[MaxCast]

Are we at the top of the bubble??  Will purchases of new $20-$50 new/re pressings continue to grow?
Will dusty, moldy, scratchy and gem LP collections continue to be found and support demand?
Will we know 100% if original masters were used for a AAA pressing?

[catastrofe]

As long as I can hit estate sales and pick up vinyl in good condition for $1/album, my bubble won't burst. . .

[SteveFord]

It's funny you should mention that as I was thinking the same thing with all of the remastered 180gm albums.
It sort of reminds me of replacing my vinyl collection with the same titles on CD which was kind of stupid.

[Nick77]

Are we at the top of the bubble??  Will purchases of new $20-$50 new/re pressings continue to grow?
Will dusty, moldy, scratchy and gem LP collections continue to be found and support demand?
Will we know 100% if original masters were used for a AAA pressing?

I certainly hope were at the top, i just cant warm up to $35 plus for a single title. My first 200g remaster sure does sound good though. 

[tomytoons]

Agreed, I won't buy over $29, all my recent purchases have been in the $20+ category.

[Mr. Orange]

I'm sure the new super heavy pressing really sound good but I'm still finding enough new-old gems to buy for way less money. I just picked this new one for $8. 

[S Clark]

I've been looking for a copy of Nina Simone's first album and have been eyeing a re-issue from $20-30.  Instead, I found an original for $25. Might not be quite as clean, but will appreciate.

[vinyl_guy]

After listening to new 45 rpm pressings of Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, the Doors, Jennifer Warnes, Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, Counting Crows, and Tapestry, I want more 45 rpm pressings of my favorite albums and I'll pay the $50 they are asking for them. IMO, they are easily worth it.

Long live vinyl 

[Mr. Orange]

After listening to new 45 rpm pressings of Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, the Doors, Jennifer Warnes, Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, Counting Crows, and Tapestry, I want more 45 rpm pressings of my favorite albums and I'll pay the $50 they are asking for them. IMO, they are easily worth it.

Long live vinyl 

I'm only going to play 45s if I can stack'em. I'm not getting up that often.  I love listening to my vinyl but I'll admit i've got spoiled over the years to be able to sit down and listen to 60 to 70 minutes of music without getting up. For vinyl I'l stick to 33 1/3. 

[Packfill]

I recently bought Nick Cave's new album on 180g vinyl for $30.  It was completely "dished".
I sent it back and bought the CD.
I'm fed up with the poor quality control for manufacturing vinyl.
I may never buy another new LP again.

[Packfill]

others weigh in:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/has-the-vinyl-revival-gone-too-far,93610/

http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-who-bought-34th-anniversary-reissue-of-fleetwo,31416/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=standard-post:headline:default

[MaxCast]

Fun read from AV Club.  These new anniversary issues are nice and all but I just really want a new quiet record.  And if it's over $20 it better be from original masters.

I've had one new album I had to return and a couple that I thought could have been better.
But most new albums for me have been nice and quite 

[Russtafarian]

I recently bought Nick Cave's new album on 180g vinyl for $30.  It was completely "dished".
I sent it back and bought the CD.
I'm fed up with the poor quality control for manufacturing vinyl.
I may never buy another new LP again.

Totally agree.  Very frustrating listening to new vinyl that sounds like it was cut from an MP3 file with groove noise like a brush fire.  Especially when pop/rock pressings from 30 years ago have way less noise and actually sound like real music.  Sloppy mastering and manufacturing is rampant with new production vinyl.  Leave it to the music industry to find a way to screw up anything they put out.

[Scott F.]

I recently bought Nick Cave's new album on 180g vinyl for $30.  It was completely "dished".
I sent it back and bought the CD.
I'm fed up with the poor quality control for manufacturing vinyl.
I may never buy another new LP again.

I said (and did) the same thing.


I'll stipulate that with...I'll still buy the Blue Note OJCs that I don't have. They are very affordable and for the most part, sound pretty good. On rare occasion I'll buy something from Classic but only after I've researched it to death and someone who's ears I trust says it is a quality recording. Too many times I've dropped $30+ bucks on a release and it sounds like crap. That said, if Stan Ricker did the mastering, I know I'll be buying a quality recording so I'll invest that money.


As for new 'generic' releases. I've learned my lesson. A good guesstimate would be that 80-90% of them sound like hammered shit. So bad in fact that the MP3 download that comes with it typically sounds better.

[jimtranr]

The vast majority of my vinyl purchases are classical, jazz, film scores, and vocal standards--largely "new" reissues as well as a number of used, the latter mostly bought at two shops within an hour-and-a-half drive away; the others that are used I get online, typically via GEMM. I've had to send all of two reissues back to online vendors and in both instances was sent replacements that resolved the problem.

The OP question that interests me the most is the last one regarding the provenance of AAA pressings. I don't think we know the answer unless we trust the manufacturer and the product description specifically cites the original masters as the source.

As to what to spend, I'll pay the going rate if I want the recording and I trust the mfr/vendor. Putting today's cost in perspective (and IIRC), I spent about $4.98 to $5.98 for a major-label classical record around 1970. Adjusting for inflation, a 1970 dollar, I believe, equates to about $5.40-$5.50 today, so the same purchase today would range between $27.50 to $33. So if I find a desirable recording (most likely a reissue) where the provenance is the original analog master tape, I consider a price in or near that range reasonable--assuming that the surface is quiet and the record isn't dished or otherwise compromised.

It ultimately boils down, of course, to preference and priorities. Since I'm a vinyl junkie.... 

   

[Letitroll98]

I'm only going to play 45s if I can stack'em. I'm not getting up that often.  I love listening to my vinyl but I'll admit i've got spoiled over the years to be able to sit down and listen to 60 to 70 minutes of music without getting up. For vinyl I'l stick to 33 1/3. 

She's not talking about the 45 singles with the big hole, rather 12" size LP's, cut at 45 rpm.  The fidelity is higher because you don't have to cram the wiggles in a 33 1/3 rpm space.  You only lose about 25% of time per side.      

[Elizabeth]

I am surfing the bubble!
I have been buying like crazy filling in the endless gaps in my collection of Rock.
With 2,200 or so Rock albums, and all only the best stuff, still big holes. So I have been on a spree aquiring reissues (Mostly of stuff from the 2000's)
Prior stuff i could find used. but those 1990 post 2000 hardly ever for sale used, or $$$$.
So i am happily buying up Rock reissues.
When the bubble bursts,  i want to be set.
For Jazz nothing being reissued attracts me much. I have a real good source for plenty of top used Jazz at low prices. And Jazz IMO is different to some degree than Rock. I can still buy any well rated Jazz ttile and find it great,and I can usually find enough $2 to $6 Jazz to satisfy me. Rock I am a bit pickier.
Classical there is nothing I want, though if they reissued the Mercury 90000 series Classical, I might jump for it.

[vinyl_guy]

Totally agree.  Very frustrating listening to new vinyl that sounds like it was cut from an MP3 file with groove noise like a brush fire.  Especially when pop/rock pressings from 30 years ago have way less noise and actually sound like real music.  Sloppy mastering and manufacturing is rampant with new production vinyl.  Leave it to the music industry to find a way to screw up anything they put out.

Your experience is different than mine. I have been more than satisfied with the pressings from QRP, RTI and Pallus. If Stan Ricker or Bernie Grundman Mastering mastered the record, then I am very confident the result will be very listenable. The new Neil Young and Crazy Horse records are excellent--dead quiet pressings and outstanding SQ. Some of the indie labels are hit and miss on surface noise and SQ.

[orthobiz]

others weigh in:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/has-the-vinyl-revival-gone-too-far,93610/

http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-who-bought-34th-anniversary-reissue-of-fleetwo,31416/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=standard-post:headline:default

The Onion article is funny and in some respects, all too true!

Paul

[S Clark]

I am surfing the bubble!
I have been buying like crazy filling in the endless gaps in my collection of Rock.
With 2,200 or so Rock albums, and all only the best stuff, still big holes. So I have been on a spree aquiring reissues (Mostly of stuff from the 2000's)
Prior stuff i could find used. but those 1990 post 2000 hardly ever for sale used, or $$$$.
So i am happily buying up Rock reissues.
When the bubble bursts,  i want to be set.
For Jazz nothing being reissued attracts me much. I have a real good source for plenty of top used Jazz at low prices. And Jazz IMO is different to some degree than Rock. I can still buy any well rated Jazz ttile and find it great,and I can usually find enough $2 to $6 Jazz to satisfy me. Rock I am a bit pickier.
Classical there is nothing I want, though if they reissued the Mercury 90000 series Classical, I might jump for it.

You are one lucky girl.  I'm doing good if one decent jazz lp a week comes into my local vinyl store, and he's gone up from $2-5 to $10-$20 for them.