Vinyl LPs: Anyone else collect and listen to them?

[joeychitwood]

For the past ten years, I've been collecting vinyl LP record albums. I'll listen to any LP once, so my collection is quite eclectic. I play them on a Rega P25 turntable with a Rega RB300 tonearm and a Denon DL-103R cartridge with a Soundsmith cantilever/stylus modification.

It's become more difficult in the past years to score that amazing classic thrift store find, given that so many young people are now collecting vinyl. Occasionally, I'll find a couple of Blue Notes in a bin, but more often now, I wind up paying the market price for the LP I want.

I don't want to get into the argument over whether analog or digital formats sound better (LPs are better, of course.) I've spent a little time over at audioasylum.com, but frankly, the members there are so crabby, dogmatic and off the wall that I don't like the forums there much. Do any of you collect LPs? What are some of your treasures?