Vinyl or wait for the new stuff??

I stopped by Goodwill in Sandy, OR on my way home from skiing yesterday. I found an original copy of Dave Grusen's 'Time Out' for $1.99. A little high, for Goodwill. Great Record, and the sound is terrific. Part of the fun of records is finding cool stuff like that.

I think SACD will be a great format, but the media is $25/each. In other terms, that's 40 records for $1000 ! There is just so much great stuff out there on vinyl that will never surface on SACD. That being said, I will probably buy an SCD-1 within the next year. I hear you can get them for under 3K new now. That's a $2000 upgrade over my already excellent XA7ES CD player.

I am certainly one of the most dedicated analog guys at this site, but the new Sony 9000ES, that will play DVD movies with progressive scan output, CD and SACD for about $1100.00 puts real pressure on me to buy one. The opportunity to purchase a top end DVD movie machine and get SACD, almost for free, really tempts me. If I do take the leap, I do not have expectations of it competing with my high end analog rig. However, it would be nice to have a state of the art movie machine that would also provide good playback from CD and SACD formats. If, eventually the SACD format fails, I can wear out the player with titles from Blockbusters Video, and my existing CD library. Meanwhile, I will continue to browse the discount stores for the millions of great titles available on LP, best to you all!

I love my digital gear, but my Vinyle will always be there.

I happen to own both a very highly resolving digital, as well as very renowned analog front end. I listen through electrostats, coupled with subs. It so happened that the electronics in my Goldmund arm went bonkers and I had to wait to have it repaired for exactly a year. It was not the fault of Goldmund, but one of their distributors here in Switzerland went bonkers as well, ( no joke )so the arm had "disappeared". So I listened only to digital through the excellent Purcell upsampler and quite enjoyed it, I was even thrilled sometimes. But I was compeletely flabberghasted, when I could play LP's again: The music bloomed, the soundstage opened up, the air between instruments became alive and vibrating, not this deadly void, this black nothing, which CD presents and which is so unnatural. I could listend to big orchestral works again, which I found on CD mostly uninvolving and flat in their presentation, so for me its vinyl for sure. However I have not had the chance to listen to any of the new formats. Anyway, after a one year hiatus, I had forgotten how much better that old technology is MUSICALLY in comparison even to the best presentations which CD can offer.

I have SACD, 24/96 and upsampled CD setups. I have chosen the equipment (Forsell, Audio Logic, Purcell) based on its musicality and how close I can get it to sound like real music. But when I want to be moved fully by the music, I still will always choose vinyl. SACD comes close, but still appeals more to the logical side of my brain (I have heard it said, and think it's true, that SACD doesn't sound like analog or digital, it sounds like the master tape). I agree with many of the above that you don't have to spend a fortune on a good arm, table and cartridge to enjoy vinyl, and there are plenty of old records and excellent reissues available. I'd say go for it!