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New vinyl is crazy expensive...

#41
Low Main said:
I never got rid of my LP's which I started buying in the 60's and for the most part stopped buying sometime in the 80's.

I think folks should go for whatever music format they prefer.

My thing is audio fidelity. Not crazy audiophile fidelity with gear costing tens of thousands.

Just good basic listenable audio quality, regardless of format, where you can hear what's going on as you deserve to.

It drives me nuts that people way younger than me listen to music in ways that don't begin to deliver the audio quality they should hear.

Such as with built in laptop speakers and smart phone speakers. There is all this great sound that many people will never even know is there.

Sound that a lot of hugely talented people worked their tails off to create.

It's like me listening to Motown hits on a cheap pocket transistor AM radio as a kid and having no idea that James Jamerson even existed.
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It bugs me as well, I think putting on a whole album with a decent stereo and letting it wash over you is becoming a lost art.😎
 
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#42
jerry said:
It bugs me as well, I think putting on a whole album with a decent stereo and letting it wash over you is becoming a lost art.😎
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That's honestly precisely why I got into vinyl. When I was in highschool I really got into music and would just listen to full albums but then afterwards I got more into using iPods/phones to play music and sort of lost that experience of listening to an album the way it was intended to be heard. It's so great to sit down and listen to a full album with the lyrics and artwork in your hand through a decent sound system (I'm not an audiophile by any means but I think I've got a decent sounding system even though it's from the 60's).
 
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#43
N4860 said:
That's honestly precisely why I got into vinyl. When I was in highschool I really got into music and would just listen to full albums but then afterwards I got more into using iPods/phones to play music and sort of lost that experience of listening to an album the way it was intended to be heard. It's so great to sit down and listen to a full album with the lyrics and artwork in your hand through a decent sound system (I'm not an audiophile by any means but I think I've got a decent sounding system even though it's from the 60's).
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Yes the good old days.
 
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#44
friskinator said:
I've had a pretty decent home stereo setup in my living room for awhile now, and I've been looking to expand my vinyl collection with new copies of my top 10 favorite records. However, after doing some browsing, I've encountered some serious sticker shock. I haven't found any new vinyl that's under $30 plus shipping, and I'm not talking special collector's edition items.

Are people really spending this much (or more) on this sort of thing? Are the inflated prices explained by the collecting craze of the last few years? If you have any recommendations for good sites to buy used, please send them my way. I've looked on Discogs, but the search process is very confusing.
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Send me a PM and a list of what records you want and I can see if I or somebody I know has slightly used copies.
 
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#46
I treat Vinyl as a collectible and a poster. And I only have your Vinyl if I went to your show.
One band even had their latest album art on a pad for the turntable!

Unfortunately as a renter, I can scarcely listen to music on proper speakers, without someone complaining. Not to mention, play my bass guitar with my cab.
 
#47
I still have most of my records from the 80s. I buy a few here and there - used records in good condition can be as low as $6 and up. It’s fun to have people over and put on the old HiFi system - my Dads’ Sony receiver and my technics record player from highschool.

We didn’t use the terms vinyl or turntable - it was just records and record player.
 
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#48
DB66 said:
I still have most of my records from the 80s. I buy a few here and there - used records in good condition can be as low as $6 and up. It's fun to have people over and put on the old HiFi system - my Dads' Sony receiver and my technics record player from highschool.

We didn't use the terms vinyl or turntable - it was just records and record player.
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I miss when almost everybody is at least the people I knew had a stash of records and book shelves to browse when you would visit. Conversation starters for us socially awkward people.😊 /* old man born before zip codes rant.😁
 
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#50
friskinator said:
I've had a pretty decent home stereo setup in my living room for awhile now, and I've been looking to expand my vinyl collection with new copies of my top 10 favorite records. However, after doing some browsing, I've encountered some serious sticker shock. I haven't found any new vinyl that's under $30 plus shipping, and I'm not talking special collector's edition items.

Are people really spending this much (or more) on this sort of thing? Are the inflated prices explained by the collecting craze of the last few years? If you have any recommendations for good sites to buy used, please send them my way. I've looked on Discogs, but the search process is very confusing.
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When I was first buying records in the mid-70s, records were, say, $5. Some less and some more. Using an online inflation calculator, that $5 is just under $30. So, it seems pretty much the same. OTOH, my Technics SL-1300 Mk2 was $490 new in 1977 which is now $2,580.04. I paid $175 for it and it still is solid and sounds amazing. It has the same technology (and more with it's automatic abilities) as the SL-1200 Mk2 released at the same time at a price of $750 ($3,949.03 now). So, there are things about vinyl that can be cheaper. Vintage turntable prices are going up, but there are still great deals to be had.

As far as records go, I still have my collection from the 70s, but also there's a great local record store with an ever changing and excellent selection of used records at a very decent price. It's been a while since I've spent more than $15.

paradisefoundrecordsmusic.com

Home | Paradise Found Records

paradisefoundrecordsmusic.com paradisefoundrecordsmusic.com
 
#51
MultiScaleMale said:
I'm buying some of my favorite albums on vinyl. Just recently got a turn table. Heh. Generally $30 - $35 for new stuff. Oh, and I think vinyl sounds like crap. But I like having the physical "thing" of the music I'm listening to. Even the record store is playing MP3's a lot of the time instead of spinning vinyl.
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If it sounds like crap, you need to upgrade your system! I've been flabbergasted at how good some vinyl sounds.

Technics SL-1300 Mk2, AudioTechnica AT vm95ml, Darlington Labs MM-6B (I was blown away at how much of a difference their phono preamps make), McIntosh C33 and MC2255, and Avalon NP2.0 speakers.

Even some of my 45+ year old records sound very good. It's different from the digital source, but not necessarily worse. It's interesting how vinyl for a while had much better dynamic range than digital due to the mastering loudness wars.
 
#53
I started my record collection in high school and it grew a bit in college. Yes, vinyl has gotten more expensive. Some of it is inflation, but even a few years ago it was possible to get a new LP for $15ish dollars. Not really the case anymore, even for smaller bands. On the plus side, you can still grab used LPs for roughly $10-15 each, depending on which LP it is. Discogs exists, which is both good for finding reasonably priced used LPs and good for shops to assess "what they have" and therefore charge a bit more for (because they can see going rates, etc.)

I would suggest going to your local record stores for used stuff. Also sometimes you can find overlooked gems at your local thrift shops.
 
#54
In addition to the factors already mentioned, demand has been outpacing production capacity for some time now. That means the few companies that make vinyl records can charge higher prices. And not just the pressings plants, scarcity means that artists and record labels can ask prices too. They may even have to: since they can't sell as many units, they may have to raise the price per unit to make it profitable.
 
#55
Thanks for all the input. I didn't start this thread to debate sound quality, but I should have known it would go there.

I'll check out the used sites recommended, but like I said in the OP, I find Discogs incredibly difficult to browse.
 
#56
$30 is not a bad price in today's world and I've seen most new Lps go for more than that!

According to Inflation Calculator, $30 today is about the same as $7.45 back in 1980.

Are today's pressings as good as the ones from the late 60s? I doubt it. Also, I personally greatly dislike remastered recordings! Original is original!!!!!! I would never buy a new LP of a remastered recording. IMHO

Good luck Lp shopping.

I am now 73 and have about 4,000 Lps................THAT I NEVER PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#57
If we've established that $30 and up is a normal price for new vinyl, what does a new CD cost in 2025? I've tried to research, but it seems there are multiple versions of a lot of new records with multiple price points.
 
#58
I miss the lifestyle aspects of LPs, to be sure. Just having the time to spend an evening listening to records, reading and poring over liner notes or cover art.

I don't miss the technology one bit. All my LPs went out on the curb for charity pickup 15 years ago.
 
#59
My neighbor runs a collecting group that got pretty popular, he now has a brick and mortar store, and they do online events too... a weekly auction, and a super sale. 90% of my collection has come from this group, and I've gotten some really good stuff for cheap. You don't have to be local, if you're interested look up Daybreak Records on facebook.
 
#60
bassdude51 said:
Are today's pressings as good as the ones from the late 60s? I doubt it. Also, I personally greatly dislike remastered recordings! Original is original!!!!!! I would never buy a new LP of a remastered recording. IMHO
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The exception to that rule is if the record is remastered by someone who is specifically experienced and qualified in remastering for vinyl. There are some great people doing great work for new/remastered vinyl... I think of the Blue Note 'Tone Poet' releases/reissues as an example. BUT - you definitely do not want to take a modern recording that was remastered to modern loudness standards for digital, etc and then cut that to a record. It will sound like absolute poo, and will likely be EQ'ed inappropriately as well (RIAA curve).
 
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