Some say the audiophile community is shrinking, and may not be sustainable in the long term. The intent of this thread is not to discuss the viability of our hobby going forward, but to consider what each of us is doing to promote the enjoyment of music.
Several of the brick & mortar record stores I frequent offer reconditioned stereo equipment, and lower priced turntables. Think Pro-ject Debut Carbon, Sota Moon Beam, or U-turn, as well as integrated amplifiers and receivers that include phono stages. Occasionally when I am digging through the records some one will strike up a conversation about how they wish to get into vinyl and what would be a good reasonable priced turntable offered at the local record shop. We take a look, consider the options and come up with the best available option. Should they buy a turntable when I am there I typically pull a used Jazz LP and buy it for them as a starter for their analog journey. Two recent instances just before the Christmas Holiday a young high school aged man purchased a Sota Moon Beam. He was looking at the used LPs, and selected The Godfather Sound Track to start his collection. I purchased a copy of John McLaughlin’s Birds of Fire as his second of his soon to be growing collection. At different record store two young millennial women were trying to assemble a basic analog system. The store representative was struggling with recommendations. I offered to assist, and suggested a new Pro-ject Carbon Debut with a pre-mounted phono cartridge. The store had a Yamaha CA-810 and Polk Audio 7 speakers which the young ladies purchased. They selected a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark. I added Keith Jarret’s Koln Concert to the collection.
I have been doing this for sometime and continue to to carry forward the tradition of those that graciously assisted me in the on my musical journey.
