kannibal

Here's the good news! Used speakers can be very cheap. There really are some great used deals out there on great speakers. Check your local craigslist, and usually you don't need to jump on the first thing you see either, as great deals come and go. The same goes for an amp. You can find great vintage or more recent integrated amps with a phono stage built in for very good prices. The brands mentioned by Danger Ben are good reference points. The RP1 is the BEST entry level table on the market. So that is a great choice, but i HATE the cart it comes with. The cart's not really that bad if you upgrade the stylus, but i would just recommend hunting for a great deal on the speakers and amps and getting a upgraded cart replacement with the extra money in your budget. You can always upgrade your speakers and amp down the road, but it's better to treat you vinyl better from the start. Hope this helps.

Love Swoon and the LP sounds especially good, so i'll be looking for this on Black Friday.

OK, fair enough. I have been buying LP since the 1993, so yes, I have come across and even own a few blank sided disks and etchings. I am glad you enjoy etchings. I would prefer music in the unused space. Especially when the original pressing used that space for music. Aug 25, 2011, 3:55pm, kannibal wrote: Picked this up on a whim because of the clearance price. Maybe i'll just keep it sealed on the shelf... Read more: http://vinylcollective.proboards.com/ind....#ixzz1d2oV3X9 r That last quote is taken out of context. The discussion was on how bad the clear vinyl reissue sounded. Some people said it sounded like crap. I have since listened to it and I didn't think it sounded too bad.

I wouldn't be so sure about the value skyrocketting. CtS is harder find and pricey but Blood Mountain is still available and usually on sale.

Picked this up on a whim because of the clearance price. Maybe i'll just keep it sealed on the shelf...

Wow. That blows. What a waste of space and my money. Note to artists and records execs: We buy vinyl for the music not some laser etched artwork. I'm considering NOT buying the QotSA re-issue because of this.