I just lucked into a huge record collection on my local craigslist. It had belonged to a radio DJ who had passed away about 5 or 6 years ago. It then went to his brother who rented a storage unit and they have sat there since then. I have had them home for less than a week, so I am still not sure exactly is in the collection, but it is estimated to be at least 25,000 lps. I think it is actually closer to 27,000 but I am not about to count them.

I figure it is going to take me all winter to just go through them and pull out the ones I want to keep. Then I hope to sell the rest to someone who can enjoy them. I have looked through maybe 1000 of them so far and managed to pull out about 150 keepers. So far it consists mostly of a bunch of 12" promo EPs from the 80s. Not really my cuppa, but I am sure someone will enjoy what I don't want or need.

Thought I should update my system here to include my most recent find. I am thinking about changing my name to "Up to my eyeballs in vinyl".

Oh yeah, and my wife is thrilled. ;o)

wwwrecords September 10, 2009 02:06

Thank you Padrillo.

wwwrecords January 24, 2009 01:44

I like your choices, nice!

pedrillo January 22, 2009 03:04

Just bought an extremely nice and well kept EV Georgian in a factory walnut cabinet. I am considering building another system strictly for mono. The main problem is a room to put it in. If it takes place, I already have a tubed receiver (Sansui 1000A)with a mono switch and an old Brook Model 7 preamp with 10 pre RIAA phono EQ settings, along with the lone Georgian. Decisions, decisions. This would really be a throw back system.

wwwrecords June 19, 2008 04:11

System edited: Forgot to list my amps.

wwwrecords February 14, 2008 17:52

System edited: Removed my Sansui 1000A that I had been using as a preamp and also removed my modded Thorens 160/Linn LVX and will used them in building another system. Added the CJ PV-10A preamp (just got it today) and am awaiting the Cinemag SUT (in the mail) and can then mount my Denon 103R cartridge. I am a LOMC virgin and am looking forward to giving it a listen. I am sure it will take me a while to get things set up optimally, but I will keep at it. An Altec friend is building me a pair of Markwardt crossovers for my 604-8Gs. I am hoping I will then be done for a long while and can just enjoy the music.

wwwrecords January 13, 2008 04:06

I am awaiting delivery of a Denon 103R cartridge and a friend is going to build a Cinemag SUT in a few weeks. The ATP-12T arm hopefully has enough mass (22g) to work well with the 103R. I have also purchased and waiting delivery on a upgraded phono arm cable (RSCable Illume) to replace my original on my SP-25. At 30 years old, it just seemed like the thing to do. This will be my first attempt with a LOMC and I am excited to hear the difference (hopefully an upgrade). The only thing I hope to do someday is get a Juicy Music Blueberry Extreme preamp. It may never happen with my budget constraints, but a fella can dream, right? Comments on the cart/arm match would be appreciated.

wwwrecords November 07, 2007 04:24

Thanks for the heads up on Raul's post. I will definately check it out. Thanks again.

wwwrecords April 27, 2007 20:29

Have you read Raul's recent thread on cartridges? Make sure you do -- quite a few good choices discussed there. Cheers

gregm April 27, 2007 09:37

I have been wanting to experiment with a budget LOMC cartridge, probably a Denon 103 on my SP-25 since it has a fairly high mass tonearm (ATP-12T). So I made an impulse buy on a Marcof PPA-1. I haven't purchased the LOMC yet, but hope to in the next month or so. I hope the Marcof will be decent enough to give me an idea of what LOMC can provide. If you have any comments on the Marcof/ Denon 103/ ATP-12T matchup I would love to hear them.

Other than that, I have just been enjoying listening to the music.

wwwrecords April 27, 2007 04:28

Thanks 240zracer, hunting and rebuilding my collection is an enjoyable part of the hobby. I just never know what I am going to find. I try to search twice a week, not always finding something, but it pays off nicely on occasion.

wwwrecords December 29, 2006 04:50

Hi Steve. My bet is your equipment does not sound cheap. When I was a kid there was one store in my town that was for looking only. It was the store that sold McIntosh. I would go in there and drool all over the place. The store I could afford was called Lafayette, and I bought my 45s at a place that sold them for 25 cents after they pulled them from their juke boxes. Have fun rebuilding your collection.

240zracer December 28, 2006 14:26

Thank you Scott. I don't have nearly as much experience with gear as most people here, but I really enjoy the music my system gives me. I spent alot of time reading audio sites and hoping that someday I would stumble across some nice equiptment at prices I could afford. If you ever yourself passing thru Missouri, you are more than welcome at my house anytime.

My lp collection is growing again thanks to a couple of Agon members and my searching. It still blows my mind at their generosity. Truly amazing stuff.

Steve

wwwrecords December 28, 2006 05:26

Hi Steve, you have a cool system! Great finds, with a lot of attitude and personality. Would love to hear this. In fact, I'm considering something like this for another room in the house. I'm very sorry to hear about your LP collection.

Scott

skushino December 27, 2006 06:08

Update- Due to financial hardship, I had to sell my lp collection about 4 months ago. I am starting to rebuild my collection and am up to about 150 lp's. It has taken me this long to admit it, but I have come to terms with it's neccesity.

Other than that, nothing in the system has changed.

wwwrecords November 06, 2006 05:06

System edited: A friend was getting ready to have a yardsale and clear out a bunch of analog stuff, including TT's. He told me he had a TT he got from a radio station in Tulsa about 8 years ago, but it was too large for his system. He wanted $60 for a Technics SP-25, black factory plinth and AT-1501 MK2 arm. It now sits proudly in my system making music, after mounting a Denon 110 cart. I still have my modded Thorens TD160 in the system also. Making use of having 2 phono sections on the Sansui 1000A.

wwwrecords May 20, 2006 20:52

What's heartening is that music is big now, in spite of what the RIAA has done to attack those who listen to it. We just have to hope that one day, these kids will want to appreciate their music better, and that there'll good equipment around when they want it. Keep letting your kids listen to their music on your gear, and they'll come around.

peejay March 20, 2006 04:43

Paul, very well said and I agree completely. I have 3 kids (25,23,20) and while they all enjoy listening to their music on my system and agree is sounds MUCH better than what they listen to, they have no desire to build a system of their own. CD's in the car and MP3 players. Go figure.

I think I have failed as an audio parent.

Steve

wwwrecords March 19, 2006 23:03

I don't know why vinyl is considered so old fashioned. I listen to a lot of new music as well as classic jazz, and still buy about 75% of my new recordings on LP. My local record store reserves more than half of its floor space for vinyl, and most of that is new releases. Recently, I bought Cat Power, Beck, the Elected, Pink Mountaintops, and Belle & Sebastion, all on vinyl, and a lot of those are on 180 gram and heavier. New vinyl is alive and well, but it's mostly played on DJ tables or other non-hi-fi equipment. People don't realize that an analog setup like yours, Steve, could make their vinyl sound so much better at so little cost.

Vintage is cool again in clothing and furniture - if we can only convince the kids that it's cool in stereo, they'd probably wind up with better stuff than the new stuff they could buy for the same money.

Paul

peejay March 19, 2006 21:19

Thanks Alaindexe. I appreciate your sharing your experience with your Altecs. I have seen the revised suggested 604 crossover plans, but I am not much of a electronics DIY type. Someday I will probably have someone build these newer crossovers so I can give them a listen. I have heard they are a noticeable improvement.

I use Great Plains Audio in OKC if I need parts or repair. The only thing I have had to do is replace one of the HF voice coils in one when I first bought them.

Again, thank you for sharing your expertise.

Steve

wwwrecords March 19, 2006 17:42

Hello Steve... I have owned 3 pairs of Altec (2 pairs of 604 8G). For my 1st pair of 604, I built a cabinet myself based on the Stonenhedge III model. I bought 604 that we're seriously damaged in the basement of an audio shop. There we're only frames left! A friend of mine re-magnetised them. Then, I had them reconed by an Altec specialist (utterly important to select an Altec reconer). He also ordered new aluminum diaphragm for the mid-hi frequency driver. Then, my friend built hi-quality crossovers with military grade parts. I sold these speakers because the volume of the cabinet wasn't enough to allow the 604 to give its full potential in terms of bass. Then I bough the 620, company made with company crossovers. Although the 620 are a lot better on the overall audio spectrum, my old Altec had a better medium and I cannot find another reason then because of the cross-over... All this to say, there are plans to built better crossovers on the web and this would definitely improve your sound more then changing cables, although I believe better cables will generate a better sounds.

alaindexe March 19, 2006 12:48

Steve,
It's good to hear that you're actually enjoying the changer. I think that a lot of us are old school. Tubes, vinyl, etc.
-Bill

mdhoover March 15, 2006 02:43

Sorry it took me so long to respond Bill. I have never had anything but a single disc CD player. But after living with the changer for a while, I must admit that I enjoy it.

LOL I think I am just too old school at times, which looking at my system will clearly point out.

Best regards,
Steve

wwwrecords March 14, 2006 21:59

Wwwrecords,
Interesting that you should mention a changer versus a single player. I actually INSISTED on a changer for my system, and have often wondered why they're not more popular. We audiophiles are a fickle bunch, it seems.
-Bill

Footnote: By the way, there's another recent thread where a self-proclaimed newbie asked whether purchasing a 60 dollar pair of Grado headphones would allow him to "claim" audiophile status. I was quite pleased to see that NOBODY (at least as far as I saw), thought that being an audiophile "required" spending big bucks. So, at least the Audiogon members who responded to that thread would seem to have their heads on straight. There were some pretty funny jokes too. Anyway, when I saw that thread, I thought of you, in a good way, i.e. brains trump money, every time.
-Bill

mdhoover February 10, 2006 18:38

Thanks again Bill. I would have preferred a single disc player, but since this was so cheap, I accepted a changer.

I don't have very many CD's, maybe 50, but I most that I have I enjoy the music they contain.

Steve

wwwrecords February 10, 2006 05:04