What got you into collecting records?
I've always been fond of the idea of collecting records. I remember when I was young I used to visit my uncle and always enjoyed staring at his "pretty darn good record collection" of records with immense excitement. However I could not listen to any of them as his turntable was out of order and he shifted to collecting cassettes when vinyl slowly faded away in India. Since then I've been collecting music circa 1994-95 in the form of cassettes. When it was the advent of Compact Discs, I then shifted to collecting CDs.
However it was when I came across the "YouTube Vinyl Community" and made friends and communicated with many lovely music enthusiasts around the world that reignited my interest in Vinyl Records. So finally it was 2012 when I first started on this fine journey of collecting vinyl records. It has been roughly over 6 years now since I first started collecting these beauties. The first records I bought were the original pressings of "HEART - HEART" & "BRYAN ADAMS - RECKLESS" via Amazon UK.

Is collecting vinyl an expensive hobby?
Oh yes absolutely, since I live in India, more so as stay in the Northeast and most specifically in Guwahati, Assam. I come from a middleclass family and bringing records in attract terrible shipping costs and custom duties specifically when buying from abroad.

How large is your vinyl collection?
Presently I have just a little over 400 records and counting. But since I believe in quality over quantity I have not jumped on the “record-buying-race” wagon (if that makes any sense at all) :)



Does music on vinyl sound better than any other format?
Yes, without a doubt. Vinyl sounds really warmer than any other medium in my opinion. You can really feel the depth in the music you hear. Audio CDs are obviously great as well but listening to music on vinyl is a completely different experience altogether which is not really that easy to explain unless you experience it for yourself. Opening up the gatefold, taking the vinyl out of the inner sleeve, putting it on the turntable, watching the needle drop and then sitting back and listening to the music while reading liner notes and lyrics - That’s how music should be experienced.

How often do you listen to vinyl?
About 3-5 days a week or even daily depending on how much time I get.
Which is the most valuable record in your collection?
There isn’t one necessarily. No such record, as I treat all of my records as the same and listen to them with equal excitement. But yes, I do have a special place in my heart for my Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson records & certain other Heavy Metal albums.

Tell us about your turntable setup
American Audio HTD 4.5 Direct Drive Turntable connected to a Marantz PM5005 Integrated Amplifier with Sonodyne Sonus 1501v-3 bookshelf speakers.



Any advice to people that are about to start their collection?
You’ve never heard music until you listen to it on vinyl (with a decent setup). I would encourage music lovers/collectors to listen to the “album” rather than listening to just a “greatest hits” or “best of” compilation, on vinyl obviously. Let your music collection age along with you because certain records/LPs/albums have certain emotions, feelings or nostalgic moments coupled with them. So, take good care of your records, sleeve them, protect them and enjoy the music with love.
N.B. – The plural of vinyl is vinyl. 
Keep the vinyl spinning. Peace & Love.