spinlps

Discogs says I have close to 3800 LP's on my shelves (I have a decent CD presence as well that I do not track on the platform). While most purchases in the last 20 years have been primarily Jazz, I still have the Wave / Punk / Rock LP's I purchased in high school, college and earlier adulthood. I am still an avid collector and frequent record stores, record shows, antique shops, flea markets, etc... My August trip to NYC was particularly fruitful, as have my regular visits to Chicago. With that said, a good chunk of my recent buys have been better condition "upgrade" copies for titles I already own. I flip the lesser condition dupes locally to help foot the bill. As far as new vs used, I primarily buy used on the "collectible" side, what ever that means anymore, but will pick up new reissues and new music as the mood strikes. I regularly post new acquisition's or just what's on the table on Instagram to support discogs data, ostensibly for insurance purposes but also to share with like minded friends and folks on that platform. Feel free to take a look here: https://www.instagram.com/cuyahogabirdie/ I welcome comments, feedback, commiseration for lost LP's, ridicule for the time, funds, and space dedicated to this habit / hobby, etc...

I am an engineer by schooling but some of the white papers seem more like marketing depending on the manufacturer. And I turned my back on engineering immediately after university so it would all go over my head anyway. Fortunately, I have friends in the HiFi industry that help me with stuff like this. They reached out to their industry contacts when I suggested I might add a dedicated arm & mono cart. The Ortofon feedback was the most helpful. Rather than simply recommend their most expensive cart or even just a rote list of their offerings by price tier, they asked "what type of music do you listen to and how old / new are your records?" They explained that they had dedicated carts for pre-58 LPs, introductory mono carts for newer vinyl collections, and suggested the Cadenza mono might be the best choice for me given the mix of my LP collection -- vintage and modern Jazz, Rock and a bit of Classical. All with the caveat to only use the Cadenza with mono records regardless of vintage.

I can't speak for other manufacturers or even other Ortofon carts, but my Ortofon Candenza Mono plays my original / pre-58 Blue Notes, Prestiges, Savoys, etc... fabulously and is equally adept at modern mono playback.

I setup a dedicated mono rig on my turn table (an arm / cart combo for mono and stereo) nearly 10 years ago and love it. I'm considering an arm swap to something with detachable head shells but its tough to see how that would improve what I have now. Mono is a rabbit hole I've gladly followed and enjoyed. The mono rig hits differently than what I recall from the mono button I used 20+ years ago. Better tracking, quieter playback, and a natural presence than the button and even, on some records, compared to my fancier stereo setup. Not often an issue in jazz, as mono & stereo masterings typically came from the same mixes, but 60's Rock releases (see Beatles, for example) often had completely different mixes between the mono and stereo releases. Good luck on the mono journey -- its a fun one!

I am selling two Dynavector P75 MkIII phono stages. Both are in excellent working condition and include power supplies. They have proven excellent matches for Dynavector and Ortofon MC cartridges in my system. Configurable for MM and MC cartridges including Phono Enhancer mode for low output MC. $300 USD each shipped in the USA. Photos here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKj0mw3s3jE/ Manual & Specs: https://www.dynavector.com/pdf/P75_mk3_emanual_%20r2v0_a4.pdf HiFi+ Review here: https://www.dynavector.com/pdf/P75_hifiplus_review_issue_30.pdf

I have two arms setup on my turntable but even with two TT you'll need two phono stages to avoid swapping cables. I had exactly that until my most recent upgrade to a phono stage with two inputs. Granted, I needed a SUP to use the MM input but both arm / cart combos sound great after dialing in the phono settings for each cart.

Yes, I have dual setups on my turntable with one being a dedicated Ortofon mono cartridge. On the superficial side, yes, you'll find that many mono records will play with less surface noise than via a stereo cart. My experience is that dedicated mono cart >>> stereo cart + mono button >>> stereo cart. I spun my original of Bill English on Vanguard the other night and decided to compare carts (I just replaced both carts two weeks ago). The mono was huge, in your face, jumping out of the speakers, sound. The stereo seemed like someone was playing it through a cheerleader's megaphone.... from the other side of the gym. Happy Birthday! I hit the same milestone and treated myself to a new phono stage!

Nottingham Analog Spacedeck - Two arm setup: NA Spacearm + Dynavector XX2 and Rega RB300 + Ortofon Cadenza Black Mono Dynavector P75's for each setup. Testing Linn Uphorik + Dynavector SUP to see if I can consolidate to a single box. Exposure CD Player Dynavector Pre and Power Amplifiers Neat Vito Speakers ---- Added the mono setup 4 years ago. The rest of the system has been in place for 15-20 years.

I visited Manchester on business 5-6 years ago and found very little jazz in the shops near and around city center. I did bump into Johnny Marr at a local shop. Our offices were in Bury and I took a stroll around Bury Market over lunch and found plenty of jazz records there.

Found at the local record show in a box labeled "Blue Notes In Here." Everything in the box was beat up and caked with debris. This one *only* had a thick layer of crud but with no discernible damage. Two soaks on the VPI and as many baths on the KL and it came out nice and clean, at least a VG+. Not bad for a twenty.

Absolutely... and I try to get the cleanest, earliest pressing I can afford. Unfortunately, that last bit can be problematic with the rarer and desirable titles on my want list!

Agree that Pure Pleasure does things right in terms of providing a lineage from their product back to the original tapes / companies. The quality of their product is excellent. Sams Records is another legit jazz reissue label offering "provenance" for all aspects of the product: audio, jacket, photography, etc... Fredericksburg Recrods focuses on rare euro-jazz reissues that appears legit and is available online to answer any questions you may have about their releases. I generally stay away from the gray market reissues (Doxy for example) and prefer to purchase reissues from the audiophile companies like Analogue Productions or directly from Universal or Concord. In the case of the major labels, that may mean they might be mastered from digital but at least (in my naive mind) it provides a legit path for artists / estates to paid accordingly.

I can't comment on the CD release but I did pick up the 3LP 10inch reissue. Hype sticker mentions being mastered from the original analog tapes and being cut at Abbey Road. Despite all that... it sounds glorious.

Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud 3LP 10 inch 2018 reissue. Hype sticker states it was mastered from the original analog tapes and cut at Abbey Road... and its sounds glorious.