Santaji Shirke
How long have you been collecting records for?
I started collecting records less then 2 years ago. Having grown up with tapes and CDs, I've always had a connection with physical music formats so I guess getting into vinyl was a logical progression. I love the physicality of the format, and the experience of handling a record and sitting down in front of the Hi-Fi system with just the music and the album artwork. It's really something that I missed out on for years with my (albeit large and meticulously organised) iTunes Library!
How Large is your vinyl collection?
Right now my collection consists of around 60 LPs and a few 45s, of mostly classic rock from the '60s – '80s. I would love to own every one of my favourite albums on vinyl, but I'd run out of money and space pretty soon, so I tend to just pick-up what I happen to be interested in at the time. Right now I'm in a bit of a blues and early rock'n roll phase so I've been focusing on building my collection across those genres at the moment.
Which is the most valuable record in your collection?
In terms of monetary value, it's probably my early Indian pressing of Sgt.Pepper's or my mint Indian pressing of Deep Purple's Machine Head, but I guess the real beauty of physical music formats is that every individual record in your collection can have stories and memories associated with it. Right now, the record that means the most to me is probably my signed copy of the L.A based occult inspired doo-wop/soul/Americana band Twin-Temple's debut album. I just love their sound and their aesthetic.
Tell us about your turntable setup
I call my setup "The Altar of Sound". It's a Pioneer PL-223 semi-automatic turntable from the '80s, which has been fitted with an Audio-Technica AT-92E cartridge. The turntable is usually hooked up to an Onkyo home-theather AV receiver via a Pyle P999 Phono Pre-amp, but I like to mess with my set-up from time-to-time, so lately I've been experimenting with running a small DIY vacuum tube pre-amp between the phono-stage and receiver. I developed an obsession with vintage audio tech soon after getting my first turntable and destroying my first stereo amplifier (which is a long story altogether) so I'm presently saving up for some pretty big upgrades to The Altar.
Any advice to people that are about to start their collection?
Quality over quantity. It's easy to get carried away and buy a lot of junk records, i.e; low quality pressings or scratched up crackly copies. It's better to have a few amazing records that you will treasure for the rest of your life than a bunch of junk that you're only ever going to play once. I also highly recommend learning the basics about how this stuff works so you can get the most out of your set-up without throwing too much money at it
I call my setup "The Altar of Sound". It's a Pioneer PL-223 semi-automatic turntable from the '80s, which has been fitted with an Audio-Technica AT-92E cartridge. The turntable is usually hooked up to an Onkyo home-theather AV receiver via a Pyle P999 Phono Pre-amp, but I like to mess with my set-up from time-to-time, so lately I've been experimenting with running a small DIY vacuum tube pre-amp between the phono-stage and receiver. I developed an obsession with vintage audio tech soon after getting my first turntable and destroying my first stereo amplifier (which is a long story altogether) so I'm presently saving up for some pretty big upgrades to The Altar.
Any advice to people that are about to start their collection?
Quality over quantity. It's easy to get carried away and buy a lot of junk records, i.e; low quality pressings or scratched up crackly copies. It's better to have a few amazing records that you will treasure for the rest of your life than a bunch of junk that you're only ever going to play once. I also highly recommend learning the basics about how this stuff works so you can get the most out of your set-up without throwing too much money at it