i was inspired by this thread haha
analog isn’t as expensive as you might think.
let’s say you already have a nice amp ($200) and a nice dac ($200)
you don’t need to purchase another amp, just simply split the rca connection or get a switch box
a turntable can be had these days for fairly cheap, (around another $200 especially if you go used) and (if necessary) an external pre amp (around $20 or $100 budget depending)
now for records themselves, let’s say you subscribe to Tidal which is $20 a month. If you spent $20 a month on a new record the possibilities are endless. (it might be smarter to buy new records so you don’t really have to worry about deep cleaning them which can get very expensive and annoying.)
with one record a month on vinyl you’ll certainly appreciate the artwork, music, process, and overall experience with the album. much more than a random song that passes by on a playlist. (this is all my opinion by the way)
so yeah, call me crazy but i really think there is a ton of fun to be had with all of analog audio. if vinyl isn’t your think why not try tapes? they can sound great. also purchasing all used equipment is a cool way to get out and explore music stores in your area. even if you only got some junk gear and some old records, you’re still enjoying something new.
you’re right up until the point you start talking about vinyl. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get any…go ahead. but at $20/m…you’re getting one record while $20/m from Tidal gets you…what is it now, 35 million lossless tracks? realistically you’d need $40/m…to collect records and have a subscription for streaming. listening to the same record over and over would get stale pretty quick.
oh, and most good amp’s have pre-out’s for you to send to a receiver / integrated amp or powered speakers!
I don’t have vinyl and only have some cds. All of my library is digital, bought. But i agree that buying the albums gives a more complete feeling than just skipping songs willy nilly on a streaming service. My mother always played discs from the first song to the last and there is definitely something to that as well, listening to a full album. I only bought recently the physical discs of some albums and would like to get the vinyl versions eventually! When i do so please recommend a good cheap turntable
biggest issue with physical media is that in this day and age of micro suites and apartments, most of us don’t have the space to store a growing collection. however, I agree that having an original analog source would be nice.
who wants to start up an online vinyl rental business?
Haha there was a nice techmoan video on 8 tracks. I only have heard of them from there and that 70’s show. Im so young lol. I even asked my mom about listening to music on turntables and was shooked to heard that indeed that’s how she listened to music as a kid
Yeah space is an issue, I literally live in a closet. Definitely dont have the space for a collection of anything. Plus very often i go on cleansing rampages so I would be a danger to anything I collect. Thankfully digital media is stored in multiple sources so its always safe from me
back when my dad was growing up one record a month was RARE lol
people would play the hell out of their records and it forced them to appreciate the music and the artwork
we’re lucky enough to have the option, that’s sort of what im trying to express. if it doesn’t interest you there’s nothing anyone can say to make you buy a turntable but if you’re on the fence, hey why not give it a shot. go through amazon and use their 30 day return lol
Well i dont know much about a turntable. So I would say a reasonable price to waste on one would be a little over a hundred tops. Not particularly poor, just a cheap person. Commitment level is definitely low as in I won’t get many vinyl in my lifetime, most of my music has never even existed in vinyl format, only a few niche artists so its more of a cute side project
start scouring the used market! craigslist, letgo, facebook marketplace for sure. i’ve also set up an ebay search, check it out. you coullld also get the lp60x, but they’re fairly low tier i’d say. there’s so many great options on ebay alone so just make sure it’s a good seller, good stylus, cartridge etc. gather as much information you can using youtube (about turntables, parts, stylus, direct drive vs belt driven, etc) and you’ll have a perfect (tailored for you) turntable in no time.
I think my dad,needs to get his reel to reel recordings dialed in, but man it’s something else. I posted a pick of his setup in the past on reddit. He makes some L7s scream with an earthquake simulator in the corner.
Edit for the info::
His “mid-fi” system consists of 3 monoblocked Crown ps-400 power amps, an apt-Holman preamplifier(refurbished with upgrades), a Sherwood cd980 CD player, a dbx224x-ds, a jbl bx63 crossover, a teac x1000 reel to reel, a teac a2000r reel to reel, a dual 1229 record player, 2 JBL L7, and a JBL4645 18in subwoofer. It sounds good, the sub is not pictured but he dialed it in to tasteful levels of earthquake.
Overall I’m pretty proud of his work on it, he also hand built the equipment rack. When he gets his monster Altecs done I’ll post his office listening setup.
