No, I'm not going to the record fair.

That's what happened to me. I got this Pass Labs preamp in here to replace the lovely sounding but overtly colorful TVC and suddenly I can EASILY hear the difference between CD and high resolution digital. Which made me sad because I really had high hopes for both of my old CD players. Instead I'm going to have to find a way to cram my very large SACD player into the main system cabinet if I want tangible digital. Where's the sawzall?

Hey John, you wouldn't consider reverting to the lovely sounding TVC? 😳
 
I find the grading of record stores to be hit or miss also. Plenty of vinyl that even my Kirmuss can’t restore.

No amount of record cleaning is going to repair damaged vinyl.

Even with NEAR MINT grading - internationally defined as having "no obvious signs of wear" - I've still been caught-out by chipped stylus groove damage.

Sadly, this is vinyl...
 
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There are loads of folk out there who believe their scratched rubbish vinyl LPs are still worth top dollar - because it's scarce and its vinyl... "and all vinyl is worth a fortune these days!" 🙄
That reminds me of going to a few estate sales several years ago. Records were $1, $2, etc., yet they looked like my dad's record collection--the LPs usually got put away twice a year. (First time was when I'd get scolded and have to put them away myself; second time was when cleaning up for our annual Xmas party. 😁)

For those estate sales, I sometimes wanted to haul the entire box of records to the checkout table. "Do you want to buy the whole box?" "No. Just take these outdoors and stick them in the rubbish can." I mean, I can dream, can't I?

Regardless of what DISCOGS states an album is worth, at these fairs there are blokes with piles of LPs who have been trying to offload their vinyl collection forever... and they eventually get realistic with pricing.
That depends on which prices we're looking at. Discogs does list min, max and medium prices, and those are based on actual transaction prices. Dealer price listings, though...those leave me shaking my head. I have over 100 on my want list, but so many are stratospheric right now that I can sit it out.
 
I find the grading of record stores to be hit or miss also. Plenty of vinyl that even my Kirmuss can’t restore.
Yep. No amount of cleaning can fix groove burn. That's my primary reason for rejecting so many local records.

Scratchy rekkids, though...that I can fix.
 
Yeah, the R2R tapes defy logic. Gillian Welch is releasing a new R2R tape of Harrow and The Harvest and it is $700!!!! 🤯 🤯 🤯
how many copies of these R2R tapes are they going to sell? i'd bet very few. so they need to charge a LOT to recoup the costs of the R2R editions. and, in turn, the high price will guarantee very limited sales.

PS it would be very interesting to study what type of buyer buys $700 R2R tapes.
 
There's something called the "Chirp Record Fair" in Chicago this weekend. A few friends have asked if I'm going, as they know I'm like 'the record guy' in the friends circle. And...nope. Not going anywhere near it.

Honestly, I think I've had it. The LP market has become absolutely absurd. First it was nothing-special repressings all being $30 and up. Then the used market caught up. Then it ..surpassed. And then it.... just became ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

The other day I noticed, on the wall of a record store, a promo-copy of John Cale's Paris 1919 priced at $300. I bought this record for $5 in the late '90s, same promo-sticker. It's nothing special. The cheaper repress from the 00's sounds just as good.

Two days ago I saw a post about the record below in a facebook group, and everybody drooling. But...wait.. I have that record. What's so special about it? I paid $10 for it a few years after it came out. I mean, yeah, its the last listenable Morrissey album and I guess they didn't press that many of them, but you know it'll be repressed someday, so, like, chill out. I should probably sell mine while the gettin's hot but I just can't feel comfortable doing that to some desperate Morrissey fan who's, of course, already depressed.

Anyway, just me complaining but like most things out there today IT'S JUST GOTTEN SO DUMB that I want to scream. And, not wanting to look silly screaming, I'll just say no. I'm not going to the record fair.

View attachment 68704View attachment 68705View attachment 68706<< my copy. There's a few cheaper ones but they seem to hover around an average of $300. That used to be what people would want for one-of-a-kind misprints and "hot stampers", first off the press. Now...its just some average Morrissey record from just past the edge of his prime. Stupid.
Yup. Vinyls have jumped the shark.
 
I know we've discussed this endlessly over the years, but I stayed in Vinyl because it was inexpensive and fun.
Time to start collecting... CDs! :)

Or, if you want, I can send ya a coupla eight-tracks. :smoke :rolleyes: :doh



Probably not that Chicago, though -- how do you feel about, e.g., Henry Mancini? 😊
 
I bought about 30 CDs in my summertime CD fling, including a huge box set of Beethoven piano concertos off eBay. And …they’re all just kind of getting in the way now. It’s just not the same for me. I like the cost, I just don’t have any fascination with CDs. Records (and record players) have always fascinated me even before I realized they could also sound great.

The cost of old record players has also gone way up but that I can understand.
 
PS it would be very interesting to study what type of buyer buys $700 R2R tapes.
I sure would be. R2R from a price perspective is just way too far out of range for me to even consider at this point and TBH, I have not heard any R2R that would compel me to do so.
 
If I had a 15ips R2R deck I’d possibly consider maybe a favorite album in that format. They’re certainly more special than a lot of these average LPs that are caught up in the hype-craze. Reel to reel safety-masters at 15ips are the best sounding (and to me, most interesting) format that I’ve heard. And they’re unique. But it’s not something I could afford in any scale. I tape my R2R albums from high res digital and even that is expensive (blank tape).
 
R2R is a rabbit hole I just can't go down. Maybe if things improve here I could take a look at the Technics deck. I've always liked the format but I would probably be doing the same thing--copying high-res digital, or vinyl, to tape. Spending hundreds on a single recording isn't worth it to me. $X amount on one of the Analogue Productions reels means that's dozens of other albums I'll never get to hear, regardless of format.

Besides a record, though, what is cooler than watching the reels on a deck go around? 😊
 
my product idea is a streamer housed inside a vintage R2R with spinning reels. the coolness of R2R and the convenience of spotify.
I could just run Qobuz through mine, monitor the input, and possibly have the reels running without 'record' engaged. Not sure if that'd work but... it's a good idea!
 
There's something called the "Chirp Record Fair" in Chicago this weekend. A few friends have asked if I'm going, as they know I'm like 'the record guy' in the friends circle. And...nope. Not going anywhere near it.

Honestly, I think I've had it. The LP market has become absolutely absurd. First it was nothing-special repressings all being $30 and up. Then the used market caught up. Then it ..surpassed. And then it.... just became ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

The other day I noticed, on the wall of a record store, a promo-copy of John Cale's Paris 1919 priced at $300. I bought this record for $5 in the late '90s, same promo-sticker. It's nothing special. The cheaper repress from the 00's sounds just as good.

Two days ago I saw a post about the record below in a facebook group, and everybody drooling. But...wait.. I have that record. What's so special about it? I paid $10 for it a few years after it came out. I mean, yeah, its the last listenable Morrissey album and I guess they didn't press that many of them, but you know it'll be repressed someday, so, like, chill out. I should probably sell mine while the gettin's hot but I just can't feel comfortable doing that to some desperate Morrissey fan who's, of course, already depressed.

Anyway, just me complaining but like most things out there today IT'S JUST GOTTEN SO DUMB that I want to scream. And, not wanting to look silly screaming, I'll just say no. I'm not going to the record fair.

There's a few cheaper ones but they seem to hover around an average of $300. That used to be what people would want for one-of-a-kind misprints and "hot stampers", first off the press. Now...its just some average Morrissey record from just past the edge of his prime. Stupid.
I've got a couple of Classic Records pressings of Led Zeppelin albums that are going for absurd amounts of money on Discogs, but then again, there are no shortage of Led Zeppelin albums (if not Classic Records pressings) in the wild. I'm always happy to see reissues of albums which otherwise might be unobtanium for most folks show up in record stores, even if LP prices are a bit dear.
 

I'm having a problem with my suspension of disbelief that Mia Wallace can rewind an R2R to that level of accuracy. Even if she was watching the counter (which it didn't appear that she was). :D

Also, I'm virtually positive that Urge Overkill never released a reel-to-reel tape. ;)
 
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