At what point does "collecting" records become hoarding? Unless you are in the business of selling records either primarily or even secondarily, why do so many people here talk about having 2,3,4,6,10,000 records and CDs? It's not stamps or coins.
Let's say you listen to records 15 hours a week (a good estimate for me) that equates to about 750 hours a year or 1000 records a year. I like to listen to mine at least once every three months - I have 300 records and change. In the rare instance when I replace one for a better sounding one (I've done it maybe 4-5 times), I immediately sell the old one - with only one exception. The Sgt Pepper UHQR. I already had it on the Beatles Collection and do occasionally listen to it when I want a treat. It does sound better than the regular Mofi one, which sounds great to me.
Why would you have multiple copies of the same record and not just listen to the best sounding one and sell the rest?
Why would you want records you listen to less than once a year?
Maybe some people listen a lot more than me (and replace cartridges/styli pretty ofter or have a bunch of them)?
The reason I bring this up is because Acoustic Sounds is releasing Steely Dan's studio albums from the 1970s on their UHQR brand (not sure how they now own the name and not Mofi, but that is not the point), I am a huge fan and will be getting a few of these overpriced (IMHO) records, which will replace a few of my non-audiophile (except the Aja Mofi) records. I plan to sell the Aja Mofi immediately after getting the UHQR, which I am sure will sound much better. That is worth a few bucks, but the others I sell should be worth $10-15 in trade at a record store.
Anyone with records they play less than once a year or keep multiple pressings of a single album, please let me know your rationale.
Are you a hoarder? Too lazy to get rid of them? Like the way they decorate your room?
@lewm - depends on what you consider unplayable. If it just doesn't sound good, I still will play it. Luckily I don't have any I consider unplayable, but have a few that I would buy if reissued or available new. The rest will stay, unless they are a top favorite of mine and then I will splurge on a Ultra Disc One Step or UHQR (or other improvement) even if I have an audiophile pressing. These are few and far between - so far only Aja, Royal Scam, Pretzel Logic (maybe), Runours, Somethin' Else and Hotel California.
And no, I am not an analogue kook, just someone who wants the best SQ possible on vinyl. Wish I had the space for a reel to reel, just to see how much better that sounds than vinyl, but at $500 a pop for the tapes, I'm not inclined to pursue it anyway if I did.
Soko, I trash unplayable LPs, even if I like the music on them, and then I search for a better copy. If it's a really special performance, in my own mind, I try to replace the bad sounding copy with a better one almost immediately.
@mijostynI had earlier copied the following quote from your earlier post above, “Nobody I know has a photograph of the first time they had sexual intercourse but I sure do remember what was playing at the time and my mind will do the rest. I have an audio record of all the important times of my life. Is this hording or collecting? I could give a rat's -ss” opined that I was LMAO (which I spelled out). If you check above where I posted three comments back-to-back, you can see where one has been deleted. I guess it doesn’t pay to be unambiguous with one’s language on this site. I can’t see how your comments were unobjectionable while mine were, unless the alarm was triggered by a machine reading of my post.
To all, if this post passes scrutiny, enjoyed the conversation. I’m tending toward hoarder, don’t want to burden my heirs, but hate making decisions about what to let go and what to keep, I see value in everything and everyone, but the mess I’m willing to tolerate limits my association with others who can’t tolerate it. I feel I must learn to live ‘unattached.’ Although, I must say that streaming is for background ‘entertainment’ and no replacement for playing back physical media.
Agree Lew. The only problem is there are some records I really like that sound crappy that have never been reissued, and I refuse to pay Better Records prices, so unfortunately, they are in the rotation. Luckily there are not too many of these.
I am fine with keeping LPs I do not play, because of the possibility that I will want to listen to them some day. What I don’t tolerate are bad sounding LPs (meaning poor quality recordings) or LPs that have noise causing surface damage that resists a good cleaning on my RCM (if I otherwise enjoy the music recorded on them). LPs in either of those two categories go to the recycling bin immediately.
Like so many, I began accumulating LP's in the early '70s and have about 1,000 LP's from my college days, all in great condition as I had a pretty good turntable at all times and always used a DiscWasher and ZeroStat (still have both!) every time I played an album. But with the advent of CD's, I stopped listening to vinyl. Now, with Roon, everything on a dedicated music server, and subscriptions to both Qobuz and Tidal top tier, I gave all of my CD's to one of my college buddies that lost all his records in Hurricane Katrina (he lived in New Orleans near a breached levy). Now my 1,000 albums sit in a rack, and I use the album covers as wall art. I can't imagine the "nostalgia" of having to get up every 20 minutes and either flip a record or decide on another one when I can sit in the comfort of my listening chair and run everything with Roon. Although I will admit to fondling some of my albums once in a while that bring back fond memories of college and the stuff that we did while listening to Electric Ladyland, etc. LOL! So I have some rare, valuable albums in my collection, and my estate can sell them!
I am the anti hoarder, a minimalist to the max. I keep a collection of 250 records, and my whole goal is to have only records that are considered the best of each genre that i listen too. (this is of course different for everyone). I take alot of pride in having zero junk in the collection. I am not there yet, but pretty close, If I get a new record, something has to come out. (and I just give it away usually). This is easy to do because of streaming. I get a kick out of somebody perusing my small collection and (if they are half way in touch), recognizing a carefully curated pile of plastic. I am finally the same way about hardware, i used to buy and try and keep all sorts of stuff (often vintage, I am over it, except for my speakers). I finally have a system that is good enough for me. And I sold off everthing else i had. And it is does a great job for me, not cheap but by no means over the top, and I would put it up against alot of setups 5 times the price. Not to get off topic but its just this. Mystere IA11 integrated 40 watt tube amp, Rega P3 with ania cart, Rega Power supply, Rega Phono stage, an ancient Sonus connect for streaming with a topping DAC, and a Pair of Rudy Bozak 302A Urban speakers. but to stay on point, these records are beautifully recorded in most cases and give me more joy that having a 1000 records the way i operate. ALSO FIRST POST HI!
@lewm- i meant that listening to any records not worthy of being in my rotation takes away from those in the rotation. The heavy rotation is just that the artists with more titles get played more since all titles are theoretically played equally. I know that some of the ones I don’t like as much will end up getting skipped over when they were probably due for a spin. Not a perfect rotation, but good enough that no record would go a year without being played.
that’s really my point. If you don’t like a record enough to play it at least once a year, you really don’t like it. Unless you like everything or don’t listen to your favorites often.
Wow. I certainly have thought about this a lot. I have met a few record hoarders, and I think there are two distinct types: those who buy records, and those who buy “stuff”. I met one of each type just before the pandemic hit, and each let me to a decision.
I met a guy who was a verifiable hoarder, like out of the TV show. He was sued by the local county for hoarding and told to clean up his stuff. He retaliated by putting up an “Antique Shoppe” sign in front of his house. (To be fair, he did have some nice stuff…). He had, by my estimation, about 25,000 records in his basement. They were all in piles about 7 feet high, about 35-40 piles that I could see all throughout the basement. I could only access about ten piles, and at that down to only a couple feet before each pile became unstable. The mold stench was almost overpowering, and I could see some water damage on many or the sleeves. I only found two records that I was interested in before I had had enough, and they were both local singers that my dad grew up with (Dick Curless - “A Tombstone Every Mile” and Hal “Lone Pine” - “Sings His Favorites”
The second guy was someone I knew from record buying; he and I would often run into each other and chat at the flea markets and record stalls. He had a stroke and died, and his wife called a few of his record acquaintances to help sort out the house. There were about 5,000 records in the basement, neatly boxed by genre (more or less). Then the widow says, “There’s more in the garage, and we haven’t touched the trailer yet…”. More records than he could ever listen to. Definitely a hoarder.
But those two situations affected me. The first hoarder was stuck in an unhealthy, dangerous situation. He was under legal threat. His hoarder mentality had completely taken over his life.
The second hoarder situation was worse, in my opinion. The hoarders widow was left to clean up. She had to deal with thousands of (some extremely valuable) records while mourning, clean up a house and sell so she could move on. She was overwhelmed. I did not have as many records (at the time, 2600 or so), but I was trending in that direction. I suddenly realized I did not want to put my wife in that situation.
A couple months later my wife got a new job with increased responsibilities, and we decided to move into the city to be closer to her work. We would have to make due with a much smaller space until she retired in a couple years. I sold my records to a few shops I had dealt with (the week before Record Store Day 2019, as it turned out), got rid of my equipment and bought a streamer.
The pandemic upended our plan to move; my wife’s new job became WFH and we decided to hunker down until things blew over. But during all this, I had space and music in my man cave. I used the money I got from selling my record collection to upgrade my equipment (Zu DWs), and get a really nice ergonomic Stressless chair, as well as spoil the grandkids and wife.
I am extremely happy with my decision to avoid being a hoarder. Of course, YMMV.
For my own part, coming to the discussion late, I purchased a collection of 700 45 RPM records from a man who was selling through the classifieds of our local newspaper. The titles were typical jukebox tunes from the 70’s through the 80’s and of different genres from country to Rock’n Roll. I went back with my next paycheck and purchased an equal number of CD titles even though I was interested in only 1/2 of them (Jazz and Blues). I have been bitterly disappointed with the Pop/Rock category, pleasantly surprised by the movie sound tracks (including’Brother where art though’), just not near enough dance or sing-along tunes moving into the 2000’s. I’m still weeding my way through while dabbling my feet in streaming, mostly Internet radio to this point.
Of LPs, I have about 100, mostly from collections of others, mine are long gone, but I never had more than 25 anyway. I enjoyed listening to my 45’s much more than my CDs or upsampled streaming. There are tics and pops on the vinyl, sounds are clearer on the 45’s (less so on the LPs), the vinyl recalls the music for me as it existed then, in ‘the person I was before,’ the CD’s, however ‘perfect’ just don’t do that for me. I don’t know, if I digitize them they will sound the same. I’m reasonably certain the CD’s will.
So, to the question, am I hoarding or collecting? I’m ‘collecting’ my 45’s (as I value the experience of playing them); I’m hoarding my CD’s until I listen to the lot and cull what I do NOT enjoy playing. I have already given some of my CDs away, one of my LPs, and keep a box in my car full of CD’s I’m ready to give away when the opportunity presents itself. My identity is not tied up in my CDs; a part of my identity may be tied up in vinyl playback through tube gear. Just say’n.
Edit: While I have the 45’s organized by genre and (alphabetically) by artist, I don’t have a spreadsheet. It is recommended for selling a collection, but I’m not selling, yet. I’m aiming for the same schema for the CDs, but then digital file systems may take over that task.
@fdroadrunner “persons I used to be” you said a mouthful there that younger persons would not comprehend. The fellow who made his son move his collection cross-country should have taken the time (and time is what it is all about) to explain how each record reminded him of the person he used to be and then LET IT GO, releasing himself, his son, and the ‘artifact’ of an LP. I’m agreeing with the fellow who opined that LPs are meant to be played, as the musicians intended, the SOUND, not the media, is forever.
[Addendum: Of course, it could also be argued that without the ‘forever media’ of the LP, the sound is lost forever, too.]
Anyway, I was struck by your turn of phrase, thank you for your contribution to the discussion.
Interesting and somewhat painful - What is hoarding vs. collecting
Assuming you have access to all your LP’s and haven’t moved out of your house to have space for them and you don’t have them in your bathtub (I knew someone who had books thin his tub) and therefore don’t shower or shower somewhere else.... is it still hoarding?
What if you don’t listen much to the many records you have? That can be hoarding too.
In my case I have a strong sentimental value attached to my collection or hoarding. I started buying records when just graduated high school the first was waltzes by Strauss (I was taken by the blue Danube) the second was Swan Lake. I was then drafted into the (Israeli) army and would come home once a week for the weekend- on the way I would stop at the record store in town and buy a record - my pocket money from the army was always equal 5 records...
I loved to listen on my Dual turntable and learnt a lot. I continue to buy records, move to the US, and discovered Tower Records... I would frequent it often (on 66th and Broadway in NYC) and continue to buy / collect/ hoard...
I brought my records from Israel too (many are Decca and US press and some bad / noisy Israeli pressing). I don’t listen much to records even though I have several turntables - mostly I think my hearing is not what it used to be but also there is work involved in putting on records ... But I don’t listen much to my many CD’s that I transferred to my PC. So, I think I am a hoarder regardless of the organization and the cleanliness in which I keep my collection. But I still remember where I bought my records, how much I paid for them and where I bought them. So - I am keeping them as friends not forgotten even though not visited much. I don't buy records anymore - sometimes I replace bad recordings with the same better pressing - but I mostly stopped buying more.
I like looking at my records. It gives me a warm feeling inside to see a wall of them neatly organized, ready to play. It is not a feeling you get collecting digital files which I also do.
@lewm- I am always looking for new ones to add, it's just hard to find ones that I like that are available on vinyl. And yes, If I play one of my "non-rotation" records (Michael Jackson, etc.), I do remember what I liked about it, and why it is no longer in the mix. I don't know if I call that delight, more like surprise.
The problem is, I don't want to take away from my records on heavy rotation. I have been adding at a faster clip than before the pandemic, that is for sure. Ergo, the new record bin just added that holds 50-60 records.
I don’t have a lot of LPs any more, and don’t intend to add many, but I do have some and an old Sansui turntable with an Audio Technica cartridge... works well enough. I like to flip through them, and they’re rather inconspicuous in the bottom of a small cabinet that also holds some folders with my much larger, much more carefully curated CD collections (QUITE the variety of genres).
I have I don’t know how many hundreds of CDs, and I’m certainly not going to get rid of them; I got rid of the cases, though, and organized them by genre and some semblance of rational order therein, within those three-ring-binder type cases and it’s great to flip through them, take one out, give it a spin... kinda like old books, or LPs in that regard.
It’s only a problem if you spend too much money on it, and/or it becomes an cluttered zone that negatively impacts your and your significant other’s enjoyment of your space.
I think it depends on your personality. For me, I sometimes just feel like listening to something different. I have a high quality record cleaner… so, if they have not been cleaned I clean them. Also, I have a great turntable… and often pulling a random album is of great joy. So, one way or another I enjoy them all.
In my opinion, one must have a certain number of LPs in order to enjoy occasionally that serendipitous musical revelation, where you spot an LP you hadn’t played in years or didn’t even know you had in your collection, and you experience the delight of listening to it. I suppose that critical mass of LPs is different for different people, but I’m sure you need more than 300 LPs for that to be possible. Today I was delving into a cabinet that houses LPs I’ve owned for 30 years or more, which therefore I tend to ignore, and I experienced that epiphany 3 times, with Joe Williams/ Count Basie, Blue Monk, and Phil Woods Quintet + Dizzy.
@sokogeari am not a dealer - i just listen to a lot of music and enjoy the hunt. i work from home which helps - probably listen to more music than most people for that reason. i sell and trade because space is limited, and my tastes and interests are constantly evolving.
as far as not listening to hundreds, it really depends. much of what i buy is singles, so it's not a 40 minute commitment every time. other times i scan through albums i'm unfamiliar with and decide whether they merit a proper listen.
as to whether i'm an audiophile - i care a lot about getting the most out of my records, and i appreciate great sound, and i enjoy trying different equipment. so i'd say yes
@SOKOGEAR I would say 50% of the 25-cent records are in VG+ condition or better... About a third of those have been sonically and vacuum cleaned to be part of the collection. But I want to get rid of or sell the rest (not scalping), just sell them all at once. I have never done that so maybe @d-dayton can give me a tip or two?
can't speak for anyone else, but i will never stop buying records. at any given time i have between 2-5k on hand, but i trade and/or sell by the hundred or so - so my collection is always in flux. the most i've ever had at once was around 10,000 - i sold about half of those when it came time to move, and went on a nice vacation.
there are around 1500 12"s and 250 or so 45s that i will probably never get rid of, but beyond that it really depends on what type of digging and listening i'm doing. there are periods where i listen for 7, 8 hours a day, and then other periods where i only want to play a single album or two late at night. sometimes i'll go to 2 or 3 stores in a day and come home with 100, other times i won't buy a record for months and just dig through what i have, pulling out 'must keep' and 'must sell' and 'give away' as i go.
i do replace things from time to time, but rarely have doubles of anything - i keep the one that sounds better and usually give the other away (unless the version i'm selling costs a lot).
@lewm- if I can't get a record within 5 seconds, it is a major problem. Since I go through a series of rotations by music type and section, it never happens. I recently updated my rotation (I had to get another stackable bin due to expansion) to make it easier for me to equitably play the artists I only have single records from, so that will make it take the full 5 seconds. I know I am nuts... I do still listen to something that I just feel like listening to or vary the rotation a bit, but the point is I listen to all my 97% rotation records at least every 3-4 months or so. If someone wants to say once a year, that would make the max number of records that seem reasonable to me is about 1000. I think your disorganization or not knowing exactly where a record is or having to go down the basement to get a records would be unsettling for me, but if you're OK with it, that's great. Maybe you like some records better on one of the two systems for some reason.
@torojano - time to throw out the 25 cent records, but at least you're not scalping.
@mijostyn- Mike - I didn't mean singing in the shower.... Anyhow, I think you moving your duplicate records of inferior sound quality into storage is problematic. Why not sell them to a record store and let someone who doesn't own that title enjoy them of maybe if they are really good 2nd best copies, others may want to upgrade their copy to your number 2. Plus, put a few bucks in your pocket to pay for new records. I'm with you on CDSs - don't have my player hooked up to my stereo and play them in my garage or car. The ones I like best out of my 150-200 or so have been rebought on vinyl if available. I was forced into them like a lot of others in the late 80s/early 90s when vinyl was not being produced in any quantities in the US. I resisted as long as I could. I hear SACDs are damn good, but a high quality SACD transport, DAC and power supply would probably cost more than an excellent turntable/cartridge/phono stage.
As space is limited the inferior versions on vinyl go into storage, the ones in digital files get erased. I'll get a remaster of a favorite and erase whichever one is inferior. I have both digital and vinyl copies of many albums. I like the vinyl but I only play the computer when in the shop or garage for obvious reasons. It is also fun to compare the digital and analog versions. I do not sell anything.
@lewm, in 40 years nobody has complained. Very serious conversations took place in my office with the volume turned off, the ones you never want to have.
This is a very interesting question and one I have been asking myself.
I always collected music and went from Vinyl to cassettes, to CDs and back to VInyl, this last change may happen a little late so I did not have the opportunity to acquire collections from people getting rid of them. That said, I lived for 3 years in Louisville KY where there were two stores that were pretty much giving their records away for 25-50 cents. So I bought a good amount of records without being too careful about their condition. The rest of my collection is from my original personal collection, new copies and eBay purchases, and the occasional yard sale. I think I got to about 3,100 records but I am always gravitating on around 1,500 fo them, I have listened to another 300 and I am wondering If I will ever listen to the rest. I mean, we are talking about a thousand of those that I have not listened d to, they have been gathering dust for 4 years and some are in VGish condition. So my question is why do I keep them when I am already having trouble getting my collection in order or out of the way.... Is it worth it? Will I ever play them? Most likely not... I think my game plan is to sell them and use the money to buy some high-quality recordings or new high-quality remastered versions, Less clutter, more quality. Right?
Soko, If I have a particular LP in mind, I can usually recall when I bought it. The upstairs LPs are ones I have owned longest. Or there is some other temporal or musical association that tells me where to look. For another example, I have a large cache of jazz vocals in one cabinet in our basement. Anyway, however the mind works, I usually know where to look. There has been a bit of a problem with remembering what I own and where it is to be found since I acquired those 900 LPs at one go. But those are all in the basement, in one cabinet specially built for them.
Mijo, Probably not a good idea to pipe "God Only Knows" into your examination room, when you are seeing a patient who is actually sick. (I know from my own limited experience in clinic that most aren't sick.)
@lewm- that would drive me nuts...how can you remember what is upstairs and what is downstairs? To each his own.
@mijostyn- not to be personal, but bathroom music? Also, once you have the better record version of the title do you get rid of the inferior copies (not counting ones that are part of a prepackaged collection or "special" copy?
@mitchagain- I am a completist when it comes to trying to get all the records I would like from a particular artist (pop/rock) and really any record I would like in the bop/hard bop/post bop category. I'm pretty picky in what I like, which is why my collection is in the low 300s. If I really like the album, I will see about getting a higher quality copy. Most of my records are audiophile versions, so that doesn't happen very often The only groups that I have/like all their US releases are the Beatles and Steely Dan. None in the jazz category. I do rationalize some (especially the more expensive) records thinking what they will be worth when my wife or kids sell them when I kick the bucket. I do not like the word collector (as you probably can tell).
I've been hearing more and more about Bill Evans - never got into him as a solo artist (of course he plays on KoB) - any suggestions Mike?
I think the one important word that has not been mentioned yet is "completist."
That obsession leads to collecting and/or hoarding; so, different people will define those two words in different ways.
I think there are probably more "music collectors" who focus on the size of their collection, rather than the value of the collection. This reflects their passion for music; but, many collectors (based on the ones that I know) will rationalize their probable hoarding with statements about the future collectible value of their collection or certain segments of it.
@lewm1++, I buy music. It could be on LP, digital file or, God forbid, CDs. I am a music collector and everywhere I work and play there is music. Garage, shop, office, workout room, everywhere and every moment I am awake in my own environment. Right at this moment The Beach Boys God Only Knows is playing on the Sonos system in my office even in the exam rooms. The audiophile in me will buy multiple versions of the same album looking for the best example. I have three copies of Bill Evan's Interplay. The 45 rpm version from Analog Productions Riverside box set is by far the best. But, I listened to other less stellar versions for decades because....
It behooves me to have about half or more of my LP collection in our basement, because I have an entirely separate audio system also in the basement, which is finished like anyone’s living room. Generally, the LPs in the basement stay in the basement and are played on that system. LPs on the first floor are played on the first floor audio system, by and large. Of course, if I am listening to one of the two systems, and I develop a desire to listen to one particular LP that is on another level of our home, I use the stairs and get it.
I actually don’t think I qualify as a hoarder, by normal standards if not by your standards. About 6 years ago a dear friend of mine passed away. He had 6000 LPs, and his wife offered me my pick of his collection, or all of it if I wanted. I picked out about 900 of his LPs, and she gave the remainder away to a charity. A hoarder would have taken them all. I also don’t think I am much of a "collector", in the sense that a collector would want to accumulate "collectible" LPs. We know what those are. I rarely buy any LPs at all these days, but if I do it will only be for the music, regardless of the label, rarity, or codified collector value. That has always been my modus operandi.
Quality vs Quantity has been my mantra, and I weeded out any record that didn't meet expectations....resulting in a modest 600 plus collection that stopped when my ex finally badgered me into selling them off; CDs were my main interest anyway back in the 80's.
The quantity of promotional records distributed free to stores, radio stations, etc. during the day was incredible, and my disc jockey friends would let me take whatever I wanted from the unused promo stacks littering the radio station hallways.
If I had so desired, my collection would have numbered in the thousands pretty quickly......but that wasn't the point.
It's pretty exciting to be at or close to being able to stream uncompressed music, unlike vinyl records.
I consider that to be like stamp or coin collecting. I'm used to those kinds of records mainly sought after to be profited from.
I am not a history buff (or collector of anything - I hate wasting anything - if I don't use it, I get the itch to get rid of it), but I guess anything rare or old can be collected for historical purposes. I've heard of all kinds of things being collected for no other reason than collecting them (usually for profit-short or long term) vacuum cleaners, toasters, the guy who mentioned bikes, typewriters, really anything.
I still think the artist would have preferred to have his music listened to rather than sitting in a museum. If they digitize it and make it free to listen to or download, that would be ideal before storing it away.
@sokogear- with respect, I'm not sure you understand that there are record collectors apart from audiophiles. One famous one just passed- he had what some consider to be the best collection of 78s in the world- not by volume but by rarity. He was asked what he would do when he passed and said he didn't want them to go to the Smithsonian or Library of Congress because they would just get put in a vault after cataloging.
But, I took a visit to the Library intake center back in late 2014 and one comment made by the director of the facility stuck with me- if it weren't for these private collectors- not all of them rich or in it for the money (many of them self taught amateurs)-- these records and artifacts (whether shellac, wax, wire recordings or whatever) would have been lost to time.
I'm a piker compared to somebody like that-- I came up in audiophile world where everybody played the same batch of "demo quality" records. Eventually I got bored with that and sought out my own path.
My point is not to criticize you-- instead, just to open a window on this other world for you if it isn't familiar. I can post a link to a piece I wrote after that Library visit-- you might find it interesting.
@lewm- I have tolerance for everybody, just not for those that have multiple copies of the same record and never listen to them who buy with the intent to scalp (except of course the dealers). Let anyone who wants a record get it for MSRP or less (Amazon).Those that are just disorganized or unaware hoarders can do what they do. You sound like you are aware of your hoarding, so like you say, you are not a hoarder. Personally, if I have to go down to the basement to get a record to play, it will never get played. My efficiency (anal if you must) mindset dictates that any record in my rotation (97% at this point) is within 1-2 steps of my turntable. Not bending down or opening a glass door is preferable, but not possible for about 2/3 of them.
+1 @mkiser - 2200 is a lot, but it sounds like you use and value each record or you toss it. I only sell on line if it is particularly valuable or for some reason my local record store is trying to steal it from me.
@mitchagain- I think for the most part, your circle of friends is representative. There are always exceptions. For example, my brother in law has 2-3K records all bought individually, and a very expensive set up (top of the line multi arm VPI, new CJ electronics, Vivid speakers) but he doesn't eve brush his records for dust before playing them, and I have even seen him remove dust from the stylus with his hands! He has cash to burn I guess as is not particularly into optimizing what he has purchased. That's a new category of audiophile, which is kind of oxymoronic, not really trying to constantly improve the sound.
I started buying records when I was 16 in 1968. I have about 2,200 LP's now. I've been a net seller for several years now, and like other contributors here, I'll pull out a record and put it on, and if it doesn't deliver, I'll typically sell it to my local record store, even though I know I could get more if I sold it directly. That's just too much bother. What I'd like to add is that when I do sell a record, I like to think that there is someone out there who'll be excited to add that LP to their collection, and that's reassuring. The money usually ends up going to fishing gear.
Spreadsheet? I don' need no stinkin' spreadsheet. It's all in my head. I have three record storage areas on the first floor of our house and 3-4 more racks in the basement. In each location, LPs are arranged by alphabetical order according to musician, if jazz or R&B instrumental, or according to vocalist, if jazz or R&B vocal, or according to composer, if classical, or according to movie title, if movie soundtrack. But in my head is the idea of where in what cabinet or shelf on which floor of the house, to look for a particular LP. Making a spreadsheet would take much too much time. Soko, you must be particularly anal (the opposite of a hoarder) if you both keep a spreadsheet AND bother to sell LPs not in your regular rotation. That's perfectly OK by me, but you should accord the same tolerance to collectors or hoarders who hang on to thousands of LPs, if it makes them happy. For me, I can say it does.
It was just the higher the hi-fi, the smaller the collection. Kind of a predictive theory. The extreme is one stereo dealer I know complaining that the crazy audiophiles that keep him in business only want to play Brubeck’s Time Out and see which wire sounded better. That’s the extreme.
It kind of makes sense in that the larger collections were built in most cases by acquiring other collections where the acquirer has no control over the SQ of each record. Audiophiles would not typically be happy with that.
Dust & Grooves neglected to contact me… their loss. Though I do not live in a tent in my back yard (yet), and I am having fun. So, how many records do I own? Many, my listening room walls are lined with them. And could not care less what other folks may define that as, or what their logic of collecting should look like. I imagine though, I would consider someone like me a collector. I would call myself a vinylphile. My collection started with a very few select jazz records that were in my dad’s collection. Possessing a library of sorts is a wonderful pass time and I feel so grateful and fortunate to have what I doing . In it, there are a number of records waiting for a rainy day, to be pulled down and enjoyed as a (new) listen, at our leisure. I love to compare pressings of favored recordings and most of all, sharing these performances is the best! I also sell and trade which is rewarding. Once read in an audio magazine, perhaps Audio, a comment that suggested that if you didn’t have invested 10x in media what you have invested in your kit, you are not a music lover but, a gearhead. I have always felt that that had some validity to it and showed where your priorities were. Mine are with the music over constant gear acquisitions and tweaking.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
