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Where to get rare formats? [message #84257]

Fri, 06 January 2017 02:53

vhfspeeks
Messages: 82
Registered: November 2016

Viscount

Aside from browsing record shops, Amazon, and eBay are there are any specialist places that sell rare audio formats online, or shops with online stores that will ship? Things like 8-tracks, 16RPM vinyl, etc. I can find some places on google, but I can't tell how reliable they are so I'd rather buy from one that was recommended.

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Re: Where to get rare formats? [message #84259 is a reply to message #84257]

Fri, 06 January 2017 10:20

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18793
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Check out the tape project. It's Dan Schmalle's "baby." He is one of the early DIY tube amp manufacturer's, after the originals like Heathkit, of course. Maybe I should say he's one of the early audio kit manufacturer's of the "modern era" - post Y2K. Anyway, this is where you can buy high-quality source material.

The Tape Project

They don't sell eight track or 16 RPM vinyl - which I realize was your question - but neither of those was desigend for quality. Eight track was designed for convenience and 16 RPM was designed to support long duration recordings, well, long for the size of the media. They wanted to get more time on less vinyl. So neither was a quality format, and probably not something an audiophile would collect.

Reel-to-reel is a high-quality format; It was the original format used for studio recording. It's "pure" - like vinyl to analog enthusiasts - potentially even more so, because you can be "closer" to the original recording. By that I mean fewer copies, closer to the original.

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Re: Where to get rare formats? [message #84265 is a reply to message #84259]

Sat, 07 January 2017 11:53

Azuri
Messages: 315
Registered: November 2012

Grand Master

Wayne Parham wrote on Fri, 06 January 2017 10:20

Check out the tape project. neither was a quality format, and probably not something an audiophile would collect.

Quality matters, but so would the scope of a collection. I think it would be cool to collect as many formats as possible and, with a timeline of when these formats came out, hear firsthand how the quality of audio has evolved.

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Re: Where to get rare formats? [message #84293 is a reply to message #84257]

Thu, 12 January 2017 01:37

vhfspeeks
Messages: 82
Registered: November 2016

Viscount

I suppose I am a completist more than an audiophile.

For certain bands for example I will get the CD, Vinyl and original Vinyl of the same album because the cuts for the songs are different, there are sometimes extra or hidden tracks, and digital cleanup often takes out things like the singer drawing breath as well as the scratches and crackling. Or I'll try and get multiple versions of a song sung by different bands because the contrast can be fascinating and little changes make it so very different.

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