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HiFi laundry

Over the past year or so, I have become a born again vinyl enthusiast. As a consequence, I am loving music more than ever. I hardly ever listen to Qobuz or local music files any more.

During my vinyl free years, I acquired lots of accessories in an attempt to make the digital sound more palatable. They things like an audiophile switch, a Roon ROCK NUC, IsoAcoustic feet, Snergistic Research Tranquility Pods, linear power supplies, etc.

Now I am thinking that maybe I should just sell the whole lot and get back to basics. They seemed to make sense at the time, but probably aren’t contributing that much now. I could cancel my Qobuz and Roon subscriptions while I’m on.

I’d raise enough cash to replace my cartridge when the time comes or go some way towards upgrading my power amps.

I made one big mistake in getting rid of vinyl a few years ago and feel reluctant to do the same with digital. Although it wouldn't be going completely, just the bells and whistles.

Has anybody else had a clear out like this? If so, is it something you’ve regretted?

Cheers, John

newton_john
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,447 posts
 

I'm a huge vinyl fan too. But I'd never get rid of my seedees, digital files or Qobuz subscription. There's just too much good  music out there that's not available on vinyl. And digital sound quality has come a long way in the past 20 years. It's no longer the compromise it once was. At least not in my opinion.

I think you'll regret it. Maybe not right away, but down the road.

dtorc
60 posts
 

I think that I could see a couple of motives for ridding yourself of a technology you no longer believe in. One could simply be space - getting rid of your digital equipment saves rack space, and also storage for the discs themselves. If you lack space, that makes sense. Another might be money - but I doubt you would get a big return on your used discs and digital equipment. But maybe, as you say, enough to contribute to a good cartridge or something.

 

For me, I believe in diversifying most things in my life: friends, interests, equipment, beliefs (I do enjoy having just one spouse, however!) When I lock down my options to just one, or very few, I feel like I am missing the learning that the other options could bring me. I play vinyl maybe 80% of the time now, but spending time on Qobuz learning about new artists, or listening to good FM radio hosts talk about music, feels like a worthy use of my time. It is expansive, and I don't want to be contracting as I head into old(er) age. 

 

David

limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,711 posts
 

I did with cleaning out my lps 10 years ago on my to buy back more than I had...lol.

ghdprentice
8,200 posts
 

At today’s level of technology in high end audio. You can basically achieve the same level of audio between vinyl, CD, and streaming for roughly the same amount of money. If one is superior to the other it is the technology choices that make it so. The sound you get from any media is dependent on the components you put in place. In my system Vinyl = Streaming = CD = stored files. Only thing is, had I not invested in Vinyl my streaming system could sound better than it does now.  I have a $45K vinyl end and a $45K digital end on my main system, and a $7K digital end on my headphone system. 

If you like vinyl for the inconvenience and  expense... you can make it great. If you like streaming, you can make it great. 

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