@baylinor Well done on the room. Curious but why not build with concrete instead of wood?
Do you have ways to ease use of vinyl?
The reason for this post is to help some of the older guys here who recently said they gave up on vinyl because of its physical challenges. And at 66, I could not agree more. I used to have a two shelves rack for my turntable, which placed the top of the platter above knee height, at 25". To flip vinyl was either bend over and hurt my back, or doing it and one knee and hurt those.
Well, NO MORE.
Late last year I purchased a 4 shelves rack which puts the top of the platter at my belly button height, 40". Btw, I am of average height, 5'10".
What a difference! My back and knees will be forever thankful.
Here is another thing that greatly eased my vinyl experience.
I use an outer ring, center weight and brush my vinyl for each play. This was the process it entailed: Put on the center weight before brushing because I play my vinyl on a bare aluminum platter. Wait until the brushing was done before putting on the outer ring because I brushed the conventional way, finishing by dragging the brush outward to get rid of the dust. Once brushed, removed the center weight so I could install the outer ring and then reinstall the center weight and I finally could drop the needle. Ouf!
NO MORE!
Now I put on the outer ring first, then brush the record taking the brush INWARD instead, leaving the minute dust on the label (and I found out it does a much better job of brushing since the brush moves in the direction of the grooves, inward). Once brushed, simply put on the center weight and drop the needle. Voila!
Easier ten fold.
Another important pointer, the center weight, brush AND OUTER RING must be near the TT and at the SAME HEIGHT. Your back will thank you.
Those changes took me over 50 years to figure out and they have literally made my listening to vinyl experience a dream instead of dreading to flip those vinyl.
Please share any tip you may have to ease up the physical burden that some older folks here may have about using vinyl. Thanks.
Well, NO MORE.
Late last year I purchased a 4 shelves rack which puts the top of the platter at my belly button height, 40". Btw, I am of average height, 5'10".
What a difference! My back and knees will be forever thankful.
Here is another thing that greatly eased my vinyl experience.
I use an outer ring, center weight and brush my vinyl for each play. This was the process it entailed: Put on the center weight before brushing because I play my vinyl on a bare aluminum platter. Wait until the brushing was done before putting on the outer ring because I brushed the conventional way, finishing by dragging the brush outward to get rid of the dust. Once brushed, removed the center weight so I could install the outer ring and then reinstall the center weight and I finally could drop the needle. Ouf!
NO MORE!
Now I put on the outer ring first, then brush the record taking the brush INWARD instead, leaving the minute dust on the label (and I found out it does a much better job of brushing since the brush moves in the direction of the grooves, inward). Once brushed, simply put on the center weight and drop the needle. Voila!
Easier ten fold.
Another important pointer, the center weight, brush AND OUTER RING must be near the TT and at the SAME HEIGHT. Your back will thank you.
Those changes took me over 50 years to figure out and they have literally made my listening to vinyl experience a dream instead of dreading to flip those vinyl.
Please share any tip you may have to ease up the physical burden that some older folks here may have about using vinyl. Thanks.
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A couple questions for Baylinor and Meim and one for the rest of you. First, baylinor, what are you using for your outer ring? I wanted to get one for my VPI Classic 2, but the VPI one was so expensive I put off getting one. Maybe you found a more economical alternative. Meim, could you explain a little more where you have that small O-ring on the VPI arm lift located, that you described in the picture you provided a link to. It sounds like a great idea, but I couldn't figure out what you had done from looking at your picture. Your setup looked a bit different than mine. Anybody else, I had read somewhere of a add-on device that would automatically lift the arm up off the record once it had finished playing. Is there any such device any of you have used, or could recommend? That way you could fall asleep listening to a record and not worry about having to lift the arm up at the end of the record's play. Whenever I'm getting a bit sleepy at night I usually put on CD's to avoid this problem. Mike |
Fun post. Key is to have the platter at such a height that your elbows are at a 90 degree angle. No bending, stooping, leaning, etc. I lucked out with the height of my built-in cabinet and height of turntable, it works out this way. There are turntables with vacuums now that suck the LP down to the platter. No rings necessary. |
30 plus years after getting rid of all my LP's and TT, I decided to get back into them again. Still not sure WHY. Even though it is nowhere near meeting audiophile standards,
I choose a Line Phono TT stand to hold my new TT simply because it was the only one I could find that put my TT at a realistically usable height. My back thanks me for it. What's left of my brain is still trying to figure out why I insist on retreating back into the stone age. |
I'm 67 and my knees talk back on the way down and up from putting on records. My 3 TT's are in the rack and 2.5 feet above the floor. I have made two changes to keep me off my old knees. I replaced one TT with a SL-10 and it's full auto. The other change is to listen to more digital. I'd forgotten how good my digital playback could really be. |
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Ease of Access makes thing so much more comfortable and build confidence. I had a TT set up a HiFi Enthusiasts show once where it was slightly lower than the Knee on a Support Plinth. A Brand New Needle had a few skates during the day and I rolled backwards and was legs akimbo in a room that was full with attendees of the show. At home the TT is set up at approximately 4 feet in height, this is the b est for my practices, and the Grandchildren are not even focused on it when it is passed by. I have a Lamp placed on the Sub Plinth, this works great for illuminating the LP and Cartridge. Also a Q Up device or similar to lift the Tonearm at the end of a replay, if it can be utilised ?, gives reassurances to a Cartridge security, if a slowness or sleepiness is set in at the end of a Replay. As for Vinyl Care, if the LP is not feeling too secure in a trusted usual grip. A pair of easy on/off artefact handling gloves will allow for a improved hold on the LP without contaminating it. I use Nitrile Gloves when cleaning and these are reassuring,, but a alternative material used for the Glove can be used. As crazy as it might sound, a glove of choice with Micro Fibre Cloth Finger Tips sewn on, could be the ideal method. I've had a search and discovered these in the Link https://www.amazon.co.uk/SWISS-REIMAGINED-Microfibre-Inspection-Stretchable/dp/B01FTZ135G |
Mine was on the floor - when I was young, and no money for a good rack. Soon as I built a proper rack it went up to convenient height. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 A good light helps a lot. My VPI vac is right beside the table. Now though it is used only to vacuum the final rinse off leaving records perfectly clean. I never even use a record brush any more, other than once in a while if I see some dust that won't blow off. Depending on what you are doing, get a headlamp! I don't know what it is called, but there's this neat little table you can get that clips on the arm rest of your chair. Perfect for that adult beverage. Sorry, but once the records are clean and the brush is eliminated it is hard to think of much else than kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor! |
With contemporary equipment streaming can be as satisfying as vinyl at most levels. A bit more investment is needed than for the analog side. But the rewards are huge... library goes from the thousand or so to nearly infinite for the monthly cost of one album... and No getting up at all... I still bicycle every day, so I get my exercise in other ways. Yes. I just tried that with the purchase of a streamer/dac. Its been the most frustrating piece of equipment I ever bought. I have spent 50+ yrs setting up & using HiFi and 30 with computers. I figured I had a basic understanding. Well, yes & NO. Of course the lack of instructions didn’t help. My 150 yr old eyes in my 70 yr old body doesn’t help either. On a bright note, a fellow A’goner was a big help. Funny thing I did this because of age as much as anything. The problem I see is that there are too many parts to synch and my synch doesn’t exactly work as good as it used to. I burned out my multi tasker with over use. Sound is good enough but I know there has to be an easier way. These golden yrs can be a challenge for sure. Each one has to find what fits their need. But old habits are hard to break |
Unfortunately, with my wife having worked in a hospital most of her working life, I have seen way too many doctors. The primary every 6 months and currently seeing specialists for the ears, dry eyes and dermatologist. At least I haven't had to see my cardiologist for a few years. I was a professional snow skier into my early thirties, so that was that. No regrets whatsoever, at least I used the body I have to its full potential and I always knew there would be a price to pay for over working it. Thanks for your concern. |
The problem for me with having it at chest high is having to lift up my arms to do the flipping. My shoulders are so messed up with arthritis, it makes it another problem. Bellybutton high is perfect for me, body straight, arms naturally down without stressing the shoulders. I need to upgrade to a new body, not a new system ha. |
Thanks for the tips... I’m an old fart also. My TT is at ~42”... but I could add one more shelf and lift more. So I’m not the only one that doesn’t like bending over. A note: With contemporary equipment streaming can be as satisfying as vinyl at most levels. A bit more investment is needed than for the analog side. But the rewards are huge... library goes from the thousand or so to nearly infinite for the monthly cost of one album... and No getting up at all... I still bicycle every day, so I get my exercise in other ways. For any older guys that have the means... I highly recommend an upgrade to your digital end to get it in line with your analog... your ears and achy bodies will increasingly appreciate it. Then the big problem becomes finding the album you liked so much who’s title you can’t remember and unknown group name... darn, now where did I leave my Prevagine? Alternatively, get an old record changer so you can just stack four or five records and listen. (-: |
A while back, I got a ring weight and determined that a small mistake in placing the stylus at the beginning of a record could be a disaster. So I rigged up my VPI TT so that couldn't happen. I can now place the stylus blindfolded. This could probably be adapted to other TTs. Here is my post with photo at the Asylum: https://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/107/1072416.html |
