This is the first time in the 19 years we’ve been in the house that I’ve had a turntable hooked up to the stereo receiver – and it’s actually the first time in 40 years that I’ve “had” a fully functional record player.
I got a new Sony component stereo system before heading to Commerce in 1982, including, of course, a turntable since albums were the way to go on music. (Note Blake and I both have no study desk space to speak of because we have our full stereos, including turntables, as God intended. One of my speakers takes up an entire chair – I don’t remember where the other was).
Cassettes were available and what we recorded to, but for original content, I bought very few prerecorded cassettes. But very shortly after I got it I broke one of the two hinges, so the cover didn’t work the rest of the time.
Unfortunately when we moved into the house I didn’t think through the study wiring closet arrangement to accommodate a turntable, and there wasn’t sufficient depth on the wall to accommodate one. And while I did later get a turntable to copy albums to computers, it was hooked up to the computer on another wall – not the receiver. And with the received in a closet, getting commands to it for a turntable was problematic.
Olivia Newton-John
Then Olivia passed last year and I had to pull out my ONJ albums because – jarringly – the Greatest Hits Vol. 1 wasn’t available online – or even in CD. And it was my favorite – and pre-Grease. The only way I could enjoy them was on vinyl – played through the computer only, unless I worked through the process of ripping them and getting them into my music library – which I have never been good at.
So I invested in a AT-LP120XUSB turntable with a built in phone preamp so I could plug it into my receiver, which no longer has a phono in connection. it’s gathered dust for some time, but I finally hooked it up today, and added it to my Harmony remote so I have one button (or Alexa command) access to the turntable.
Yes, it appears to be inconveniently set up, but it is going to work just fine. The turntable sits on one of my two collapsing “TV trays” I use around the study. The turntable power is plugged into the shelf and the RCA jack cable will stay in the wall. So when I’m done with albums I unplug both at the wall and the turntable fits into a cabinet. When I want to plug it into the laptop, I can set it up on the same table next to my desk.
I’m not going to to listen to albums a lot, but there are some – Genesis’ Three Sides Live for example – that what I want to listen to just isn’t available any other way. And there are others that it’s just not worth the work of relearning some kind of audio software just to upload a few albums – I just want to put the album down and play it.
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