Tag: Vinyl

Pro-Ject Primary USB Turntable Review

Pro-Ject’s primary is a great value budget vinyl spinner with an enjoyable sound, fuss-free setup quality build and clean looks. Opt for the USB model and you get a capable phono stage and a USB interface too. If you’re starting out or need a turntable to spin some old favourites, this could well be it. Highly recommended.

Will A Cheap Turntable Damage Your Records?

Shopping for a turntable? You’ll have undoubtedly seen the surplus of budget-priced models from the likes of Crosley, Ion, GPO and many others, sold by high street retailers and online retailers such as Amazon and eBay. Many claim that these sub-#100 turntables will cause irreparable damage to the vinyl they play. Wanting to offer some conclusive evidence either way, we purchased a GPO Stylo and conducted an experiment to see what it really takes to damage a vinyl record.

The Original Technics 1200, a history and review

In October 1972, The Matsushita Electric Company, more commonly known today as Panasonic, launched a new mid-priced hi-fi turntable under its Technics brand. Its specifications could be matched only by the SP10, the world’s first direct drive turntable introduced just 2 years earlier by the same company, a turntable that had quickly become the standard for broadcast and recording applications. This turntable was, of course, the Technics 1200. Beginning with the MK2 iteration introduced in 1978, the Technics 1200 was the turntable that played a definitive roll in the birth of the modern DJ, extended disco mixes and the development of hip hop.

Audio-Technica AT150SA Review

If you’ve been holding out, waiting to see whether the 150SA attains the awards and commendations of its predecessor, look no further. If you’re desperately searching the market in an attempt to uncover an AT150MLX, I’d suggest you simply opt for the AT150SA instead. The AT150SA may just be one of, if not the best moving magnet cartridges on the market. Highly recommended.

Pro-Ject VT-E Vertical Turntable Review

Pro-Ject’s VT-E is the latest vertical turntable on the market and the latest addition to the Austrian firm’s extensive turntable line. Not only is it just plain cool to look at and display, not to mention a great conversation piece, it remains a functional turntable that holds up well against the competition, sounding as good as anything else at this price.

Retro Review: Realistic LAB-2100 Turntable

The LAB-2100 is a well engineered turntable with few gimmicks and a carefully considered compliment of features. Sound wise however it doesn’t match its closest competitors, falling short of the later offerings from the likes of Technics and paling in comparison to the models from their heyday. That said it’s still a fine piece of engineering, an interesting conversation piece, and it’s ideal for those who prefer convenience over sound quality.

Scouring Charity Shops For Used Vinyl

After the initial expense of buying a quality record deck, the newbie vinyl enthusiast will doubtless be wanting to build up his or her record collection quite quickly. The good news is that this needn’t be expensive. The purpose of this article is to provide a few tips for those scouring charity shops, used vinyl stores and the like, in search of hidden gems.

Queen ‘Studio Collection’ Vinyl Box Set Review

This is an exceptional collection that is a must buy for any serious Queen fan, collector or vinyl enthusiast. The quality of the records is outstanding and the set is excellent value for money. Here’s hoping for a similar release containing Queen’s extensive catalogue of live material. Grab one while you can.

Phono Stages Explained

Buying a record player is not always as easy as acquiring the most expensive turntable you can afford and plugging it into an amp and speakers. In this article I will guide the prospective purchaser through the minefield of phono stages, since upgrading the phono stage can provide one of the most dramatic improvements to sound quality.

Remembering Prince

In this round up I’ve barely scraped the surface of Prince’s prolific output, but rather than playing the Hits compilations released by Warners when the boss felt he needed to buy another mansion with a swimming pool, look out for these albums, which show a true genius (a flawed true genius maybe) at work. Heaven must be dancing now.