Quite a few great posts. Whenever I feel that I have everything, I visit someone's house or see a pic or video. Steve has a great collection and I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg. For those of you who say "she has everything," I don't have 3/4 of what Steve has depicted. Some wonderful hours of exploration...
Bought my first adult record at 3. It was a 78. A sea shanty, no less. Vince Martin & the Tarriers (incl Alan Arkin.) I've been collecting for 65 years in 2022!
As much as I talk of 2ch and mono titles, I fell hopelessly in love with Quad when I first heard it demonstrated in my own house!! Two Chicago FM stations simulcast Quad. One did the fronts, the other did the rears. Hooked! Really, it was just the logical progression of my love of 2ch. In 1962, my Dad bought a stereo. No more mono. Although my allowance could scarcely stand an extra $1, I gladly paid it for 2ch LP's. Ditto for Quad ten years later.
Although I couldn't afford a Quad system. That was corrected immediately after college. I had already begun collecting Quad LP'S during college.
As a child, I began collecting. It was inevitable. We lived downstairs of my Grandparents and two teenage aunts. All big music fans. Quiet Village, Elvis, Chuck, Fats all were ingrained from an early age.
If that weren't enough, we moved and there was a boy on our block whose Dad was in the jukebox business! He was my age. Instant BFF's at 5! A two car garage filled with jukeboxes, one of which always had our faves! That was Louie's personal juke box.
OK, so why do I collect? It's like that dog in that old joke, because I can. Right now, there are 7 devices in my main A/V system that have one or more internal HD's. Only one is a PC. Four of those can also write/read optical disc formats. Plus a turntable and 5 audio or a/v tape decks. 4 other home surround systems. 3 more in cars.
Joe downloads often, I rarely do. I prefer physical media, because it can be sold after I pass. If anyone tried to sell off the downloads, I believe that would be illegal.
Although we have a few hundred albums and some video content stored in those drives, that's a very small percentage of the collection.
It's much easier to sort, play, and file physical media than it would be transferring all that to HD. So I can have any disc at my finger tips? Most will be lucky to get another spin prior to my leaving this planet. Not planning on leaving soon. Perhaps if I live to 120 and don't go to sleep...
Physical media has taken over the home long ago. The collection takes up an entire room. Portions are housed in part of another 5 rooms, along with gear that's working and some that's temporarily or permanently retired.
Forget pix. Just as loading 20,000 CD's and more to digital, too involved. At best, I post pix of new acquisitions and rarities. Instead, need to explore the hundreds of Q8's & QLP's in some new legacy polls soon.
Sure, it became an obsession, a fetish, a sickness. I've met lots of folks in my years in hi-fi business and concert going. Met many other music crazies on QQ and through other hi-fi and music pals. Now, when I pull something to play, it invariably becomes a treasure hunt. Grab one or two other that I didn't spin in years. That's the crux of why I do it.
Disc shopping, QQ, listening all easily become down the rabbit hole. As a friend of mine in Brooklyn says, "it's a great hobby, of course it means you never have money." Maybe I can't take it with, but I can hum a few as I (hopefully) ascend to the pearly gates.
