What to do, ultimately, with my equipment albums/discs.

[mlrocker]

You can make Ebay listings and make the proceeds go to charity

 

[krnewman]

I have a young audio friend here in st. louis that buys and sells lots of estate gear. With respect to classical vinyl he goes through the stacks of records, keeps what he wants and drops the rest off at goodwill or half price books. He loves vinyl. But he says "classical vinyl is mostly worthless".

this may be why I find myself suddenly grabbing all the classical quad LPs, Q8s and when i can find or afford them quad reels I can get my mitts on, often for a dollar or less. Call me crazy but I enjoy listening to them. Right now I am listening to my Angel 45 RPM SQ LPs and they sound amazing. To me, anyway. The heck with what anybody else thinks. If it sounds good to you, go for it, even if, objectively speaking, it sounds like crap. You can’t argue with your own experience, even if it’s the wrong one, or at least, that’s been my experience. Of course, I don’t know what I’ve been missing, but that’s the point, I don’t know. And it sounds even better when I turn it up loud. But yeah, no one else on the planet is going to give you money for them except for quad reels. Whatever you get is strictly for your own pleasure, know that going in.

 

[shokhead]

My kids can care less so it's in the will to go where it will be used.

 

[krnewman]

My kids can care less so it's in the will to go where it will be used.

i’ve found many if not most people are immune to surround, they simply cannot hear it. No point in giving it to someone who cannot hear it.

 

[par4ken]

i’ve found many if not most people are immune to surround, they simply cannot hear it. No point in giving it to someone who cannot hear it.

I think that they can hear it OK but they just don't care!

 

[krnewman]

I dunno, I've seen people try and try with even the very best of intentions who still can't find the sweetspot. It's kind of sad.

 

[par4ken]

I dunno, I've seen people try and try with even the very best of intentions who still can't find the sweetspot. It's kind of sad.

I don't always sit in the sweet spot but don't find surround any less enjoyable regardless. With plain stereo on the other hand, you might as well listen to mono if not at least close to the sweet spot.

I don't think that most people care about stereo either, unless they use headphones or earbuds, then you can't escape it (the stereo effect) even if it is suboptimal compared to speaker listening. Most "kids" listen to music on their cell phones, yech!

 

[doity]

I am at the point now that I just want most of my possessions gone anyway......and I am not even 60 yet. When I am gone, I could really care less. I would be worried about the care of my single Betta fish than what would become of my possessions.

I did tell my wife not to just give away a couple of my items, as they are worth $$$. Like my Panasonic shortwave radio and a fancy cassette deck that I own. I would rather her keep them and sell them for herself.

 

[watsontr]

1) I am currently planning on selling everything in our weekend place because we will sell the house some time this year (with any luck). I am selling the audio equipment piece by piece and hope to leave the wall-mounted OLED in place for a nominal fee just to avoid having to fix the wall.
2) The main home system is with me to the end and I have a son-in-law (and some friends) who would help my wife dispose of it all after I am gone.
3) However, I am still wrestling with my discs!! I sell them in dribs and drabs but I still have hundreds of SACDs/DVD-A's/BDs (already ripped to my NAS) to unload ASAP.

We moved from our home of 37 years in August last year. Left The TVs on the wall as the restricted access to the top floor and getting a 70" TV off the wall and down stairs in one piece was somewhat more daunting than when I installed it. I did think about moving it but when I tried to lift it off the wall bracket, It felt a lot heavier and more difficult to manoeuvre than I recalled! We'd bought the other house the previous year and a new telly for it so left the other TV in the downstairs of the old home. Currently have a rented storage shed until my new studio space is built. As to the discs and equipment, no idea. My advice would be don't move unless you have no other choice

 

[tonyE]

...
3) However, I am still wrestling with my discs!! I sell them in dribs and drabs but I still have hundreds of SACDs/DVD-A's/BDs (already ripped to my NAS) to unload ASAP.

(1) The Polycarbonate Stuff should be disposed in a bonfire. Best done on Mid Summer's Eve, with a goat sacrifice and lots of good cold IPA.

(2) The LPs and analog stuff, well you got three options:
(2a) Find someone who appreciates it - I think my daughter will appreciate the vinyl, I'm training her on it.
(2b) Build a stone mausoleum to hold your turntable, analog preamp, records and cigars. Take it to your afterlife.
(2c) PM me and we can work out a deal whereby I shall kindly relieve you of such ( btw, do you have good cigars?).

(3) The Digital stuff, who cares? Oh, did I repeat myself?

 

[tonyE]

I'm planning on selling the lot on ebay once it's no longer a passion for me. I sold my entire vinyl as an example

Don't use eBay... they will issue you a 1099K per the new IRS orders... and they lay sales tax on the buyer.

 

[tonyE]

Personally, I would donate records and CDs etc., and not be too concerned with the (probably tiny) resale value of them. I have prepared a document that I've put with my Will stuff called 'What to do with all my stuff' to assist my executors and family.

As the collector of old analogue synthesisers, I regard myself as custodian of them, ready to be passed on to another collector. A bonus is that many of them are worth many thousands of pounds/dollars/Euros, which will go the grandkids.

"You can't take it with you"

PM me and we can arrange for you to donate your LPs to me. After all, they have a tiny resale value...

Yeah, those old synthesizers are really cool. My son is starting to build his collection of them.

 

[tonyE]

I don't always sit in the sweet spot but don't find surround any less enjoyable regardless. With plain stereo on the other hand, you might as well listen to mono if not at least close to the sweet spot.

I don't think that most people care about stereo either, unless they use headphones or earbuds, then you can't escape it (the stereo effect) even if it is suboptimal compared to speaker listening. Most "kids" listen to music on their cell phones, yech!

(1) Huh? A well set up 2 channel system can reproduce a very realistic soundstage. It is true that some speakers are more 'sweet spot' oriented than others, but most can do a very good facsimile even when sitting just a few feet off the sweet spot.

(2) Most people just don't care about music because they just don't... they don't "listen" to music.

 

[par4ken]

(1) Huh? A well set up 2 channel system can reproduce a very realistic soundstage. It is true that some speakers are more 'sweet spot' oriented than others, but most can do a very good facsimile even when sitting just a few feet off the sweet spot.

Yes but as pointed out by Led Feldman in his book, quad is like having six stereo systems and I fully agree. I can sit anywhere and get decent surround. With stereo if you are far off to the side or very far back from the speakers the sound might as well be mono.

I do recall hearing a good stereo effect in record stores or bars where the speakers were very far apart. Of course that produces hole in the middle stereo but still sounded OK to me.

 

[audiomaster]

What is needed is a "master list" of people interested in buying/collecting equipment and music in various formats like this. The list should include contact info, what their interests are, and whether they are buying to use or for resale. In the event of a death or someone wanting to sell, this list could be used to help find collectors or buyers. Or used by an auctioneer for a limited auction or sale.

The question is who or how could such a list be set up and kept current? I would think that some internet savvy person could do this, perhaps with the help of some other site members or serious collectors.
Perhaps a small charge could be charged annually for list upkeep.

Obviously it should not be limited to quad collectors or list members. And there might be a provision for sellers to list items and buyers to list items wanted in a searchable database.

 

[MikeMonaco]

What is needed is a "master list" of people interested in buying/collecting equipment and music in various formats like this. The list should include contact info, what their interests are, and whether they are buying to use or for resale. In the event of a death or someone wanting to sell, this list could be used to help find collectors or buyers. Or used by an auctioneer for a limited auction or sale.

The question is who or how could such a list be set up and kept current? I would think that some internet savvy person could do this, perhaps with the help of some other site members or serious collectors.
Perhaps a small charge could be charged annually for list upkeep.

Obviously it should not be limited to quad collectors or list members. And there might be a provision for sellers to list items and buyers to list items wanted in a searchable database.

I wonder if Discogs would suffice? Who knows, those guys might even assist with an added feature or two to make this possible (and easier).

 

[par4ken]

What is needed is a "master list" of people interested in buying/collecting equipment and music in various formats like this. The list should include contact info, what their interests are, and whether they are buying to use or for resale. In the event of a death or someone wanting to sell, this list could be used to help find collectors or buyers. Or used by an auctioneer for a limited auction or sale.

I like that idea, there should be a place here for people's "want lists". One should make it known to your heirs that this is the place to rehome the items that they have no use for. Also nice if relative could post a message about your passing, I often wonder about those who suddenly disappear.

What bothers me most about this topic is not so much that I think that it is disrespectful to dump all your dead relatives valued possessions but more that they should go to a good home, to somebody who will appreciate them. It's horrifying to think of equipment going to the landfill.

 

[tonyE]

Yes but as pointed out by Led Feldman in his book, quad is like having six stereo systems and I fully agree. I can sit anywhere and get decent surround. With stereo if you are far off to the side or very far back from the speakers the sound might as well be mono.

I do recall hearing a good stereo effect in record stores or bars where the speakers were very far apart. Of course that produces hole in the middle stereo but still sounded OK to me.

It really depends on the speaker type.

Dipole planars, for example, load the room very differently from dynamic monopoles.

When I play the Maggies, I can hear the music from the den as if the music was playing in the den.... this doesn't happen when I play my dynamic speakers.

Now then, when I play music in the den's HT, 7.0, with an ersatz surround, it does load the room quite well, not quite like the Maggies, but similarly in the context of listening from another room...

Since I have some duplicate pairs of stereo amps and a duplicate pair of english mini-monitors (and powered woofers), I have also been able to play with creating dipoles and omnis in the den. They still don't load the room as well as the big Maggie panels but they do quite well again in that sense.... specially in dipole mode.

 

[Ranasakawa]

Don't use eBay... they will issue you a 1099K per the new IRS orders... and they lay sales tax on the buyer.

I don't have IRS in Australia. Ebay is charging me 10 % GST despite the fact that the item is 2nd hand.
There are few options to sell online in Australia
Gumtree is a very dangerous option

 

[barfle]

Obviously it should not be limited to quad collectors or list members.

I imagine over half of us have been collecting longer than any of the surround formats have existed. That’s why we’re old enough to be having this conversation. I would guess that 2/3 of my collection is stereo, with more than a handful of mono pieces in there as well.

I noted when DVDs first came out that their MCH format outdid any audio-only formats available at the time, which puzzled me. Happily, the industry caught up, but for a couple of decades, multichannel music was forgotten by the industry.

Whatever we come up with, it should be inclusive. Most (but not all) MCH media is stereo compatible.