Classical vinyl
I used to collect classical music on vinyl - the original analogue Decca and HMV pressings from the late 50s through to the late 70s are of absolutely outstanding quality and some of them go for £100s of pounds now. If you put them through a good amp and a good record player they sound amazing. The guy who taught me about it had a magnificent turntable - a Linn Sondek - they still make them but they are extremely expensive.

What's more I used to pick up records in a charity shop for 50p and then keep some of the better ones and flog one or two to pay for the habit.

I don't collect any more as there never seems to be anything any good in the charity shops other than the cheesefest that is Mantovani and his sodding orchestra...

:(
(sugar_tits, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 23:24, 6 replies)

on a wet and stormy night
there's nothing better than mussorgsky's night on bald mountain.
say what you will, i will ALWAYS defend this.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 23:37, closed)

Sondek
My dad had a deck built around the Thorens TD150, which is what linn based the sondeck round.

Nice kit, very nice.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 0:14, closed)

An old aquaintance
used to have full Linn Sondek kit with two pre amps, I think the whole lot came to about 12k. But that's just the tip of the icebrg in regards to classical music. The Linn Sondek stuff was the best all round system, for all types of music, a number of years back and probably still is but when you have a top classical system it's probably cheaper to sponsor your own orchestra ;)

most-expensive.net/turntable-in-world
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 10:20, closed)

I've heard the Caliburn
And to be honest, I'd rather have an SME30/12 and nearly £100,000 change. Not that it isn't good (it is) but the law of diminishing returns takes no prisoners by that price point- too much of the budget went on making it look shiny.

You can pick up a nice Sondek for less than a grand (and a nasty one for a lot less than that). The high spec new ones are a bit weird really- they sound pretty good but they don't sound like LP12's which to me rather defeats the object.
(Leonard Hatred briefly did some work on, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 10:43, closed)

the law of diminishing returns takes no prisoners by that price point- too much of the budget went on making it look shiny.
^agreed^ definately a rich mans toy.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 13:34, closed)

I've been reading Trainspotting repeatedly for years
and only just figured out what the use of the term 'manto' to describe attractive young women means, because of this post.
(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 14:45, closed)