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How I started listening to records again

 

Here I will document my hi-fi history from the beginning to the current status.

This report is more about my passion for records, in another I will focus on home cinema.

For my 50th birthday I wanted to buy new speakers and after a lot of reading and budget consultations (with myself) I started looking. I decided on the Jamo C-109 and the accompanying speakers.

 

So I contacted the importer and was able to arrange a listening appointment in Zurich, near where I work.

In the picture the LS, which I was able to listen to - I was very interested in the two Piega and I also liked them.

But with the available budget it was still the Jamo.

 

 

My first “good” setup was a small home theater with a Pioneer SC-LX79 AVR and Jamo C10 series speakers. (Picture taken after recent renovation)

 

I then wanted to know whether listening to records would be an option again. I still had my old record collection in the basement and the records had been moved (or dragged, depending on who you ask) from basement to basement over the last 25-30 years.

So I went to a store and bought a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon USB in blue with an integrated pre and USB, as you do after such a long time without disks. Because there was no space on the rack, I also got a suitable wall mount. Unfortunately, it didn't sound like good music at all.

 

After a few LPs I wanted to give up because it sounded very bad compared to my digital setup.
So I wanted an upgrade and found a used Pro-Ject 6 PerspeX for less than half the new price.

 

After collecting this, I wanted to do a direct comparison - but couldn't because the mounted cartridge was damaged.

 

So I went to a hi-fi store and looked at what I could put on it. The dealer explained to me that the one fitted was an MC and that I would need an additional phono preamp if I wanted to stick with MC. So I decided on an Ortofon MC.

He also offered me a Rega Aria (second hand) for less than half the new price.

   

But if you do the math, it was (*all values in Swiss francs) 900* for the 6 PerspeX, another 600* for the Quintet Bronze MC and 650* for the Rega Aria Pro.

After everything was set up, I listened to an LP - and the virus took control of me again.

 

Next, I found a new record store nearby and bought my first, new LP. (Or LPs I should say).

 

 
After listening and reading a lot, I decided to fully activate my entire collection and get a manual cleaning machine. Due to lack of knowledge, a Pro-Ject Clean-IT and started washing the first records.

 

In the meantime, I took my existing collection out of the basement and counted it

There were actually over 750 LPs still available.

 

My goal was to clean each LP, repackage it in a new inner sleeve, and outer sleeve.

At the same time, I also started checking the condition of the records and documenting them.

I still use Discogs for that today. You can also find a link to my collection on the page.

 

But back to the cleaning topic:

I asked about the cleaning prices in several stores and it was on average around 2-5 CHF per LP - so around 2+4000 CHF for the whole collection. I decided to go the right way (buy cheap, buy twice) and get a vinyl cleaning machine.

The next big investment was when the Audiodesk Vinylcleaner Pro moved in with me.

 

As I said, I tried to do everything right, so each LP was properly cleaned, graded, and added to my Discogs account.

 

This took several months, with long, endless evenings of just cleaning and so on. Washing hundreds of records, looking at them, reading them, judging them, putting them on Discogs, getting covers - well - you get the idea.

 

And of course the records had to be stored somewhere again, so I also need shelves and soon new records.

 

But it's definitely worth the time.

 

Where it started to get more expensive

After only 3 months my Ortofon MC broke and I had to buy a new one. Or rather, due to careless handling while dusting, I caught the back of my hand on the unprotected needle and tore it off.

 

I now have extra insurance for this, but then I had to pay CHF 650 in "experience fees".

The new sound generator was the Excalibur Black MC from TAD. For the money this is a very good sounding pickup.

About a year later, I wanted to find out if a better phono preamp and/or a better cartridge would help me sound better - which, as you can imagine, it did. (This was just before Covid started).

 

A Gold Note PH-10 with PSU-10 together with a Rega Apheta 3 MC found its way into my setup.

During this time I renovated the living room again and made strategic decisions.

 

The record player had to move from this wall because I optimized my listening zone with acoustic measures.

I bought the system rack from Creaktiv and I liked the look of it so much that I also ordered one for the turntable.

 

I also worked a lot on room acoustics. In the corner you can see active bass traps (PSI Audio, AVAA C20) as well as absorbers and diffusers on the walls.

 

The “for now” last chapter in terms of records was the purchase of an Acoustic Solid Edition with Eminent GL from my Sonic Lab.

For me it describes the proverbial horizon or the maximum at which you can listen to records.

 

Not that the predecessors were bad, that doesn't apply equally to the 6PerspeX or the two, Excalibur Black pickups or the later Rega Ahpeta 3 pickup.

 

But this record player is in a league of its own and plays music from records that I had never heard before.

In 7th vinyl heaven.

 

Thanks for reading this far.