Considering going Vinyl--Please talk me out of it

I think that Michaeljbrown understand his peril. I re-entered analog the same way. Cramming CDs into a box and waiting for the sound to come out was not doing it for me. I picked up a few of the classics that I had enjoyed growing up at a local used bookstore, which justified my wife ordering me a new SL-1200 (a facsimile of what my late '70's-early'80's chums would have considered a nice deck) for $400 delivered a few Christmasses back. From there, I was bequeathed four or five peoples' collections spanning classical, jazz, and classic rock/pop. Next Christmas was the VPI 16.5 cleaning machine. Next came filling in my "must-haves" from eBay-- I've been about 85% satisfied with the results. Finally, the terminal stage has set in-- I acquired some of the classic decks of my youth and built whole systems around them. My wife can't complain because she started the whole cycle (this is important!), although I do hide a few decks... I haunt the four local thrift shops and two used record stores whose cashiers know me, and occasionally plop $30 or $40 down on a new audiophile release with two local dealers. I actually get off on a session of Orbitrac followed by VPI cleaning and play-testing, and have begun buying multiple copies of the same LP just so I can evaluate which one is the keeper-- or which one must endure the 2.7g conical force of my DL-103. I have a few excellent CD players, but have not listened to a CD in half a year and do not have one currently hooked up. My grade-school-age daughters are now understanding the anticipation of the "needle drop." I fear that I am about to splatter myself on the rocks of modern high-end. I also enjoy the hell out of music again.

Nope, Can't do that!

In my experience, Zero to minimum signal is lost in Vinyl reproduction, so music sounds natural as it is intended to be (assuming recordings are great to begin with). Even a modesy well put together and set up TT rig would be more satisfying. Although I do have two really great CD playback systems (one of them sounds uncannily as good as (well a tad less)Vinyl)I switch to for music that is not available on Vinyl. Most of the time though it is Vinyl. This from a Vinyl novice(2 years) and I have amassed more music on Vinyl then on Last 20 years worth of CDs!

In my subjective opinion, all the talk about if and how one can make CD sound better than vinyl is a bit of a blind alley. If I may invoke a crude metaphor: CD is like an electric space heater whereas vinyl is like a fireplace. They both do pretty much the same thing (provide warmth), but I seriously doubt anyone here would wish to veg out on the threshold of a daydream (ideally with the rig playing some wonderfully complex meditation on existence by Shostakovich or King Crimson) staring into the space heater. But you still have to carry wood, get the fire going, keep an eye on it every so often, and face the chore of cleaning out the ashes. Space heater: More boring than a North Korean newscast, but plug in, push button, get heat. Don't want heat? Push other button. No-brainer, no chipped nails.

CD is simple and "low maintenance". There's the thumb factor: you can be a major klutz and still make CD work for you. And to me, most CDs sound pretty good. I have some favorite music on CD that I couldn't get on vinyl. Digital hostage? Maybe. But with upsampling penetrating the high end's mainstream (don't think about THAT one too hard) CD's shortcomings are pretty well dressed over.

LP requires actually touching the equipment, and it requires that one become a neatnik about the records themselves. Also, today's high-grade moving coil cartridges are just plain fragile. When my Dual tt's arm lift failed suddenly, it dropped a Sumiko Blue Point hard enough to turn it into a Blue Pointless. Now I'm running a pricier, even less crashworthy cartridge, (did I mention that I am developinga tremor?) and everytime I move the tonearm I have to take a moment and deliberately relax a hidden part of myself that got seriously clenched while the stylus was in jeopardy. But the reward is music that is easier to listen to and just different from CD. I have music on vinyl that I couldn't get on CD.

Logistics:
CD: one box, not counting interconnects.
LP: Turntable. Good $500, quite good $1500, great (more).
Tonearm: Good - usually included and most often a Rega. Very good: $1000. Great: $5000.
Cartridge: (this part wears out eventually. It holds the rock that you drag through the gutter to get to the music.) Good $150, very good $750, great - into five figures.
Phono stage. Good $300, very good $1000, great $5k - 40k. Yow.
Not counting two pair of interconnects.
cheers apo

Vinyl-where shoudl I start. Well it satrted with the VPI Scout. $1600.00 plus cartridge. Decent sound. Wanted more,
so traded the Scout in for a Scotmaster with a Discovery Cartrdige. Also bought the VPI 16.5 record cleaner. Then traded in my Thor Audio Preamp for a Thor Linestage and
Thor Phono. Well I have spent over $15,000 to see what all the talk is with Vinyl. Well, I also purchased 180 gram
and 200 gram pressings as well as Speaker Corner records and I was a favorite customer of Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct. Is it worth it? No, I still prefer the sound of my Blue Note Stibbert improved cd player. I haev a large listening room and still the record cleaning fluid smell takes days to leave. It is now 25 degrees out so not much ventilation, on purpose. To my ears, the cd experience
seems to be better overall, especiially with a good cd source. Sometimes, when the planets are aligned properly
a record such as Rachmaninoff paino concerto # 3 sounds great on the LP. Yes, sometimes, a record will do amazing things. I am not a lazy person, but I really don't believe that the record sounds better. Now, the next argument I can upgrade with VPI or start over with a different table
completely. That could be another $10,000, VPI speed controller, new heavy platter, longer arm, better cartridge, if you are in the turntable business, there is no end. So I decided not to upgrade with VPI or spend anymore money seeking to make the LP sound great. I am 55 and probably want some money for retirement. So, as much as I would like to throw another $10,000 into vinyl. It's
just not worth it. One could say sell your VPI and buy direct from I( forget the name of the company, but you are still looking at substantial money. If money is no problem and you enjoy the search then go for it. If you want to spend time enjoying your music, get a great cd player.
There are many. Good luck.

Lots of great comments and testimony from the guys here on Audiogon. Fun read.

I say, let these comments reverberate in your head for a while. But don't think about the decision. Don't think about the pros and cons. Don't even think about the comments. Without your awareness, you will move closer to a resolution.

Maybe nothing will ever happen, and your decision loses pertenance(sp). Or someday, you will just know and proceed in the vinyl direction. Maybe you will find your self buying an LP or two and spinning it on a friend's system. Or it's just time to buy the vinyl gear.

But don't force a decision. The worst decisions can result from brute force. Something should simply tell you to move forward with vinyl. You will know it, but you may not know where the impetus came from. Your heart will be there however. Or maybe there is a gut feeling vinyl is just not for you. If there is no feeling, of course, just leave things alone. The best path is often the one that simply appears in front of you.

Darm OCD, this thread reeks of it in varying degrees. Some have escaped and some didn't they say. But I don't think of compulsion and obsession as a lamentable flaw. It's just the way some of are. It's a trait. It's a characteristic. It can be a source of strength or a vortex of decline. And what we do with our characteristics defines who we are and what we do. Many have taken this trait and accomplished wonderful and beautiful things with their drive to improve the reproduction of their favorite music.

Stolen energies returned many times more. Sure, there is a bit of suffering, but when the music washes over us....

Don't OC this decision. Relax, the best answers usually just reveal themselves to us. Spare the effort and use the energy for better purposes.