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| Put the needle on the record! |
When I was just about six, seven years old, I used to spin 45s and LPs a lot at my grandparents' house. The living room was my imaginary DJ's booth.
There, I'd play Elvis,
Santana and Deodato records and listen to them to my heart's content. It
didn't matter if some tracks were unfamiliar to my ears. I didn't
care, it was all right.
My
parents on the other hand couldn't afford a stereo system so I had to be contented with our AM transistor radio. When dad flew
to
the middle east in the 80's, things got a little bit better and he was able to bring home a Pioneer boombox.
Back in those days, I used to frequent record bars along the university
belt area during my vacant periods. National Bookstore, Orient Pearl, MWF,
and Ever Gotesco to name a few. The LPs on display there were a
source of joy to me. I oggled at the artworks endlessly and listened to the new releases being played by the sales ladies. I could
only sigh and wish that we have a turntable.
Perfect sound forever...
That's the CD's promise and I was once a believer until I befriended a regular hotel guest of ours at Inn Suites. Out of the blue, I asked if he could help me find some hard to find albums. He asked in return if it's in vinyl or CD. When I said it was the latter, it kickstarted a discussion that would span a decade at the very least.
Yes, the guy happened to be a certified vinyl aficionado. He gave me and another buddy of mine a crash course on Vinyl 101. On his many return trips to Manila, he didn't forget to bring old copies of Stereophile, The Absolute Sound and Audio Advisor. Through these highly esteemed publications, I got enlightened, learned the finer points of analog and became familiar with the likes of Jon Atkinson, Sam Tellig, the late Harry Pearson and of course, the most popular analog advocate of them all, Michael Fremer.
How come I never got into it?
First and foremost is the cost. This is undeniably a very expensive hobby. An ordinary average working guy like me can't afford any of those high-end audio systems.
Aside from the hardware, there are the essentials e.g. phono preamps, tonearms and cartridges as well as analog survival kits like anti static brushes, cleaning solutions, inner/outer sleeves, etc.
I was able to steer clear of the analog itch until the day I bought the hot rod Sakura AV-200T tube amp at Hyperaudio - home to many audio hobbyists and owned by the venerable audio guru and vintage equipment restorer Rene Rivo.
My visit coincided with the first ever holding of Vinyl ATBP, an all analog bazaar that has now become a quarterly meet for all black polyurethane lovers. It was still relatively early when I arrived but the store's premises was already abuzz teeming with people digging through crates and crates of records like crazy!
A patron then played Al Jarreau's popular 1983 album Jarreau. I was stunned to say the least upon hearing familiar songs like "Boogie Down," "Mornin'" and "Save Me." There's that unmistakable analog sound I said softly to myself.
Suddenly, there's this insatiable urge within to spin them records once again.
