If it sucks, at least it looks good

The most relaxed purchase I ever made was my turntable. Back after more than a decade away from vinyl, I liked how the McIntosh MT5 matched my system, the reviews were good, and I told myself that if it sucks, at least it looks good on a shelf.

It did not suck. Amazing engineering, and incredible from the first record. That was exactly the problem, because an incredible turntable wants a better cartridge and a collection to match.

Don't misunderstand me, the MT5 deserved every compliment. But a turntable is a beginning, not a purchase. A $500 cartridge died under my own cleaning cloth, a temporary replacement cost a few hundred dollars, then came the Songbird at about $1,000 and the Starling at around $3,000. Each one a genuine step up, and each one made the next feel reasonable.

The records came with it. Within weeks I was buying reference albums and classic pressings and spending way too much. Today there are over 300 standard records on my shelves, before you count the 45s and the heavyweight pressings, and nobody plans a number like that. It grows one easy purchase at a time.

The turntable was the easiest decision I made in vinyl. Nothing that followed it was easy, and nothing was cheap.