would you bother?

2 years ago, I didn't have one single record, nor did I have a turntable. I now have over 1000 records and a fine turntable system, and my digital player has been sold.

Well, lets just say, if you will not bother, you will never know. It is not a requirement for vinyl afficionados to be rich. I started 9 months ago without any LP to call my own. Just like TWL, I accumulated more vinyl than expected in such a short time. Mine is now close to 2000. Vinyl will totally change your listening habits and equipment choice. It will make you patient, it will make you choose your gear wisely. It will teach you how to really listen to what a sound of an instrument or voice should be. It takes much more effort to listen to it than CDs. If you have the heart to try, please do. You will not regret it. By the way, TWL, is the one to listen to for the advice on vinyl equipment choice. One last word, "Teres".

There are many used record stores with a lot of product. the problem is that you will have to invest in some record cleaning equipment. You will be surprised how good some of the bad looking vinyl can sound. With time you will be able to tell the difference between a worn out record and a dirty record. The used vinyl I find is very reasonable.

Ken

It really doesn't make much sense unless you are convinced that vinyl is way superior in sound to digital, and that is your main concern.

Many vinyl disciples have a huge investment in records that they have been collecting for decades.
If I had a thousand(s) LP's, I would want to believe that vinyl was the best sounding format, no matter what came along in the future.

Nevertheless, vinyl MAY BE the best sounding format there is. However, if you read other threads on Audiogon you'll see that at least some of the same people touting the virtue of vinyl here, are also saying that you don't get the most out of the format without the best gear. Meaning big bucks. Check out the prices of some turntables, and audiophile records.

So, what to do? There is nothing wrong with doing both. I have a decent Pioneer turntable, and about 300 LP's. But, I started out when vinyl was the only game in town. I still enjoy listening to them once in a while, but it is a lot more convienient to listen to cd's. LP covers, on the other hand, are much better to hold in your hands than a jewel box (to read too). That is one thing I miss with cd's.

I think well recorded cd's sound better than LP's with the equipment I own. I also think I could buy better vinyl gear that would sound better than cd's.

I re-iterate my earlier point: that spending loads of dosh is not necessary to building an extremely musical amd informative vinyl rig. The trick is in choosing musical items over analytical items, in which of course, the more money you spend the more information you retrieve (with certain exceptions, however...). Vinyl's great advantage over digital media is it's musicality. Therefore aim for Prat and that sense of organic flow first, everything else second. Classic 3-point suspension designs such as the ARs, Aristons, Thorenses, and Linns are masters of Prat and flow. Regas are musical and have great Prat as well. Many of these 'tables can be had for $300 with decent arm: say an AR EB101, or others, which often come with Sumiko MMTs and so on. Add $200 Shure V15VxMR cartridge. Buy Antique Sound Labs tubed Mini Phono for $250. Total $750. Buy a NAD PP2 and the price drops by $150. Buy a plastic Grado and the price drops by another $100. Now we're at $500. Not only does such a system have great Prat and flow, it is also surprisingly detailed. Forget the overpriced re-issues, buy in used stores at $5 to a buck or less a piece. At this price this is fun, and very soon you will have hundreds of records: try buying good used CDs for a buck or less. And it would take a mega-buck CD-player to match or beat the AR/MMT/Shure combo even for information - as air, imaging and timing are also forms of information, which only the very rare and very expensive CD players can convey. The combo also retrieves a hell of a lot of simple detail as well. Those who say a mega-buck combo is NECESSARY have bought, or are planning to buy, mega-buck combos and are competing with the Joneses. Magic - where vinyl absolutely crushes digital media - can be had for much less. Remember, it's about music, not money, not information. Here I hasten to add that such a well-chosen combo retrieves an astonishing amount of information nevertheless. So, no great dedication to the cause is necessary: at these prices one can experiment, have a different experience, and have fun. With such a well-chosen system and at these prices and with fun in mind, there will soon be a convert.