This past week, I found myself without a working record player... or turntable, to be more exact. My old 90's model Sony gave up the ghost, and actually, if it was meant to be, then this was just the right time. A bit of cash came my way in the form of an income tax return recently, so the money was there for a pre-ordained upgrade. I had a brand and model in mind, since I'd already done some homework. My plan was maybe for Christmas time to upgrade, but hey, you can't plan for everything. But it worked out nicely.
So I got myself a brand spanking new Audio Technica LP60X, a slightly newer version of what some of my friends have. It's a sleek, compact turntable, a solid starter to higher fidelity sound equipment. I wouldn't call myself a true audiophile, because I am not all about the gear, but this AT turntable is a fine entry point.
Once I got the rig set up, which took all of a few minutes, I plopped on the album I had decided would be the baptismal record: Crime of the Century, by Supertramp. What, not Dark Side of the Moon, you demand? Hey, that was my first thought, but then I was swayed by even stronger nostalgic reasons to the Supertramp. And boy am I glad I did. Opening track School rang out with greater clarity and oomph than I'd ever heard it on any of my previous home systems. By the way, I test drove the TT (turntable) using my Sennheiser headphones, which allow me to nudge up the volume without turning all of my fellow apartment dwellers against me.
The turntable sounded and operated beyond my expectations. I'd never listened to one before, so I had no clue what was coming. Anyway, after a highly successful Supertramp session, I then reached for The Dark Side of the Moon. And yes, that, too, sounded excellent. Very happy.
During the course of the week, I did a bit more record listening than usual just to play with my new toy. I wanted to put the AT through its paces, using all of its features and giving it the chance to impress me. I put the Supertramp back on, this time with the speakers activated, and whoa!
Not exactly a hi-fi album, I put on my vintage K-Tel Music Express compilation, more for old-time's sake than anything else. Just so I could hear favourite oldies Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John, Help Me Rhonda, a cool cover by Johnny Rivers, and Wildfire by Michael Murphy. All very good.
Then I dug through my handful of old 45's for something I wouldn't mind revisiting from my past. All but a few of my 7" singles are vintage from the 70's, a couple from the 80's. A few I'd never played, and I'll keep it that way until I can sell them for a pretty penny. But I chose one that I used to enjoy back in the day, Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean this record sounded. I dreaded a noisy playback, since the cheapie all-in-one system I had back in the 70's must have carved its grody needle deep into its grooves. But apparently not. The fidelity is still there. I'm not big on 45's since they require more physical movement on my part just to listen to a song or two. Gotta get up after just a few minutes of listening. Long-players are more my thing.
This weekend, I'd like to play both older pressings (Beatles, Monkees, Van Halen) and newer reissues (Commodores, Cats in Space, Beatles) to get a feel for how this Audio Technica performs with a variety of recordings. But so far, so good. I'm very happy with the new player, and am already pondering a new vinyl record purchase to spin on it. In the meantime, I've got plenty to choose from.
Adios, fellow music fans!
No comments:
Post a Comment