July 24, 20223 yr Any Surly approved basic record cleaning kits with stylus brush that isn't overpriced. Looks like there's some well=reviewed stuff on Amazon
July 24, 20223 yr I still use a Spin Clean. For the stylus I use a magic eraser cube. Just lower it onto it a few times with the cueing lever.
July 24, 20223 yr 19 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said: I still use a Spin Clean. For the stylus I use a magic eraser cube. Just lower it onto it a few times with the cueing lever. I read about the Magic Eraser thing the other day. Planning to pick one up. But I have a bunch of old, dirty records that need some love. And my new ones need an occasional brushing. Edited July 24, 20223 yr by dcbc
July 25, 20223 yr water, dish soap and a sponge is the easiest way to clean records. you don't need a fancy machine.
August 5, 20223 yr So about those MOFI One Steps and "original master recordings"... https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/
August 5, 20223 yr you mean these audiophiles couldn't immediately tell the difference with their highly sensitive ears? i for one am SHOCKED.
August 5, 20223 yr 4 hours ago, mdmost said: So about those MOFI One Steps and "original master recordings"... https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/ oof that's pretty embarassing. mike fremmer was a big name in the community, and got caught on the wrong side. problem with the vinyl debate is it the oversimplification of the problem to analog vs digital, when the actual crux of the issue is really about provenance and mastering, neither of which is intrinsic to a format. also for decades now, the actual studio master recording has gone straight to digital. so the fact that is the final product way downstream the production chain is supposed to be better because its analog loses basically all of its meaning.
August 5, 20223 yr Agreed but the issue with MOFI is they always touted their releases as being all analog and "from the master tapes". Well sure, somewhere along the line it was from the master tapes which were mostly analog. If you used a digital source then say it because I know certain releases were absolutely mastered in digital like Dire Straits and The Nightfly. Analogue Productions is very up front when they use a digital source, since it is a rarity for them. Plus, given the age of most of their releases, most had analog recording sessions since they lean heavy to pre-90s releases. If MOFI had been upfront, they'd be fine. It's amusing their own greed with overproducing the Thriller One Step broke the dam on this.
August 5, 20223 yr oof that's pretty embarassing. mike fremmer was a big name in the community, and got caught on the wrong side. problem with the vinyl debate is it the oversimplification of the problem to analog vs digital, when the actual crux of the issue is really about provenance and mastering, neither of which is intrinsic to a format. also for decades now, the actual studio master recording has gone straight to digital. so the fact that is the final product way downstream the production chain is supposed to be better because its analog loses basically all of its meaning. Fremer has sniffed his own farts for quite a while now, so it’s funny to see that happen to him, tbh.
August 5, 20223 yr If you look at the comments section of that article, Fremer is fighting with people on there. It's amazing.
August 7, 20223 yr On 6/4/2022 at 6:13 PM, BoomMF said: Yeah, Nirvana Nevermind Super Deluxe hit this past week. Bout to crank it. Pretty stoked for this one. Especially looking forward to the ephemera. And my copy of Art Pepper arrived (ordered because of this thread!). As much as I'm a fan of 50s/60s jazz, it surprises me how Art Pepper has managed to sit in my blindspot for so long. This ends now. The replacement for my jacked up copy of the Pallas Rumours showed up as well. And, after forgetting I ordered from the band's website an eternity ago, some rather hard to find Kitten records arrived too. About to be busy and loud at the Boom household. Tell me about that super deluxe Nirvana. Is that the one with all the B sides and jams and stuff?
August 17, 20223 yr another tangential brainworm i had about the voodoo and mysticism of ultra-fidelity audiophilism, is what the hell is the reference anyway? ostensibly the goal of audio reproduction is to reproduce the real life experience of sound and space.. but thats only relevant to 4% of the public who actually listens to live orchestra or acoustic sets. 96% of us, the real life experience of arcade fire, or david byrne, or fatboy slim, is in a sweaty boomy venue like emos, or being blasted out of 1000 jigawatt speakers at a mega-auditorium. unless you've sat in a pink floyd studio recording session, you don't have the idea of the platonic soundstage and instrument placement and relative volumes for their performances anyway.
August 17, 20223 yr 59 minutes ago, 52-80 said: another tangential brainworm i had about the voodoo and mysticism of ultra-fidelity audiophilism, is what the hell is the reference anyway? ostensibly the goal of audio reproduction is to reproduce the real life experience of sound and space.. but thats only relevant to 4% of the public who actually listens to live orchestra or acoustic sets. 96% of us, the real life experience of arcade fire, or david byrne, or fatboy slim, is in a sweaty boomy venue like emos, or being blasted out of 1000 jigawatt speakers at a mega-auditorium. unless you've sat in a pink floyd studio recording session, you don't have the idea of the platonic soundstage and instrument placement and relative volumes for their performances anyway. Yeah, in the end, it's all pretty highly subjective. I'm old enough to remember when CDs and digital audio began to replace LPs and I didn't really care for the sound at all. I thought that was inherent to the digital reproduction process, but I think it was more the primitive DACs at the time. And now, we have the digital reproduction part down pretty well, but crappy digital sources. But, until fairly recently, the process of making music was inherently analog, and even now, it's "primarily analog" in that the parts that actually make the sound waves, and the sound waves themselves are analog. So, I can't fault those who prefer vinyl, or tube amps and the various accoutrement of traditional sound recording. I prefer it, but not enough to do anything about it. I live with crappy digital sources and decent reproduction equipment to mitigate the crappiness. When I was still a ringmeat, I was impressed by systems that could play loud and also pretty clean. I don't necessarily mean "blow the doors off loud," but loud enough to supply music to a party at pretty good volume (a friend had Yamaha components, a Nak tapedeck, and Klipsch Heresies and that was an outstanding setup in the mid-80s for rocking out a party with a mixtape). Now I value imaging and soundstage as much as anything. Edited August 17, 20223 yr by TwiceHorn
August 17, 20223 yr David Byrne's book, How Music Works, goes in depth on that exact question. Worth a read.
August 21, 20223 yr MoFi saga should be periodic reminder that putting too much value in physical objects will ultimately leave you feeling empty and won't replace any of the underlying issues that made you obsess over things in the first place.
August 21, 20223 yr The MoFi saga gave me a good opportunity to take a look at all the records I had and realize I really need to stop collecting so many as I only listen to maybe 10-20% of them. It also started me down a path where I bought a fairly inexpensive DAC from Topping that I run a USB cable to from my computer. I have a lot of SACD ISO, DSD, and FLAC files on my computer. I used to run them to a Pono player that I used in the car and around the house. Since a lot of those SACD files are from MOFI SACDs and contain the similar DSD file (not exactly obviously) as the one MOFI is using for creating the vinyl, why not just play those and save myself both money and space. I then bought a Qobuz membership and stream to my DAC. I honestly might sell some of these MOFI ones I don't listen to.
September 4, 20223 yr 45RPM UHQR of Kind of Blue arrived and its fantastic. Is this the last time I'll need to buy this album? Probably. Will it be the last time? Probably not. It came just in time to test out my endgame turntable. After much hemming and hawing, I went with the Transrotor Zet 1. I haven't decided on my endgame stylus or preamp, but they're coming. I never thought I'd have a shot at one of these. Now, styli...
September 23, 20223 yr Anyone else order the Super Deluxe remaster of Revolver? I have the mono remaster from 2014, but it's my favorite Beatles record so I couldn't resist.
September 23, 20223 yr I had to return my sealed copy of Zappa and the Mothers at the Roxy. When the 180g reissue came out in 2013, there was a batch that accidentally substituted the first record with the vinyl copy of Apostrophe ('). Damn the luck.
September 24, 20223 yr Anyone else order the Super Deluxe remaster of Revolver? I have the mono remaster from 2014, but it's my favorite Beatles record so I couldn't resist.It’s ridiculous that they kept the mono locked to the box set. I may get it or just pickup a 2014, not sure yet.
September 24, 20223 yr 16 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said: It’s ridiculous that they kept the mono locked to the box set. I may get it or just pickup a 2014, not sure yet. It's out of print so pretty pricy in the secondary market... last I looked they were going for $75-100 for VG/VG+... like $200+ for mint/sealed.
September 27, 20223 yr Decided on the preamp. Stuck with Transrotor and their Phono II. Now I'm ready to switch over to a moving coil should such an emergency arise. A couple of One-Steps arrived too. I don't know why people sleep on Folk Singer, but whatevs, it makes it cheaper for the rest of us. Aside: This hobby is getting ridiculous (moreso than is the norm) with the announcement of the AP Steely Dan UHQRs and the Bill Evans Riverside Box reprint, so finding (relative) deals is especially a treat and colors my enjoyment of whatever I got over on. (Chad's not who he used to be.) One of These Nights isn't my favorite Eagles record, but it has the coolest cover and that's enough to want a definitive version of the LP. Lyin' Eyes is just a bonus. And there a wizard little record store in Spring, Soudn Revolution, and I picked up a bit. I love me some 60s bubblegum and the Seekers are probably a bit better than that, but given what bubblegum has become in modern music, 60s bubblegum feel like German prog rock in comparison. Also, Adam Ant is criminally underrated. You might want to check out Mammoth WVH. I'm curious to hear opinions on it. I was pleasantly surprised - it has a high floor if it never quite touches the stratosphere. Edited September 27, 20223 yr by BoomMF
September 28, 20223 yr I can def save a lot of money on UHQRs for a while, haha. And yeah, I do like what Chad is doing, but damn. All this while he apparently pays his employees shit at the place in Salina.
September 30, 20223 yr On 7/25/2022 at 9:17 AM, stc said: water, dish soap and a sponge is the easiest way to clean records. you don't need a fancy machine. I have to say that this has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. No shit. https://squeakycleanvinyl.com
September 30, 20223 yr On 7/25/2022 at 7:17 AM, stc said: water, dish soap and a sponge is the easiest way to clean records. you don't need a fancy machine. This is vinyl. If it isn't overpriced, overwrought, and over engineered for its simple task gtfo.
October 1, 20223 yr In the spirit of we tend to raise little versions of ourselves, my older son has been on a vinyl buying streak, and relatively hard to come by Ween albums at that. He came home with dad's favorite yesterday. Original pressing (UK).
October 2, 20223 yr Looking for a good,"reliable" set up(record player and speakers) for my kiddo. Appreciate the feedback from you experts.
October 2, 20223 yr Mine was asking about that last night, and I suggested he look at Uturn for the turntable
October 3, 20223 yr On 10/2/2022 at 1:14 PM, Goodman said: Looking for a good,"reliable" set up(record player and speakers) for my kiddo. Appreciate the feedback from you experts. How old is the kid and what kind of setup are you thinking? You want just something basic/inexpensive that can help them get into the hobby, or something that may cost a bit more that they can eventually upgrade, etc?
October 4, 20223 yr I have an OG Purple that's actually purple, back before colored vinyl was in. /csb
October 7, 20223 yr On 10/3/2022 at 2:43 PM, oSuJeff97 said: How old is the kid and what kind of setup are you thinking? You want just something basic/inexpensive that can help them get into the hobby, or something that may cost a bit more that they can eventually upgrade, etc? 15. I'd say under 1K total setup. By what I've read, this could go in a number of directions but I'd like to target "reliability" if that is achievable. Open to any and all feedback, thanks in advance.
October 7, 20223 yr 14 hours ago, Goodman said: 15. I'd say under 1K total setup. By what I've read, this could go in a number of directions but I'd like to target "reliability" if that is achievable. Open to any and all feedback, thanks in advance. Yeah when you say 1K total is that for turntable, receiver and speakers? For beginners I always recommend the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. I think you can get it for around $500 or so. It’s a great turntable that can be upgraded down the line. That obviously doesn’t leave you as much for receiver/speakers but you could upgrade those later.
October 7, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, oSuJeff97 said: Yeah when you say 1K total is that for turntable, receiver and speakers? For beginners I always recommend the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. I think you can get it for around $500 or so. It’s a great turntable that can be upgraded down the line. That obviously doesn’t leave you as much for receiver/speakers but you could upgrade those later. Appreciate the feedback and it makes sense. Any recs on receiver/speaker's for a solid-beginner setup?
October 7, 20223 yr 33 minutes ago, Goodman said: Appreciate the feedback and it makes sense. Any recs on receiver/speaker's for a solid-beginner setup? I'm not much of a gear guy in that sense, so others may have some good rec's. For my setup, I got a Yamaha RS-500 receiver. It's a dedicated stereo receiver with built-in pre-amp. (It's not like a home theater receiver with all of the digital processing bells and whistles)... It's been great. It's discontinued now, and I was poking around on their website and it doesn't look like they make a dedicated stereo receiver any more... but I would look for something like that if I were you... you'll get better performance for the price because it doesn't have all of the home theater bells and whistles... just a good solid stereo receiver with a built-in pre-amp. Others here may be able to point you in the right direction. As for speakers, I just got a pair of Infinity tower speakers that I've also really liked. The model I bought is, of course, discontinued now... so I'm not sure what the current equivalent of them would be... it looks like Infinity was bought by Harmon/JBL and so they may not make speakers any more. LOL sorry I'm not much help on that front. Edited October 7, 20223 yr by oSuJeff97
October 7, 20223 yr Just dropped off, will give it a proper spin tomorrow when the wife is gone for the day.
October 7, 20223 yr 3 hours ago, Goodman said: Appreciate the feedback. That's a nice budget for the kid. On the receiver, you might consider something vintage. For a while, there were a lot of Marantz and Sansui receivers available in the $300--$400 range if you kept your eyes peeled.
October 8, 20223 yr Just dropped off, will give it a proper spin tomorrow when the wife is gone for the day. This one sounds great but has a high defect rate. Getting my replacement tomorrow.
November 18, 20223 yr Walmart is doing their $15 vinyl sale. Every Walmart I visited in the east Austin area had every title on sale for $15, and I mean every. $50 Rolling Stones Hot Rocks, $15. $70 George Harrison All Things Must Pass box set, $15, and on and on. Good luck.
November 18, 20223 yr Author 6 hours ago, BoomMF said: Walmart is doing their $15 vinyl sale. Every Walmart I visited in the east Austin area had every title on sale for $15, and I mean every. $50 Rolling Stones Hot Rocks, $15. $70 George Harrison All Things Must Pass box set, $15, and on and on. Good luck. It's also online if you don't want to be seen in Walmart. Looks like it applies to all their Walmart exclusive presses. As an FYI, Walmart doesn't commission these represses, they just license a particular color variant of a repress, to be exclusive to them. https://www.walmart.com/shop/deals/movies-music-and-books/music?inlineQuery=vinyl Edited November 18, 20223 yr by CooterBrown
November 18, 20223 yr That's a nice budget for the kid. On the receiver, you might consider something vintage. For a while, there were a lot of Marantz and Sansui receivers available in the $300--$400 range if you kept your eyes peeled. Hard to find any vintage 70s Marantz in that range anymore. Maybe a 2215. For 80s 90s stuff I like Sony and Yamaha.For a new one this is a nice basic 2 channel receiver from Sony. Phono input and Bluetooth. Around $150.00STRDH190
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