Author Topic: thinking about selling my analog rig  (Read 11202 times)

Offline richidoo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2018, 05:36:54 PM »
and turning the locals onto what a good stereo can do vs earbuds.

Audiophiles: spreading the audionervosa infection far and wide.  :thumb:

I'm sure you new neighbors will adore you Bob!

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #16 on: April 19, 2018, 11:00:36 PM »
We are going to be moving in the next few months and I have packed up the stereo and records. Oodles of records. My wife actually said, "did you think about selling all this and starting new instead of packing and moving it all?"

MY BABIES!!!

Never crossed my mind. I'm anxiously looking forward to setting it all up in a new room and turning the locals onto what a good stereo can do vs earbuds.

Life without earbuds?? So it aint so, Bob. Good luck on this noble quest  :thumb:
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Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #17 on: July 10, 2018, 08:57:52 AM »
  Me as well lately. Over 2KLPs, two tables numerous cartriges, Phono preamps, VPI cleaner, Kirmuss cleaner, phono cablesand more.
  I have gotten to a point with Redbook CD playback that has equaled or bettered my LP sound. Sitting for 20 minutes and then getting up to flip the LP now ruins my emotional impact. That getting up makes me loose that connection until the needle drops again. with CD 60 plus minutes of listening straight. Keeps the emotion and mood longer which I prefer. Especially with Classical.
  My LP collection is valued at over 10K so why not take advantage of that now. Have some thinking to do. Aqua digital has changed my world.

charles
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #18 on: July 10, 2018, 05:05:23 PM »
I am still on the fence and leaning heavily towards dumping analog...BUT. My strategy now is to sell my TT and arm and pay off a bill and buy a sub. THEN, buy a very cheap TT and play those records to hear what I have and see if it’s worth the hassle. I have the Don Sachs phono stageanyway
Nick
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Offline tmazz

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #19 on: July 10, 2018, 06:46:58 PM »
  Me as well lately. Over 2KLPs, two tables numerous cartriges, Phono preamps, VPI cleaner, Kirmuss cleaner, phono cablesand more.
  I have gotten to a point with Redbook CD playback that has equaled or bettered my LP sound. Sitting for 20 minutes and then getting up to flip the LP now ruins my emotional impact. That getting up makes me loose that connection until the needle drops again. with CD 60 plus minutes of listening straight. Keeps the emotion and mood longer which I prefer. Especially with Classical.
  My LP collection is valued at over 10K so why not take advantage of that now. Have some thinking to do. Aqua digital has changed my world.

charles

Here's  the fly in the ointment about that. How are you coming up with that $10k valuation? most of us doe that by looking at the retail value of our LPs on the used market. However the only way you can get that kind of money is to either sell them at a record show, which involves packing then all up and dragging them where if you are lucky you wioll sell 10% of them and then have to drag them all home and start over again, or you would have to sell them one at a time on some kind of online site, which is a huge amount of work for a large collection. And if you try to sell them in bulk to a dealer you will be lucky to get 50 cents a an album for them.

So while it is easy to say that your collection is worth $X it is quite another matter trying to turn it into cash.
Remember, it's all about the music........

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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #20 on: July 11, 2018, 11:54:40 PM »
I am still on the fence and leaning heavily towards dumping analog...BUT. My strategy now is to sell my TT and arm and pay off a bill and buy a sub. THEN, buy a very cheap TT and play those records to hear what I have and see if it’s worth the hassle. I have the Don Sachs phono stageanyway
Nick
i would humbly suggest that you buy your "very cheap" turntable before selling your spendy rig, because if you decide it's worth the hassle, you may be disappointed you let your nice rig go.  i also suggest your "very cheap" turntable be an empire; either the unsuspended iterations, or the rare 498 if you want a suspension.  prices have crept up a bit, as people realize their worth, but they still punch way above their price range, regarding price/performance ratio.  you'd have to spend a lot more on something new to get similar performance...

doug s.

Well, I hear what you’re saying and I haven’t put the Basis TT and Graham arm up for sale yet anyway. I know the combo would be hard to beat. But damn, that thing is heavy.... 🏋🏻‍♂️ I’ll likely have a preamp soon anyway. But there is the old cash flow problem with this crazy hobby and I also need to buy a sub
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Offline tmazz

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #21 on: July 12, 2018, 05:00:24 AM »
Nick, I'm not sure what you  are considering as a "very Cheap" price, but I recently purchased one of these Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TTs for a friend of mine and it does puts out some really nice sound considering the price ($399 including an Ortofon 2M Red cart).

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PRDECADC

And if you buy it from Audio Advisor you get 30 day return privileges, so i you try it out and the SQ turns out to be less than you would like to deal with you can always send it back for a full refund. (I hve sent stuff back to them in the past and they gave me no hassles about it at all.

Does it sound anywhere as good as my VPI/SME combination, of course not, but the whole thing (which comes with the cart premountedand takes about ten minutes to get up and runnimg right out of the box) costs lesst than the power cable I have connected to my TT.

Great value for the money.
Remember, it's all about the music........

• Nola Boxers
• Sunfire True SW Super Jr (2)
• McIntosh MC 275
• ARC SP-9
• VPI HW-19 Mk IV/SDS/SME IV/Soundsmith Carmen Mk II ES
• Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 DAC/Rasp Pi Roon Endpoint
• DigiBuss/TWL PC&USB/MIT Cables

Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #22 on: July 12, 2018, 05:54:45 AM »
  Me as well lately. Over 2KLPs, two tables numerous cartriges, Phono preamps, VPI cleaner, Kirmuss cleaner, phono cablesand more.
  I have gotten to a point with Redbook CD playback that has equaled or bettered my LP sound. Sitting for 20 minutes and then getting up to flip the LP now ruins my emotional impact. That getting up makes me loose that connection until the needle drops again. with CD 60 plus minutes of listening straight. Keeps the emotion and mood longer which I prefer. Especially with Classical.
  My LP collection is valued at over 10K so why not take advantage of that now. Have some thinking to do. Aqua digital has changed my world.

charles

Here's  the fly in the ointment about that. How are you coming up with that $10k valuation? most of us doe that by looking at the retail value of our LPs on the used market. However the only way you can get that kind of money is to either sell them at a record show, which involves packing then all up and dragging them where if you are lucky you wioll sell 10% of them and then have to drag them all home and start over again, or you would have to sell them one at a time on some kind of online site, which is a huge amount of work for a large collection. And if you try to sell them in bulk to a dealer you will be lucky to get 50 cents a an album for them.

So while it is easy to say that your collection is worth $X it is quite another matter trying to turn it into cash.


 Tom I am lucky to own numerous 10" 33.3 mono jazz recordings. First LP of artist and pressings of such. I have been offered over 5K just for those.
 You are right about trading in to a record dealer. One will not get much. Looking to sell entire collection to one buyer. Actually have some interest.

charles
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
Lamm Industries - Aqua Acoustic, Formula & La Scala DAC- INNUOS  - Rethm - Kuzma - QLN - Audio Hungary Qualiton - Fritz speakers -Gigawatt -Vinnie Rossi,TWL, Swiss Cables, Merason DAC.

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #23 on: July 12, 2018, 09:56:29 AM »
Nick, I'm not sure what you  are considering as a "very Cheap" price, but I recently purchased one of these Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TTs for a friend of mine and it does puts out some really nice sound considering the price ($399 including an Ortofon 2M Red cart).

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PRDECADC

And if you buy it from Audio Advisor you get 30 day return privileges, so i you try it out and the SQ turns out to be less than you would like to deal with you can always send it back for a full refund. (I hve sent stuff back to them in the past and they gave me no hassles about it at all.

Does it sound anywhere as good as my VPI/SME combination, of course not, but the whole thing (which comes with the cart premountedand takes about ten minutes to get up and runnimg right out of the box) costs lesst than the power cable I have connected to my TT.

Great value for the money.

Tom,
Charles has mentioned the Project as well. Buying a very cheap TT isn’t to replace my nice Graham arm and Basis TT, it would just be a temporary fix to see if I even like analog after all these years of not playing. My wife nicely reminded me that she’s never seen me play a record in the 22 years we’ve been married and she’s probably right. I know I bought my rig in 1990 or so.
If it’s still worth the hassle of the the setup, stylus cleaning, buying a record cleaning machine (as I can’t stand pops and clicks) and getting up and down to change sides, then I’d save up for a used Technics or Empire that Doug likes, etc.
As to a cart, I still have a brand new AT 440 ML and another damaged cart that can be repaired.
Nick
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #24 on: July 12, 2018, 10:03:54 AM »
Nick, I'm not sure what you  are considering as a "very Cheap" price, but I recently purchased one of these Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TTs for a friend of mine and it does puts out some really nice sound considering the price ($399 including an Ortofon 2M Red cart).

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PRDECADC

And if you buy it from Audio Advisor you get 30 day return privileges, so i you try it out and the SQ turns out to be less than you would like to deal with you can always send it back for a full refund. (I hve sent stuff back to them in the past and they gave me no hassles about it at all.

Does it sound anywhere as good as my VPI/SME combination, of course not, but the whole thing (which comes with the cart premountedand takes about ten minutes to get up and runnimg right out of the box) costs lesst than the power cable I have connected to my TT.

Great value for the money.
great value for the money?  for me, great value for the money is a similarly priced vintage empire, which competes sonically w/new offerings in the $2k-$3k range.  of course, what cartridge that may or may not come w/a vintage turntable is an unknown.  the last empire i bought was $325, and it included a decent grado cartridge (green?  black? i don't remember.) it was my daughter's gift to her boyfriend.  ;) and it sounded great.  she now has a new boyfriend, but she wishes she had the old turntable.   :lol:

doug s.

Sad about her turntable. Maybe now she’s learned to prioritize  :rofl: Just took a peek on hifi shark and lots of current and sold Empires are shown. Have certainly heard of Empire, but know nothing about particular models
Nick
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #25 on: July 14, 2018, 05:06:55 PM »
Sad about her turntable. Maybe now she’s learned to prioritize  :rofl: Just took a peek on hifi shark and lots of current and sold Empires are shown. Have certainly heard of Empire, but know nothing about particular models
Nick
empires aren't the only quality vintage turntables out there worth considering, but likely the easiest to find and set up.  and, they're all good, but i prefer the simpler non-suspended units.  and the rare 498 has the simplicity of the early units, w/the suspension of the later series. lack of anti-skate on the early arms is probably the most serious drawback, but it's relatively easy to rectify if keeping the arm, and it's really not much of an issue regarding sound.  it might wear the stylus a bit sooner.  and, many of the empires have aftermarket arms, as arm replacement is a popular mod, and you could buy them new w/o arms.

regarding record cleaning, i have never used a record cleaner, having excellent results cleaning by hand w/lukewarm water, mild dishsoap, a sponge, and drying w/a soft lint-free cloth...

doug s.

Good news in that I have enough 💰to get Charles’ Audio Hungary preamp and buy a sub now if I wish. I’d still have a bill to pay off, but I am going to keep the current rig just to play some records and see if it’s worth keeping analog. If not, the Don Sachs phono pre would sell easily. The Empire looks interesting and getting an arm for it would be a simple solution. Speaking of the 498 model,
eBay has one. Could use a little tlc to spiff it up, but otherwise looks ok.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Empire-498-Turntable-with-980-Tonearm/332702207201?hash=item4d7698cce1:g:7ZYAAOSwkslane5F
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Offline shadowlight

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #26 on: July 14, 2018, 07:29:36 PM »
The other forearm to look for the Empire is Jelco.  You do not have to modify anything.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2018, 07:40:29 PM by Nick B »

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #27 on: July 14, 2018, 07:56:15 PM »
The other forearm to look for the Empire is Jelco.  You do not have to modify anything.

Have always read very positive comments about the Jelco arms and the prices are quite good
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #28 on: July 14, 2018, 08:03:29 PM »
Good news in that I have enough 💰to get Charles’ Audio Hungary preamp and buy a sub now if I wish. I’d still have a bill to pay off, but I am going to keep the current rig just to play some records and see if it’s worth keeping analog. If not, the Don Sachs phono pre would sell easily. The Empire looks interesting and getting an arm for it would be a simple solution. Speaking of the 498 model,
eBay has one. Could use a little tlc to spiff it up, but otherwise looks ok.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Empire-498-Turntable-with-980-Tonearm/332702207201?hash=item4d7698cce1:g:7ZYAAOSwkslane5F
yes, the 498 looks nice; the peeling finish on those old arms is typical; that one is not so bad, actually.  reasonably-enough priced, but ebay typically gets the high end of the pricing spectrum for these.  if you're patient, you can find them for less.  but, the 498's are rare.  more common are the unsuspended units, which are actually quite a bit easier to adapt arms to:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/132701013433


https://www.ebay.com/itm/332717090270


this one might actually be the exact unit i owned a few years back; not sure how many there are w/that arm:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/232837839846

and, you can search craigslist, either local or worldwide:
http://www.adhuntr.com/

i have a 498 that i adapted to take a rega tonearm, but it's not been put into service.  i had to have a special tonearm base made for it.



and esoteric sound sells arms that are plug-n-play for the suspended empires:
https://www.esotericsound.com/ArmsAndHeadshells.htm

doug s.

Doug,
That’s a great website and I bookmarked it. The prices of those arms and others like Rega and Jelco are all quite reasonable. I’ve had my Graham arm with extra armwand since the early 1990s. No clue what I paid for it.
Nick
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #29 on: July 14, 2018, 08:16:51 PM »
Doug,
That’s a great website and I bookmarked it. The prices of those arms and others like Rega and Jelco are all quite reasonable. I’ve had my Graham arm with extra armwand since the early 1990s. No clue what I paid for it.
Nick
nick,
re: great site - i suspect you're referring to the adhuntr site, not the esoteric site.  i'd say it's pretty evil, actually!   :rofl:

re: the graham tonearm + extra wand, i suspect it cost a bit more than any of those empires; probably more than any two of them...  ;)

doug s.

Doug,
It was the esoteric site....I forgot to look at the adhnutr site. Yea, I guess I spent some good change on that and the Basis TT as well. It’s a shame I’ve only played vinyl for a few years on it and that was a very long time ago....
Nick
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS