Page 3 - How To

If you're going to invest your money in a hobby like vinyl - you really should see it through to completion. Vinyl requires love, care and attention from the day of purchase right through to the end of its life and, if cared for properly, that life will be a very long and lucrative one indeed.

The fact is: it's not rocket science. Simple maintenance and - most importantly - CLEANING is the key to keeping your vinyl and your turntable looking and most importantly sounding as good as possible. Dust,

No, it's not obvious, and yes - we get asked it all the time. The fact of the matter is: hi-fi is a little... complicated. There are choices, there are preferences, there are brands that are more compatible with other brands and combinations that are more effective than other combinations... and the list goes on (... and on. And on). So it's no wonder we get asked such things, even by those with the know-how and the passion.

Well, I have good news, and I have bad news... which are both also good

Listen up, because this is important. If you want to listen to vinyl - you need a phono stage. Yes, we know it doesn't seem necessary. And yes, we know it's hardly the most glamourous topic in the hi-fi realm - especially not if it's overshadowed by its considerable more glamourous partner: the turnatable - but trust us when we say that you can't have one without the other. Some turntables come with them built in, but if you're serious about your vinyl collection, you will want to keep things

Hi-fi as a hobby (or as a way of life, of course) can be both time and space consuming (... and the less said about the bank balance the better!). One of the biggest problems you as an audiophile will ever face is... where the heck do you keep all of your lovingly chosen separates?

Well never fear. For every hi-fi problem, there is a hi-fi solution. And thankfully this is a solution which fixes several problems in one fell swoop. And that solution is... the hi-fi stand!

Looks and practicality are

Looking for your first proper hi-fi system but not sure where to start?

Think a seperates system with good quality speakers is too expensive? Think again!

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Package Includes:

- One pair of Tannoy DC4T Floorstanding Speakers

- One Tibo AMP410 Integrated Amplifier

- 2 x 3 Metre Lengths of QED 72 Strand Speaker Cable

Retail price over £799 // Our price £299

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If you're just starting out in the

A turntable may appear as a strange a complicated beast, but once you break it down (not literally, unless you really know what you're doing...) it's really not all that bad. We have demonstrated this, by breaking it all down for you. Here we have the Audio Affair anatomy of a turntable!

Tone Arm

This is the free-swinging arm of a phonograph turntable that holds the cartridge, which contains the stylus. This is the item which holds the instrument which runs over the grooves on the vinyl.

Counterweight

A little while ago, our Sales Manager Richard (and our in-house Vinyl Head!) put together a video on how to set up a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. This was designed both as an instructional video for that specific turntable, and a little general 'how to' on how the vast majority of turntables will need to be tended to before they're put to use. Rather than bumble through my own hacked up interpretation of how it's done, we thought we'd let our favourite bonefide audiophile do the job for us. Again.

Here's

If you have bookshelf speakers - you need to put them on stands. Well, you need to if you want them to sound any good, of course. And of course you do, you're an audiophile! And if you aren't - what the heck are you doing reading this?! Well, while you're here, consider yourself part of our ranks. Here's your first lesson: if you have bookshelf speakers, they are best placed on speaker stands. If you have speaker stands, they're best filled. And here is a little guide as to how, and of course why.

CDs. We love them. They sound great and they are responsible for huge shifts in both the hi-fi and the music industries. But the times they are a'changin' and the digital revolution has been sweeping the world of music. So... what do you do to make your great sounding - and great looking - CD collection to integrate fully into your lifestyle? The answer my friend is to digitise. But how do you do that in a fuss-free and easy way without losing that ever crucial CD quality sound?

Thanks to various