Your Miles Davis-loving father-in-law has been harping on about the superior warmth and soundstage of his pristine vinyl collection since you married his daughter, but it’s time to face the facts: Sometimes old people are right. The resurgence of vinyl’s popularity over the last several years is no joke and is showing no signs of waning. Vinyl is going strong as the preferred physical form of music in the U.
S. and worldwide, easily outselling CDs. And while it may not be as convenient as firing up Apple Music on your smartphone or asking Alexa to play Sabrina Carpenter on repeat, there’s a tangible aesthetic beauty to listening to a vinyl record while getting lost in its cover art that music streaming services can’t compete with, and everyday music lovers and analog geeks alike have been flocking to it.
If you’ve been drawn to the world of vinyl records yourself and don’t know where to start, don’t worry — building and properly maintaining a record collection isn’t complicated, and it doesn’t have to be expensive either. But there are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering the analog audio lifestyle. Here is our top-to-bottom (er, side A-to-B?) guide covering everything from how to buy and hook up a quality turntable to proper vinyl cleaning and storage, right down to some minor tweaks you can make to your gear to improve its sound.
Buy some records Record collecting has looked a little different over the past couple of years, largely due to t.