HMV online do vinyl also. Also http://www.banquetrecords.com/ is good for a lot of indie stuff and singles and albums you probably wont get anywhere else.

No one is gonna tie a record player to their backs with headphones in. Most of the people listening to music with a portable device are probably not gonna have any kind of music system at home anyway. They think the sound their getting through their headphones is great so there is no point trying to convince them otherwise.

Well that's strange as nearly everyone I know who has a mp3 player, has a stereo & stereo's with ipod / iphone docks are still being sold.

That is what i am saying, it revolves around a portable music system. Long gone are the days when families would have a sound system that could play different formats. These days it seems most people can't listen to music unless it involves plugging something in or using some kind of headphones.

I think the problem with that is you miss out so much.

I have an mp3 player and for travelling and on holiday it's great, but it will never be able to replicate playing a CD or vinyl through my hi-fi in terms of sound reproduction.

Amazon stock a huge range of vinyl too!

Ive got fed up of my ipod & ive gone back to using minidisc, which for recording vinyl is superb. Just cant beat the 'analogue' sound. Even CD's recorded onto minidisc via the analogue outputs have a much warmer sound compared to the direct digital transfers via the coax or optic.

Given that some LP's have yet to be released on CD let alone as downloads then vinyl will always have a place , add in the great quantity of records to be found in charity shops & the second hand shops then vinyl is a very affordable medium. Some great record decks to be had for what £130 , the project ones being very good along with the Rega plannar 2 which can be picked up for a reasonable sum.

When i was upgrading my set up i considered a Audiolab model, great amp, small problem , no phono outlets for a record deck! even my dad was guilty when Linn sent him a questioanire about products & he answered with 'why bother putting a phono outlet on the back' so i blame my dad for the problem in finding amps with the phono stage. Prices for a Linn Majic with the phono stage where astronomical , compared with its sister machine that didnt have them! Why they ever stopped making the intek was a mystery.

Vinyl.

The plus:
The sleeve - I dearly miss just looking at the sleeves...
The smell - no, honestly...

The minus:
Storage - bit of a bugger if you're going to do it properly...
Durability - scratches very easily, an utter dust magnet...
Sound - the tape has to be compressed to get it onto vinyl, and every time you play it, you're degrading the sound, because you're scratching plastic with a gemstone...
Portability - not exactly...

MP3's are great for everyday listing

but for a serious music fan, vinyl looks better, feels better and to many sounds better, I