I'm really enjoying this conversation I recently purchased a Japanese issue of Queen Night at the Opera. It was advertised as Near Mint. I expected to have to clean it. I use a Humminguru ultrasonic. When the package arrived it was so pristine I slapped in on the turntable and WOW, it was flawless! That's so unexpected as most vinyl I've purchased benefits greatly from a thorough cleaning.
As far as this discussion goes, I am a huge fan of CD's and streaming. At the end of the day, the discussion boils down to best sound quality versus the tactile experience. I love both. For convenience, CD's and streaming cannot be beat. Yet, some nights, placing that vinyl disc on the turntable is insurmountable as an audiophile experience.
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I'm all in on vinyl and have been since my 1st system in 1981. Current setup is made up of a mix of new and preowned components. Luxman 441 deck with Micro Seiki 505mkII w/S pipe & have several headshells. Carts by Nagoka, Audio Technica, Shure & Micro Acoustics. Simaudio Moon LP5.3 w/PSX 5.3 power supply. Shunyata Python for the Simaudio PSX. $7500+/- for it all. Pure Joy!
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Used VPI Prime, $3k. Upgraded feet, $350. Hana Umami Red $3k with trade in. Odyssey phono pre, $1k (I think, been 3 years) Vinyl only system. Cartridge still breaking in, but sounds pretty damn good. Possible upgrades next year: Pass Labs phono pre, electronic speed control for TT, better interconnect, probably cryo’d.
That should do it for the front end.
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Let's see. $900 for my VPI HW-19 in '96. $4000 for my Origin Live Conquerer in '16, $1200 for my Shelter 5000, in 2024, half off bid on eBay, $1000 for my Gold Note PH-10 in 2025. That's $7000 in 2025. Not bad really. Best sounding system for me.
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Technics 1200G (bought used) - $3k
Ortofon Black Cartridge - $550
McIntosh C2300 preamp (bought used) - $3k
$6,500
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Rega P3, Groovetracer subplatter, Sumiko Blue Point No.3 HO and Sutherland KC Vibe. $2800.
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I have a Technics SL 1210 G turntable with a Sumiko Starling cartridge and a Parasound JC3 Jr. phonostage. For cleaning, I have a Pro-ject vacuum machine. So about $8,000 total investment. But if you add the cost of records to that, it’s more like double that amount.
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I have a VPI HW 19 Mk 1 with a Moerch UP-4 "Red Dot" tonearm and a Blue Point #2 cartridge. I own several hundred albums collected over decades. However, due to unabashed lassitude, I very rarely play this setup.
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Hey if you got it spend it...I used to but not any more. My TT Fluance with cart.$600 , pre amp 200 bucks .I'm retired on fixed income.But I have other TTs 2 Tecchnics, AR,Rega,Marantz,Kenwood, another Fluance and cartridges for all.Tyree different setups tube,integrated amp,power amp and pre amp.All vintage stuff.
..
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Actually Keith, If I remember correctly your VPI HW-19 is a Mk.2 (I sold it to you, and mounted your Moerch arm on it. ). The original HW-19 ("Mk.1") had a textured fibreboard top plinth and an aluminum platter, the Mk.2 an acrylic plinth and a black Delrin platter. If the label on the back of the table’s base doesn’t identify it as a Mk.2, a former owner (not I  ) may have updated the Mk.1 with the MK.2 plinth and platter, a very common move by VPI owners. Or maybe VPI sent out some Mk.2’s before they had new labels made.
How are the Magnepan LRS working out for you? That is one beautiful house you have, and a great dedicated basement listening room!---Eric.
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This year spending on my analog system:
Technics SL1200G - Hana Umami Red - Accuphase E-4000 w/AD-60 Phono Board.
Adding cables and accessories to the turntable I spent about $25K.
Not to mention the cleaning machine (Degritter) which I consider a very important element of the system.
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Rega Naia package, Zesto SUT, EAT Eglow petite (casually looking for upgrade) so around 20K. Made my own leveling platform for TT (~$100 for materials, plus tools [bandsaw, router, drill press] and labor).
Vevor Ultrasonic cleaner, Pro-Ject Vacuum [looking for Record Doctor X].
About 1,800 records, all in VinylStorageSolutions inners and outers. Made my own solid red oak shelves, built into closet. Write music reviews (mainly vinyl) on my darkwave-focused insta account (@undaobscura).
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I am 100% committed. I do not do digital music.
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For some unknown reason, many of my friends believed the hype about how vinyl was for the Dodos and everyone should embrace digital. To my good fortune, several of them approached me to see if I would offer a good home for their vinyl collections and I was only too happy to oblige ! One friend had been a university professor who taught a course on Jazz. He was delighted to pass along hundreds of his demonstration discs ---- I did NOT protest. Another friend simply wanted to divest themselves of their vinyl collections and I, once again, did not protest. When all was said and done I had amassed a collection that even surprised me !
A friend who had a couple of annoying youngsters staying with him and his wife decided that an excellent way of keeping them out of his hair was to pay them a stipend to count his vinyl collection and report the sum to him. I thought it was a great idea but had no irritating youngsters to do the job so I devised a "quick and dirty" way to accomplish the same result. I measured how many LPs occupied a foot of space and then measured all of my record shelves. One foot would hold 75 standard LPs. When I concluded my inventory I had somewhere around 12,000 vinyl discs ! I figured that boxed sets counted a bit high for their content, but otherwise the figure seemed correct. Have I listened to every one of them ? No --- definitely No. But just to realize that I'd rescued thousands of recordings from probable oblivion was enough of a reward for me. I really enjoy that they are there to be accessed and enjoyed whenever I wish. I know that a similar collection of music can be accessed through multiple streaming apps but there IS a difference. Those with a vinyl passion know exactly what I'm talking about ! Whether you are a collector with a mission of saving these amazing artifacts or even a collector with the mission of making a quick buck from your interaction, you both have a role in saving the destruction of of these precious links to another era. Keep those discs spinning !!
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Origin Live Sovereign dual arm TT, Origin Live Enterprise mk4 with Soundsmith Hyperion MR, Origin Live Conqueror mk4 with Lyra Kleos, SME 3012r on a Accustand custom base with either a Miyajima Zero 0.7, Soundsmith Paua 2 (for sale), Hana ML, or Paradox Guard DL103 BML. The three tonearms connect to the Dynamic Sounds Associates Phono 2 preamp. Retail would be around $63k but I was able to obtain a few discounts along the way. I am committed but in reality maybe I should be… committed.
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