intro

my first foray into vinyl ripping left me with a terrible rip of Digital Mystikz - Return II Space, that was not worth the effort it took, nor the space on my harddrive. this was mostly due to my ignorance of vinyl ripping, as well as using the wrong pre-amp output and the onboard stock soundcard that came with my laptop. despite this, i was eager to learn how to rip vinyl well and breaking my foot gave me the time to do this.

my current set-up is a hand-me-down from my parents:
Dual 505, with Ortofon VMS2E cartridge
NAD Series 20 Sterep Amplifier 3020

it served me well, and for a beginner i enjoyed the opportunity to start buying and playing vinyl without having to cash-out for a new turntable.

i recently acquired a genuine ebay steal of this set-up for very little money:
2 x Technics 1210 mk. 2, with Stanton 500 Systems cartridges.
Gemini KL10 Platinum Series 2 Channel Mixer
Cambridge Audio Amplifier A500

all in great condition and only saw home use from a wannabe DJ. i had no desire to get two turntables, let alone a mixer and new amp but the price wasn't far off getting myself a single Technics 1210. i chose a 1210 mainly for the massive upgrade path; i look forward to being able to mod it into something very good, and with it being so abundant in the world, the opportunities for parts and advice is vast. as well as this, even in its stock form it outperforms many other entry-level decks (read: Pro-Ject Debut III).

so, this blog will hopefully document the evolution of these decks and my ability to rip high-quality copies of my vinyl collection. it will mostly contain dubstep releases, as that's what i mainly buy, although you may find the odd curve-ball from my collection.

cheers.