Give me your top 20 vinyl records to have

yashiro81,

Top 20 lists of music are rather subjective. Maybe if you listed your favorite genres, it will help folks give more suggestions. I would start with your top 5 CDs, find them on high-quality vinyl - if you think they sound better, then start to expand your vinyl collection.

As far as Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab goes, their remastering quality is very good. I have a bunch of their CDs, but that was when they were sold in retail stores and were somewhat affordable. I think it's crazy that people on eBay want hundreds of dollars for special two-disc sets which originally sold for $40-50.

- Steve O.

Well you asked.

Pink Floyd, Animals
Pink Floyd , The Wall
Judas Priest, Screaming for Vengeance
Judas Priest, Hero Hero
Black Sabbath, Masters of Reality
Black Sabboth , Sabbath bloody Sabbath
BlackSabbath, Mob Rules
AC/DC Power rage
AC/DC If you want Blood
VanHalen, VanHalen
Beach Boys , Pet Sounds
Billy Squire , Dont Say No
Genesis, ABACAB
The Cars , Candy O
Cream , Wheels of Fire
Def Leppard ,High n Dry
Rush, Moving Pictures
Fleetwood Mac Rumours
ELO , Face the Music
ZZ top , RIO Grande Mud

I suppose this has been rectified?

You don't worry about me stereoguy...you do well to worry about yourself.

I will give you 2 of mine that recently surprised me how well they sounded on my system. I was not a fan of either, but curious. Glad I took the time to listen.....

Loggins & Messina - On stage (I believe it was their first live album, and Loggins was at the top of his game vocally here)

Belafonte - Live at Carnegie Hall (One of those albums I felt like I was at the hall)

Happy hunting....I hope to find a few new ones on this thread as well.....

Since the vast majority of recordings sound much better on CD than on vinyl, your list should focus on sound quality. The emphasis should be on those rare titles that actually do sound as good or better on vinyl.

I'm new here...and this is my first post....but I can't understand this statement.

I have never found this comparison to be true. Vinyl beats CD hands down on my rig.

Granted some CD's sound good...some great...especially ones that have been mastered to sound good with care and knowledge to have a finished product that will satisfy the end consumer that enjoys music for the sonics...and not just the dancability.

Cheers,
BT

I guess I'll throw in some LP's that are a must have, to enjoy the sonic bliss. Sorry if my taste in music isn't agreeable.

In no particular order:

Supertramp, Crime of the century: Speakers Corner
10CC, Original Soundtrack: MFSL
The Who, Who's Next
Nirvana, Nevermind
Steely Dan, Aja: MFSL is pretty good.
David Bowie, Hunky Dory
David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
The The, Dusk
AC/DC, Highway to Hell
King Crimson, Discipline
Beatles, White LP
Beatles, Abbey Road
Frank Zappa, Joe's Garage
Frank Zappa, Zoot Allures
Fleetwood Mac, Rumors
RACKMANINOV concerto no.2: Chesky
Greg Brown, Poet Game
ABC, Lexicon of Love
Thomas Dolby, Aliens Ate my Buick
Depeche Mode, Violator

There are many more...but this should be a good start.

Cheers,
BT

1 - CSNY - Deja Vu - MFSL 1/2speed master, honestly rates NM vinyl, NM- cover. Insanely good sound.
2 - Talking Heads - Stop Making Sence. Sounds like you're there
3 - Dire Straights - Alchemy. Sounds Like you're there

and all the rest in no particular order

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail - ATCO
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - Atlantic
Supertramp - Breakfast in America - Jap 1/2speed master (no scratchs but slight surface noise)
Supertramp - Paris
Steely Dan - Gaucho - ABC
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic - ABC
Steely Dan - Royal Scam
Led Zeppelin - Mothership Boxed Set
Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same Boxed Set
Climax - Stamp Albumn
Stern, Rose, Istomin Trio - Schubert - Columbia Masterworks, honest NM- vinyl
Neil Young - Comes a Time
The Band - The Last Waltz
The Band - Rock of Ages
The Doobie Brothers - Best of the Doobies
.38 Special - Special Forces
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms



MFSL. if clean, blows standard issue out of the water if you have a table and cartridge that can resolve at that level.

As for CD's VS Vinyl, spend equal money on the CDP and the Vinyl rig (and a GOOD vinyl rig starts at about $1250 TT and cart IME) and the CD player will sound very good, but the vinyl will edge it out, comparing them side by side, spinning clean noise-free vinyl of course. Listening to CD's I tend to fatigue, and start skipping songs, and changing disks, listening sessions are comparativly short. Vinyl, I can listen to full albums front and back all night long, and wish I had more time when midnight rolls around.

I see. So it takes a minimum of $1250 for a vinyl rig to even begin to approach the sound quality offered by an entry-level CD player. Chalk up another point for CD.

Your "fatigue" point suggests a serious flaw in your system. I can listen to CDs or MP3s for hours on end without the slightest trace of fatigue (while enjoying their flawless sound), and my system isn't even close to "high end".

The whole "vinyl sounds better" concept is a myth started by audiophiles decades ago (probably because they felt threatened by new technology), and has been perpetuated ever since.

Styx_Grand Illusion
Styx_Pieces of Eight
Cheap Trick_ Live at Budokan
Boston_Boston
Boston_Don't Look Back
ELO_Out of the Blue
ELO_Greatest Hits
Pink Floyd_Darkside of the Moon
Pink Floyd_The Wall
Fleetwood Mac_Rumours
Cars_Greatest Hits
Eagles_The Long Run
Eagles_Greatest Hits I
Eagles_Greatest Hits II
Kansas_The Best of Kansas
Queen_Jazz
Queen_News of the World
Van Halen_Van Halen
Rush_2112
Journey_Evolution

Forgot one....

Little Feat_Waiting for Columbus (one of the best live albums out there)

Dont quote my comments out of context, go back and read what I wrote in full.


Take a CD player, and a vinyl rig of the same price, and I believe GOOD vinyl rigs start at the $1000-$1250 mark (new) for cart and table, and the vinyl rig will be less fatiguing and easier to listen to on the same album. The differences are are not profound, but subtle, and for me, really appear when you sit down to listen to a couple of albums back to back. Compare that same $1200TT to a entry level CD player, and it blows it away, and it damn well should. On the other hand, an entry level CD player, say a $150 Sony, will blow the doors off a $150 TT and cart. With analog, it takes a certain investment level to be able to meet, and indeed, pull ahead of CD sonically, so why not compare good models of both, because if you're reading these forums, you're not buying entry level gear.

Also, I did not say, ANYWHERE that CD doesnt, or cannot sound good, I particularly like some of the tube units I've heard, but when it comes down to it, the Vinyl rig sounds better to my ears, so thats what I buy. And before you go talking about outdated notions, or a reluctance to change, I wasn't even born when CD was introduced, it has been the dominant media all my life, and it is what I started in HiFi with. The only vinyl I ever heard growing up was scratched oldies on a friends father's cheapo TT. I never even thought twice about vinyl as a HiFi medium until one day I was 'turned on' at a HiFi store, when I heard my first clean vinyl played on proper, albeit pricey gear.

As far as CD fatigue being result of a severe flaw in my system, I listen to a McIntosh preamp and amp and JBL L100 T3 Monitor speakers. The speaker response is flat, and the Mac electronics are autoformer-smooth and slightly warm. Accurate but forgiving is how I would classify it. If a source cant sound good and be easy and relaxing to listen to on it, IMO, it is fundamentally flawed, not the other way around. BTW, I never realized I was being 'fatigued' by the CD's or music in general, until I got my first TT in my system, and found I quit wanting to skip songs and change albums.

MP3's which I never mentioned, are anoter ball of wax however. So long as you're not talking lossless, which MP3's arent, play it, and the same song on a good CD player or vinyl rig, and its going to be the same result every time, the medium opposite MP3 wins. FIne for mobile, but not in the same league as Redbook or analogue on a good stereo.



All that said, I suppose in the end, it all comes down to subjective tastes, and all that matters is that the end user enjoys what he or she is listening to. I doubt either one of us is going to convince the other that their ears, medium, or system is 'wrong'. It might be be prudent just to agree to disagree.

It makes sense to talk about a good analog system starting at a certain price point. It is in the nature of analog that subtle refinements can improve the sound. The situation is different with digital. All CD players recreate the original signal flawlessly (to within the limits of human hearing), leaving no room for improvement. This implies that if you are going to compare CD to another medium, you might as well choose an entry-level CD player because you won't get better sound by spending more.
The SQ of CDs is so good that only an exceptionally good analog setup stands a chance of even approaching it, much less surpassing it (and then only with absolutely pristine vinyl.)

I have to dissagree about all CD players being the same, there are definate improvements to be had moving up the line in CD as well, its just not knock-your-socks-off drastic like jumping up that first $1000 in analog is. Even so, it is there. Remember, a CD player is just a way of converting the digital data into an analog signial that your analog preamp and amplifier can use; and the quality of your analog converter, and analog circuity can and do make a difference.

Harold needs to talk to/or read the years of threads re: Cd Player's all sound the same perpetuated by Pulliam who recanted a year ago I think.
If you are easily frustrated it's just better to not look into the Forums!

All the Dire straits collection
Kenny Burrell Midnight blue
Dave Brubeck greatest hits
Rolling stones remastered DSD
Santana Abraxas
All of others above

Why would he have "recanted" the truth? I have compared CD players at widely varying price levels. Except for the ones with a tube stage, they do all sound the same.

If all stereo gear sounds the exact same, why would you make a hobby out of it, and spend time on forums dedicated to high-end reproduction discussing it?

If a portable MP3 player and a bargain-basement $99 dollar stereo reciever sounds the same as a $3000 CD player with McIntosh. C.J., or Levinson electronics to you, why worry about what other people are using, and why do such discussions interest you so much as to spend time out of your day thinking and writing about it?

I didn't say that. I said that all CD players sound the same. Also, all amplifiers (whether separate, part of a receiver, or in some other form) with the same actual power output sound the same.

Assuming the amp has sufficient power, it is speakers that make all the difference. That is the basis of the hobby: speakers.

I wish I had your ears, and I mean that in the kindest way possible.

Running $99 Sherwood 4105 100wpc and my portable CD player instead of vinyl and 100WPC Mac, and being just as happy with it, or infact, having them sound the exact same, or in the case of the portable cd player, superior to the vinyl, would be fantastic, and save me a buttload of time energy and money.

Unfortunatly here in my world, and most other audio nuts, we can hear a difference, and thats what drives us to making a hobby out of acchieving better sound reproduction.

That is easy to accomplish. Simply stop hearing what you imagine and start hearing what is really there.
Someday, I will buy better speakers (because speakers alone do make a difference.) When I do, I will need someting to power them, and that $99 Sherwood will do just fine. As for a source, there will never be a reason to replace the sources I have now.
I also used to be an audiophile. Then one day I learned to hear past my biases and realize that expensive electronics make zero difference. It definitely has saved me a buttload of money!

What the hell does any of this have to do with "The top 20 records to have"?

Nothing more than discussion of Denon power ratings does in the 2 vs 5.1 thread

It is called a "tangent", aka "following a train of thought" or simply "having a discussion". It is a common occurence in fora, so get used to it!

What I'm talking about over there has everything to do with the natural progression of the discussion. And I'm not arguing - I'm just adding my experience.

This here has nothing to do with what the OP even started the thread about. This isn't even a technical thread.

I'm just wondering how every innocent thread around here has to always turn into the same, tired old argument. Can't you guys ever give it a rest? Do you have to turn every thread into this? Why? Maybe it's time for another hobby or something. If you're bitter because you feel you've been burned a lot in the past, then 1.) It doesn't mean someone else is going to - or should - feel the same way, and 2. ) If you're really trying to "help", can't you at least be a little less caustic about it?

Whether I agree or disagree with anybody here has nothing to do with my feeling this way.

I am plenty used to it. But the same old arguing gets tired to read for those who have been around here awhile. It's like you guys have nothing better to do than just sit around waiting for some new person to post here, just so you can pounce and start this same sh*t over and over again everytime they do. What is so bad about just letting people talk about things the way they want to, without constantly cutting in and arguing?

Just let 'em live and learn without the lecturing or stubborn arguing. You sound like my grandfather, for crissakes. Or are you afraid that someone might actually end up satisfied? It's their money - it ain't never gonna be yours, so let it go. Join a debate team or something if you need the outlet so bad. This is just bordering on the anti-social here.

I know I'm just ranting and nobody really cares, but it just builds up to a point sometimes because I can't even read this sub-forum without constantly seeing every thread turn into this. It's frustrating for people who actually want to participate in it without having to get involved with all this other, constant, redundant crap.

Y'all talk a good game, but it's really pretty immature and childish behavior when you come down to it.

Ramminitski, I hadn't read any 'caustic' posts in this thread until you posted your reply...

I would no sooner pounce on the thread drift in the 5.1 thread than you should pounce on thread drift over here. Take a chill pill, and quit taking arguments, particularly ones you aren't involved in, personally.

Also, regarding the comment of "having nothing better to do", I've been home sicker than a dog with a stomach virus the last two days, so I would have to say that comment would be spot on...... but I still don't think the flaming is called for or necessary.

Have a good one

No, this thread hasn't gotten that bad - but a lot of them do, and if this kept going the way I could feel it was going, it most likely would've gotten that way. I was just talking about this "argument" in general. It does get that way quite often. After you've been around here awhile, you'll see that. With 26 posts, maybe this is the first one you've ever been involved in here (or not), but this same old argument starts in about 4 out of 5 threads here. it basically consists of "all CD players and audio equipment sounds the same - it's just unmatched levels that make the difference". That's fine. We hear you. But why keep repeating it constantly, thread after thread after thread after thread....

The mods probably would've stopped it, but I was just trying to cut it off at the pass.

At least save your argument for the threads which center on it. Does every innocent thread have to turn into that? That's all I'm complaining about.

And it's not really as much a matter of taking it personally as you might think. Basically, either you're one of those involved in it, or you're one that's tired of it. I'm the latter (or else you're an unsuspecting newbie that's gets sucked right into it). Also, I have a right to join in here as much as anybody and state my opinion - as long as I'm civil and following the rules - even if it's more about the fact that you're arguing than the actual argument.

Sorry if my OP here sounded "caustic" to you. It was sarcastic, but not meant towards any one person. It's just hard to not get that way sometimes when you're frustrated. Most people just give up and leave, but I would like to be able to read this forum with a little less of the unpleasantries, and I felt I had to say something, because I know many people feel the same way. They just give up and leave, like I said, and that's not right, either. There are certain civility rules around here, you do know, don't you?

Why do you think that other thread drifted? I've been around here awhile, and I really didn't think it did. If it truly did then I'm sure the mods will take care of it. The usual pattern will probably occur. Things go on 'till they get out of hand, then the mods just clean up and wipe out half the forum. Then the same process repeats itself. I really don't know why this sub-forum even exists, to tell you the truth.