This week all the bits and pieces came in for my new vinyl listening setup. My previous setup did its job and without it I don’t know if I would have gotten into vinyl. Plus it was free :) It’s mission was to help me determine if I would like vinyl and, turns out, that’s true. The sound was ok but I was also worried about needing some higher end features (like a counter-weight and anti-skate). So I opted to invest a bit into the whole thing. So far, I am wildly pleased!
My new setup is a Technics SL-D2 turntable (circa 1978 or so) with a Shure M97xE MM cartridge and a TCC-750 phono amp.
All that set me back about $180, which is more than I would have liked but still much less than getting a decent new turntable (just the table, not anything else). So I think it was a good value and offers up a wonderful sound! I dig it, even with the flaws. I’m not going to buy all my new stuff on vinyl, mind you. If an album I want is available in on vinyl with a digital copy in one package, I’m all over it; if it’s a band I really love I might by the vinyl in addition to the digital album; if it’s vintage, I’ll see if i can find it on vinyl first.
Plus it’s a new and fun way to find new music. I was looking around on /r/vinyl when someone mentioned finding this gem at the local record shop. Went to YouTube and, wow, that’s a cheeky release I want – on most any format I can get my hands on, although the vinyl copy would certainly be more special.
It’s not for everybody – but it’s for me and really that’s all that matters. Groovy, baby!