KingSausage said:

I need some advice on good starter gear, ways to make your system sound the best (e.g. Placement of turntable and speakers), and whatever else you think I should know.

This is a handy guide to speaker placement - http://www.thevinylfactor...placement/ includes a couple of hints about turntable placement.

[Edited 6/22/16 11:16am]

thetimefan said:

Steve Hoffman forums? Not a vinyl review site per se but there's a lot of tech related music talk there.

This.

TheDigitalGardener said:

thetimefan said:

Steve Hoffman forums? Not a vinyl review site per se but there's a lot of tech related music talk there.

This.

That was my thought too. Although some of the discussions there get kind of... strange. But it could be a good reference point if you are thinking about buying a particular pressing.

A lot of current vinyl releases are mastered from digital files rather than master tapes. For those albums where I really want the analog experience, I will usually try to track down a decent condition copy of an old pressing.

I sometimes check out the Vinyl Anachronist on Perfect Sound Forever for turntable reviews. I bought a Pro-Ject turntable on his recommendation & been happy with it.

bobzilla77 said:

NorthC said:

KingSausage said:

Does anyone have suggestions for what to buy to keep my records clean and dust free?

You will never get your vinyl 100% dust free. I use a Milty Super Exstatic brush for mine. I use it on new vinyl before I play it to remove static and then every 4-5 plays of that same record. Works well and cost me around £25 GBP. I don't use any liquids on my vinyl just the brush.

Another point to remember with regards to keeping dust off your vinyl is how you store it. Keep any pets away from it, dont stack them on the floor, I use poly outer sleeves too, the ones with a re-sealable flap are the best imo. You can get packs of 10, 20, 50, 100 etc for not a lot of money.

TheDigitalGardener said:

KingSausage said:

NorthC said:

As for record labels, you can't go wrong with www.musiconvinyl.com. They can make you listen to an album you already know as if you're hearing it for the first time.

Thanks!

also,look for vinyl records on a label called Speaker's Corner.They reissued most of Santana's albums and the sound quality is absolutely amazing.They use the original master recordings for their pressings.

thetimefan said:

Steve Hoffman forums? Not a vinyl review site per se but there's a lot of tech related music talk there. Not a member just check it out time to time.

I spend alot of time on the Steve Hoffman forums

forums.stevehoffman.tv

KingSausage said:

Does anyone have suggestions for what to buy to keep my records clean and dust free?

I have one of these to clean my records.It's easy to use,and kinda fun,too It's called the Spin-Clean Record cleaner.Can be found on Amazon and other online places.

KingSausage said:

bobzilla77 said:

That was my thought too. Although some of the discussions there get kind of... strange. But it could be a good reference point if you are thinking about buying a particular pressing.

A lot of current vinyl releases are mastered from digital files rather than master tapes. For those albums where I really want the analog experience, I will usually try to track down a decent condition copy of an old pressing.

I sometimes check out the Vinyl Anachronist on Perfect Sound Forever for turntable reviews. I bought a Pro-Ject turntable on his recommendation & been happy with it.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid: new vinyl pressings that are mastered from digital files.

This is exactly why you want to check out Speakers Corners.Their vinyl records are made from the original master recordings.They don't use digital files at all.

www.speakerscornerrecords.com

Not only that...they also replicate the original album artwork very impressively.

KingSausage said:

bobzilla77 said:

That was my thought too. Although some of the discussions there get kind of... strange. But it could be a good reference point if you are thinking about buying a particular pressing.

A lot of current vinyl releases are mastered from digital files rather than master tapes. For those albums where I really want the analog experience, I will usually try to track down a decent condition copy of an old pressing.

I sometimes check out the Vinyl Anachronist on Perfect Sound Forever for turntable reviews. I bought a Pro-Ject turntable on his recommendation & been happy with it.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid: new vinyl pressings that are mastered from digital files.

I know there will be ALOT of people who will disagree with me on this BUT you might as well get used to pressings from digital files...... and the reality is you probably won't know the difference. Most albums from the tape era have been transfered to high-res digital files simply because those tapes are deteriorating/have already deteriorated. These digital files, when transfered correctly, will retain the sound characteristics of the original tapes. That's one of the reason needle drops are so popular with "vinyl purists", and in most cases needle drops are done with consumer level equipment. Just imagine how pro-grade transfers will sound.

Not to mention that there are quite a few albums that people love to say sound sooooo good on vinyl.... yet they are digital recordings! (Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms comes to mind.) One of the reasons for this is that the vinyl "sound" comes from the mechanics of vinyl playback itself (needle/groove/ harmonics).

Don't get too caught up in the digital vs analog masters hype. I truly comes down to HOW it was recorded, mixed, mastered, etc., not whether it was digital or analog.

And the Steve Hoffman site is great.... but it's also full of pretentious, annoying audiophiles who seemed to have forgotten that there is no "correct way" to be a part of this hobby. Yes, there are some good practices but in the end it's about enjoying music.... not how much your custom cables cost and what exotic metal they're made of.

[Edited 6/23/16 5:11am]

Have you decided on a turntable yet?

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

KingSausage said:

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

Have you decided on a turntable yet?

I'm leaning toward the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. Backups are Rega RP1 and Audio Technica 120.

I have a Debut III (basically the precursor to the Carbon) and it's a good starter table. The Debut III's sometimes had a hum issue but I think that problem was worked out with the Carbon.

The RP1 is comparable to the Pro-Ject. Which one is better is really just symantics.

I'm not a fan of the AT-120 simply because it looks like a knock-off Technics (lol). I can't say how it sounds.

My favorite budget turntable at the moment is the U-Turn Orbit Plus. Yes the tonearm is a little more flimsy than the Pro-Ject and the Rega but with the Grado cart it sounds great. I personally think it's a better deal than the Pro-Ject and the Rega, though it's not as "audiophile-approved" (in other words it doesn't cost enough and it's from a starter company without a hi-fi pedigree)

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

KingSausage said:

bobzilla77 said: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid: new vinyl pressings that are mastered from digital files.

And the Steve Hoffman site is great.... but it's also full of pretentious, annoying audiophiles who seemed to have forgotten that there is no "correct way" to be a part of this hobby.

True that.

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

KingSausage said:

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid: new vinyl pressings that are mastered from digital files.

I know there will be ALOT of people who will disagree with me on this BUT you might as well get used to pressings from digital files...... and the reality is you probably won't know the difference. Most albums from the tape era have been transfered to high-res digital files simply because those tapes are deteriorating/have already deteriorated. These digital files, when transfered correctly, will retain the sound characteristics of the original tapes. That's one of the reason needle drops are so popular with "vinyl purists", and in most cases needle drops are done with consumer level equipment. Just imagine how pro-grade transfers will sound.

Not to mention that there are quite a few albums that people love to say sound sooooo good on vinyl.... yet they are digital recordings! (Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms comes to mind.) One of the reasons for this is that the vinyl "sound" comes from the mechanics of vinyl playback itself (needle/groove/ harmonics).

Don't get too caught up in the digital vs analog masters hype. I truly comes down to HOW it was recorded, mixed, mastered, etc., not whether it was digital or analog.

And the Steve Hoffman site is great.... but it's also full of pretentious, annoying audiophiles who seemed to have forgotten that there is no "correct way" to be a part of this hobby. Yes, there are some good practices but in the end it's about enjoying music.... not how much your custom cables cost and what exotic metal they're made of.

[Edited 6/23/16 5:11am]

I think that's right, in terms of new pressings. Analog tape doesn't last forever. That's why I would tend to go for an early pressing in most cases, one made before studios had computers in them.

.

But it really does come down to, how good a job has been done in the transfer, and every step prior to that. I've heard HD digital files that sound utterly wonderful, like being in the studio listening to two-inch tape. And I've heard HD files that sounded like dogshit, probably up-sampled from a standard CD. The potential is there for digital sound to be good, maybe even better than the old pressings. There are just so many ewxamples where the potential isn't met.

.

And yes, Hoffmanites get really over the top in a few cases! They're an interesting bunch, I wouldn't want to live there but I enjoy visiting from time to time.

thetimefan said:

There are some pedantic folks over on the Hoffman board but I think at the end of the day their hearts are in the right place. I mean if you bought a poorly mastered CD or Vinyl you have the right to complain about it and the panache for brickwalling of today's record labels is something which we all as music fans should be concerned about. As for Vinyl purchases id look for close to original date pressings as possible as long as they are affordable. First pressings will go for mega bucks, they maybe collectors items down the road but who's to say that today's rush for everything Vinyl will change if you they bring out a newer format. High definition audio is what most people today will look for, although for me I think finding an old Vinyl record and hearing the crackling and pops is almost a better listening experience because the sound is more richer. But if they manage to replicate that sound in high quality then I think whichever format can boast that quality will be the winner. Right now CD doesn't have the dynamic range of Vinyl which is why it's reclaiming it's musical crown.

Ummmm, actually that's not accurate. Redbook audio has a higher dynamic range than vinyl. The problem with most commercial CD releases these days is the mixing/mastering, not that CD can't handle proper dynamic range.

[Edited 6/23/16 11:20am]

SoulAlive said:

Jello on Crate Diggers:

NorthC said:

SoulAlive said:

KingSausage said:

Does anyone have suggestions for what to buy to keep my records clean and dust free?

I have one of these to clean my records.It's easy to use,and kinda fun,too It's called the Spin-Clean Record cleaner.Can be found on Amazon and other online places.

Yeah, I've got one of those too, but I get to the point where I forget which records I cleaned and which ones I didn't...