How long have you been collecting records for?
I started collecting around the year 1999 when I was in the second year of college in Delhi. So, it has been close to two decades since I have been buying records. Pursuit of records has taken me to a lot of places. Initial years were pretty chaotic as I was buying anything and everything I came across. Even LPs that I would today call junk. As I got a hang of things, I got a lot more organized. Started paying attention to the condition of the vinyl and the jacket, the pressings, etc.
How Large is your vinyl collection?
I have about 1,000-1,100 records. At a point in time, about six-seven years ago, I had about 1,500. Since then I have sold a lot of stuff I was not listening to. Now, I buy only those records that I am sure I will listen to and make sure they are in near mint condition.
What genres of music do you like?
Everything from rock and roll (lately been spinning lot of obscurities from the 60s and the 70s) to jazz to classic Hindi film soundtracks to electronic to pop to dub. There is no genre I do not like.
Which is the most valuable record in your collection?
Misfits' Walk Among Us. This version I have is the very first press on Ruby records and has all the inserts. Although not a standalone LP, another valuable item in my collection is The Saints box set which contains all their 80s albums. I found this sealed on eBay many years ago for a fraction of today's price.
Tell us about your turntable setup
At present I have three turntable setup: Garrad 301 with SME 3009 S2 Improved tonearm, Lenco L75 with Ortofon As 212 tonearm and Heybrook TT2 with Denon DA-50 tonearm. I have mounted Ortofon 2M Mono cartridge on the SME and Audioquest AQ7000 cartridge on the Denon. Lenco currently is not in use. My phono stage is Japanese-made Raffel Dolphin. The back up phono stage is iFi iPhono version 1. Speakers are BBC licensed Audiomaster LS3/5a. I also have a pair of Quad 11L. My main amplifier is Sansui AU-519. I also have an Exposure 1010 amplifier.
Any advice to people that are about to start their collection?
In this age of internet and online shopping, it has become very easy to buy records of your choice and build a collection. However, I would want people who have just started collecting to support brick and mortar stores as well. Go to flea markets when overseas; you can find some real gems. It is fun digging for records.
Location: Mumbai
