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Congratulations, you have taken the first step towards being a bona fide record collector.
The path ahead is going to be painful. Despite the pain, when you finally get your hands on your first ever copy of Dark Side of the Moon, it will all be worthwhile.
This guide will provide you with the tools to prevent you from getting duped by the overpriced cheap brands that are currently flooding the market. Those “plastic wrapped in metal portable all in one” turntables do more harm than good not only for the environment, but for the many records you will be purchasing in the future.
What gear will I need?
This is always a good place to start. Figuring out what you already own/don’t own will help you save a lot of time and money. If you own a pair of standalone speakers, you may just need to get a turntable with a phono preamp. Home theatre system? Same deal. Just take note of the inputs that your amplifier has on the back. If you don’t own either, perhaps you might have a sweet pair of Bluetooth headphones (yay for Bluetooth phono preamps/turntables!). Easy as pie.
Purchasing your very own record player.
If your parents own a record player and you are living at home, my friend, you have just hit the jackpot. Get out to your local record store and start buying those records. In the meantime, it might pay to start saving for when you move out. If you don’t live at home, you may need to hold off spending all of your hard earned money and start saving. Buying records is worthwhile when you don’t own a record player, especially if they are items that are usually hard-to find. However it may affect your approach to this purchase.
How much do I want to spend?
Important question, this. Just like any other big ticket item, one must always have a budget in mind. How many pingas you are willing to let go of will suggest what kind of set up you will get. "Today is the first day of the rest of your life," as our old mate John Denver once said, so you may as well invest…but if you aren’t privileged to do so, there are plenty of cheaper roads to go down.
Below is a rough idea as to how much you may need to save depending on what you ultimately want to get. In my honest opinion, starting off in the entry level tier is good enough. As you start expanding your collection, your wants and needs will change accordingly. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Final question to ask is, what kind of space will I be listening to records in?
Will you be partying in the lounge with all of your flatties, or will you be having a solo party in your room? Do you live in an apartment building with neighbours who constantly complain about even the slightest sound? Do you have a glass coffee table (watch this space), humongous windows and a dirty oversized rug in the centre of the room? All of these questions will help determine the size of the speakers/amp that you will require. A small set up in a small room is perfect, however if your space is the size of Auckland Town Hall without the benefit of great acoustics, you may have a slight problem with getting the right sound.
The final step in this process is to go out and get yourself a turntable. Given that you are currently reading this Real Groovy blog, why don’t you give the audio team a call…or chuck us an email at [email protected]! We have carefully curated our range of audio gear to suit all budgets.
If you don’t want to purchase your turntable from us, please pinky swear to not buy a ridiculously overpriced Crosley. Big boss man Christopher Hart will be addressing that elephant in the next blog post.
***FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY***
Get on down to Real Groovy to purchase your first turntable, mention this blog and we will chuck in our must have “turntable accessories” for FREE!!!
In-store or over the phone only. Not available on the website. While stocks last!
