Wow. I know it’s been a long time between drinks but we have been excessively busy here at the factory with business still booming - thanks to all you Krix lovers. There’s been the travel, lunches and parties… ok, the last two are wishful thinking but there has been a lot of travel. Given that we haven’t put finger to keyboard for some time I thought I would talk about something that is close to my heart and, like everything these days, controversial: the turntable.
Those of you from gen Y will know the turntable from a DJ’s perspective, but long ago this was a viable means of high quality playback, and the source that really started the quest for high quality sound. Those that still worship at the vinyl alter will argue that since the LP record things have gone backwards. First there was the magnetic storage device (audio cassette) then that digital thing (CD), and now we have (gasp) MP3. But is vinyl really dead? A quick search on the ‘net reveals that there are plenty of specialist resellers offering pre-loved vinyl and a truck load of new vinyl available, many titles carefully remastered from the original tapes and cut to high quality, heavy-weight virgin-vinyl (not recycled vinyl, hence less impurities). Sure there is a lot more to vinyl playback than buying a player, a set of decent cables and pressing the “open” button but the rewards are there too and because vinyl playback is now mostly relegated to enthusiasts you can guarantee that the majority of new recordings available have been mastered with sound quality in mind. Why else would we be bothered with phono preamps, matching cartridges to tonearms, isolation tables, cleaning and storing, and adjusting tracking force, VTA, azimuth etc etc. There really is only one reason: it sounds good. It doesn’t hurt that you can often pick up decent vinyl for next to nothing, and mostly all it needs is a proper clean, preferably with a dedicated cleaning machine. If this all sounds too hard then you have the reason why more people aren’t using it, however I suspect enthusiasts will be listening to vinyl long after the CD has been replaced.
Speaking of bargains, I found a handful of gems in one of our local record dealers (Big Star) at Marion. Although I am hesitant to reveal what I purchased I have been encouraged to do so, which means I have to confess to picking up Spandau Ballets “True” album, Big Pig’s “Bonk” although I think I managed to redeem myself shortly after with some Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee “Live in London”, and Jeff Healey’s “Hell to Pay” album. All are in excellent condition, and for the outrageous sum of $4 each. I still can’t believe I admitted to the first two…
If you do wish to dip your toe in analogue waters you may want to have a look at good old eBay and see if you can pick up a bargain second hand ‘table. Allow for a service, new belt and decent cartridge and you should be well on your way to conversion. If you want to get a little more serious there are plenty of quality new turntables on the market from manufacturers like Project, ClearAudio, Thorens, and my personal favourite, Rega. In fact the Rega P3 and its variations have long been considered by many an industry benchmark in performance-for the-dollar decks. The new model, the P3/24, has been so popular that the local importer is out of stock. Naturally there are better models but in my opinion certainly not near the Rega’s price.
Of course if you drive a Bugatti Veyron, and wear a Vacheron Constantin watch then you best have a look at the range of turntables from SME, VPI, and a high-end Australian manufacturer Continuum. If you do happen to buy a Continuum please let me know, but expect me around in the near future (possibly to stay.)
As far as vinyl is concerned you may want to have a look at websites by Acoustic Sounds, Elusive Disc, Vinyl Solution, Quality Records, Audiophile USA, Music Direct or any one of the other vinyl suppliers. Yep, there are plenty more.
As always, thanks for reading, happy listening - and give us your thoughts! 
