What's Worth More on the Open Market - Your Records or Your Audio Gear

ct0517,

I see most of the things in the same way as you just explained, including "cloud" storage. That may be the most logical reason why I keep physical copies of everything I bought. Every now and then, I come accross the glitch in those ripped files and re-rip them again. Not common, but then I am stupidly proud to be able to do it. Given the price of CDs, especially used CDs, I would be better off buying a new copy each time I find a glitchy rip.

I also believe that most of the regular people do not know how good vinyl can be. Even I, who grew up with it, find it surprisingly good from time to time. However, initial "disillusionment" comment originated from the post about heirs who would not know what they would do with bulky music media.

Every now and then, some younger person discovers some older medium and likes it. That is uncommon enough that Technics 1200 went out of production after some time. Not even people who grew up with it were buying it. And Technics 1200 was one of the last Mohicans. Maybe it was just made so good that we did not need to buy replacements.

However, and that now crosses into the dreaded and fiercely-debated "vinyl vs. digital" war of words, vinyl can sound great to you, me, another person who remembers it well, and a few more who experienced it recently for the first time. Whatever the reason for some "vinyl sound" might have not imprinted in the minds of those who grew up with "digital sound". Many of them do not find vinyl superior. They simply do not and, when they admit it is, they still may not see the point of fumbling with it for small sonic benefits. Younger generation’s "natural sound" is digital, not vinyl. And an Android device can hold everything they want, if they are traditionally-inclined, or stream whatever they want from wherever they want. Who needs records?

jnovak,

"...transfer much of it to CDR to preserve for all time."

If CDR is CR-Recordable, be quick and remember that those discs are prone to failure.

Some years ago, I wanted to transfer a reel-to-reel tape of some privately-made demo music onto a digital medium (CD, at that time). The tape had been recorded in a legitimate recording studio associated with a radio station. Not knowing anyone with a reel-to-reel machine, I found a friend of a friend of a friend that worked in that same radio station. He told me I got lucky to come then and not the year that would follow. They still had one functioning machine to play my tape and they were using it to digitize their collection. Once that one broke, he said, I would be out of luck. All the other machines had broken down over time and they had no interest in repairing them. Who knows if the format we are preserving things "for all time" will be viable in fifteen years.

ct0517,

There are those "disillusionment" words again.

Maybe instead of "disillusionment" it could be called "reality check" or something along those lines.

I have some records and a working turntable, connected, oiled regularly, and all that.

I used to pick which cassettes to take for a trip. How many could I take not to become too bulky, what my mood might be, etc. You might have had similar experience in the past.

Now I have a Walkman, digital one, and all the music I have, minus some records that I simply outgrew so to say, is on it. Hundreds of CDs, many records (tens? a hundred? I am not really sure). I think total is in 1500-2000 album range. Records are now in DSD format, and that one is a space hog, and all the rest is in 16/44.1 FLAC or whatever was the highest available resolution. Two or three songs are in mp3. It all fits on one microSD card. I do keep absolutely every record and CD I have ever had, but what is the point of it, I truly do not know.

One may argue that records sound better, but what good is that when they are stuck in some place far away and can be used only on special occassions requiring more time than the length of that record? And that at the cost of storage space and possible clutter.

Younger heirs, mentioned earlier in the thread, have, for last ten years, had everything in the palm of their hands. Not many will cherish inconvenience of the record collection they inherit.

Going back to lighter topics, the original topic, I think my equipment would fetch more than my music collection but not much more. iPhone 11 would be much easier sell.

"...and will have no idea why anyone would possess thousands of pounds of discs that take up so much space."

I am already wondering, and I do own some.