Yesterday I became the proud owner of a Pro-Ject Debut III turntable. It’s the first turntable I’ve had and used since, oh, probably the early ’90s.
Why a turntable? First there’s the matter of all that vinyl I still own, about a dozen Peaches crates full. I had gotten literally dozens per week as a music writer in the ’80s until they were fully replaced by CDs. My LPs have been sitting in a closet year after year untouched. I've replaced most of my LPs with CDs, but not all. Labels are starting to release new titles on vinyl again, and certain specialty companies are issuing old titles on super high grade vinyl.
Another reason: I took part in an audiophile symposium a while back, and while I would in no way classify myself as a fellow traveler with these obsessives, I did fall under their thrall a little. One of the biggest arguments in the audiophile community is the superiority (or not) of vinyl. A guy on the panel who writes for an audiophile magazine made a very persuasive case that LPs sound warmer and more authentic than their digital counterparts. I’ve been wanting to find out.
This same writer owns a turntable that retails for — and I made him swear to this — $120,000. I failed to ask the follow-up question: Did he actually purchase it? I’m guessing he got some sort of massive price break; either that or he’s a jewel thief on the side, because audiophile magazine writers simply cannot make the kind of cash that allows them to spend six figures on one stereo component. (At least I hope not; if they do, I’m in the wrong business.)
My Project Debut III, which I bought at Audio Visions South in Tampa, cost me about $250. It’ll do for now. I have yet to do a strict comparison between vinyl and CD, but that’ll come soon. In the meantime, a couple of quick observations:
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2008.