One turntable/CD setup in the living room, one in my office. No debate necessary!
(To answer the next question, the "nicer" setup is in my office, where I spin a record or CD at least once a day. There's a very nice Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen for playing mp3s while cooking and washing dishes)
That's great, Ken! You're well equipped. May I ask where you keep your records, e.g. some in the living room and some in your office, or all in one place?
All my records and CDs are in my office. We have a small house so record and CD shelves take up most the wall space there. The living room is filled with bookshelves, which gets us into another conversation entirely
It sucks actually because the only cat-proof solution I could find was this cheap-ass wood laminate turntable stand. (and even then, one of the cats still manages to squeeze in…)
I feel the need to add that I went to her retrospective exhibition at the Tate when I was in London last time. And no one was more surprised than me that I really enjoyed it. But musically, no. Just no. Hard pass.
I just bought a record player stand with storage. I was planning on putting it in the living room, but initially I was going to try to make space for it in the kitchen as that’s where I tend to listen to music more often, and now I’m rethinking my rethinking lol
Great article, Andres! I think we all have that utopia we picture in our minds where there’s countless shelves of records and all the time in the world to get to all of them. But as a friend of mine put it, ‘life gets in the way of living’.
Right now, my turntable’s on a small shelf in my bedroom w/ two relatively decent bookshelf speakers on each side of it. The majority of my collection is housed in the shelving underneath.
I hope to one day commit to developing something more grandiose for my collection- similar to the way some men my age commit to rebuilding some old Chevy in their garage…lol
Thank you, Chris! I appreciate your kind words. The main thing is that it works for you. That it serves you well — that’s everything. Utopias are nice, we all have them, but well done you for being pragmatic and prioritising your comfort
Mine is in the living room, with stacks of CDs on 2 shelves( scored a long 3-tier open platform when we moved to our home . My vinyl is in storage cupboards a bit further away: the TT is well situated, on a primo spot, with the 2 floor standing speakers on either side: got a settee at right angles to it( it’s a L shaped room, and the kit is on the short section of the L). It’s ideally placed to enjoy the sound , just been listening to Dylan s Planet Waves and Earnest Ranglin looking for the lost rhythm, sound expanding and embracing …..guess I lucked out.
Hi. As an artist, recordproducer (in the traditional sense) and analog studio owner I can tell you second most important thing after where to listen and that’s speaker position. Try and keep them away from wall and corners. Unless specification designed to do so keep them off the floor. This is because of half space loading. Irregular walls in the room is also important and preferably rugs or carpet on the floor. I won’t go jabbering on, but if you have a specific question, reply to this comment! https://supertonerecords.com
Thank you, Simon! Your knowledge and experience are particularly relevant. I agree that speakers position is very important. Sometimes folks struggle with the whole sound optimisation thing so it’s great to know what to prioritise. Thanks again for stopping by and for commenting!
Center of the house. Music is always playing in our house.
We have an old house (well, old for these parts that only became a state in 1859), built in 1911 with hardwood floors. The front door opens into our living room, which opens into the dining room. From front door to back wall, it is one open space with slight definition/support walls on either side of the back end of the living room and the front end of the dining room.
My stereo is in the dining room, on the back wall of the house. My speakers face towards the living room and front door. From here I can hear it in all the spaces we spend the most time in, including the kitchen when cooking, which is very important to us (and of course the cleaning/washing up afterward). It is also front and center near our dining room table, so I can play music when we have friends over for dinner. And I can play it when doing work, writing, painting/drawing, etc.
Thank you, Michael, for sharing. That’s awesome. The versatility of your setup gives you the chance to spin by yourself, with your family and/or with guests as the case may be. Very cool!
As you know, I’m not yet in the vinyl game. But I have a vision that if/when I make the jump (and after we’ve found a new home) I’ll actually have my own office/music room where I can relax, read, write and, most importantly, spin vinyl. We shall see!!
Mine is in our living room underneath the TV. Not optimal (and the acoustics suck), but that same space is where our kitchen table is, and where I do a lot of writing.
That’s great. Being strategic about the location is key, especially when you know that specific spot works well. I often find the acoustics in most places aren’t optimal, even when you really try to optimise them, but they are never so bad as to be really noticeable.
Good provocation, Andres. My turntable and records live in the living room, but I realise I spend more time in my bedroom/office. I fear the only answer is another turntable for my desk… I’ve also just got into ‘window shopping’ vintage turntables on eBay, so this could be bad. 😬
Thanks, Rich! Maybe you do manage to spin often, all in all.
In my case, given my current schedule, I know I wouldn’t be able to spin often if I had mine in the living room.
Now, this “double setup” idea seems to be a game changer for some collectors, like Ken was saying in his comments above (or below). I love the flexibility it brings and the spinning opportunities it creates. If you can, go for it, 100%!
One turntable/CD setup in the living room, one in my office. No debate necessary!
(To answer the next question, the "nicer" setup is in my office, where I spin a record or CD at least once a day. There's a very nice Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen for playing mp3s while cooking and washing dishes)
That's great, Ken! You're well equipped. May I ask where you keep your records, e.g. some in the living room and some in your office, or all in one place?
All my records and CDs are in my office. We have a small house so record and CD shelves take up most the wall space there. The living room is filled with bookshelves, which gets us into another conversation entirely
Cool! That makes things easier if you've got all your records in one place.
If one has cats, the placement of the turntable is limited to wherever they cannot get at it.
Lol I hear you. I love animals but… locking them in another room while you spin is not an option, right?
It sucks actually because the only cat-proof solution I could find was this cheap-ass wood laminate turntable stand. (and even then, one of the cats still manages to squeeze in…)
Bless them. They must love the Fab ‘cause mama trained them well!
well, they harmonize more pleasantly than Yoko. I didn’t say that, did I? Nope, not me…. must’ve been the cats at the keyboard.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I couldn’t love you more!!! 😅😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂
I feel the need to add that I went to her retrospective exhibition at the Tate when I was in London last time. And no one was more surprised than me that I really enjoyed it. But musically, no. Just no. Hard pass.
that is not an option, no. Unless I want the stress of constant howls of protest as the harmony backdrop to the music.
I just bought a record player stand with storage. I was planning on putting it in the living room, but initially I was going to try to make space for it in the kitchen as that’s where I tend to listen to music more often, and now I’m rethinking my rethinking lol
Glad to have contributed to that rethinking! And sorry if I disrupted your plans 🤣
Great article, Andres! I think we all have that utopia we picture in our minds where there’s countless shelves of records and all the time in the world to get to all of them. But as a friend of mine put it, ‘life gets in the way of living’.
Right now, my turntable’s on a small shelf in my bedroom w/ two relatively decent bookshelf speakers on each side of it. The majority of my collection is housed in the shelving underneath.
I hope to one day commit to developing something more grandiose for my collection- similar to the way some men my age commit to rebuilding some old Chevy in their garage…lol
But my current setup serves me well for now.
Thank you, Chris! I appreciate your kind words. The main thing is that it works for you. That it serves you well — that’s everything. Utopias are nice, we all have them, but well done you for being pragmatic and prioritising your comfort
Mine is in the living room, with stacks of CDs on 2 shelves( scored a long 3-tier open platform when we moved to our home . My vinyl is in storage cupboards a bit further away: the TT is well situated, on a primo spot, with the 2 floor standing speakers on either side: got a settee at right angles to it( it’s a L shaped room, and the kit is on the short section of the L). It’s ideally placed to enjoy the sound , just been listening to Dylan s Planet Waves and Earnest Ranglin looking for the lost rhythm, sound expanding and embracing …..guess I lucked out.
That’s awesome! So glad you found your spot and that you’re enjoying the sound 😊
Thanks! Yes am so thankful I got lucky
Hi. As an artist, recordproducer (in the traditional sense) and analog studio owner I can tell you second most important thing after where to listen and that’s speaker position. Try and keep them away from wall and corners. Unless specification designed to do so keep them off the floor. This is because of half space loading. Irregular walls in the room is also important and preferably rugs or carpet on the floor. I won’t go jabbering on, but if you have a specific question, reply to this comment! https://supertonerecords.com
Thank you, Simon! Your knowledge and experience are particularly relevant. I agree that speakers position is very important. Sometimes folks struggle with the whole sound optimisation thing so it’s great to know what to prioritise. Thanks again for stopping by and for commenting!
Thanks for the kind words and subscribing to our substack.
I just reread my note and found some grammatical errors. Sorry, I was in the gym. blog!
“Try and keep them away from walls and corners. Unless specifically designed to do so, keep them off the floor”
Close proximity to these will enhance the amount of bass you perceive.
No worries, Simon! It happens to the best of us 😉
Thanks for the follow up. Great to know it improves the bass we perceive -- I'll definitely bear this in mind!
Center of the house. Music is always playing in our house.
We have an old house (well, old for these parts that only became a state in 1859), built in 1911 with hardwood floors. The front door opens into our living room, which opens into the dining room. From front door to back wall, it is one open space with slight definition/support walls on either side of the back end of the living room and the front end of the dining room.
My stereo is in the dining room, on the back wall of the house. My speakers face towards the living room and front door. From here I can hear it in all the spaces we spend the most time in, including the kitchen when cooking, which is very important to us (and of course the cleaning/washing up afterward). It is also front and center near our dining room table, so I can play music when we have friends over for dinner. And I can play it when doing work, writing, painting/drawing, etc.
Thank you, Michael, for sharing. That’s awesome. The versatility of your setup gives you the chance to spin by yourself, with your family and/or with guests as the case may be. Very cool!
As you know, I’m not yet in the vinyl game. But I have a vision that if/when I make the jump (and after we’ve found a new home) I’ll actually have my own office/music room where I can relax, read, write and, most importantly, spin vinyl. We shall see!!
This is a great idea. One of the benefits of planning it in advance is that you can have the time to devise and design it properly. Good luck!
Mine is in our living room underneath the TV. Not optimal (and the acoustics suck), but that same space is where our kitchen table is, and where I do a lot of writing.
That’s great. Being strategic about the location is key, especially when you know that specific spot works well. I often find the acoustics in most places aren’t optimal, even when you really try to optimise them, but they are never so bad as to be really noticeable.
True! At some point, I'd like to redo the setup, but for now it works.
Good provocation, Andres. My turntable and records live in the living room, but I realise I spend more time in my bedroom/office. I fear the only answer is another turntable for my desk… I’ve also just got into ‘window shopping’ vintage turntables on eBay, so this could be bad. 😬
Thanks, Rich! Maybe you do manage to spin often, all in all.
In my case, given my current schedule, I know I wouldn’t be able to spin often if I had mine in the living room.
Now, this “double setup” idea seems to be a game changer for some collectors, like Ken was saying in his comments above (or below). I love the flexibility it brings and the spinning opportunities it creates. If you can, go for it, 100%!
👏👏👏👏👏
Cheers, Scott!