Is It Time To Sell My Vinyl Rig?


Hey All,
There once was a time when I looked forward to shopping for arcane mono classical and jazz vinyl. The anticipation of hearing a newly cleaned recording from 1957 that I didn’t realize existed until just a few hours prior. The satisfaction of owning 200 plus records. But now since I’ve upgraded my DAC and Transport, I’ve become disenchanted with vinyl. It still sounds musical but not nearly as close to a live performance as my digital setup. So I’m now I’m thinking about selling my ASR Mini Basis Exclusive MK 2 phono preamp and my modified Thorens TD 145 with AT 33 mono anniversary cartridge. I could put the money towards a surgical procedure that I’ve been putting off. Will I regret this afterwords? I don’t even know how much to ask for the equipment or whether someone would even take an interest in it. Any ideas out there?
128x128goofyfoot
Most of what I listen to are recent classical recordings or remastered classical recordings. I would say that 95 percent of classical releases today are in digital format. I doubt that vinyl will gain traction in that genre. If I do listen to popular remastered reissues like MOFI, then I still prefer the digital release over the vinyl. But I doubt there are many art/classical music fans who purchase more vinyl than cd’s unless they are nostalgic for recordings from the 1980’s or earlier. Plus, the quality of most classical recordings from today are phenomenal. If I were to choose popular music and jazz as my primary focus, then vinyl would be more prioritized but it doesn’t make sense to focus on vinyl if nothing ever gets released that way.
I like my vinyl albums mono and stereo .Played on my good system. BUT I also enjoy my cds ,cassettes and RtR to.Its all good .Please you guys with a million dollar systems nothing will ever satisfy you.Have a nice life if you can ,Ever.
I'm in kind of a similar position in that I have a decent rig (Thorens, Lounge, and Signet) with about 400 original records in excellent condition collected since the 60's (I've probably been more careful with my records than anything else I've owned!). Yet I find I spend almost all my time listening to Qobuz with a nice dac accessed through Audirvana. The sound is outstanding, and the convenience of being able to access almost anything I want using my iPhone without ever having to leave my chair is priceless.  I probably will hang on to it though in case the internet ever goes down.  ;)
Those audiophiles who say they opt for vinyl over cd’s are not making classical music the core of their record collection. Choosing a Faces record from 1971 rather than a cd is an incomparable comparison to collecting the classical music repertoire recorded in 2021.
Some of late 50's and early 60's HiFi Jazz mono LPs fetch a lot of money. Those from Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Bill Evans, ... They sound better than Stereos with decent mono cartridges. Most non hifi mono recordings in that era would not fetch a lot of money.
Anyway, I’m trying to find a way where I can come up with the extra money without selling anything. My power amp has been at the tech now for three months so once I get that back, I’ll probably reacquire my appreciation for playing vinyl.
Check on popsike.com for the titles on your vintage LPs, one rare record can cost more than your phono stage, turntable or amp. You will see all auction finals to get an idea about records you can sell. 
I can check but classical titles are rarely all that valuable unless it’s a Johanna Martzy or something like that. The other problem would be selling that rare LP that’s worth $2,000.00. A record to me is only worth a lot if I’m able to sell it. Personally, if I were looking for a rare and valuable vinyl pressing in pristine condition, I’d look for a reissue from the Electric Recording Company. I know that many people really prefer an original but ERC is where I’d turn and they’ve reissued those $2,000.00 Johanna Martzy records. I’m obviously not in this hobby for the money so my thought is that if I were able to sell my phono amp, it would be at a noticeable loss.
$2,000 would pay for many concert tickets, or one record?  Lots of folks out there should do some self-audit.  If you're in podunk and live music doesn't make it to you, maybe there's some justification for it.  I just don't get it.
Since Roon, I rarely spin anything. My Thorens TD 124 with its SME III arm is a visual icon I enjoy every time I’m in the room, so I have no plan to sell it.
I can check but classical titles are rarely all that valuable unless it’s a Johanna Martzy or something like that. The other problem would be selling that rare LP that’s worth $2,000.00. A record to me is only worth a lot if I’m able to sell it.

You’d better check first and comment after. If you have no rare records then selling them will not help you to rise funds much.

If you have some rare original pressing then you can always sell it as there is a high demand on them (this is the reason why it’s rare and expensive).

You can sell on ebay on on discogs.


Personally, if I were looking for a rare and valuable vinyl pressing in pristine condition, I’d look for a reissue from the Electric Recording Company. I know that many people really prefer an original but ERC is where I’d turn and they’ve reissued those $2,000.00 Johanna Martzy records. I’m obviously not in this hobby for the money so my thought is that if I were able to sell my phono amp, it would be at a noticeable loss.

Nobody cares about reissues, it will NOT affect the value of the original press! If you like reissues then buy reissues and sell the originals. You can sell rare record (if you have some) for much higher than you paid for them back in the day.

If you sell equipment then most likely you only lose money on it.

This is the difference between high-end gear and rare records for record collectors (not for audiophiles).




Your health comes first. And your family. I had tons of vinyl and a Thorens and I don't miss it much. The Sheffield LPs were awful nice though LOL

ehometech
The thing about my vinyl collection is that it's very unlikely the majority of my pressings have ever been reissued. A lot of mono Archiv Produktions from the 1950's so getting rid of them would mean never hearing them again. They're not worth a lot but they're rare, especially in excellent condition.
If you don't want to sell anything it's fine. 
Instead you need to rob a bank or something. 
@goofyfoot  - 
Those audiophiles who say they opt for vinyl over cd’s are not making classical music the core of their record collection.

This is not necessarily correct. My best audiophile friend is an avid vinyl collector and 90%+ of his 6000+ LPs are classical. Also, have other audiophile friends here in Cincinnati who are primarily classical music fans and are primarily playing vinyl.

reubent, if you process the entirety of what I said, my comment was reflective on the point that 95% of new classical recordings are in a digital format. I'm sure that you have friends who love classical and collect classical vinyl but they are collecting vinyl from the 1980's and earlier with some exceptions. If recordings are only offered in the cd or digital file format and you insist on only purchasing vinyl, then you're not collecting newer classical recordings.  As I said, there are a few exceptions where a classical label might release a recording as both a cd and as a vinyl lp but it's exceptionally rare. Additionally, some companies will remix and reissue vinyl but those recordings were made decades ago. Aside from that, go to the ArkivMusic website and see just how many cd releases are offered as compared to how many vinyl releases are offered.
@goofyfoot  - You're correct, they're typically collecting older/vintage/classic analog recordings...

I shudder when thinking of selling my vinyl, if only because it would become like a second job just to get rid of it.

Fortunately, I love the collection and have no intention to sell it soon.

(I also find I enjoy the sound at least as much as my digital set up, and overall more).
I am now retired and have a collection of 2,000 albums. I upgraded all of my equipment. At this point my analog end cost $31K and my digital end cost $41K... I have to admit the analog side sounds a little better than the digital side. I will probably put another $10K into the analog end, pulling it ahead by a good degree. But even as it is, it is fun to listen to the digital end when I feel lazy, and is really fun to spin a disk when I am feeling like being involved. It is also fun to hunt down a new record. I have a collection I have continually added to since I was 15 years old. At some point I might have gotten rid of the vinyl, it would have been a huge mistake. Now retired it constitutes a record of my progress and interest in music. My experience is that for any given cost level vinyl out preforms digital. Up to and including $100K+ range. Depending on your system it might not if there is a non-synergistic piece of equipment. But vinyl, depending on the recording quality, in general has the greatest potential. I say this and enjoy my Aurender WE20se with all else being Audio Research Reference components. Not as if my digital end is crappy.
As far as selling my collection, it will be sold as a collection, not pieced out... or willed to a relative or friend.
ghdprentice,

I understand your situation and I’m glad your experiences are as such. I could not come within a fraction of what you’ve invested in your analogue gear. My total investment where it pertains to equipment, including tweaks, cables, etc..is about $55,000.00 retail. If I were to spend $30,000.00 on a table, cartridge, phono stage, etc...then yes, my analogue rig could outshine my digital source in most situations with one clear exception, newer recordings. When I buy a new cd, the likely-hood that it’s available in any other format is about zero.

Currently, my cartridge is a mono MC cartridge and my record collection dates from that golden age mono period of the mid to later 1950’s. I prefer the denser resolution of mono to stereo vinyl and this also allows me to focus on the more arcane, older pressings that most other collectors don’t own nor even know about. With $30,000.00, I’d buy a table with multiple tonearms and both stereo and mono cartridges but I would still be selective to insure that I’m getting the most from budget.

Anyway, my current digital front end is excellent and when I play a quality, recently recorded file, I’m not left wanting for anything else. So at this point, the question is whether or not I’d miss not having my table or phono amp and the answer to that is that I’m still not sure. Of course, I would rather have than not have. Maybe I’m just materialistic but that rule pretty much applies to anything I hold valuable. Would I rather have a German dictionary than not; yes, I’d rather have the dictionary. But I was recently told by my doctor to get an exam regarding surgery to correct a deviated septum and if I can’t afford the surgery without selling my gear, then unfortunately I may have to sell. My exam is this Friday.
@ghdprentice

Thanks for sharing your lifetime pursuit of hi-fi.  We agree on vinyl, and I've invested only 25% of the amount you have.  The idea of converting sound into a long groove on a flat rotating disk is well over a century old, but considering the advances in analog recording and playback equipment in the mid-1900s, humans still haven't come up with a superior medium.

Rewarding, isn't it?

OP, really sorry to hear that health issues would cause such a sacrifice, but of course health must come first. Get well soon.
Eventually I will invest (inheritance) in a better analogue rig. The ASR Basis Exclusive phono stage is on my radar. Maybe a top off the line VPI from Audio Classics. I do like the Tri Planar tonearms but not sure what tables they fit well with. The Lyra cartridges are a solid choice. But it's all speculative at this point. Really hope I can find a way to keep what I've got.