As far as guitar players go, I’m a bit of a gearhead. My live rig is loaded with stompboxes wired in a labyrinthine tangle of cables and effects loops. When my band plays live, it’s not unusual for a gaggle of audience members to crowd around my pedalboard after our set and ask about my setup.
Last weekend, my wife and I hosted an indie rock show in our living room. It wasn’t the first house show we’ve ever thrown, and it certainly wasn’t the loudest. But as I was sound checking the bands, I realized that I desperately needed to upgrade my live sound set up.
In the last decade, drones have gone from the stuff of dystopian sci-fi to an integral piece of technology. Drones are changing agriculture, disaster relief, home delivery, filmmaking, and more. And they’re also extremely popular with hobbyists.
A turntable is a simple machine. All it really needs is a platter to hold the record, a stylus to pass through the grooves, and some method of amplifying the vibration from the stylus. While most record players keep it pretty simple, a few have stretched the machine to new limits.
Vinyl is back. For years, hipsters have ironically foretold the format’s return, but the numbers finally support it. 2017 marked the highest year for vinyl sales since 1991, and it shows no signs of slowing down. But vinyl is a delicate medium. And with so many new people hopping on the vinyl train, many people are inadvertently damaging their records.
This past Saturday, music junkies across the world gathered together to celebrate Record Store Day. Excitement had been growing across the internet for weeks. Several of the vinyl collecting forums had been buzzing with hype over some of the RSD exclusives that they were eyeing. My local shops posted pictures of their shipments a few days ahead of time.
I often feel a bit like a fish out of water. While other movie buffs are replacing all of their DVDs with BluRay, I’m raiding garage sales for videotapes. While other gamers are flocking to games like Fortnite, I’m still playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2—on the original PlayStation, at that.
I work from home. And like any self-respecting freelancer, I have a well-stocked home office. Mine has a tall corner desk with all the compartments and drawers you could ask for. But I’m also a bit of an audiophile. I like to listen to music while I work, and I do most of my listening on vinyl.
Against all expectations, vinyl sales continue to rise. That means that more people than ever are buying record players. However, building a stereo setup for your vinyl can be a difficult undertaking if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Vinyl is back with a vengeance. 2017 was the twelfth consecutive year that vinyl sales have risen. It’s also the year that I got the most questions from newcomers to the hobby about the best start turntables.
For years, I’ve coveted an original Wurlitzer 200 electric piano. My sonic palate needed that famous chiming tone like it was water. Unfortunately, I never had the extra $2,500 lying around to be able to buy one.
I’m an audiophile. And like most audiophiles, a good vacuum tube HiFi system makes me drool. But unfortunately, nobody told my pocketbook. Tube receivers sell for several hundred dollars on eBay. Even DIY kits are generally over $300. For a piece of equipment that my ears and budget could agree on, I decided to purchase this HiFi buffer.