and the fact the record demands that I be attendance to flip it engages me more. I like that. I'm retraining myself to listen to music as I did when I was a child.

And right now I am buying a lot of classic albums that I want to enjoy more fully. For instance, last night I just bought a couple Husker Du albums. I even live in Minneapolis and may not even have a complete album of theirs -- maybe zen arcade I do, but I never listen to it as the songs are littered through playlists and even different computers. Now, do I think that SST Records (who owns the rights to those albums) is going to have the finest remastering, QC, or pressings for vinyl of the Descendents or Husker Du: nope, but they do have the albums reissued on vinyl at a reasonable price. 

With that said, there are certain albums that I do ensure I buy something really good, and I usually shop the better presses for them (Mofi or Accoustic Sounds for instance), but now I am also going to keep an better eye out on Discogs for advice since you mentioned it. In the past I have mostly used Discogs for simply finding the latest company releasing an album as so many record labels went under, got bought up, and now have reappeared -- albeit buried -- in some company's catalog. 

And btw, one album I absolutely love in vinyl is Priscilla Ahn's A Good Day from Mofi. It's simply beautiful. 

k.


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## mille162 (Aug 4, 2015)

Bill13 said:


> Any of the Steely Dan albums, Roxy Music, Mobile Fidelity, Supertramp, Tom Petty, and Talking Heads. The new Beatles records are supposed to be good too.
> 
> I buy/sell a lot of stereo stuff on Audiogon.com. It's where I picked up my current TT - a Rega P5:doublethumbsup I highly recommend the site for picking up quality audio gear. Rega's RP1 is a great "budget" TT.




Bill, did you pick up stereo or mono recordings from the Beatles? If you haven't listened yet, make sure you get a few of their mono pressings, much better mixes!


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## mille162 (Aug 5, 2015)

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).



Panda,

I have to disagree with part of your statement...I'd amend it to say "there is no benefit on most systems", or "there is no benefit with most cables" however when the system you're listening to is $20-$150k, there is always going to be a weak link. Most of what you buy in your bigname stores is junk and there's no performance difference between their top of the line Monster cables at $200 and the $20 pair you'd buy at RadioShack. However by "fancy" I assume you mean "advanced" or "technical" and not "pretty" and "marketed". Should you go and buy $1000+ interconnects for your $500 SS amp, no, of course not...but a pair of MC2301's sounds so much better when connected with a better pair of balanced interconnects. 

Arguing cables in the audio world is the equivalent of arguing oil brands in the car world. Everyone has an opinion and I'd hard to prove the results. I have some friends with multiple systems, several costing more than most of our cars. They have the luxury of back to back testing with multiple brands and levels of cables to find what works best, regardless of budget. The A/B testing is fun to do and an excuse to buy more gear. Of course, at this level, every little thing can make a difference, and you suddenly find yourself trying all types of crazy tricks to improve the sound even more (vibration isolation being a regular discussion and topic of concern).

Personally, we found the Transparent Audio cables had an audible improvement on each system they were tested on. Their network boxes really do make a difference when the rest of the system is at that level. On the "more affordable" side, I really liked the Analysis Plus Oval9's for speaker cable on my own system, but due to length needs when it was rearranged, ended up with the TA Super cables because of a special price.

Mogami (and Belden and Canare) are better than what you're going to get over the counter at most chain stores, however in the analog world, these have their limitations. They're 90%. That last 10% is budget constraints of recording studios now wanting to spend $20k per pair for only a 10% improvement.

When spending your money on your average system
50% speakers
25% amp
20% turntable/preamp
5% everything else

The one area I think has the most room for improvement that is too often overlooked is the needle and cartridge itself. Sooooo many options to fine tune your sound and make improvements but most people stick with what it came with. It's like buying a new car and only using the brand/model tires it came with for the life of the car...


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