hi friends
I am planning to buy a Turntable but where will i get brand new records , any stores in india ? and is it very difficult to maintain a TT? kindly advice ,
thanks in advance
tharun.
Tharun, you have good intentions and your interpretations are right. The world of vinyl is not something for everyone. Firstly you must have genuine love for the format (which is not easy). Its easy for older guys like myself to do this as we have grown up listening to vinyl and there is a huge nostalgia factor. Make yourself familiar with the format first. I've never relied on forums for guidance and have only believed what I've seen or heard. Likes and Dislikes are all very personal and what appeals to others is not necessarily something that will appeal to you. The other way round as well.
To really enjoy vinyl, you've got to have (1) a decent turntable and cart, (2) a decent phonostage, amp and speakers, and most importantly (3) records in great physical condition and also original analogue pressings. Getting all 3 of these combinations right is a very expensive and difficult proposition. If you are looking for true vinyl nirvana, let me give you some numbers for reference:
- High quality turntable with transcription tonearm and high end cart, around 2 L INR
- High end phonostage (preferably tubes). around 1 - 1.5L INR
- A great amp and speakers, around 2-3L INR
- Original Mint pressings, preferably from the country of origin of the artist, anything between 1.5-10k INR, a piece
Having said that, by spending much less you can also achieve great results. In my opinion, there is no point wasting time with belt drives and idler drive turntables of all types. These can be tweaked to achieve great levels of perfection but the work and time involved is just not worth it. Its alright if you are sitting on your father's green stockpile and don't have to sweat it out for a living but otherwise, my opinion is - stay away from these varieties!! I have owned and flavored some of these legends and this opinion is based on this first hand ownership experience.
Your best bet is a direct drive legend in great condition. You can start as low as the mass market Japanese DDs from the likes of Sony, Akai, Sansui, Hitachi and JVC, or go a bit higher with the mass market Technics DDs. Technics DDs in decent condition are miles above all their Japanese and European counterparts and cost less, in some cases, too. In my opinion, there is nothing on earth that can match the Technics SL1200 or 1210. These are the safest bet if you want to enjoy real vinyl. In my opinion, they are better than all that is out there. Then, if you are bold enough, then get the SP25, SP15, SP20 or better still, the SP10 Mk2. They are especially good when used in broadcast configuration. But having said this, you will almost never come across these.
Regarding records, have 2 turntables set up. Use a really good turntable with a really good cart and phonostage for new or mint records. For old records or preused records, keep a secondary technics DD turntable with s-shared tonearm and a shure m44-7 cart. This configuration will track almost all records and is the best combo for playing old records.
This is exactly the approach I have taken and am satisfied with the results. I have been around with vinyl since my childhood, over 40 years ago
All the very best!!