Vinyl, should I take the plunge?

I just got back into vinyl 10 months ago.
I live in an area with a LOT of used vinyl. I have aquired about 7,000 LPs. 1,000 Jazz... 4,000 classical ... and 2,000 rock.
Vinyl average prices from 350 for free... a few thousand for @ $0.18 or $0.22 Most of the Jazz about $5 to $8
My phono is a AR PH-1 for $400.
another Forte 44 with phono for $333
A dual Golden 1 CS7000 $375. and a Denon 59-L $250.
A Shure V-15 used for $150
and a Ortofon OM-20 new for $115
I have enough vinyl to survive.....
I am happy.
My comments to someone. as others try it with a used TT that is a classic Rega P3 etc. Also if you live in an area with a LOT of vinyl, it is way easier to collect, than just searching on eBay or Audiogon or the other expensive sites to buy LPs. Some folks disparage searching through the thrifts etc, but it is fun!!! (to me, and many others)
If that is not your thing... $5 to $15 gets most LPs... (cept' the $$100 to $300 Blue Notes etc)
If you ENJOY it, who cares what others say!!
If it turns out to be a hassle... sell the stuff, and still at least you gave it a try.

My 5 kids have provided a wide range of responses to my turntables, from mild curiosity to more rigorous physical "investigation." After an expensive stylus was catastrophically removed by one of them at age two, I started covering the dustcover with antique cloths and large chamber pots with ferns. These were a nuisance to remove when playing a record, but deterred the kids from seeing what else would break on that contraption.

Your wife has a valid concern, especially regarding costs. I completely agree with the poster that said vinyl only has to be expensive if you want it to be. You can get something amazingly good for relatively cheap ($300-1000 depending on your luck). BUT...

The problem is that when your El Cheapo rig sounds so good for little, it starts you thinking how much even better it might sound if you upgraded this or that aspect of the vinyl playback chain. While upgrade fever is a core part of the audiogeek hobby in general, it is worst with vinyl, because vinyl is such a multi-headed beast. With sacd or dvd-a, you're only going to be able to upgrade the transport or the processor. With vinyl, you will eventually find yourself in a conversation with your wife that goes something like this:
You: Loving wife, I need to upgrade my $1000 analog set-up to get better sound.
Wife: That's nice, dear. What will it cost?
You: $700 for a USED power supply and speed regulator.
Wife: And then your records will sound great?
You: Er, no. I'll need a better tonearm -- but it's only $900.
Wife: Well, okay. But then it'll all sound okay to you?
You: Heck, no. I'll have to have a new cartridge, won't I? And if I get this one for $900, everyone on the internet says it sounds as good as cartridges costing $2000!
Wife: But then it will be perfect, won't it?
You: Well, almost. There's this phono stage that's supposed to make a night-&-day difference...
Wife: I don't want to even know how much. Surely that's the last bit?
You: Well, those are all just tweaks. I still haven't upgraded the actual turntable, you know the part that spins the records? It's got a motor, a platter, a sub-chassis, a...

And this conversation is just getting started. Wait until her face lights up as you explain to her either A) the great value of spending hundreds of dollars on a machine just to clean & dry your records properly, or B) how much FUN it is to go through arcane manual cleaning rituals.

You also have to ask yourself if you really want all that other great FUN that some people crow about, like scrounging around for decent records that you don't already have. Personally, I kind of like it, although it is tedious, because you see the same old stuff over and over. But for most people with young families, it's simply not a practical use of time, even if you LOVE the sound. Another FUN aspect I like is finally finding an LP that you've been hunting for, and getting it home and playing it, but the sound is NOT staggering. Then you do some research and determine that the particular pressing you found indeed sucks -- you really need to find the one pressed in Holland from May-July 1974 if you want it to sound any good at all. The other nine different pressings of that recording are no good. Silly you. Best to hide that record now before your wife comes in and notices that it doesn't even sound as good as the cd version you already had.
Of course as you rightly point out, this is really no worse than the crap-shoot of finding decent SACD's. But at least you don't have to endlesssly cruise the thrift shops and loser garage sales to find SACD's.

Bottom line: You CAN enjoy vinyl on a limited budget even with kids in the house, but be pragmatic about it. You'll have to make some physical adjustments to protect your fragile turntable, you'll be opening yourself up to a multi-lane upgrade-fever freeway, and much of what others find FUN about vinyl may be a major drag to you (and your family). Like Dirty Harry says, "A man's got to know his limitations."
-Brett

I agree with Elizabeth. You can always sell it if you don't like it. I for one would never consider vinyl SACD is simply to good and in many cases better than vinyl (my opinion)and much more convenient. In order to get the kind of performance SACD offers you need to purchase the 180-250g virgin vinyl at about $50 a pop minimum. Good luck and have fun!

Chuck

I love vinyl and CD's for their musical values. If I had to make your decision today it would be based on what music was available (in volume) to warrant the format. There are tons of records about, but frankly there are few that I want to hear any longer in great condition.But if you are new to classical music, for example, there are lots of great records of the standard rep. which will give you exposure to music you have not experienced, at little expense. If your interested in jazz - forget about it, these records are scarce and expensive (I'll never sell mine!) and the reissues on CD's are not that bad. I'm sure there are a lot of R&R and Blues, but while I don't know about others, I played the hell out of mine, and they are not worth much now - except for memories.

But you get the point by now - If you can put up with the format requirements of set up and maintenance of your system, and the negative aspects of using LP's and their sound, and the records you want to hear are available, GO FOR IT!

P.S. I will agree with anyone who sez that SACD and DVD are formats with limited, if any, long range potential for success, despite their (potential) sonic advantage. I'm not going there myself.

If you are buying used vinyl you will absolutely positively need a wet record cleaning device (VPI, Nitty Gritty) that has a vacuum pickup tube...the only civilized way to clean. No doubt about it, cleaning and vinyl prep is a pain in the ass! And don't forget that you will be jumping up every 20 minutes or so, to flip sides, clean the second side with a carbon fiber brush, compressed air, zero-stat, and check the stylus for dust. And still, you will never, EVER, get the silent black background that digital will give you. However, if you can put up with the inconvenience of vinyl, the MUCH lower S/N ratio and channel separation vs. redbook CD, then you will be rewarded with a much more "musical" presentation than is possible with CD's.

Hi-rez digital audio can be considered as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players"! As stated, the software is a crap-shoot, with some titles being nothing more than a remastering of a 16 bit digital redbook master tape! SACD is a very limited niche market, although I would image that classical listeners are in ecstasy now being able to listen to a complete performance generated in true hi-rez from an analog master, rather than 4 sides on vinyl. Multi-channel SACD is nothing more than a gimmick, bought by people who are audio fanatics demanding the latest technology and possessing copious amounts of disposable income, or the status conscience buying "braggin' rights". Universal players or DVD-A would appear to be the way to go, due to the flexibility of source material vs. SACD. Watch for "re-issue" hi-rez digital titles to start hitting the market in a year or two, correcting some of the crappy sounding titles (especially SACD) and as an additional marketing ploy.