Vinyl records: Setup, turntable, maintenance and costs!

DISCLAIMER: The following notes are from my own experience and experiments and is not a paid endorsement.

Buying my first turntable

I picked up the ION Vinyl Master from my local Visions store for about $70 (CAD). It's a compact, portable and briefcase-like unit that can play 33, 45 and 78 rpm records. The auto-off feature stops the rotations when the record ends. Apart from the RCA styled Left and Right output ports located in the back, the top panel also lets you connect your 3.5mm headphones for a private listening experience.

Buying the records

My very first collection was from the $1 crate at a local pawn store! Then I got some records from the local thrift store (Value Village and Goodwill have a tiny section next to the book section). I also got a whole bunch from Record Collector's Paradise (RCP) in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). Many stores offer loyalty programs, and generally, the more you buy, the more discounts you get. In my community, there are several major vinyl garage sale events held throughout the year where a lot of vinyl enthusiasts get to buy or exchange records!

If you're looking for records, try online (I ordered John Mayer's from Amazon) or visit your local record store. Most of them have a $1 section where you will find some pretty awesome stuff at super cheap rates.

My prized records (so far)

Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck (Time Out), John Mayer (The Search for Everything & Continuum), Bryan Adams (Ultimate), Pink Floyd (Wish you were here) and Michael Jackson (Thriller) are some of my favorite and most prized records.

In addition to these, I have a variety of jazz and instrumental records. Eventually, I would like to add Yanni's Live at the Acropolis Vinyl to my collection.

Caring for your vinyl

A needle can generate a force on the groove wall of up to 35,000 pounds per square inch while reaching temperatures between 300 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or more!

Hence, properly cleaning your records before playing them will significantly aid in increasing the lifespan of your needle. I use AudioQuest's anti-static record cleaning brush in combination with a record cleaning spray and a lint-free cloth. I also replaced all inner paper sleeves and put on a plastic jacket on every outer sleeve.

Key takeaways

Taking a break from the typical bass-boosted and sound tweaked output, I do enjoy the minimalistic and simplistic way of enjoying my music collection! I've found some fantastic vintage records in the dollar bin and have been exposed to more music than I ever would have on a computer.
I've got Dave Brubeck's Time Out album pressed at 180g hence sounding richer and fuller than anything I've heard digitally. Of course, this 'higher quality' could be a placebo effect.
If this is your first time venturing into the vinyl world, I would recommend the super economic yet great sounding ION Vinyl Motion that I currently use. You can always upgrade to the more expensive and fancier versions later.
If you're buying used records, change all existing inner paper sleeves with fresh ones as old, wrinkly, and torn sleeves can put scratches on your records.