[quote="Mafu"]I'm interested in a bunch. Okuda Tamio releases all his albums on vinyl and I want to collect them all. The Collectors are releasing their first two albums in vinyl format in November (gonna be an expensive November, innit). That first album of theirs, "Boku wa Collector", is one of my favorite albums. I'm tempted in getting the Supercar releases as well.[/quote]
I haven't heard either Supercar or The Collectors but how I often elect to get into a band is by buying their vinyl, so I might go after their new reissues as well.

Didn't know The Collectors were coming out with vinyl, too! There's entirely too much new vinyl coming out of Japan atm! At least with the pillows, Supercar and Collectors, they're only reissuing a few albums at once, so I might still be able to afford them. I completely skipped the Spitz reissue just because I couldn't afford to get all 16 or so albums at once.

As for my collection, I've very steadily acquired vinyl since I was 13 but have picked up a lot of steam in the past two years, largely as a result of having gotten deep into Japanese music, due to the Japanese tendency towards "limited edition, get 'em now-now-now! or you might never be able to!" releases. Haven't tallied up my collection in a while but it's gotta be easily more than 100 LPs and maybe something like 50 7"s (a buncha cassettes, too). At the moment, I'm pretty deep in the middle of collecting all the vinyl by the great and powerful [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1afwQjSgGY]Cro-Magnons[/url]; hoping to have all the LPs soon so I can grab up all the other releases that I've been putting off (such as the [i]Lostman[/i] and [i]Busters[/i] reissues) and then come back for all the Cro-Magnons 7"s.

I only have a few albums on vinyl but would love to get more. They're mostly deluxe editions and reissues:

Weezer- Pinkerton (deluxe editon)
Weezer- Everybody Needs Salvation (Fanclub exclusive single)
Sloan- One Chord to Another (deluxe edition)
Radiohead- OK Computer (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

And most recently... Supercar- Three Out Change!

I posted about this back in the pillows forum, but I definitely splurged to get this. This is one of my favorite albums ever, so I'm really happy to have this limited edition. Pics below, sorry if the quality is a bit fuzzy:

[url]https://imgur.com/a/3VliN[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/XOU9X[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/Gjd1z[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/Zc8BL[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/QGgDe[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/lpFO4[/url]
[url]https://imgur.com/a/yMqVV[/url]

If anyone could translate some of the message in the last picture, I'd greatly appreciate it. The only thing that sucks now is that I need a new record player. I got a really lo w quality one for Christmas last year, and I've since learned that the needle on this low quality model is damaging to the records themselves. Hoping to get something new this Christmas season so I can spin this bad boy soon.

^ This is the best, cheapest, *new* turntable you can buy. https://uturnaudio.com/products/orbit-basic-turntable

I made some progress on my collection in the last week.

Fujifabric - Fujifabric
Fujifabric - FABFOX
Fujifabric - Chronicle
The Collectors - Boku wa Collector
The Collectors - Nijiiro Circus Dan

I had been eyeing the Fujifabric vinyl for a while, and Amazon had a really good sale on those three albums. I like most of their work before the death of their vocalist.

I almost didn't order The Collectors' vinyl because I thought that I might wait around a bit and see if the prices would decrease a little. I'm glad that I didn't, because they are already sold out from almost every retailer just days after release. They're both really good albums. The first one is one of my favorite albums.

The next records that I'll add to my collection are the two releases from the pillows. Just a couple more days.

[quote="Mafu"]My equipment is a Rega Planar 1, Dali Zensor 1 speakers, and an Onkyo A-9010 receiver.[/quote]

how do you acquire infinity money

[quote="Son Goshin"]I got a really lo w quality one for Christmas last year, and I've since learned that the needle on this low quality model is damaging to the records themselves.[/quote]

A Crosley or some such? Sure, you could do a lot better for not too much more money (especially if you go secondhand, which is really very practical). But just to keep in mind: all turntable needles will damage vinyl. In all cases, it is a **sharp, diamond needle**, scraping through small grooves of PVC. Wear and degradation of sound quality, over time, is totally normal. A lighter tracking force won't degrade the material as quickly.

Over the course of dozens, hundreds of plays, noise, clicks, and pops gradually accumulate. That's just a natural part of the game, and it's one of the benefits CDs/digital media have over the format.

So by all means upgrade your rig if you'd like, but don't do it because you're scared that if you play that sweet Supercar album 50 times, it'll end up destroyed. My research has found that the "Crosleys destroy records" thing is total hyperbole. It shouldn't wear out a record significantly faster than a better needle/lighter tracking force.

[quote="GoldenRhino"][quote="Mafu"]My equipment is a Rega Planar 1, Dali Zensor 1 speakers, and an Onkyo A-9010 receiver.[/quote]

how do you acquire infinity money[/quote]
A good friend our mine actually bought the Rega Planar 1 for me. He's super into vinyl and insisted that I "do it right". I was actually looking into another turntable (a secondhand Technics SL-1200 series with upgraded cartridge), but the Rega was his big recommendation. There's also a "performance pack" upgrade available for the Planar 1, so I might look into that some time. I'm very happy with the performance of the basic, factory turntable, though.

Regarding cheap turntables such as the ones manufactured by Crosley, the common warning that I have read about them is that they have excessive tracking force. My turntable (with the factory fitted cartridge), for example, has a tracking force of 1.5g-2.0g. I have read about Crosley Cruisers having a tracking force around 7g. They don't have a counterweight, have a cheap stylus, and aren't upgradeable, so you're stuck with what you get.
A lot of the "Crosley butcher machine" stuff that people write about might be a bit exaggerated, but I still wouldn't want to play any of my stuff on one and do believe that cheap turntables can damage your records. With a tracking force around 3x the recommended weight, paired with a cheap stylus, I don't really see how they [i]can't[/i] wear out a record significantly faster. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=357L0SbUuME]This guy[/url] did a test where he played copies of the same record 100 times on a quality turntable and on a cheap, plastic turntable and compared results. You can hear that the one played on the cheap turntable sounds noticeably degraded.

[quote="GoldenRhino"][quote="Son Goshin"]I got a really lo w quality one for Christmas last year, and I've since learned that the needle on this low quality model is damaging to the records themselves.[/quote]

A Crosley or some such? Sure, you could do a lot better for not too much more money (especially if you go secondhand, which is really very practical). But just to keep in mind: all turntable needles will damage vinyl. In all cases, it is a **sharp, diamond needle**, scraping through small grooves of PVC. Wear and degradation of sound quality, over time, is totally normal. A lighter tracking force won't degrade the material as quickly.

Over the course of dozens, hundreds of plays, noise, clicks, and pops gradually accumulate. That's just a natural part of the game, and it's one of the benefits CDs/digital media have over the format.

So by all means upgrade your rig if you'd like, but don't do it because you're scared that if you play that sweet Supercar album 50 times, it'll end up destroyed. My research has found that the "Crosleys destroy records" thing is total hyperbole. It shouldn't wear out a record significantly faster than a better needle/lighter tracking force.[/quote]

It's comparable to a Crosley. Believe it or not, it's cheaper. It's a [url=https://www.audioadvice.com/content/2016/01/12/50-dollar-jensen-turntable-amazon/]Jensen JTA-230 3-Speed Stereo Turntable with Built-in Speakers[/url] that my wife got me at Target for about $35. When I opened it I was like, "I didn't ask for this." She then mentioned she had heard me talking about getting a record player so she went "off list". I remembered I had talked about it, and my intention was to save some money to get a good quality player. I told her I really appreciated the thought... but this was just not going to work.

The tracking force is pretty bad too, like Mafu mentioned. It's at 5g though, instead of 7g. But if you really do think that the whole thing about the better needle and tracking force issues are a bit hyperbolic, I'll take that into consideration, as well as Mafu's comments.

What set up do you got going, GR? I admit, I haven't done as much research as I would like on record players, but I was looking into getting the Orbit with the built-in preamp that Spike was talking about. If I were to buy that, are there any other accessories that I would [b]need[/b] to get in order to play that delectable Supercar album 50+ times? Thankfully, I already got some good quality Bose speakers from a few years ago.

...because yes, I want to put that bad boy on repeat this Christmas.

What Mafu says is correct, the issue with the Crosleys largely comes from the excessive tracking force and garbage stylus. They also lack any kind of anti-skate which contributes to excessive groove wear. While it's technically true that the stylus will "degrade" the record every time you play it, the degree to which that happens on a good, properly set up turntable with a good stylus and clean records should be insignifigant to the point where you'll likely die long before your records are unplayable.

I have a few that are 40+ years old and still totally silent aside from some of the usual pops and ticks.

[quote="Son Goshin"]I admit, I haven't done as much research as I would like on record players, but I was looking into getting the Orbit with the built-in preamp that Spike was talking about. If I were to buy that, are there any other accessories that I would [b]need[/b] to get in order to play that delectable Supercar album 50+ times? Thankfully, I already got some good quality Bose speakers from a few years ago.

...because yes, I want to put that bad boy on repeat this Christmas. [/quote]

From everything i've heard about it I think you'd be very happy with it. If you haven't seen it, they sell a seperate cue lever for the arm that makes it easier to drop the needle on a record. The "basic" model is 100% manual to keep the cost/quality ratio as high as possible.

Here are my latest vinyl acquisitions; a couple albums by The Cars of Super. They came out just a few days ago.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/eaEsHsK.jpg?1[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/t932y2n.jpg?1[/img]

Excellent sounding pressings. Both have sweet gatefold cases and came with magnets (seen at the bottom right in each picture). HIGHVISION is already sold out from most retailers. I think I prefer ANSWER, though.

Some other stuff I got recently:
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjCXLZqGdME]shinowa - Flowerdelic[/url] (Pretty cool 60's psychedelic inspired indie pop band.)
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxHNmo45K4U]Sunny Day Service - Popcorn Ballads[/url] (Pop rock, funky band.)
-Non-Japanese
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFZSXc6wH0A]Built to Spill - Keep in like a secret[/url] (Some of Sawao's inspiration for Happy Bivouac. Great album.).
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5H5mbNL7FI]Cotton Mather - Kontiki[/url] (Pretty obscure band from Austin, TX. This is their best known album, originally released in 1998 and released on vinyl recently.)
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmF9laCIILk]Cotton Mather - Wild Kingdom[/url] (The follow up album after their 15 year hiatus, released last year. A lot of good stuff here.).

Hoping for an official announcement on RUNNERS HIGH and Happy Bivouac any day now.

Did Sawao actually cite [i]Built to Spill[/i] as an influence? That'd be cool. Or are we just assuming that because of "Center of the Universe."

Good album though, [i]Perfect From Now On[/i] is really good too.

I'm pretty sure that he has at some point. I know for a fact that Sawao is a Built to Spill fan, and he commented on the song Sidewalk about how he loves the arrangement and wants to create a song to imitate it. I want to dig around for more Built to Spill/pillows references. There is so much information out there that just needs to be processed.

Definitely planning to get Perfect From Now On sometime.
Kind of ironic how I spent so many years importing Japanese music online from Amazon JP, and now I live in Japan and import American music from Amazon.com.

I always thought [i]Sayonara Universe[/i] sounded a bit like [i]Velvet Waltz[/i] but it's not as similar as the other two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28S1m7bmNJM

[quote="Mafu"]HIGHVISION is already sold out from most retailers. I think I prefer ANSWER, though.[/quote]
I knooooooooooooow!!! Fortunately, Tower's online store still has plenty in stock; I'll be going for a copy this Friday. I also think it's weird that there seems to be plenty of copies left for every Supercar record [i]except[/i] Highvision. Is that one real special or something? Like, cuz Amazon.co.jp doesn't have a limit on how many copies you can buy at once, resellers just ordered every available Amazon copy, but they didn't buy up every copy of [i]Answer[/i] or [i]Futurama[/i] or [i]Jump Up[/i].

Highvision is a fan favorite, so it's going to be in higher demand. Something about that album just screams "quintessential Supercar" to me, for sure.