Collecting vinyl used to be a faithful pastime for a small group who either grew fond of the quality sound or wanted to keep ties with nostalgia from an era gone by. But today, vinyl has grown out of its niche. According to The New York Times, dozens of LP processing plants have sprouted up to press the records of the most popular recording artists – not because it feels good, but because the owners know they will sell. These companies are producing new records of current artists like Vampire Weekend in addition to classic albums by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. So why has the LP become a preferred format to listen to, and what are the best turntables for vinyl die-hards? This blog will give you a new view of whole house audio, and after reading, you may even want to dust off some of those old records you’ve been housing in your La Jolla, CA home or start a new record collection.
SEE ALSO: 3 Steps for Better Whole House Audio

Why Pick Vinyl?

There are a number of reasons as to why the LP has resurfaced and is growing in astronomical numbers. One large reason is that people are discovering mp3s are not the best way to listen to music. Actually, even Steve Jobs listened to vinyl at home. Vinyl is the only playback format that is fully analog and fully lossless. With a quality turntable and record, you can enjoy a full-fidelity listening experience. Since the digital conversion process is eliminated, the result is a pure sound that is closer to the original recording. Whether the song was recorded in digital or analog, a vinyl disc will still have more musical information on it than an mp3 file. People also like the deep warm sounds vinyl produces. Adam Gonsalves of Portland's Telegraph Mastering said of this aspect, "I think this is what people like about it: it pins very closely to the way that human beings hear music organically. It's very mid-range-y and very warm, a sound that flatters the fuzzy guitars of rock 'n' roll.”

The Best Turntables

From 2007 to 2014, vinyl sales rose from under a million a year to 8 million a year in production. Turntable design has also risen along with the soar in LP sales. Now you can buy a range of turntables from battery-powered record players that come in a rainbow of colors to mahogany turntables with LED displays and iPod jacks. When it comes to this area, the turntable brand certainly matters. One Touch Living’s trusted brand McIntosh has been a leader in turntables for decades. In 2015, they were the number one preferred brand for turntables, and they are also on this year’s top 3 list of turntable manufacturers.
McIntosh turntables combine a classic design with modern styling elements, creating a unique piece to add to your stereo system. The MT5 and MT10 turntables are designed and engineered by the same team responsible for the other legendary home audio products and both have won numerous awards - with the MT5 being called "The turntable of the gods" by Rolling Stone.

Besides being designed to suppress noise, resonance and coloration in order to deliver the most faithful rendition of your albums, each McIntosh turntable features an illuminated, magnetically suspended platter which produces an inviting glow that's sure to be a conversation starter among friends and guests alike. And with our whole house audio systems, you can connect your turntable to your control system and listen to albums in every room.

We hope you enjoyed learning more about the recent trend in turntables and collecting vinyl. To hook up your own McIntosh turntable in your La Jolla home, or anywhere in Southern California, contact us online 

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