Part 12 – Vinyl vs CD – A fresh observation Vinyl versus CD – a fresh observationMusic has now eventually come about full circle, well at least as far as vinyl is concerned. When CD was being hailed as the new King, vinyl just gradually started to disappear and...

Part 11 – The current state of the vinyl world The current state of the vinyl world- circa July 2011It remains interesting to note that vinyl records are still gaining in popularity on an annual basis, with sales bearing testimony to the growth. Obviously sales...

Part 10 – Trends on the Vinyl Front (2012) Trends on the vinyl front and actual sales in the market (October 2012):According to sales statistics that was released for the year of 2011 by the RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America), vinyl once again showed...

Part 9 – Interesting, rare and unique records Interesting, rare and unique recordsAs mentioned before millions of records have been sold during the past century. The record has evolved during this time to a durable and reliable carrier format and in many instances,...

Part 8 – Record collecting – the elusive ones… Record collecting – the elusive ones…There is nothing as thrilling for a record collector than eventually laying your hands on that one record that has eluded you for so long. Holding it for the first time, wondering what...

Part 7 – Records (part 2) Records!So you eventually get to play your records. This is the fun part – yet there are a few things you should be aware of and try and make a habit of. A few do’s and don’ts:We suggest that you handle the record directly from the inner...

Part 6 – Records (part 1) Records!So we eventually come to records, the final links in getting our turntables to perform their magic and keep us spellbound with the wealth of information contained within them. Although we all know what they are and what they look...

Part 5 – Cartridges CartridgesLet’s start with a brief explanation of the basics of the cartridge and its principle parts:Cartridge body – this is the outer shell and the basic construction, in short, what we sometimes refer to as the needle. It consists of the top of...

Part 4 – Turntable placement and related issues Turntable placement and related issues Turntables are actually easy devices to understand as far as their functioning is concerned. The groove of the record and its shape over its entire length cause the stylus that is...

Part 3 – Phono pre amplification Phono PreamplificationBy now everybody understands the route that the signal needs to travel from the groove and its origin right through to the loudspeakers to eventually hear sound and react to it. However, the process of getting...

Part 2 – Retro turntables and the custom market Retro turntables and the custom marketTurntables are very often seen as totally archaic playback devices. Although we have seen some brilliant and wonderfully advanced technological creations in the past few years, there...

Part 1 – optimising your turntable Optimizing your turntableTracking force:Vinyl records produce sound when the stylus tip touches the groove walls and the platter rotates. Obviously the sound will be better when the stylus remains in contact with the groove walls at...