Back in 2002 my wife and I bought a new house and that meant packing up all our belongings, including my turntable (record player) and record collection. With so much going on, it wasn’t until 2007 that I finally broke out the turntable and proceeded to integrate it into my home theatre setup. Once I did get it running, both my wife and I were amazed at how good it sounded. We’d forgotten about the detail, resolution and warmth that records (aka vinyl) could deliver. I bring this to your attention, because vinyl has been seeing resurgence of late.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of vinyl were up 89% in 2008 and there is a reason for this. Vinyl records play back the sound information recorded on them in the same analog fashion that our ears hear with. There is more detail and resolution, because unlike Digital media, records utilize a wider range of frequencies than a typical CD does.
Also, records don’t have the same sampling rate limitations present with CDs. If CD’s could store all the information present on an LP, they would have to have much more storage capacity than they currently do. Digital is not always better, it’s just more convenient.
Here in the metro area, we’ve seen shelf space being expanded in favor of vinyl. Homers Records has devoted an entire wall in their stores for vinyl and now stocks a wide selection of used LPs and singles as well. Homers also stocks supplies for vinyl (record cleaners, stylus cleaners and inner/outer sleeves). So, now you know where to get some supplies to take care of the collection you have and where to start expanding your collection.
So, what is one to do with their old record collection if they want to take advantage of this great medium? First, you will want to get a turntable. There are turntables ranging from the very affordable, say $100, to units costing in the thousands. A good manual turntable will start about $349. You will also need a good cartridge. The cartridge is part of the turntable that has a stylus (needle) that reads the information stored in the grooves of the record and then sends that signal to the receiver, which then amplifies the sound for your speakers. A good cartridge will start at around $60, although many lower to mid-end turntables will ship with a cartridge.
You will want to make sure your receiver has a “Phono” input. If not, you can use an available analog input (CD/AUX/TAPE), but you’ll need a phono preamp to match the signal level to the receiver. A good quality phono preamp can be had starting at about $159. Like turntables, there are cheaper ones out there, but you will get what you pay for. Some turntables also have built-in preamps. Don’t skimp if you really want to take full advantage of the sound quality that vinyl has to offer.
As I said earlier, there are cheaper turntables out there, but if you are serious about your music reproduction, avoid the cheap ones with the USB outputs or cheap plastic platters. They will not give you that warm sound you are searching for, and there are other options available if you want to archive your old vinyl for the car or iPod playback. Some phono preamps have a USB output for not much more money and they will work with Windows, MacOS or Linux computer systems.
I think after you give vinyl a chance, you will find that you will still listen to your iPod or CDs in the car or outside of the home, but when you want to sit down and give a critical listen to your music, I think you’ll find yourself breaking out the vinyl again and again. It is also a great way to relive fond memories. Enjoy!
Tim Balvanz – Sales Consultant
Custom Electronics, Inc.
"This article will be in Omaha Living Magazine's June issue"