It has been changed. Looking at the extend of my record collection, the efforts I went with my TT setup and my “End of the Life Phonostage” it would be hardly expected from me to be somebody else a die-hard vinyl dude but it is what it is. Those feelings are brewing in me for the last 3-4 years – the feeling of not equitable cost-benefit ratio of LP universe. The subject that in my live makes LP less desirable is FM and I have been straggling with the fact that FM is wiping out my CD/LP listening habits…

If not the subjects of put audio interests (like testing some gear or something like this) then it sometimes goes for weeks or month that I do not listen my CDs or Records. In my listening I pick very specific CDs and very specific LP… and I do not care about other mass CD/LP that I have. So, I kind of slowing considering to get rid of the balk of my CD/LP – the second, third …eleventh and so on performances that I do not need. I do not know how many LP/CD I have, perhaps couple thousands CD and 10-15 thousands records. What I think is to convert it to 1000 CDs and 500-700LPs – the only first the best performances that I know and let the rest go. With amount and quietly of music I have from FM I truly have no interest to the rest of my pre-caned music. 

The only thing that is hanging in the air is what I would do with all those records that I am not interested to hold anymore. To trash then is a barbarism – they are good records and good music. To sell them is not something that attracts me… so I am looking for an inspiration of what to do with those records. I heard that in Seattle some high-end coffee and cigar shops play classical LPs for patrons. If I have a nice shop like this in Boston then I would feed them with selected records… Unfortunately in Boston’s upscale cigar saloons the Morons watch the stupid baseball games…

Oh, well, in 2008 I bought only 3 records. One of them I did not even heard….

steverino wrote:

Within a year I was down to about 800 LPs - 600 classical and 200 everything else. I have a further system where I play my top 300 LPs twice as often as the rest. Interestingly a sizable percentage ~ 25% of the lower half classical LPs are different performances of LPs in the top group which mitigates against getting tired of hearing the same performance over and over. Now I just rotate through them and I really am enjoying it far more.

... that is the whole points, isn’t it? I probably need to do something similar; I just need to find a stimulation to start doing it. What was your incentive?

Is it the work of the vinyl upkeep?  Could it be that the inability to throw an LP on the TT, without the ritualistic prep, is taking from the spontaneity of getting the music? That's the only downside I can see about vinyl. It's much more work to keep. Vinyl in my not too extensive experience is the medium which comes closest to the real thing and conveying the essence of the music.

After my recent vinyl re-inspiration I did today something that I did not do for over two year – I went for vinyl shopping. It is not that I was walking by my local vinyl shops and stopped by for a glance or two -I do it occasionally – but rather I specifically decided to go to a local vinyl shop to pick some vinyl inspirations.

An hour later and $60 less I brought home 8 records that I will be spinning this evening.  A few words about the equipment. The arms look like keep all operational parameters of the cartridges over the period that I did not care/heck them. The last time I was caring about my analog setup it was what I was buying my last cartridge a year ago. Also, one more observation – listening the Otophone Jubilee is it EXTREMELY difficult to switch to SPU Classic…

I bought the Mahler First Symphony by London with Jascha Horenstein. Since the Levine played it LIVE so phenomenal last year I developed a lot of addition to this Symphony. The insult the injury to the Horenstein’s 1969 performance is that I pressed on Unicorn Label – a wet dream for some people. The record I got G2 but it is in meant shape . I have to confess that I am NOT a fan of sound from Unicorn. I always find it bright and mindlessly aggressive. Well, I paid the $5.99 to confirm that I was right again, in fact I was.

I got two records of Starker with Sebok played 5 Beethoven’s  cello sonatas. I think I have it on other labels. I bought it because it is an early 1963 performance and it pressed at a label that I do not know – British RMC. It looks like some kind UK Record Club. It might be as bad pressed as our TimeMusic subscription but it might be as good as the Reader’s Digest subscription. I am listing it now. I am not thrilled with the arrangement of sound from RMC label. It is not end of the world but not a lot of special; on a sonic scale of pressings I would give them 3 out of 10. My records are S1. The Beethoven’s sonatas and the relatively young Starker are of cause beyond any criticism.

I got a very interesting record – the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra performs live Russian showpiece at NY Metropolitan in 1959. I expected the showpiece but got literally shit. The play and the sound are horrible – a direct miss  and a good candidate for trash.

I got a new for myself concerto: the Alexander Tcherepnin’s Second Piano Concerto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Tcherepnin

performed by the author at piano and with no less then Rafael Kubelik conducting the Bavarian Broadcasting SO. I have no idea what to expect and I did not linen it yet but here is what all fun comes from. It is DG 139379

Then I got the Schubert’s 7(9) Symphony with Bohm and Berlin – I never heard this particular Bohm’s play, why hot.  I just need to be in a special “Schubert” mode – not today but I am sure I will be there.

The last two records are kind of freak of the nature:

The 1976 play of Ozawa leading BSO with Rostropovich plays the Shostakovich’s Second and Glazunov’s Chant. The well-celebrated record and I have those performances on other slicing but this record have some quietuses – it is sealed. Well, it is the original 1976 pressing, un-played and even thought the DG pressed badly in 70s the quality of the event do not allow do not pay 5.99 for the sealed 35 year old record.

The same goes for the second record: it is Rostropovich with Miaskovsky Cello Concerto on one side (Philharmonia under Sargent) and Ostrakh with Prokiviev Violin Concerto #2 on other side (Philharmonia under Galliera). The record is not the original EMI from 1957 but Seraphim piled this record up in 70s. However, it is also sealed and it is $4.99. Hard to pass by…

steverino wrote:

This is why audiophiles start playing their music in excitement whenever they change their system for the better.

steverino wrote:

For example we all have certain foods that we could eat far more often than others - for me its PEANUT BUTTER RICE...

Paul S wrote:

The paranoia has long since set in: I am convinced that career record shoppers have already gotten to and picked over everything any place I am likely to think of to shop.  I very rarely find anything really great.

When I first discovered just how good vinyl playback was compared to digital, I became addicted to going out and buying records. Most that I bought cost me on average 50cents each. I quickly learned to check each carefully, so most I've bought are in premium condition. Over the course of two years, I must have bought at least 2000 LPs. - I've not counted them, but that number would be conservative.

It never ceases to amaze me how good vinyl records can sound. Western Classical music is very important to me, but I love many forms of music.

I listened to Glenn Gould playing Bach Goldberg Variations the other day. The music at first seems stark, simple, unadorned I guess because of the lack of accompanyment (by other instruments). It stikes me as a pure mathematical excercise in logical progressions, and Gould is masterful. I feel that he is intimate with every molecule of the music. My impression is one of slight dryness, without any of the added flair some other pianists might be unable to avoid adding. In a sense he is the perfect conduit and the notes and progressions themselves as skillfully executed by Gould need no further beautifying. Listening to the complex variations evolve, I find myself lulled (mesmerized?) into a sort of peaceful state and contantly hooked into the music.  

Paul S wrote:

Adrian, your point is perhaps better taken with respect to new/newer LPs.  I was referring to the better old LPs that are only found on the re-sale market.  I reckon there should be lots more good classical LPs at used record stores...

Paul S wrote:

Yes, the best version of this cycle I have heard is the original '55 vinyl. But few have the original '55 LPs, let alone the 1S iteration.

Paul S wrote:

Adrian, acording to the archives, Gould recorded the work in summer, 1955, and the original Goldberg Variations album was released in early 1956 on Columbia's "Masterworks" label

Paul S wrote:

I have a few old 6-eyes that are among the best-sounding LPs I own.  I cannot say this of the older "solid label" Columbias; but perhaps they just want more careful VTA to get the best from them? The older LPs were not yet made of "vinyl", and many sound quite "brittle" now, in my experience, including some of the most wonderful stuff on early RCA, pre-"shaded dog".  This stuff is the strongest argument for a 2nd, spherical stylus, for serious listeners.

Paul S wrote:

Reggie, I've also made some critical observations about Gould's playing recently, while comparing his '55 and '81 Goldberg variations via my truly terrible company truck CD player. Yes, the best version of this cycle I have heard is the original '55 vinyl. But few have the original '55 LPs, let alone the 1S iteration. Once we get into dubs, IMO all bets are off regarding which copy will offer the most of what, meaning, pick your poison.  This is one reason for owning several copies of a seminal work. Unfortunately, THE Sound is where we find it; vinyl, per se, is not a lock, by any means. Fortunately, Gould's superb '55 Goldberg can survive a lot of mistreatment. Although I listen almost exclusively to LPs, I am quite leary of vinyl culture that implodes upon itself, like all object worship must do. Best regards, Paul S

Paul S wrote:

I will still buy clean Seraphims with good program material if I do not have the original.  If I do have the original, I pass on the Seraphim, even as a "back-up", UNLESS it is a record I have loved so much that I am killing it. Maybe the careful VTA setting could make the Seraphims better, too?  They do have some nice programs... Best regards, Paul S