Insurance for Your Future
Vinyl Enjoyment
With boring regularity I read or hear
that vinyl is coming back! Nasty old digital is dead, and true audiophiles are
buying turntables and cartridges -- and LPs -- in record numbers (to coin a phrase).
It's nonsense, but there seems to be an ingrained belief
within a certain type of audiophile that it should happen, and therefore it will.
But even if the resurgence of those shiny black discs doesn't happen, and most of us
continue to buy CDs almost exclusively for our music, there are still millions of records
out there and they are still being listened to and enjoyed. Even diehard CD fans dig out
their favorite vinyl now and then and give it a spin.
But one thing is fairly clear: The equipment to play this
form of recording is rapidly disappearing. Some of the remaining models are high-priced
audiophile tables from specialty manufacturers aimed at those audiophiles who disdain
digital sound. But there are moderately priced units available as well. Chances are, if
you're looking to put together an audio system for the first time, you can safely ignore
vinyl altogether, but if you have a sizable investment in LPs, now may be the time to
upgrade your record-playing equipment to make sure it will last well into the future.
Not long ago, a reader sought my advice in just this area.
His plan was to buy five identical turntables and keep them safely in their cartons
so that, as each one wore out, he would have a ready replacement. That may be a bit
extreme, but turntables are mechanical devices and therefore more susceptible to wear than
most other audio components, so if yours has a lot of miles on it, you might be well
advised to replace it now while there's still a reasonable amount of choice.
Purists have always touted the advantages of belt-drive
turntables as opposed to servo-controlled direct-drive models, and now virtually
everything you can buy is belt-driven. If you do decide to buy one of these (or if you
already have a belt turntable you intend to keep), buy a supply of replacement belts and
keep them sealed in their bags against the day you'll need one. Most belt-driven
turntables are very simple devices mechanically; about the only thing likely to go wrong
is a worn or broken belt.
Direct-drive units don't suffer from that liability, and
are inclined to offer things belt-drives don't, like quick run-up times and variable speed
control. They are also generally pretty hardy devices, but if something does break down in
the servo-control circuitry, it may mean a costly trip to the repair shop -- assuming they
can fix it.
A new turntable may not be necessary, but you should
seriously consider upgrading your phono cartridge. Again, this is something subject to
wear, so you should have a little insurance for the future when replacement or repair may
be a problem.
Many audiophiles swear by moving-coil cartridges, of which
there are still a number of fine examples on the market. As a final cartridge, however, a
moving-coil may not be the best choice. For one thing, most require an extra stage of
amplification to compensate for their extremely low output, and this not only increases
cost but also heightens the risk of hum and other noise entering the system.
The main liability of the moving-coil, however, is that the
factory must replace its stylus when it gets worn. This is a hassle at best and may become
impossible in the future. Most moving-magnet cartridges -- the most common sort -- have
user-replaceable styli. Buying a couple of extras will keep you going for years to come.
Bear in mind as well that fewer and fewer of today's
receivers and amplifiers provide a phono input, and that even a moving-magnet cartridge
can't simply be plugged into the auxiliary input. To operate properly, it has to go
through a phono preamp, and if that isn't built into the equipment you buy, you'll have to
purchase an outboard model. You could spend thousands of dollars doing so, it turns out,
but there are inexpensive models that do a perfectly adequate job.
Some attention should also be paid to maintaining your LPs
themselves in the future. If you can find one, for instance, you should buy a
record-cleaning system such as Discwasher, with enough fluid to last you some time. If you
can't find a proprietary system, distilled water works well if applied with a proper
brush. Either system should only be used as a last resort on really dirty records, rather
than with every play, so a little should go a long way.
A dry brush should be used every time you play an LP, so if
you don't already have such a thing, now's the time to get one and get into the habit of
using it. And if any of your LPs don't have plastic inner linings, you can sometimes find
replacements at audio stores; having a supply is a good preventive measure against
dust-caused surface noise.
...Ian G. Masters
ian@mastersonaudio.com
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