Vinyl Records & Set ups!

[retinal orbita]

Update: Got my tape rack built, but I'm already out of room. Bought some kicky crates at a flea market and I'm almost out of room. I'll build another one soon.



I moved a bunch of LPs to my closet as my shelves were getting kind of tight. So now it's much roomier. I think I'm going to start purging again.....

[sonidero]

Hey UG bring all your Headhone and Tube Pres over...

I think I'm going to start purging again.....

lpzzz.jpg (50.81 KiB) Viewed 1661 times

[Uncle Grandfather]

Hey UG bring all your Headhone and Tube Pres over... ]

Hell, I'll pack up my smaller Merlin tsm's and atma-sphere mono blocks/pre/phono and make a date of it

[retinal orbita]

Just shit that, realistically is just taking up space....

I've sold 100+ records on discogs this year and used the profits to fill in holes in my collection with stuff I actually want. Goodbye Screeching Weasel LPs, hello Gang of Four Peel Sessions....

[Uncle Grandfather]

any help would be much appreciated. after reading through this a lot of you guys know your shit

Check out audiogon.com. It's like eBay for hi-fi equipment and the forums are a great resource. Lots of lurking should learn you a lot. audioasylum.com is another great resource for info, great forums.

I would suggest going with separates, think long term and build up as you go. Lots of great preamps and amps that punch way above their price range, and will hold their value for when you are ready to move up a level. I've got lots of suggestions based on experience, Ive put together a lot of stereos.

[Psyre]

Just to note something I recently became aware of...

A lot of "audiophile" and RSD releases come with PVC inner and outer sleeves. PVC isn't very good for records as the plasticizers react with teh vinyl and cause some serious clouding along the surface. I went through my collection and could already see this occurring, specifically on records that came in a pink tinted PVC sleeve.

I always thought these were higher quality and was thankful that some distributors opted for these over regular paper inners, but do yourself a favor and swap them out for nice poly sleeves too.

[Wes Mantooth]

So I got some new vinyl related stuff recently:

Got a Record Doctor V record cleaner. Used it on one record to see how it would work and it wasn't a super dirty one but it definitely was liking turning the presence on an amp up to the optimal level. Just a bit less muffled and cleaner, still had some static though...
I'm waiting on new sleeves to come in before I start going to town and cleaning my collection. Also picked up a stylus cleaner to make sure static isn't being caused there.

Also just ordered a Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amp and I'm looking forward to listening to my records through it. Next on my audio GAS list is some headphones better voiced for metal. I love my AKG 271 mkIIs but they work much better for lighter, less bass heavy music. They also are great monitors for recording due to their balance. I need some cans for my doom records though, the AKGs just don't have a very thick low end.

[Uncle Grandfather]

So I got some new vinyl related stuff recently:

Got a Record Doctor V record cleaner. Used it on one record to see how it would work and it wasn't a super dirty one but it definitely was liking turning the presence on an amp up to the optimal level. Just a bit less muffled and cleaner, still had some static though...
I'm waiting on new sleeves to come in before I start going to town and cleaning my collection. Also picked up a stylus cleaner to make sure static isn't being caused there.

Also just ordered a Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amp and I'm looking forward to listening to my records through it. Next on my audio GAS list is some headphones better voiced for metal. I love my AKG 271 mkIIs but they work much better for lighter, less bass heavy music. They also are great monitors for recording due to their balance. I need some cans for my doom records though, the AKGs just don't have a very thick low end.

Sweet...for eliminating static it helps to hold the record against the tip of your nose with one hand, while grounding yourself by touching your record player with your other hand. There are also destatic guns that work great, though not inexpensive.

[Wes Mantooth]

So I got some new vinyl related stuff recently:

Got a Record Doctor V record cleaner. Used it on one record to see how it would work and it wasn't a super dirty one but it definitely was liking turning the presence on an amp up to the optimal level. Just a bit less muffled and cleaner, still had some static though...
I'm waiting on new sleeves to come in before I start going to town and cleaning my collection. Also picked up a stylus cleaner to make sure static isn't being caused there.

Also just ordered a Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amp and I'm looking forward to listening to my records through it. Next on my audio GAS list is some headphones better voiced for metal. I love my AKG 271 mkIIs but they work much better for lighter, less bass heavy music. They also are great monitors for recording due to their balance. I need some cans for my doom records though, the AKGs just don't have a very thick low end.

Sweet...for eliminating static it helps to hold the record against the tip of your nose with one hand, while grounding yourself by touching your record player with your other hand. There are also destatic guns that work great, though not inexpensive.

I'll give that a shot. I'm hoping the anti-static sleeves I got will be more effective than the current ones in all of my records.

So just splurged a bit and financed an Asgard 2 headphone amp (thought about the Lyr 2 but then I'd just spend more on tubes) and a used pair of HE400s. I'm fucking psyched for Wednesday

[retinal orbita]

Just to note something I recently became aware of...

A lot of "audiophile" and RSD releases come with PVC inner and outer sleeves. PVC isn't very good for records as the plasticizers react with teh vinyl and cause some serious clouding along the surface. I went through my collection and could already see this occurring, specifically on records that came in a pink tinted PVC sleeve.

I always thought these were higher quality and was thankful that some distributors opted for these over regular paper inners, but do yourself a favor and swap them out for nice poly sleeves too.

I've heard this before myself but I've also got records that were stored for 40+ years in those lined inners and sound/look just fine. So I'm always sort of debating what to do with my inners. I've been replacing the ones that are in cardboard or are solid with printed info on them (like the recent Can reissues).

I'm sort of debating buying a box of like, 1000 of the poly sleeves, if I'm thinking of the same ones.

Incidentally, it's kind of telling to see what used places - sometimes you can tell they've slapped a generic white paper sleeve on a record that obviously had been stored for 40+ years with no liner whatsoever, the shops that seem to care about what they're selling seem to be more inclined to replace all the used sleeves with something better.

[Psyre]

Just to note something I recently became aware of...

A lot of "audiophile" and RSD releases come with PVC inner and outer sleeves. PVC isn't very good for records as the plasticizers react with teh vinyl and cause some serious clouding along the surface. I went through my collection and could already see this occurring, specifically on records that came in a pink tinted PVC sleeve.

I always thought these were higher quality and was thankful that some distributors opted for these over regular paper inners, but do yourself a favor and swap them out for nice poly sleeves too.

I've heard this before myself but I've also got records that were stored for 40+ years in those lined inners and sound/look just fine. So I'm always sort of debating what to do with my inners. I've been replacing the ones that are in cardboard or are solid with printed info on them (like the recent Can reissues).

I'm sort of debating buying a box of like, 1000 of the poly sleeves, if I'm thinking of the same ones.

Incidentally, it's kind of telling to see what used places - sometimes you can tell they've slapped a generic white paper sleeve on a record that obviously had been stored for 40+ years with no liner whatsoever, the shops that seem to care about what they're selling seem to be more inclined to replace all the used sleeves with something better.

The lined inners should be fine, it's mainly the thick plastic inners (not the MoFi or other poly sleeves) The Pink ones that came on a Miles Davis Mono issue, Meadowlake and Bright Eyes albums almost seem like they have an oily coating on them. The other records I have that came with thick clear inners also developed small areas of very fine scratching that my poly sleeved LP's haven't developed.

[retinal orbita]

Ah, okay. I don't know these pink ones in particular but I know the thick plastic ones you speak of. I know a few shops that swear by these. I've also read people complaining about lined inners, paper sleeves, etc.

The only ones I've really had a real problem with are the super thick cardboard ones (like a lot of early NWN lps or the Impetigo LPs, and that's because it seems like there are slivers where they're cut that get all over the record.

I was at the shop and buying some sleeves and they had "organic rice" liners, poly, and a bunch of other shit. This vinyl resurgence is fucking exhausting sometimes. I don't remember this level of anal retentiveness 10-20 years ago.

[Psyre]

Rice inners seemed to be more popular in the past and replaced with poly imitators, but I think UG uses rice sleeves?

I've only been heavily into vinyl since the very beginning of the year, but there were definitely some times when I felt so overwhelmed I wondered why the hell I bothered, but it really had been worth it lol. For me it's just trying not to get too caught up in the whole "Best Pressing" ideology, but some pressings do make the difference between enjoyable and nerve wracking music haha.

[D.o.S.]

It's just an album, bro.

[Psyre]

It's just an album, bro.

Yea, but with a lot of them, there are pretty big variations between mastering and mixings. An album just being an album would also mean there is no reason to listen to analog over digital playback.

I mean yea, you can get a copy of Pet Sounds in duophonic or out of phase stereo, or you can hold your breath for a more expensive mono mix and for an album like that, it makes an audible difference that effects the enjoyment.

I think anyone who has focused on listening to analog can agree with that to some extent.