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Note: I first posted this little personal view as a part of a different thread. I decided that it might offer an opportunity for some good discussion. So, I decided to make a thread out of it for a larger audience.
The Post:
Yes, it does seem that the prices of analog reproduction have gone through the roof. Let's take a closer look. Lets see if that perception is true. I guess the question is whether any part of this inflation has resulted in better equipment, software and, thus, sound? I think the answer is yes by a substantial margin. While the prices can be high I believe we are living in the Golden Age of Vinyl. Right now!
Really, let us remember with wide open eyes. Remember back in the good old days when record stores were stuffed with dreck much like the CD stores of today? Remember the beloved Duals and other such changers and poorly engineered tone arms and cartridges that ate records for diner and sounded even worse? I think the equipment at every level has improved over the similarly priced older counterparts when normal economic inflation is taken into consideration. Good to great analog equipment, the equipment that did sound good, has always been expensive and folks have always complained about it. Bringing advanced technology into the analog world has, I believe, made the stuff significantly better and only provisionally more expensive.
No doubt, at the highest of the high end the price of admission is astronomical. Such as it has always been. Modern analog sound is terrific, better than ever, IMO. It is worth the price? For me, yes but I can't and won't go for the highest of the high. That's a rich man's game. What's left, the stuff I can afford with a little sacrifice, is wonderful.
Remember the average pressings from Columbia and others that could have passed for noise generators? Remember the warps and wows? Remember the paper liners that cut the vinyl like steel wool (only a slight exaggeration)? And the off center holes? And the bad engineering? Things were not even close to perfect back then.
Now, we pay more (provisionally) and have fewer choices (tears) but the choices are better (joy), IMO. Many of the new pressings of analog re-releases are far better than the originals. Of course, we must also consider the music, much of which has not seen the light of day on CD's. They are not cheap but usually not terribly more than their CD counterparts. I mourn the lack of broad choices but there is still enough to keep us busy and astonished. Those of us who did not ditch our prized record collections under the weight of the digital onslaught are in heaven.
Shall we speak of the bargains that are available in the used record stores? In this case our choices are as broad as ever but older which is not necessarily bad. Plus, we can examine the records and reject those that obviously bad or return them if they prove to be terrible after we get them home. If you can't, find a better used dealer. Shall we consider the common availability of good and inexpensive record washing machines that can bring these used gems back to their original state? Analog things are not bleak. It is quite possible to build a wonderful record collection right now for very attractive prices. And the situation continues to get better.
Last, analog continues to be a fun and rewarding activity. And, as always, the music and sound reigns supreme. Are there any other valid reasons to do be involved in hi fi?
You may call me a Pollyanna. I'll confess to that if I must.
But, am I wrong?
Sparky
The Post:
Yes, it does seem that the prices of analog reproduction have gone through the roof. Let's take a closer look. Lets see if that perception is true. I guess the question is whether any part of this inflation has resulted in better equipment, software and, thus, sound? I think the answer is yes by a substantial margin. While the prices can be high I believe we are living in the Golden Age of Vinyl. Right now!
Really, let us remember with wide open eyes. Remember back in the good old days when record stores were stuffed with dreck much like the CD stores of today? Remember the beloved Duals and other such changers and poorly engineered tone arms and cartridges that ate records for diner and sounded even worse? I think the equipment at every level has improved over the similarly priced older counterparts when normal economic inflation is taken into consideration. Good to great analog equipment, the equipment that did sound good, has always been expensive and folks have always complained about it. Bringing advanced technology into the analog world has, I believe, made the stuff significantly better and only provisionally more expensive.
No doubt, at the highest of the high end the price of admission is astronomical. Such as it has always been. Modern analog sound is terrific, better than ever, IMO. It is worth the price? For me, yes but I can't and won't go for the highest of the high. That's a rich man's game. What's left, the stuff I can afford with a little sacrifice, is wonderful.
Remember the average pressings from Columbia and others that could have passed for noise generators? Remember the warps and wows? Remember the paper liners that cut the vinyl like steel wool (only a slight exaggeration)? And the off center holes? And the bad engineering? Things were not even close to perfect back then.
Now, we pay more (provisionally) and have fewer choices (tears) but the choices are better (joy), IMO. Many of the new pressings of analog re-releases are far better than the originals. Of course, we must also consider the music, much of which has not seen the light of day on CD's. They are not cheap but usually not terribly more than their CD counterparts. I mourn the lack of broad choices but there is still enough to keep us busy and astonished. Those of us who did not ditch our prized record collections under the weight of the digital onslaught are in heaven.
Shall we speak of the bargains that are available in the used record stores? In this case our choices are as broad as ever but older which is not necessarily bad. Plus, we can examine the records and reject those that obviously bad or return them if they prove to be terrible after we get them home. If you can't, find a better used dealer. Shall we consider the common availability of good and inexpensive record washing machines that can bring these used gems back to their original state? Analog things are not bleak. It is quite possible to build a wonderful record collection right now for very attractive prices. And the situation continues to get better.
Last, analog continues to be a fun and rewarding activity. And, as always, the music and sound reigns supreme. Are there any other valid reasons to do be involved in hi fi?
You may call me a Pollyanna. I'll confess to that if I must.
But, am I wrong?
Sparky
You can read about both Erocia's here 
I was considering the mmf-5SE in case my finances don't coincide with Walter still having the mmf-7 when (if?) my cash arrives. My budget isn't blessed with much wiggle room. :cry: 
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