Why buying a vinyl player was a question my friend asked me! Honestly, I had no idea about the difference as I was growing up in the era of the cassette. Later on, CDs entered the scene and now everyone is streaming everything online. Maybe I am what people would call – old school, I told him that I want to hear the real sound as it was recorded and to proudly own a huge collection of records like many people had done for years and experience my favourite reggae music in a deeper level. So, later that day I found myself searching for more information about Vinyl records and Digital.
The vinyl is mirroring the original sound waveform and is analogue, while CDs, online streaming are all digital and some sounds might get lost and you could get easily surprised on how much you’ve missed, especially on old but gold classics. Even the original recordings of musicians, which may have been recorded on tape or digital methods, are sometimes re-issued on vinyl. All sounds are just vibrations in the air, but the vinyl sound is richer and, in my opinion, it makes you feel more connected to the artist.
Since the 1940s the phonograph, in its later forms also named a gramophone, has been known and called a record player or turntable. In its essence, it was a device for mechanical recording and reproduction of sound. It was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, lots of advancements were made on it in the years to follow. It used to have phonograph cylinders instead of flat discs and the devices were gradually getting smaller and smaller in size. You can learn more about the rich history behind it here.
Choosing a Turntable
I believe there was some decline on record sales before, but If you go to a music store now, you can see people of all ages buying vinyl. Just a few months ago I was in one of those big stores and I remember how pleasantly surprised I was at seeing so many young people, at my age and even younger, going through the records. It is true that streaming is the much more affordable option nowadays, but for a true music lover the experience is what matters!
And now, the question is what kind of turntable to buy, there are so many different options out there, that at first, I am honestly confused, I do not know what to search for. My parents grew up with vinyl, but they had those huge ones, that take a whole lot of space and I have seen in stores these days much more compact, colourful options and so on. There are too many brands available, different models and at a different price range. I understand that some turntables perform better than others and my biggest fear is to own a valuable and rare record and to get it ruined at the end by playing it on a bad player. For me this as a hobby and I don’t really need the most expensive kind with too many features, at the same time the cheapest models seem like too good to be true, so the medium-priced ones are probably the best option in my case. So that’s it, it is decided!
Caring for those Records
But of course, having a record collection requires some knowledge and care as it has certain disadvantages. For example, mould could grow on vinyl and it could spread from one record to another and that is why they must all be stored in a humidity-controlled environment. Another problem is that they could easily get damaged during playback and this is going to compromise the sound quality. Because we all want to be able to enjoy our precious collections for a long time, hopefully life-long, I have gone through all the information I could possibly find. The first thing is to always store them in a vertical position and in their sleeve and covers, in order to avoid much access of the records with air and dust. A record sleeve can be made of paper, cardboard, rice paper, polypropylene etc., can be acid-free or anti-static and also contain an inner liner. If the sleeve that the record came with is too basic and doesn’t seem like big protection, there are some cost-effective sleeves sold wildly. Cleaning is also a must, especially if you bought used record. Another important thing to get used to, while taking them out if their sleeves, is to avoid touching any part of the record that contains a playable groove as the natural oils from our skin doesn’t do good with the surface of the vinyl.
It all looks like too much trouble maybe for some, but for me, it is all worth it, because listening to albums like Catch A Fire and Kaya by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Ska Boo-Da-Ba by Skatalites, Heart Of The Congos by The Congos, Funky Kingston by Toots And The Maytals, Trenchtown Mix Up by The Gladiators and albums of some of my all-time favourite reggae artists, on a vinyl is a whole other experience and I can imagine myself browsing through them while sitting on the couch, choosing the right one and getting lost in the sound. Seems cool, doesn’t it?