North East USA
Has anyone finally decided to sell their Turntable and Vinyl collection?
It Maybe a little strange to ask this question here since clearly this is a forum for folks still loving and using Vinyl.
So I am looking for some feedback from folks that play very little of their LPs these days and have decided to sell all of it (or already have). I have thought about it for years seems like a hassle trying to sell your TT and or your record collection, that is mainly why mine stays put (not because I use it).
Anyway if you have sold - (Not if you’re keeping it forever)
Have you regretted it?
Or is to nice to reduce the clutter and happily move on?
Some people would never sell their analog rig and collection, I get that.
So I am looking for some feedback from folks that play very little of their LPs these days and have decided to sell all of it (or already have). I have thought about it for years seems like a hassle trying to sell your TT and or your record collection, that is mainly why mine stays put (not because I use it).
Anyway if you have sold - (Not if you’re keeping it forever)
Have you regretted it?
Or is to nice to reduce the clutter and happily move on?
Some people would never sell their analog rig and collection, I get that.
104 responses Add your response
Great story @brucenitroxpro! My issue is not getting rid of my collection but culling out the excess. I’m a hardened vinyl lover at this point and I still have the LPs from most of the key phases of my youth, like the copy of Rubber Soul I used to listen to while coloring in a book with crayons (it does not sound very good now). Recently I went through a 3 or 4 year phase of buying new records, some of them cheap and some very pricey. Great time of exploration, but I now I find there are more records on the wall than I really like to have. I don’t need a collection for collecting’s sake. And because we now have vast digital libraries at our fingertips (w/ monthly rental fee) it doesn’t make much sense (to me) to have more LPs than you’re realistically going to listen to or refer to in some way. But on the other hand I don’t have a good way of distinguishing between the good and the not so good. Marie Kondo doesn’t seem to work on an old mid-grade Billie Holiday recording from the 70s. |
I donated my record collection (started at 1200 disks) to my older daughter, along with a good sound system. NOT because she couldn't afford a ROON system or such, but because I had a computerized list of what I truly admired about each and passed it on as one person's ideas. She could afford anything, but likes the essence of the gift as "more than a record collection." That means a lot to me. Now, my TOOL collection is a different story... and will go eventually to a different daughter! LOL |
Yep, back in the 80's I sold my tt, however, I kept all of my records! So glad I did, as after not being able to listen to my vinyl for several years, I decided to buy a Music Hall tt. Wow, I couldn't believe how good they were sounding. Now, my tt is a VPI Classic III, with either a Lyra Kleos, Spectral Reference, or a Soundsmith Zephyr (all wonderful sounding cartridges), and a Pass P-17 phono preamp. I am so glad that I never sold my lp's. They are just so good! |
I never parted with my record collection and I never will. I worked in the retail record business when CDs came out in the 80s. I thought they sounded like garbage and that Phillips/Sony "perfect sound forever" market-speak was just a bunch of total BS to create a new revenue stream for a floundering record industry. I just recently started listening to digital more seriously (via Roon/Qobuz and a Naim NDX2/XPS) as it took this long to sound good enough to. |
Speaking of Italian Prog...did u sell any Perigeo? I have 3 lps by them that I enjoy. @gosta - thank you for the suggestion, but I am set. I agree totally that discovering new music is a huge part of the hobby and a large part of my collection was through buying music not previously heard. Back in the day you just could not go to AllMusic Guide and listen to different artist/similar artist. Plus at this stage I don’t need to be purchasing additional equipment for more formats. Now I would benefit from a new CD player! LOL! |
I have never been without LPs and an analog setup. However, I did sell off a part of my vinyl some years ago, and regret it ever since. Of course I miss quite a few of those LPs, and might not be able to remember everything I sold, in order to replace it. The other reason for regret is, much of my collection is made up of progressive music from all over the world, some of it is rare and now worth quite a bit of $$$. Even though I kept all of the real rare, expensive LPs (most of it rare Italian prog, many LPs worth over $1000, and more), there is no telling what I sold that also might be worth big $$$. |
Yes I did sell all of my vinyl, except for about 4 or 5 that are DBX encoded. Remember that? They sounded great. The impetus for the sale was an all Audio Research front end and amps. The source may very well change to a Bryston Digital Player and associated DAC in the near future. Interestingly I still have an original 1917 Victrola and about 300 78s. It's amazing how loud it will play. No, I don't regret it one bit (no pun). |
I will never sell my turntable - a Linn Sondek with an Alphason Hr-100s with a Linn Karma cartridge that I had re-done by Andy Kim with a micro ridge stylus
sapphire cantilever and I also acquired a Linn Linto Phono preamplifier recently. I did get rid of about 50% of my LP in 2008 (dropped them at the thrift store and they were in like new condition), which I very much regret. The ones I got rid of are the ones that I replaced with CD's except a few that I kept for the LP covers. I must admit that since I got my Musical Fidelity MX-DAC, I listen a lot less to LP's, but whenever I get over my laziness and put a LP on the turntable, there is nothing that compare to it and it will continue for days, cleaning records and listening - it is like I'm possessed. |
Will never sell my vinyl. Been collecting since I was 15. I am 64. Over the years I sold a few out of my collection to used record stores for store credit, which was twice what cash value from store was. I also have a great CD collection, but I am selling some of those. I do 2 or 3 record shows a year and have close to 2,000 lps in my personal collection and about 300-400 that I take to shows. I still buy alot of vinyl - no CDs any more. Machete don’t stream! Never will. Got all the great music I need. I look for the deals now and buy very selectively. Just got Larry and Lee, and Ritenour Wesbound for about half price at Elusive Disc. I go through my collection before shows and pull what I don’t play at all or very often. I like to keep it where I have nothing but great condition and great (to me and my wife) music. I also have made a list of who my records and various systems go to when I die. It will go to my long time music buds. |
Recently dusted off my player (a rega 3 with ortofon blue) and played some vinyl and compared to the streaming version. Really happy to again be able to hear the music as it was recorded. Really mad about the media companies that have been fooling us to sell our vinyls and to buy their extemely bad cd transfers. Especially the music from 70's and 80's that's hard to listen to on cd because of removed bass and mid, compressed dynamics and sharp edges on voices and guitars. Supertramp Crime one example. I wouldn't say vinyl is "better" than cd. Vinyl is good enough, cd should theoretically be better. It's how you do it that matters.
When a serious company really try there are lots of examples when the cd version actually sounds better - cleaned up without adding compression and edges. It's a jungle looking for the best recording. Will certainly rebuild my vinyl collection of older recordings! |
I bought two new (to me) turntables last year. I’m buying more new and used LP’s now than I did for years. In the 1990’s I resigned myself to the reality of having to make peace with the CD, and finally bought myself a player: the Philips CD80, a substantial machine with a good transport (I thought it was heavy until I bought an Esoteric ;-). If you wanted any of the music that was being recorded in that decade (and into the 00’s), you had no choice---LP’s of that music were not being produced. I’m not one of those who found CD’s to sound as bad as they were "supposed" to (by audiophiles). I mean, some of the LP’s being pressed were worse! MCA and Capitol Records LP’s, in particular. Garbage! But there were UK and European record companies making excellent LP’s: Ace, Bear Family, CRD (England) and Harmonia Mundi (France, and the U.S.) for Baroque and Early music. When I visited Portland in 2010, Music Millennium had relegated their LP’s to the mezzanine above the main floor of the shop. By the time I relocated here in early 2016, the Blues, Jazz, Country/Folk/Bluegrass, and Oldies (you know, old people’s music ;-) CD’s had been moved up there, the LP’s now completely filling what had been the Classical room and spilling onto the main Pop CD floor. In the past 3-1/2 years, with every passing month the LP racks take over floor space from the CD racks. When you visit the store now, about half of the main floor is LP’s, the other half CD’s. Most of the browsing customers are flipping through LP’s, not CD’s. It may be different in your town or city. MM pays pretty good money for LP’s, almost nothing for CD’s. A couple of months back I took in one 12 x 12 carton of vinyl, for which I was offered $400. But then one of the records was the lone 7" 45 released by The Nerves, which fetched me $75. I had actually purchased the 45 at Music Millennium when it was released in 1977! The Nerves was the Los Angeles Power Pop trio of Peter Case (later of The Plimsouls), Paul Collins (The Beat), and Jack Lee (writer of "Hanging On The Telephone"---which is on the 45, later recorded by Blondie. His royalty checks from their recording paid Jack’s rent for a few years ;-). I have a second copy, and I’m keepin’ it! |
Interesting topic and I enjoyed reading the replies. Its not always a case of whether vinyl sounds better than digital, more an involvement experience as kingbarbuda well mentions. My very limited experience of CD`s just brings memories of more fidgety hard plastic cases (like cassette) looking for an excuse to fall apart, and CD`s refusing to play because of a fingerprint on the lead in just where fingerprints happen. So when LP`s started receding from shops to be replaced by CD`s at twice the price, I used the opportunity to by up bargain price LP`s. Now the CD`s are receding and LP`s are twice the price. Hmm, things do go round, but LP`s go round better! |
Playing vinyl is more than just listening to music for late cycle Baby Boomers like me. The ritual of collecting your records, cleaning them, filing them, taking them out, using your anti static brush, brushing your stylus, placing the record on the turntable and listening and getting up to lift the tone arm when the side is done, takes us back to our youth. This is how we always listened to music. It required active involvement. It’s also obviously very analog and nostalgic. I mean, if you are a jazz fan like me and you are listening to Louis Armstrong or Chet Baker or something else of decades gone by, one could even argue that the most appropriate medium to listen to music of that era is vinyl. I am not giving up my turntable and vinyl collection. I may add to it, in fact. I may upgrade my cartridge, too. If I want to discover new music, I will stream and use Roon, which is fantastic for music discovery and sound quality. But vinyl has a place and it’s not all about sound quality. It is the entire experience and how it takes us back to our youth and the era of when the music was made. |
I start buying vinyl back in Jr. high school...circa 1977. My collection really exploded when I discovered the independent record in Hartford , which was Capitol Records. I got into alternative and punk bands, predominantly English bands. During this time there were so many cool small independent record lables, such as Rough Trade, which became part of Sire. My two favorite lables were 4AD and Play It Again Sam Records. One big component of these small lables was the EP. Many small band's would break through with a four song EP that would be played on college radio. Ofcaorse then there was the dance remix of so many cool songs that could be played in the local dance Goth club. In Boston that sacred space was called Spit...later it became Axis and Tuesday night was the night to be there. The DJ's name was Sean and he wa a Zen master of industrial dance music. So as a result of clubbing my collection grew exponentially based on what he was spinning...much of this stuff we could get at Tower Records or Newbury Comics. My collection became quite extensive and a great representation of punk, new wave, and alternative. By 1996 I was newly married and my son would be born in '98 so my "scenester" days were now in the rear view mirror. Coincidentally the owners of Mystery Train Records in Boston relocated to Amherst, when we now lived, and since money was tight I regretably began peeling off my collection, which was over 600 pieces by now, and these folks always knew I had something good to cash in or trade for a CD when I walked into the store. Plus I knew some up and coming Goth kid would treasures these gems as I once did. I do regret not keeping my beloved favorites. If you are wondering why my collection was on the small side...well I was Dead head and I was a taper and had alive bootlet cassette collection of over 600 shows. I used to buy Memorex XLII by the case... And believe it or not I still have a few hundred left but need to find a new tape deck so I can to play them. So I may buy a newTT and cassette deck to get back in the game....or not lol. |
I donated about 1,500 albums 5 years ago when we moved; I certainly don't regret losing those. I kept about 2,000, and my plan is to get down to about 1,000 before we move again. That may involve some painful decisions. But I would never give up vinyl altogether. It's been part of my life since I was 10 years old, and now I'm 60. :-) |
Whether it's to reduce clutter, desire to make some money, or to ditch vinyl in favor of some newer media are questions for an individual to ask. CD's, media streaming, and all the other sources are tempting for all who favor the formats. Some recordings in the digital format can never reach the realism of a well recorded vinyl media. And, some of the original music recorded on vinyl and then transferred to digital sounds better. Just depends on what the quality of the original recording was. So...depends on tastes, equipment, and the first three questions at the beginning of this post. |
I have 1200 to 1300 vinyl albums collected during the 70’s and 80’s. Most are in very good to excellent condition because, I recorded about 40 reels and 100 cassettes from my favorite ones and mostly listened to them. I went the CD route for a while and have 500 to 600. In the late 80’s I stopped buying music and simply enjoyed what I had. I used a Technics SL-1600MK2 TT with Pickering cartridges since the 80’s. Last year I purchased a Technics 1200G w/ Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge. Wow, what a major difference in SQ. I also purchased a completely new rig with the 1200G. I stream Tidal from a SonicTransporter and my CD collection from an Innous Zenith MKII. The SQ is great. I never thought CDs could sound so good, and I really like MQA. But I like the sound coming from my new TT the best. I have vinyl that you can’t find on any streaming site. So I plan to keep mine around. I find myself streaming more these days because it’s easier; however, when me and the wife are enjoying our listening room or we have friends over, it’s usually vinyl all the way. |
@drmemory62 Thanks for supporting the Alzheimer's Association and its research to find a cure. |
I have multiple LPs dating back to the late 1960s when I first bought many of them and a reasonable collection of classical albums, many of which (RCA "Shaded Dog", Mercury "Living Presence", Chesky, etc.) I inherited from my father. I've been fortunate enough to acquire many more classical albums of comparable quality for $1.00-$2.00/album from someone local who purchases album "lots", searching for a certain genre of music: what he doesn't want (classical and older jazz), I usually buy. If, on the other hand, I was facing current costs for audiophile-quality vinyl, I perhaps wouldn't continue as - compared to streaming services like Tidal - the cost:benefit ratio wouldn't favor LPs. Having made that comment though, the entire vinyl "experience" seems to zero-out the "pain-in-the-ass" and cost factors. So, I'll stay in vinyl for the foreseeable future. Confused? Yes, I know! |
My old vinyl collection actually got me back into the music listening hobby. Probably had about 800-1000 albums stored, never thought I would actually play them but couldn't turn loose. A box came apart and as I was reboxing them started reading the titles, thinking how nice it would be to spin a few. Started researching the hobby on Audiogon, Audioholics etc. Told my wife it would be nice to have a stereo again after 30 years. Actually, had to get a new wife first. Did better the second time. How much better? Trans-Fi linear tracking arm, Airtight Supreme, Allnic H 7000 Phono Pre, Zesto Leto preamp, Audiopax amps and Zu Def 4 speakers. For me the crucial part of the listening experience began with the new wife. YMMV. |
Absolutely jazzcourier, I downloaded all my CDs to a hard drive and traded them in at Bullmoose Music for....Records:)))) I am so happy to be rid of those crappy plastic cases that crack and come apart with script on crappy paper that you can not read. It rips when you slide it out anyway. The record jacket is art. Just ask Neon Park and you can actually read it. It is the right size for a human. The CD is for Lilliputians. Do Records sound better? Not always especially if Rykodisc is pressing them. I have a 45 rpm MoFi pressing of Bob Dylan's Desire. I also have a 96/24 download of the same record. I synced them up and played them for friend and everyone including myself preferred the Mofi version. It had a tube like euphoria to it that was probably not accurate but as Nelson Pass said, "Audiophiles do not care about accurate. They just want to be happy." Give up my records? Shoot I buy 3-4 new ones every week! Mike |
If you have quality gear and buy 180g vinyl only then I don't see how you can beat it. Take for example Tull - Aqualung album. First track side 2 - Cross Eyed Mary. I once had a room full of people in their 30's. I played a gold master CD version of it, then followed with the 180g vinyl. They all nearly fell out of their chairs! All jaws dropped, and people impressed who hate this kind of music. Says it all really! For me, I'm 53. Sold everything in 89 when I left the UK to move to the US. 10 years ago I got back into vinyl. Now I have the luxury of only buying the audiophile grade albums and I have to say I've been more than happy! |
Money always seems like a poor replacement for something that natures one’s soul. I regret selling my 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom in college. That’s why I will never sell my Fender Stratocaster I bought 6 months later at age 19. I can’t imagine ever selling my half dozen acoustic guitars or offloading my smallish vinyl collection. I go back to the music well far too often and cherish the tactile connection I have with the instruments and the physical vinyl. Perhaps I’m odd. |
I sold almost all of mine. Actually gave away is more like it. Believe it or not but back then everyone believed CD was "perfect sound forever" not disposable crap with the half-life of a floppy disk. For sentimental reasons I held onto a small number of LPs and my Technics SL-1700. Which all sat in a box for years until this Robert Harley guy planted a bug in my ear and got me motivated to dig out the box and give those records a spin. Was floored how such an old relic could sound better than a newer and much more expensive CD player. Regrets? No idea if you will have regrets. Probably you yourself have no idea whether you will live to regret it. Dumping irreplaceable recordings. Who knows? But if you do, then whatever you do, do not under any circumstances go to BetterRecords.com and discover just how much some of those oldies might be worth and how good they might sound if only you could play and listen to them. Which you can't. Because you gave them away. |
I think I can state categorically it will NOT happen again! Lol. Like Tooblue I had some irreplaceable vinyl but they are long gone. Although just yesterday at my LRS I DID find a copy of one of my first vinyl from age 13 that my mother bought me for my teen coming out birthday. In the year 2525 by Zager & Evans. Only about another 500 to go...... |
During the late 70's, I sold my entire system which at the time was a GAS Son of Ampzilla, Kenwood LO7C preamp, Sansui tuner, Teac A450 Cassette deck, JVC Direct Drive Turntable with a GAS sleeping Beauty MC cartridge. Speakers were Ambient 66 (company has long folded). I also sold all my records which at the time was probably around 500-600 LP's. No, I wasn't insane, I sold everything to fund my wifes college education, For 5 years, the only music in the house came from a $29.00 Sony transistor radio! Five years later, I started building very slowly, starting off with an all Fisher system (horrible sounding) and one by one replaced all the Fisher components over the years to what I own now. I cried the day my system and records were finally gone but my wife got a good job with her education, so it's all good. |
I have to admit I have been toying with the idea of selling the whole vinyl set up. about 2k records and my Garrard 301. Sometimes I love it and would never sell other times its such a pain to deal with. I just bought a decent DAC and finding out how good digital can sound so that's one more nail in the vinyl coffin so to speak. We will see it may be more of a pain to sell then to keep like one other member here mentioned. If I found one person who would buy the whole lot of records it probably would go, but I'm not going to spend years parting out the collection. Table I'm assuming would sell fairly easily as its a desirable model. |
