Sunday Morning Blog: Happy Vinyl Record Day!

Vinyl Record Day, for those unfamiliar started in San Luis Obispo, California, when the County Board of Supervisors proclaimed August 12th, 2002 to be so named in celebration of Thomas Edison's invention of the phonography on that day in 1877. 

Of course, Edison's device played cylinders which were difficult to handle and store, so it was left to German immigrant Emile Berliner to invent the Gramophone some 10 years later for us to get the disk shaped form that would be dominant for the next 100 years.

If any of you haven't read about the story of Berliner, vs. Edison, it's truly interesting and if not quite as electrifying as the famous AC/DC battle between Edison and Telsa!

Anyway, my purpose this morning isn't to rehash history that any of you can access (more accurately than my retelling) in 10 minutes on the internet, but to celebrate vinyl today. What a perfect way to end my summer. Next week, we go back to work, with the first of many teacher meetings, but today, it's a nice (sub-100 degree) Sunday morning with nothing (kind of) on my plate other than to enjoy a run through Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat", and Steely Dan's "Gold" (because I'm lazy and would rather not play Aja and Goucho). 

If any of you don't have a turntable, I'd encourage you to consider giving it a try. It doesn't have to be something British (the best in my humble opinion) and expensive like the Rega Planars. It could be something like one of the many 70's Japanese turntables like the Technics, Pioneers, and Sonys that can be found with regularity at second hand shops and thrift stores. Some like the famous Technics SL series can still be found in production and considered something of a legend among the younger crowd.

Of course, there is my personal favorite; Dual, for a great price vs. performance balance. You just can't beat German hardware. They make things to last. These can be found in any number of places, but you'll have to be careful since many of them are the heavily mechanical "rim-drive" that can have gummed up lubrication or degraded drive tires. It's much easier to replace an old belt on the "belt-drive" versions. Also, you'll need to make sure you get the important "headshell" with it. There were a number of different versions made and you'll have to use the correct one with the particular turntable. 

Not only is listening to vinyl records enjoyable and relaxing, it can be a hobby within a hobby, which doesn't need to be expensive. Records are often encountered at "garage sales" (here in the states) or "boot sales" (England). They can often be found at thrift stores, but you'll just have to check carefully on condition, but my favorite is our local Half Price Books stores. They just have a lot of stock, the price is fair, and the condition is usually very good. You can on occasion find an outstanding example like my mint condition Mobile Fidelity "Year of the Cat" for $8!

What? .....no "Phono" input on your receiver? As I discussed in a previous post about my A/V system, I bought one that did, but I have an even better solution. Above is an image of my Sony STR-AV770, that cost about $25. That's right, $25! I picked it up on eBay, which is over-run with old receivers. The fact is, mainstream Japanese firms of the 70's and 80's that took over the market made VERY good gear which rarely broke. Most of them have "Phono" inputs (some even have 2), and many are still working great. The secret here is to buy the receivers: leave the seprates (amps, pre-amps) to the collectors. They're too expensive. Then search for one in your area through the "advanced search" function. When you find one or more, contact the seller to ask if they will allow for a "local pickup". The issue is that quite often, it costs as much (or more) to ship these things as to buy them, and most sellers will be happy not to mess with that part. I guarantee, if you are patient and near any metropolitan area, you can find one for close to the price I paid for mine (applies to U.S. readers only of course...sorry). A hidden benefit is that these old receiver often sound better than they used to when connected to modern speakers! Of course, you'll need to carefully test it first by using an old pair of speakers before hooking it up to your pride and joy! Remember they are often 20+ years old by now!

Then of course; next year on August 12th, aka Vinyl Record Day, you can be doing what I am....computer in your lap.....optional.