Just bought a Rega Planar 1... who'd have thought it...

pugheaven · 17 Jan 2021 at 00:58

After 20 years without a turntable... I just fancied getting back into it and dusting (literally) off my collection and spinning some up. It was lovely to just sit there and listen to a whole album (in this case, Bad)... and not flick or fast forward or whateer, just open a magazine... read and listen to a whole album.

It was a refreshing experience and after all these years... it does have a unique sound a very unique sound. Just an absolute openess and I'm not running audiophile musical amp (running through a Denon 6400H Cinema Amp with the Q Acoustics cinema speakers). However I was surpried as when running say bluetooth or streaming music that is on in the background I tend to just put it throuigh one of the music modes and it's fine. However, flipped to Stereo and it was lovely... sounded pure...

So, anyone else enjoying any vinyl lately? So glad I kept all my records... the last hifi I had was an all in one £1k Sony system 20 years ago with a turntable on it and when that went, that was it for me... never had time or was in the mood for it. Now as I get older, just thinking, hold on, I love music, I love listening to music YET lately through Spotify, streaming etc etc I don't actually sit down and LISTEN. Thats going's to change in 2021.

lucid · 17 Jan 2021 at 03:32

I never left vinyl, in almost forty years of ownership. New stuff (to me) came along: cassette, CD, MD, DVD, media files, SACD, BD, streaming etc. Some if it stayed. Other stuff went. But vinyl has always been there, in the background, even when friends and family gave me odd looks at why I persisted with this "old-fashioned" format.

Exactly the same reason you mention about just sitting back and listening is precisely the reason why I like vinyl, CD and SACD. I get to hear the artists' journey through an album in a way that isn't quite possible in the same way with streaming or media file playback. Yes, it's possible to play a whole album from streaming or media files. Of course it is. But I feel this constant tug to cue up different tracks; to be the DJ, so to speak. There's this nagging restlessness when every track I own or every track in the world is available. There's no peace like there is playing a vinyl album. It's almost a zen calm. In this mad world, the little oasis of calm is a very welcome retreat.

I hope you have lots of fun.

Incidentally, if you want to give those LPs a real deep clean, have a think about doing a wood glue face mask treatment. See this thread

mid_gen · 17 Jan 2021 at 08:46

Didn't have a huge collection when I was younger, but have kept what I have, and a pretty sizable CD collection.

I have a Planar 1 as well, through a Rega Fono and Naim Nait 5i, Quad 11Ls. It's a really enjoyable listen.

I love listening to albums, start to finish....they way God intended music to be experienced

That said, during lockdown I've quite enjoyed doing Spotify group sessions with mates and sharing tracks.

jpaul · 17 Jan 2021 at 11:02

Haven't upacked (black) P3 for 5 years since last move, I need to do an AB comparison,
but I perceive I get as much enjoyment curating playlist from sofa/laptop/usb-dac with Tidal Masters;
cardinal sin : multi-tasking, you can simultaneously browse SteveHoffman, say, for track ideas

Spotify group session ... ? can you still skip someone elses track selection in the first 30s.

pugheaven · 18 Jan 2021 at 01:49

lucid said:
I never left vinyl, in almost forty years of ownership. New stuff (to me) came along: cassette, CD, MD, DVD, media files, SACD, BD, streaming etc. Some if it stayed. Other stuff went. But vinyl has always been there, in the background, even when friends and family gave me odd looks at why I persisted with this "old-fashioned" format.

Exactly the same reason you mention about just sitting back and listening is precisely the reason why I like vinyl, CD and SACD. I get to hear the artists' journey through an album in a way that isn't quite possible in the same way with streaming or media file playback. Yes, it's possible to play a whole album from streaming or media files. Of course it is. But I feel this constant tug to cue up different tracks; to be the DJ, so to speak. There's this nagging restlessness when every track I own or every track in the world is available. There's no peace like there is playing a vinyl album. It's almost a zen calm. In this mad world, the little oasis of calm is a very welcome retreat.

I hope you have lots of fun.

Incidentally, if you want to give those LPs a real deep clean, have a think about doing a wood glue face mask treatment. See this thread

Couldn't have summed it up better myself, spot on and 110% on everything you said. Its really odd... there's just someting about it and you know what gutted I'd forgotton just how much enjoyment an LP can bring... wish I'd not moved with the times 20 years ago but you know what... nothing to stop me enjoying the next 60 years hahaha Glad you feel the same, there's some of us oldies (I'm 46 now) who remember the old days at least lol My 12 year old looked at me and said "that the heck is that dad?"... she shall be educated!!!

BF-Bert · 18 Jan 2021 at 08:49

Like Lucid I never moved away from vinyl.

When I moved in with my girlfriend she couldn't see the attraction of vinyl over her multitude of sonos speakers throughout the house. No problem I simply set it up in my newly claimed den. It didn't take long for me to regularly find her curled up on my sofa with a book listening to LP's. Since then the turntable has moved into our lounge and a recent turntable upgrade was approved on aesthetic grounds. I think she buys more records than I do now.

turbot1984 · 18 Jan 2021 at 09:22

Just need to put a new cartridge on my P3 and I'm away... thanks for reminding me, been missing the lovely sound of vinyl.

pugheaven · 18 Jan 2021 at 12:55

Even just bought myself two new ones... hahaha, it's a whole new lease of life lol

lucid · 18 Jan 2021 at 15:35

pugheaven said:
My 12 year old looked at me and said "that the heck is that dad?"... she shall be educated!!!

Sharing music with a younger generation, and setting them off to broaden their own horizons, is one of those rites-of-passage things that forms an everlasting bond between kids and their parents.

I recall my lad and I doing this. He was about the same age as your daughter. He thought he was all bad-ass listening to whichever rock bands were flavour of the moment on Youtube. He'd never really bothered looking through my music collections, so I played him a few things starting with stuff he might know such as Foofighters, SOAD, Prodigy. Then gradually broadened the selections; Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Black Sabbath, Zep, Gillan, Floyd, Black Keys. All the while he's looking through and commenting "You've got this?" and "I didn't know you liked them too?".

We hit rock, metal, blues, punk, triphop, garage, jungle, rap, indy, goth, electronic, all sorts of stuff. There are still plenty of untapped veins. Classical and choral would probably take a bit of work, but he can take those when he's ready.