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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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Vinyls
Hello everyone,
I used to have a turntable and just a small bunch of vinyls when I was around 10, in the mid-80s. Like many people, I quickly turned to cassettes and CDs, of course.
Lately, I've found myself longing to rediscover the quality and the whole experience of putting on a vinyl album on a nice turntable set, which would imply buying the device and start a collection from scracth.
In the Montreal, Quebec, Canada region where I live, there are a few stores which sell used vinyls from the 70s and the 80s. Not too many in the AOR genre I'm looking for though...
I would probably have to turn mostly to the Internet, but I have no idea what is the state of the market for used vinyls on eBay or other sources. I'm wondering whether buying old vinyls over the Internet is too much of a complicated task, or something that could easily be done.
To sum it up, based on your experience, is it worth it for someone to start a vinyl collection in 2012?
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Axldobby
City: Mid-Brittany
Country: France
Posts: 3173
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There're a lot of good opportunities on the net, about vinyls, that's sure 
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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Great! Where should I start and what should I be aware of?
Also, just curious... Do you buy vinyls simply because you love the format, or is it because the items you buy are not available on CD?
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Axldobby
City: Mid-Brittany
Country: France
Posts: 3173
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Well, to be honnest I've just four vinyls for the moment 'cause I'm still searching a ... machine! (I mean disk player!)  I buy vinyls, to complete some collections. For example, I've bought to a friend two opus from KICK AXE 
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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Merci de m'avoir répondu si rapidement! 
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Axldobby
City: Mid-Brittany
Country: France
Posts: 3173
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No problemo! I think you can take a look, here: http://www.cdandlp.com/ It's a webshop where you could find some rarities on Vinyls, but take care of offers You can also take a look on http://www.musicbuymail.eu, it's safe compared to CdandLP.com 'cause it's not a pool for sellers
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Falke1
Posts: 714
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still got about 500 vinyl LPs ..and a turntable. I must have put a certain amount of what was my collection straight in the skip a while ago, they were just sitting in my garage rotting.. I still buy the occasional 'rarity' off Ebay, mostly 'cheap' stuff I don't have on CD, a couple of Adrenalin and Baby Tuckoo discs were my most recent purchases. Of course people like Rock Candy are gradually re-releasing most of my vinyl collection on CD, along with plenty of reading material - which was another reason I kept most of my vinyl..to read the sleeve notes etc..
 Eddie & the Tide - I do it for you
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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This is still a pretty good amount of vinyls.
If ever you want to sell me a few of them.........
But I digress...
Does putting on a vinyl album, carefully dropping the needle and holding a full-size cover in your hands still hold a special place in your heart, as compared to using CDs?
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AORPOMPY
Posts: 2745
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It's a special feeling, the sound was/is warm and a lot of covers are simple stunning !!!
Love those old vinyls, but I'm afraid it's not the moment to start a collection ! I'm afraid it's over and it will never come back ! But it's up to you !
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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Vinyls rule !!
Flash Bern,
beeing a fan of vinyls too (LP 12", 7", Maxi etc) , i 'd like to advise you 2 very good stores on the web where i often order (and never had any problem) , in the UK ( ok, it's far away from Canada but the prices are very interesting and vinyls in great condition) :
http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/
(great offer worldwide about the shipping costs currently)
http://www.rockofages.uk.com/
both are very serious.
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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to POMPY
right , man
you can test with "rocks" from AEROSMITH for example;
the vinyl has a very better sound and dynamics than the CD version.
no comparison.
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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Thank you for your honesty, AORPOMPY! Like you said it yourself, I don't have to listen to you, don't I?
My researches led me to visit MusicStack and Discogs (through the amazingly stimulating Glorydazemusic Web site), and my first impression is that the prices are fair but quite off-putting when you add the shipping costs (even in a combined-shipping scenario). In other words, buying the CD version of a given album is often the same price, if not less expensive...
Nevertheless, here is an interesting article I found on the subject (circa 2007):
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/commentary/listeningpost/2007/10/listeningpost_1029/
Some extracts:
"For many of us, and certainly for many of our artists, the vinyl is the true version of the release," said Matador's Patrick Amory. "The size and presence of the artwork, the division into sides, the better sound quality, above all the involvement and work the listener has to put in, all make it the format of choice for people who really care about music."
Although CDs have a wider dynamic range, mastering houses are often encouraged to compress the audio on CDs to make it as loud as possible: It's the so-called loudness war. Since the audio on vinyl can't be compressed to such extremes, records generally offer a more nuanced sound.
Another reason for vinyl's sonic superiority is that no matter how high a sampling rate is, it can never contain all of the data present in an analog groove, Nyquist's theorem to the contrary.
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Elival
City:
Country: Sweden
Posts: 3591
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I like the whole experience about vinyls. Always preferred to get a new LP, put it on and then read on the cover. As I was young when I used to play LP´s, I just loved the posters that was included too. Too bad the good sound quality on th LP only lasted the first spins, before it finally was worned out a bit. Another bad thing about LP compared to listen to a digital copy is that you have to get up and change side after the normal 4-5 songs back in the days.
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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To Axe-To-The-Wax :
I really appreciate your advice.
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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"Too bad the good sound quality on th LP only lasted the first spins, before it finally was worned out a bit."
You see, Elival, that is one big downer, which might make me stick to CDs after all!
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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i see in your profile you're translator from English to French; next time i will write in French finally... haha ..
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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personally, i collect the vinyls when i already own them in CD.
i try to have them in CD and in vinyl, and occasionally in cassette too.
because vinyls are delicate, i prefer not to listen to them too often, and choose to put the CD on the hi-fi, vinyls are more for the collection.
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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By popular request, since you all insist , here's an update on the Flash-Bern-Goes-Vinyl story.
This weekend, I went shopping for my first LPs at a store called Aux 33 tours, in Montréal.
I came back with the following near-mint vinyls for my new collection, at the price $108, tax included:
1. Marc Jordan - Blue Desert
2. Marc Jordan - Talking Through Pictures
3. Harlequin - One False Move
4. Harlequin - Harlequin
5. Donnie Iris - Back On The Streets
6. Donnie Iris - The High And The Mighty
7. Donnie Iris - Fortune 410
8. Charlie - Good Morning America
9. Charlie - Charlie
10. Dwayne Ford - Needless Freaking
11. New England - New England
12. Journey - Journey
13. Journey - Look Into The Future
14. Journey - Next
15. Night Ranger - Midnight Madness
16. Night Ranger - 7 Wishes
17. Pablo Cruise - Out of Our Hands
18. Mr. Mister - Go On
19. Wrabit - Tracks
20. Donald Fagen - The Nightfly
21. Asia - Alpha
22. Asia - Astra
23. Patty Smyth - Never Enough
24. Staying Alive Soundtrack
... Now I guess I have no choice but to buy a turntable!
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AORPOMPY
Posts: 2745
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Yeah, certainly ! By the way, not bad at all what you've found, but most, if not all, can be found on CD as well, I'm afraid !
But then you miss of course that nostalgia thing !!!
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shawn
City: peoria
Country: usa
Posts: 328
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I have more than 1.000 vinyls and love them. The covers are a true work of art, the sound is on another level. Actually, due to the very nature of CDs they can't be compared to vinyls soundwise. Very few CDs sound decent enough, Steve Hoffman, Dr. Ebbetts and MSFL's are some of them. CDs on the other hand are much more sensible indeed and I have more than 3.000 of them, including my huge Beatles collection, of course, but the problem is that I have to compensate the lack of depth of a CD with an array of differen frequencies on my ONKYO amplifier. The worst CDs in my opinion are the earliest ones, from the 80's, with the exception of the Toshibas released in 1982, even before Philips in 1987. DDD CDs simply suck, I always try to get the Japanese, West German editions as well as AAD or ADD. Nowadays CD sound is improving, but labels like Frontiers stil have a lot to learn when it comes to pureness of sound, that's one of the things that are killing AOR, aside from the sheer lack of creativity that are on display for this style as well, of course.
TRAFFIC
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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"but most, if not all, can be found on CD as well, I'm afraid !"
The fact that many of those albums are also available on CD is not really a factor for me.
Beside, none of those albums would be readily availabe in CD format in a physical store near my home for a mere $4.
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Flash Bern
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Posts: 187
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As a quick update since my last post here on this thread, I acquired a nice Rega RP1 turntable some two-three weeks ago, as well as an entire vinyl collection from a guy I found in the ads who lives an hour away from my place. So in no time and for a relatively small amount of money, I became the proud owner of close to 370 vinyls, almost all in near mint condition. There is classic stuff like Alan Parsons Project, Blue Oyster Cult, David Bowie, Chicago, Deep Purple, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, etc,... as well as bands that are often discussed here on RR like Foreigner, Headpins, Heart, Journey, Kansas, Loverboy, Red Rider, Rush, Saga, Styx, Survivor, Toronto, Van Halen, Whitesnake, etc. Sorry, I just had to share my enthusiasm... I am living the vinyl dream! 
Boston's Third Stage (amazing on vinyl with the nice cover and all!)
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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wow 370 .... great deal dude ...enjoy
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Nick C
City: Middleton, Manchester
Country: England
Posts: 298
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Wow! Nice ... in fact impressive dive into vinyl.
I still love vinyl and have probably around 5 - 700 albums. I used to have an awful lot more but I was suckered into the belief that CD sounded better and started selling it off as I bought the CD equivalent, plus I sold some as my tastes changed which I wish I hadn't. These days when I buy a CD I already have on vinyl I buy it to "compliment" the vinyl version. CD is great for convinence plus there's the old "pops and crackles issue" but vinyl just has that warm and more dynamic sound it's so different in some cases it can be astounding, I remember I bought the Babys - Broken Heart CD and was so disappointed in the sound in comparison to the vinyl.
Plus as Pompy said earlier it's the whole experience.
Actually bothering to set aside some time to remove the vinyl from the package and put it onto the deck. Having artwork and lyrics you can actually pour over for ages. Even the smell of the stuff, I remember some U.S. pressings had quite a unique sweet smell...and some of my albums still retain it even to this day (Axe - s/t on MCA for sure). It made playing music special almost ritualistic rather than just slamming it in and hitting play.
So yeah I still play my and love my vinyl and in a few cases buy the vinyl instead of the CD (recently Jimmy Spheeris - Isle of View just for the art really!) - to that extent I ended up buying a Michell Gyrodec some years ago - the last turntable I'll ever need I would think.
Drivin n Cryin - Smoke
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AORPOMPY
Posts: 2745
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Ha, that nostalgia, Nick !!!! Damn, where are the times ?!!!
Whatever we would like, I'm afraid those vinyl times are over forever !!!! 
But yeah, CD's can't replace the warmth, depth, the art of those vinyl products !!! But we have to do it with these things !
And Nick, I know the feeling ! I've also been so stupid to sell a lot of vinyl albums. I miss 'em, but I'm happy I stopped it before it was too late !!!
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Nick C
City: Middleton, Manchester
Country: England
Posts: 298
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Ha! Yeah me too...I keep hold of my vinyl now, looks like we both wised up eventually.
The dumbest thing was ...and I still shake my head in disbelief that I did this... The Babys album Broken Heart, I STILL sold the vinyl even though I thought it sounded better than the CD....how nuts was that. 
Amplifier - The Octopus
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USDHEAD
City: Bury
Country: England
Posts: 2718
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I have retained in the region of 1400 vinyl albums, while now also amassing a stupidly large CD collection!
Paul
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USDHEAD
City: Bury
Country: England
Posts: 2718
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Cassettes, on the other hand, were the invention of the Devil.....
Paul
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Nick C
City: Middleton, Manchester
Country: England
Posts: 298
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Another name for the devil is Old Nick...but I swear I never invented them.
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AORPOMPY
Posts: 2745
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Nick, I've made the same mistakes, mate !
And Paul, your collection is impressive !!!
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Axe-To-The-Wax
City: Grenoble
Country: France
Posts: 2176
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it's never too late for a new collection, guyz
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AORPOMPY
Posts: 2745
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Sad it's so damn expensive !!!
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Album Reviews 
27/06/2012 15:50:26