78s...or digital discoveries. Or a bit of both.

I have to say I side with Jeremy and his dilemma. I too crave the physical feeling of the recording's support (be it a sleeve or a jewell case), the pleasure of browsing through the liner notes and seeing the musicians' pictures. My daughter, who is 22, simply can't understand why, in this unremittingly digital age, I insist on keeping shelves filled with CDs, DVDs and even - tipping the Jurassic scale - LPs !

I could say that I'm a romantic at heart, but it's not only that. It also has to do with my shameful ignorance of how to handle the now widespread state-of-the-art technical gadgets. Things like streaming, downloading, etc. are totally alien to me. I find managing a simple iPhone an ordeal. Therefore, I couldn't go the Jed Distler route, even if I wanted to. My loss, I suppose.

How much of a hoarder is one? I still have my 78s but nothing currently set up to play them on, refurbishment of some old kit always being on the agenda. I now have practically all of them on CD or LP though and as Phlogiston says there are some very good transfers around although of course collectors will never agree on how much processing  the originals should be subjected to. I personally favour a light touch and do not like those emasculated by CEDAR noise reduction. I like some of Pearl's early piano issues which sound just how I remember the originals where I have them (some of Pearl's transfers have borrowed originals from Malcolm Binns's collection). On one occasion playing a Pearl CD I actually started to get up for the expected side change and whenever I hear certain works I always remember the side change point appproaching.

This reissue of some 78 material may however come to an end due to recent Brussels medling in the extension of copyright.

In the days when Radio 3 had a little more initiative they gave much more attention to historic recordings and I used to enjoy Jeremy Nicholas's "Shellac Show" which introduced me to some delightful items of which I was unaware and which had not been reissued in modern formats (a highlight was Raie da Costa's Liszt Rigoletto paraprase, now subsequently issued on CD). I'm not fantastically enthused over downloads but have purchased from the Chandos Shop provided the items were available as uncompressed CDs (ie no MP3s). Recently I have been listening to some 78  items on the British Institute Of Recorded Sound's internet site (no charge).

I have to confess to being a Luddite when it comes down to new technology. I haven't progressed from a portable CD player and get funny looks on the train. I contemplated obtaining an ipod but downloading and transferring music when I already own a considerable collection has little appeal for me in spite of the convenience. I need to replace my amplifier as it is on its last legs but ipod docking stations have little appeal visually. Perhaps I need a demonstration. My back bedroom, if it can be called a bedroom anymore - there's no bed in it - is used as storage for a collection of roughly 2,000 vinyl records, 2,000 CDs and maybe 100 cassettes (does anyone stll play them? I know I rarely do). I can't contemplate getting rid of any of them just yet although I realise it may be a major headache for my family in years to come unless I do so. Judging by comments about the size of the collections of some other posters, mine is miniscule in comparison - (am I right Parla?). I sometimes listen to Spotify and find it fascinating to compare different recordings of the same work. Conversely, and I consider myself an auditory person, I have the latest technology for film - 3DTV, Blue Ray, surround sound etc. Maybe I need a kick up the pants or a crisis to get me to change my ways. On the other hand, if I can't see it and handle it, it's not really there.....!

Funny you should mention this now.  I'm thinking of buying a microwave with a built-in fan oven.  I already have vacuum tube amps and dac, but because of the expense and inconvenience of maintaining them, was thinking of seeing what modern transistor amps have to offer.

Good luck playing your 78s on that.

Kev wrote

But it's worse than that 33lp.  I've concluded that I can't reproduce the timbre of acoustic intruments, from recordings, at home, at a price I can afford and probably not at any price. 

Fair comment Kev, I thought the piano recording I was playing last night got pretty close but it still wasn't quite the real thing! All we can do is as Quad used to say look for "the closest approach to the original sound".

And yes, for some reason 300B valves are expensive.  I've had to replace one in the Audio Note 300B SE amp I built around 1999 but being single ended (and of course lower power) I didn't need to replace the pair but did stick to the same brand.  If you can find a competent TV repairer they should be able to fix your amp, especially if you have a circuit diagram but in these days of throwaway electronics perhaps they no longer exist.

This is interesting, 33lp. Could you say more about what transfers you've found unlistenable? I always reckoned Sony made a complete hash of transferring Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, but that their Louis Armstrong Hot 5s/7s really aren't bad - although not as good as JSP's versions of the same material. Ditto, JSP's release of Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers sides always sounded superior to any 'major label' efforts. Any thoughts?