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October 26 Many years ago I sold "Stereo" equipment. Not just plain Pioneer/Technics etc. but high-end boutique equipment. I used to go to golden ear listening sessions to play with the latest tweaks. All good geeky fun but definitely foreign to the current age of mp3 and ipod. Fortunately I have had a class stack of vinyl that I have transported around faithfully for many years in spite of not having a turntable to play them (an unfortunate UPS incident). Now this isn't to say that I don't love the convenience of my ipod and the fun of having the "best radio station" in just putting it on shuffle play and getting an eclectic no-repeat music experience all commercial free. However, recently I have replaced the old turntable and started cranking through my collection resulting in:
- great fun because I have tons of albums that I haven't replaced and therefor heard for many years
- a nice surprise because the majority of my disks are still in pristine condition, they are quiet, flat, and with a quick reapplication of LAST they are ready for much more enjoyment.
- yes, CDs can be more dynamic and analog creates challenges but wow, even with my budget system the sound is awesome.
- I can't wait to upgrade :-)
The current grab is a Music Hall MMF 2.1 which is definitely entry level, I probably will replace this and go Rega/Sumiko as the table needs some tweaks, the arm is a bit weak and the cartridge is all things considered a great match. What I won't replace is the hot little Bellari single tube pre-amp. I love this thing. It looks cool, is dynamic, great price, has plenty of gain, and has a nice headphone jack to give a minimal signal path to great sound. It is great that there has been a resurgence in classic technology since I can now still enjoy that huge investment I had in albums. Yes, I have to get up every 15 minutes or so to change sides but the sound is great and it just feels right to have some pure analog, after all, that is what music is.
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