Problems with Vinyl

@ el cielo - Not trying to be nitpicky but when you said 'vinyl has a limited number of plays', I wanted to add something to that. If you take care of your vinyl records - keep em clean, don't let em collect dust and don't leave em lying around, etc, then they are guaranteed to last longer than CDs. CDs are far more likely to end up scratched and unplayable sooner than vinyl. Most people don't know this, and I want to set the record straight (no pun intended :b).

Definitely get into vinyl collecting, el cielo. Here are some tips you want to remember:

~ When you get a turntable, consider buying a used, belt-driven turntable instead of a new one.
(Take particular care to avoid buying a new turntable that comes with a factory-installed needle. They are worthless.) You want a turntable where the needle cartridge is *replaceable*. You want to spend at least $35 or more on the needle cartridge - you need to get an "Expanded Dynamic Range" diamond needle. Factory-installed needles SUCK - and you won't get the benefit of the deep, rich, organic sound an Expanded Dynamic Range needle will afford you. Besides - you'll pay the same price for an older, used, but sturdy belt-driven turntable with an expanded dynamic range needle as you would for a brand spanking new piece of factory-churned plastic shit.

~ You want a good receiver with plenty of wattage. Again, there are plenty of older, used, sturdy, vintage receivers out there - check craigslist or whatnot - - that will kick the ASS of some of the newer stuff. Not necessarily - it depends on how much you want to spend -- just make sure you have several hundred watts per channel, and you'll be amazed at the difference the sound coming from your speakers makes.

~ Speaking of speakers, you want nice speakers (of course). Just make sure they can handle the watts-per-channel from your receiver.

~ You can get speaker -wires that are "oxygen free", that is, their insulation is compressed to not allow air or oxygen into them, which results in a more efficient connection, and thus, a cleaner sound. (Not kidding around here.)

~ When keeping your records clean, use a 100% cotton cloth and a solution of alcohol-based water in a spray bottle. Another thing you can do to keep older used albums you might score for cheap at record stores, is lighter fluid. Just a dab of that on the record wiped down with the cotton cloth will really clean it up, and remove any excess gunk that may have gotten stuck down in the grooves. You can even use the lighter fluid (very sparingly) to buff up the outer album cover. You'd be surprised how an old, used, greasy, dusty dirty album - - both the cover / jacket as well as the vinyl inside - can be polished back to a brand-spanking new look, as if brand new again, with just that cloth and some drops of lighter fluid.

Well those are the basic tips I can think of. Definitely get into vinyl - it is, after you eliminate all the myths and distortions and misunderstandings about it - - a far more enduring form of music preservation than digital CDs. The trick is taking care of your vinyl properly, and also playing it through the appropriate equipment.

Has anyone bought the vinyl and found both side to be A and B. I get through sides A and B and onto the next record to hear that its side A and B again. I bought mine at a local record store so I took it back and they told me to try another store. Went to the other store and got it, took it home to listen and the exact same thing happened. I'm super bummed, the first half sounds sooo good! Now I don't know what to do... I figure the company tried to fix the problem of the skip and they screwed up even more! I think i'm going to take my second one back and wait until they have fresh ones in. This is just so frustrating :(

well i certainly hope that if they should have to do a second pressing to replace some defective copies that they will just go ahead and order some more, 'cause i'm over here really kicking myself for not getting in on that preorder