In his review of the J.Sikora Initial turntable, Stereophile’s resident artist/sage Herb Reichert wrote, “Extended bathing, lighting candles, making tea, and preparing food are ritual work forms that prepare my senses to accept both pleasure and illumination.”
When it comes to playing records, I too have a ritual. It involves carefully cleaning the vinyl, first on a Pro-Ject VC-33, followed by immersion in a HumminGuru Ultrasonic vinyl cleaner. Before and after, I inspect the record’s grooves with a pricey VisibleDust Quasar R magnifier.1 Only then—black coffee hot, glasses cleaned, stylus brushed free of contaminants, notepad at hand—am I ready to receive the messages ingrained in a shiny black vinyl disc.
Writing equipment reviews is a similar meditation practice, involving varying degrees of focus, research, and critical listening before setting pen…
