One of the drawbacks of physical media is that it degrades over time. Cassette tape stretches, CDs get scratched, and vinyl… well that’s possibly the most delicate format of all.

But now you can bring your old records back to life for a very small fee, thanks to this offer from Keith Monks. The renowned record-cleaning company is offering a free 100ml sample of its discOvery 33/45 cleaning fluid, complete with an application roller and instructions for use.

All you have to pay is the £5 postage.

This fluid usually costs £50 for a litre bottle.

Keith Monks, is a very well regarded name in the vinyl cleaning world. It created the world’s first professional record cleaning machine, and its products are used by The British Library and the US Library Of Congress.

Sadly it isn’t giving away one of its machines (which cost upwards of £2000), but a 100ml bottle of cleaning fluid from its discOvery range. The recipe dates from 1976, and contains only pure botanicals and renewable natural ingredients, along with laboratory-grade, triple-filtered demineralised water. There’s no alcohol, or artificial chemicals or additives.

It claims to remove “static, surface noise, grit, grease, fume residue, and residues left by other fluids”. It coats the vinyl in a thin, protective layer to prolong the life of both the record and the stylus. The discOvery 33/45 being given away is for use on standard vinyl, with one litre cleaning up to 200 12-inch LPs.

As well as getting the 100ml bottle for a fiver, you’ll get 15 per cent off your next accessories order. You pay via PayPal to kmonksrcm@gmail.com. Keith Monks will post a bottle anywhere in the world for the same price.

So will it work? Now’s your chance to find out.

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Forget vinyl, reel-to-reel tapes are the last word in sound quality – and they’re making a comeback

The resurgence of physical media is starting to sound like old news. We’ve been reporting on the artists and trends behind rising vinyl sales for almost a decade, while 2024 was, according to Music Week, the first year in more than two decades to see overall physical sales register year-on-year growth.

In the same year, a survey by Key Production showed that a greater proportion of Gen Z was listening to music in physical formats than any other age group.

Since then, physical revivals have blossomed in the strangest of places. In 2025, for instance, cassette sales rose by 200 per cent and companies such as We Are Rewind and Gadhouse released brand-new cassette players, infusing old tech with modern twists such as Bluetooth and USB-C charging.

US vinyl sales also hit $1 billion in 2025, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, with a significant proportion of sales coming from Gen Z customers.

An Audio Tech Lifestyles report from Futuresource Consulting even reported that nearly 60 per cent of Gen Z were buying vinyl – even though almost 30 per cent of respondents didn’t own a turntable.

Connor Winyard, a 28-year-old sales assistant at Sister Ray Records, London, says the store’s customer base is “a half-and-half split between Gen Z and people of older generations”.

Speculating on what motivates Gen Z to buy physical formats, Winyard says, “I’d like to think it’s because people are increasingly disassociating from subscription models and are tired of not being able to physically own anything. That’s definitely how I feel about it. But I think younger buyers mainly either want to put CDs in their cars or just think that they are cool items to own.”

Ashli Todd, owner of Spillers Records in Cardiff, believes Gen Z’s motivations for buying vinyl have more to do with impact on artists.

“I think the message about physical music being a far more beneficial way to support an artist is really getting through,” she says. “The rough deal that artists get from streaming services has been much discussed in the press, and rightly so. It’s very much a heart-on-the-sleeve sort of situation. You come across people who are collecting records before they’ve had a chance to buy a record player.”

As a Zoomer myself, I can attest to my generation’s growing appetite for physical media. In the flats of countless friends, modest record collections have been cobbled together from parental hand-me-downs and record-store trips. In my own house-share, a communal collection has steadily grown to fairly respectable numbers.

So if Gen Z is leading the rise of physical sales, what impact is that having on the charts?

Take a look at this week’s vinyl albums chart: at number one sits 26-year-old Maisie Peters, shortly followed by Yungblud, at the ripe old age of 28. This week’s top ten also includes The Roystone Club (who are all in their mid-20s and, notably, made their 2025 debut album available on cassette), Bleachers, Olivia Dean, Hayley Williams and Marmozets.

The closest we come to a legacy offering is Ed O’Brien’s new album Blue Morpho at number four, and Paddington – The Musical’s cast recording, which, frankly, I’m unsure how to categorise.

Compare this with the same period’s chart from 2024, and the differences are stark. The top ten at that time saw Paul Weller, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and Lenny Kravitz all holding dominant positions.

Looking to the best-selling vinyl albums list for 2026, the trend is only reinforced. So far this year, Harry Styles and Olivia Dean have occupied the top two, while Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Geese have all made it into the top ten.

Admittedly, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Arctic Monkeys’ AM have survived the changing tides in sales, but those are the only two top-ten albums more than a year old. They are also nostalgic favourites among Gen Z.

In contrast, 2024’s best-selling vinyl albums chart saw the likes of Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, the Cure and Coldplay in its top ten – a far higher proportion of older acts.

These shifts have a real effect on the ground. At Spillers Records, for instance, Gen Z’s tastes have started to inform stock choices. “Record Store Day has helped to give us confidence in stocking artists like Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish,” says Todd. She explains that Dean’s Live at the BBC 7-inch Record Store Day release was “huge” for the store.

“We’ve seen repeat custom from people who might not otherwise have thought about going to their local independent record shop,” says Todd. “Those artists being involved with Record Store Day gives us confidence in what we stock and also gives certain customers confidence in coming into their local indie, which probably isn’t what they’re used to.”

We can’t be sure if the records Gen Z buy are making it onto turntables, but it seems that the generation’s taste for physical media is nonetheless having a palpable impact on the way music sells.

Whether these vinyl discs end up bluetacked to bedroom walls, or played until their grooves wear down, increased physical sales means greater payouts to artists and retailers alike – byproducts that are pretty hard to sniff at.

Could it be that after an adolescence invaded by screens and ever more pervasive social media, Gen Z is returning to record stores in order to sate a craving for a real-world, tactile connection? In doing so, they might be keeping music alive.

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If you’re a regular reader of What Hi-Fi?, it’s likely you know more than a few things about records.

Vinyl is a format that continues to captivate, despite being well over 100 years old and experiencing some rather steep highs and lows.

So we have dug up some facts that even the most ardent record fan might not know.

Want to learn more about one of the longest-running consumer-audio formats of all time? Step right up…

Heavier records don’t always sound better

You will probably have noticed the 180g sticker (and higher price tag) on several records these days. Records mostly came in at the 120-140g mark in the 20th century, with the marketing trend for 180g records only coming in during the late ’90s.

Heavier records do come with some practical advantages, such as better resistance to warping. However, despite a consensus emerging that heavier vinyl is “audiophile-grade”, there is no inherent sonic benefit to 180g vinyl.

If a record was too light and unable to remain stable, then that would certainly impact sound quality – though you’re highly unlikely to find a record this light in the wild. Once a record is heavy enough to remain stable, adding extra weight will not actually make a difference to the process of the turntable reading a record.

In the opposite scenario, where the record is too light to remain stable, the stylus would fail to stay firmly in the groove, which would certainly impact sound quality. As long as the record is flat and the groove remains concentric with the centre, adding extra weight should not affect the sound.

We asked several hi-fi manufacturers if a record’s weight can impact sound quality. Interestingly, there was no consensus on the ideal vinyl weight and its impact on sound quality. Some argued that heavier records do make a difference, citing reasons such as reduced vibration transfer to the stylus, greater stability and less resonance during tracking. Others dispelled it as a myth, suggesting that a heavier disc simply gives customers a perception of higher quality. What was unanimous, however, was that the quality of the recording and the care taken during the mastering/pressing are far more important – a really well-recorded and produced 140g record is always going to sound better than a badly recorded and produced 180g record.

45rpm records sound better

This time, we do actually have a record type that sounds better and a clear reason behind it.

The 45rpm record was introduced in 1949, only a year after the 33⅓rpm record. The 33⅓rpmLP prevailed for albums, while the 45rpm record was the go to for the ‘singles’ format.

However, the 45rpm records actually sound better. Because the record spins faster (45 rotations per minute vs 33⅓), the needle travels over more vinyl surface area per second. Therefore, the wiggles in the record grooves are more spread out, making them easier for the stylus tip to track.

Think of it like a flipbook with 20 pages rather than 10. You’d have to flip the book faster for the characters to move at the same speed, but the animations would be far smoother as there is more detail to work with.

A phono stage doesn't simply amplify

Yes, a phono stage is necessary to amplify the extremely quiet signal from a turntable cartridge to a level that allows you to connect it to your sound system. But did you know that it also balances the sound frequency?

To counteract the physical limitations of the vinyl format, records are pressed with weakened bass and boosted treble according to the RIAA equalisation curve. The phono stage then applies the reverse of this curve during playback, restoring the original tonal balance and ensuring the sound is accurate and full-bodied.

UK record sales have increased by more than 3000% since 2007

It’s no understatement to say that records have had a bumpy ride in terms of popularity.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), vinyl sales in the US peaked in 1978 with sales of over 500 million units sold, eventually dropping to less than 1 million units in 2006 when the format was widely believed to be dying. It’s rather impressive, then, that the number of units sold in the US has since climbed back to 43.6 million in 2024.

Historic vinyl sales data is a bit harder to come across in the UK, though we reached a similar low in 2007 with 205,000 records sold according to the BPI. Luckily, we have also experienced a similar increase, with 6.7 million vinyl records sold in the UK in 2024 according to the ERA.

Record grooves are roughly the same width as a human hair

Despite reaching lengths of over 500 metres on a 12-inch LP, the grooves on a record are usually only 0.04-0.08mm wide, or 40 to 80 microns. It's remarkable that we can retrieve that data at all.

What’s even more fascinating is that this data retrieval is achieved with a tonearm, which is usually nine to 12 inches long – making the tonearm 3000 to 7500 times longer than the grooves it is navigating.

Monty Python broke a key record rule

How many grooves does a record have? Two, of course – one on each side. It’s the same continuous groove across the entire width of the record.

There are exceptions, though. Monty Python’s Matching Tie And Handkerchief has two separate spirals on one side. Depending on where you drop the needle, you will hear one of two different sets of tracks.

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If you've heard a lot of The Beach Boys on the radio recently, this is why: Pet Sounds is about to celebrate its 60th anniversary. And how better to celebrate such a landmark record than with its most audiophile edition ever.

Pet Sounds is the latest in the Vinylphyle range of reissues. This brings back classic albums in 180g black vinyl pressings, which are billed as "a premium vinyl experience for people who love vinyl".

Other albums in the series include The Velvet Underground & Nico (by The Velvet Underground), Exodus (Bob Marley & The Wailers), I Want You (Marvin Gaye) and Peter Frampton Comes Alive! (Peter Frampton).

Pet Sounds was a landmark album in pop music. It contains the songs Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows and Sloop John B.

Like other Vinylphyle releases, the Pet Sounds reissue features all analogue mastering from the original sources by some of the best engineers in the business today. The albums are pressed at Record Technology, a world-class audiophile vinyl pressing plant in Southern California.

These pressings are similar to jazz label Blue Note's Tone Poet series, with packaging that's as premium as the vinyl – think tip-on wrapped gatefold jackets in a satin matte finish, printed on clay-coated board, with archival poly sleeves and four-panel inserts. There are new liner notes too, with contributions from notable music journalists, personalities and fans.

The series is from UMe, the the global catalogue division of Universal Music Group.

Pet Sounds is out on Vinylphile on 15th May.

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Prog rock is a staple in hi-fi circles, and for good reason. Explore it, and you’ll find everything from experimental, album-length tracks chronicling epic space wars to short and sweet, gentle ballads celebrating young love on a UK council estate. The only connecting factor between them is a progressive virtuosity focused on pushing sonic boundaries.

And, when done right, this means it's a genre that can really stretch any hi-fi system, which is why it makes sense you all talk about it so much on our forums and social media pages. It’s also why more than a few of the What Hi-Fi? team have a soft spot for the genre and frequently listen to it for fun as well as work (testing).

But, its eclectic nature can make it tricky to navigate for newbies. Here to help offer our two cents on the top prog rock albums for hi-fi fans, we’ve created this list detailing our personal favourites.

On the off chance you think we’ve missed one, or just want to flag one for us to check out, get involved with the conversation using the comments section below, or let us know on our social media and forums. We’re always on the hunt for new music to check out!

The Moody Blues – Days Of Future Passed (1967)

The Moody Blues may technically not qualify as “prog” in many circles. But the band’s 1967 masterpiece Days Of Future Passed is often viewed as a proto-prog album that helped create the genre – kind of how MC5’s Kick Out The Jams helped make punk what it is, despite not being punk.

Though it’s the band’s second album, we’d argue it’s the point they really found their sound. It’s the first one where they recorded using a Mellotron keyboard, a unique sonic signature that has since become synonymous with The Moody Blues. Add to this a stellar mix of songs that set a consistent tone and flow from one to another, and it’s a delight to listen to from start to finish.

From the opening Dawn Is A Feeling right up to the closing note of the final track, Nights In White Satin, once you get Days Of Future Passed spinning, it’s hard not to fall in love with it.

Buy The Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed (1967) on Amazon

King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)

If you asked any pundit to name a prog rock band, there’s a strong chance King Crimson would be the first name you hear, and there’s a very good reason for that.

The band is often viewed as one of the starting points for the genre, with its 1969 masterpiece, In The Court Of The Crimson King, continuing to be touted as a high point for prog to this day. Forgoing the heavy blues and rock influences of the other big bands of the time, it’s an eclectic album that mixes elements of psychedelia, jazz and classical music.

21st Century Schizoid Man remains a particular favourite among the What Hi-Fi? team. The seven-minute epic has stood the test of time remarkably well, with its complex, textured composition really pushing the limits of any hi-fi set-up.

Listen to it on a poor set-up and you’ll lose half the track, especially during the more cacophonous sections. But spin it on a decent one, and you’ll be treated to a tour de force, showcasing prog at its experimental best.

Buy King Crimson, In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) on Amazon

Yes – Close To The Edge (1972)

Most people will likely think of the radio-friendly single Owner Of A Lonely Heart when asked about Yes. But if prog is your jam, the band’s fifth studio album, Close To The Edge, is where you want to start. Despite some of the band describing making it as a “torturous” experience, akin to “climbing Mount Everest”, there’s no denying the work paid off in spades.

With tracks inspired by classical music and JRR Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings books, the iconic album is a masterpiece, both in composition and recording. Side one’s titular track is the most interesting, and one that our team frequently favours.

The 18-minute epic starts slow, featuring a textured intro with nature sounds and a gentle keyboard part, before exploding to life as the band launches an improvised “jam” section. The rapidly changing dynamics and frequent shifts from 10, 12 and 16 bar sections make it an exciting listen that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Buy Yes, Close To The Edge (1972) on Amazon

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery (1973)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer are a band we know our readers love. Mainly because whenever we write about what test tracks we’re using in our regular Now Playing column, at least one of you will suggest the band’s much-loved, From The Beginning, from the trio’s Trilogy album.

But, it’s actually the band’s fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery, that remains a favourite among the What Hi-Fi? Team. On the one hand, this is because of its eye-catching artwork, by H.R. Giger. But it’s mainly thanks to its stellar three-part track, Karn Evil 9, which saw the band expertly utilise synthesizers to create an, at the time, mind-blowing dystopian sci-fi epic that continues to influence prog bands to this day.

The groundbreaking use of synths, intermingled with the trio’s inherent musical virtuosity, makes for a sonic experience that any music fan should listen to, from start to finish, at least once. Trust us, there are far worse ways to spend half an hour.

Buy Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery (1973) on Amazon

Genesis – Selling England By The Pound (1973)

Genesis was the starting point for both Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, two powerhouse performers who went on to global acclaim with decades-spanning solo careers. But, if prog is what you’re after, it’s their work on Genesis’s fifth album, Selling England By The Pound, that really shines.

Though the album received mixed reviews at the time, it remains a favourite amongst What Hi-Fi?’s staff. Shamelessly British, crammed with cheeky inside jokes, it can be a lot to take in all at once, and it definitely jumps around a lot.

But it remains a quintessential piece of prog history that’s full of stellar, thoughtfully composed, experimental tracks, ranging from the whimsical The Cinema Show to the mind-blowingly complex Firth Of Fifth. Even if you don’t like all of it, newbies to prog are sure to find at least one song they like.

Buy Genesis, Selling England By The Pound (1973) on Amazon

Carmen – Fandangos In Space (1973)

What happens when you combine flamenco and prog? Fandangos In Space, that’s what. It’s the debut album for flamenco-rock sensation Carmen.

Produced by Tony Visconti, who worked with numerous big names, including David Bowie, over his career, there’s nothing else quite like it. Mainly composed by singer/guitarist David Clark Allen, the album merges classical flamenco guitar and percussion, with rock guitar and Mellotron keyboard parts.

Add to this bombastic lyrics about everything from bullfights to gypsy curses, and it becomes quite the spectacle and an enthralling, albeit atypical listen, even for prog fans, who are used to some degree of experimentation.

We’re particularly big fans of the album’s main ballad, Lonely House, which has powerful vocals and a pure, emotional depth that sounds sublime when played through a decent system. If you’re a fan of either genre, we’d strongly recommend giving it a listen, as a result.

Buy Carmen, Fandangos In Space (1973) on Amazon

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

Yes, fine. The Dark Side Of The Moon is probably the cliché to end all clichés at this point, so much so that it’s nigh-on impossible to attend a single hi-fi show this side of the western hemisphere and not hear a cheeky slice of Gilmour and co. floating out from one of the exhibition rooms.

The thing is, some things become clichés because they deserve to be, and few records have earned the right to be overplayed quite like Floyd’s timeless opus. Both a brilliant test album and a stellar musical work in its own right, TDSOTM is the quintessential prog classic, tackling those big, meaty themes such as greed (Money), mental instability (Brain Damage) and existential dread (Time) with exhilarating confidence infused with a hazy, dreamlike quality that enraptures and unsettles in equal measure.

Just about the moodiest, most melodic and masterful release of that golden ‘70s era of classic rock, Dark Side Of The Moon truly deserves its flowers. There’s a reason everyone from your nan to your teenage nephew has it in their collection – if it isn’t there already, it’s time to make it a part of yours.

Buy Pink Floyd, The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) on Amazon

Rush – Moving Pictures (1981)

There are very few bands around with as big and diverse a music library as Rush. And because of that, we know full well that picking 1981’s Moving Pictures as the best the band’s ever done will cause some debate. But here we are, it’s our favourite, and we’re not ashamed to admit it.

For starters, it has one of the most iconic songs in history on it. We speak, of course, of Tom Sawyer. Frontman, bassist and general prog rock legend Geddy Lee describes the track as "the quintessential Rush song", and we get why.

Featuring an iconic groove percussion section that intermingles with spacey guitars and the track’s now-iconic fuzzy synth parts to its rapid shifts in dynamics and rhythm make it a delight that’ll keep your feet tapping from start to finish. And that’s just one track from this holistically amazing album.

Buy Rush, Moving Pictures (1981) on Amazon

Marillion – Clutching At Straws (1987)

A lot of prog rock has fairly lofty themes; intergalactic space wars, the meaning of life, those sorts of things. Which is why English neo-prog rock band Marillion’s masterpiece Clutching At Straws feels like such a breath of fresh air for the genre, despite releasing all the way back in 1987.

Telling the story of Torch, a normal man who’s failed in nearly every aspect of his life, it chronicles his musings, usually in a pub or bar, as he numbs himself with alcohol.

Though the band’s previous album, Misplaced Childhood, and its iconic single Lavender, often gets more attention, for the What Hi-Fi? team, Clutching At Straws is a more concise, mature, holistically solid body of work that showcases why the band is still talked about and active.

Whether it’s the bittersweet Sugar Mice, which features lofty yet vulnerable vocals, expertly showcasing singer Fish’s range, or the explosive, seemingly jubilant Incommunicado, the entire album is a complex rollercoaster ride for your hi-fi system and emotions.

Buy Marillion, Clutching At Straws (1987) on Amazon

Dream Theater – Images And Words (1992)

30 years after forming in college, Dream Theater remain at the forefront of prog rock, having released a steady stream of increasingly complex, sometimes mixed, albums that showcase the raw virtuosity of the Berkeley-trained band. But, for the What Hi-Fi? team, while it may not be the most “proggy” of the band’s work, it’s Dream Theater’s breakout album, Images And Words, that gets the most playtime.

Whether it’s the iconic, atmospheric, and radio-friendly Pull Me Under, or our personal favourite, Metropolis - Part 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper, the album is a stellar listen. One that’s full of tracks with difficult arrangements delivered with laser precision by the band, which is as tight as Scrooge McDuck from start to finish.

Buy Dream Theater, Images And Words (1992) on Amazon

Tool – Lateralus (2001)

If you like your prog with a slice of metal, rather than rock, Tool’s Lateralus is a fantastic option. It’s the album where the band cemented its iconic sound, fully stepping away from its grunge (especially Alice In Chains) inspired origins, into its conceptual, progressive metal style.

Though you’d never describe it as an easy listen, due in part to the complex, thought-provoking nature of the songs, it’s a carefully curated album that merits repeated listening.

From the opening track, The Grudge, you’ll be treated to a challenging album full of songs showcasing Tool’s iconic propensity for complex rhythm changes, booming breakdowns and haunting vocals. This, plus the album's clever arrangement, which sees each song sweep over you, taking you on a reflective journey with the band, makes it one of the most iconic releases of its time – and a pretty good stress test for any hi-fi system's dynamics and rhythmic precision to boot.

Buy Tool, Lateralus (2001) on Amazon

The Mars Volta – De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003)

Featuring two founding members of post-hardcore legends At The Drive In, The Mars Volta’s 2003 debut album, De-Loused In The Comatorium, was a big deal at the time. And while it was a marked departure from guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala's past work, it remains one of the best prog rock albums of all time.

The concept album is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy Ward, about a man who falls into a coma after overdosing. The album features an eclectic mix of inspirations, ranging from Latin jazz to psychedelia and heavy metal, throughout its playtime. And while the rapid genre changing jumps between each track did create a Marmite divide between At The Drive In fans, for prog fanatics it’s a great showcase of what makes the genre great.

It’s also a particularly sad album, whose magic, for us, hasn’t been replicated – since Ward, who contributed heavily to the sound, tragically died of a heroin overdose a month after the album was released.

Buy Mars Volta, De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003) on Amazon

Coheed And Cambria – Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness (2005)

If you like your prog with a heavy dose of over-the-top sci-fi plotlines, then Coheed And Cambria are well worth a listen.

The band is famous for basing its albums on epic stories, many of which have been detailed in comic books and novels, full of twisty turns and occasional stomach-churning moments. And as the numbers in the title suggest, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness is part of one such epic; The Amory Wars.

As a cohesive piece, it’s a fantastic listen that showcases why Coheed are often viewed as the shining stars for prog that helped reignite mainstream interest in the genre during the early 2000s.

Whether it’s Claudio Sanchez’s wailing, Geddy Lee-inspired vocals, or the tight, interlinked rhythm and lead guitar parts, which expertly navigate between chugging rock riffs and noodling prog excess (adding the occasional emo-esque breakdown in between), you’re sure to find something to love.

And as a bonus, it’s also the first Coheed album with decent production value, losing the fizzy compressed sound of the previous two albums, which held the band back in more serious hi-fi circles.

Buy Coheed And Cambria, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005) on Amazon

Porcupine Tree – Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)

There are few names as synonymous with prog as Porcupine Tree, and its frontman and founder, Steven Wilson. Go into any hi-fi show and there's a strong chance you'll not only hear at least one of the band’s tracks playing, but also see him speaking about sound quality. He’s a smart man who likes his hi-fi, after all.

But of the band’s long catalogue of work, which dates all the way back to 1987, it’s their 2005 album, Fear Of A Blank Planet, that gets the most love from the What Hi-Fi? team. In part, this is because its concept, which explores the impact modern tech, and the general state of the world, is having on young people, remains more important than ever.

However, it’s mainly due to the fact that it was intentionally composed not to have a “radio single” and is instead designed to be listened to from start to finish. This gives it a more polished, flowing structure than past Porcupine Tree albums. Featuring rapid mood and genre swings, that mix classic 1970s elements with post-grunge and general rock, we’d strongly recommend it to any music fan, prog or not, as a result.

Buy Porcupine Tree, Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007) on Amazon

Anathema – Weather Systems (2012)

Having started life as a doom metal band in the 1990s – one that toured with Cannibal Corpse – Anathema has slowly developed into a staple favourite within the prog community. And while the band's eighth album, We’re Here Because We’re Here, may be generally considered the pivotal moment that cemented the change (with the aforementioned legend, Steven Wilson, having mixed it), its follow-up ninth album, Weather Systems, is the team's favourite.

Despite not having any of the immediate, jump-out singles of its more famous predecessor, the album feels deeper and more joined together, with the band claiming it’s intentionally been written to “deeply move the listener” and take them on an explorative journey – one covering all the big questions we have around life, regret and, eventually, death.

Starting from the slow-burning acoustic intro, Untouchable Part 1, the album ebbs and flows, creating a dream-like, ethereal state. The constant shifts in dynamics, ranging from anguished, shouted pleas to sombre reflections that will truly move even the most stoic of listeners, continue all the way up to its masterfully recorded conclusion, Internal Landscapes.

Buy Anathema, Weather Systems (2012) on Amazon

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For many of us, vinyl never went away, but there's no denying that the format has seen renewed interest of late. Figures from the British Phonographic Institute (BPI) show a phenomenal 19.9 per cent rise in sales over the last year, which is staggering for a format many had long written off.

To make sense of this, we sat down with Drew Hill, the managing director of Proper Music Distribution (PMD), the UK's main physical music distributor of independent labels, to talk all things vinyl.

WHF: How big a part is vinyl in what you do as a distributor?

Hill: "PMD acts as an intermediary between about a thousand independent music labels and the vast array of record shops in the UK – everyone from the 499 independent record shops to Amazon and HMV. In terms of value for physical formats, it's split about 50:50 between vinyl and CD – CDs outnumber vinyl about 2:1, but obviously vinyl sells at a much higher price."

Has the resurgence of vinyl surprised you?

"I still have to pinch myself. After the first 10 years of it making a comeback I remember thinking, 'This must be the last year.' I mean can we even call it a resurgence after all this time? Doesn't it devalue it slightly? Typically the music business wants to talk it down and pretend it's a temporary thing, because a lot of the big labels placed all their chips on streaming. But I think by now we can safely say that vinyl is here to stay."

How has the demand for vinyl changed?

"It used to be that it was only middle-aged men buying copies of Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac, but if you look at the sales over the last couple of years, the bestsellers are things like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, which I'm pretty sure aren't being bought by men of a certain age. Or maybe some of them are. Just the other day I was in my local record shop in Cheshire and I overheard a 14-year-old girl begging her mum to let her buy Billie Eilish on vinyl. And her mum said, 'But we haven't got a record player.'

"I think it's going back to those days where it was part of your identity, when walking out of a record shop with a bag under your arm really told people something about you and your place in the ecosystem. Vinyl now, it's across the board: it's young and old, it's all sorts of genres… there isn't really a typical vinyl tribe anymore, just people that are into music.

"For a while we wanted to think that people were either digital consumers or physical consumers. I think now we've accepted that while digital is a great way for people to discover music, if you're really into a particular artists or genre, physical media like vinyl is a better way of expressing your loyalty. It's a tangible thing – you can put it on the wall if you haven't got a record player. It's very hard to gift a stream to someone. A lot of people buy two copies of a record – one to play, one to keep in the shrink wrap. It's a real phenomenon."

Did a lot of people write vinyl off?

"Definitely. A lot of people thought that the renewed interest was a one-off. For maybe the first half of the resurgence there were plenty of naysayers not wanting to believe it was here to stay. The major labels had all sold off their distribution divisions, they were all betting on the future being digital. They didn't have a vested interest in physical formats making a comeback. It meant they had to overhaul the production department, do all the supply check stuff. We've seen a complete one-eighty – physical is a part of all of their strategies. They admit they got it wrong. And Record Store Day has been a huge driver of this rekindling of people's love of records."

I guess originally CDs were supposed to be the death of vinyl. And then digital downloads, and then streaming. It's the format that can't be killed.

"We've seen a bit of a resurgence in CD as well. It's typical music business – the vinyl resurgence has driven the price up and up and up, with record companies seeing how far they can push it. But younger fans who are a bit more cash-strapped, they see £35 for a new vinyl, but think, ‘I can get three CDs for £35.’ But it's still getting people back into record shops."

Has the renewed interest changed the nature of record shops?

"I think so. No one else has really commented on this, but I think the record shops have morphed. It's no longer like High Fidelity, where they look down their nose at you. They've realised that's not a great way to treat your customer. They've become a lot more inclusive – they're putting on events, or there might be a coffee shop attached to it. That's been a big part in the whole resurgence."

Are online retailers suffering as a result?

"Bricks-and-mortar definitely has an advantage in the level of service they're able to provide. If I buy a turntable on Amazon, chances are I'm not gonna want another one the next week. So stop sending me emails about turntables. It's the same with music – if I buy a Rod Stewart album for my mum as a present, but the rest of my buying pattern is all hard rock, don't tell me about the new Neil Diamond record. But if you walk into a record shop, they can probably tell straight away what you're looking for. And if they see what you're buying, 99 times out of a hundred they'll go, 'If you like that, you'll love this.' An algorithm can't quite do that. It's still a personal thing, a human thing, rather than a computer."

Going back to the core appeal of vinyl, why do you think people are still buying it?

"I think it's multifaceted. It's now more of a lifestyle format. It's where culture and music and design all meet, and I think that the people who are buying records are the people who want to read the sleeve notes. They enjoy finding out more about the artist that they want to invest their money in. It isn't just that casual consumer listening to whatever Spotify serves up next. It's got a lot of people back into really listening to music.

"The people who are buying it purely for the sound quality obviously know what they're doing. But I do wonder if everyone is as clued up. Turntable sales might be rising, but is the same true of the component parts? Do all those punters that have bought their new cheap Crossley record player realise that you're supposed to change the stylus?"

Do you think vinyl sales will continue to grow?

"In the UK, we saw nearly 20 per cent growth last year. I don't think we'll see that again this year. But then if we'd have been talking a year ago, I probably would have said the same thing. As someone who's been in this industry for 22 years, I feel that surely it can't keep growing at the rate it's growing. But it keeps on surprising me and doing just that."

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Wax Poetics started life 25 years ago as a US magazine dedicated to vinyl 'crate diggers' – those on the hunt for rare records.

Since being taken over in 2024 by two Brits – Alex Bruh and David Holt – it has evolved into a platform for music collectibles, encompassing rare vinyl, demos, prints and other paraphernalia, often sourced direct from the artists themselves.

They were the people behind the original Mariah Carey demo tape that recently sold for $50,000 at auction.

As part of our Vinyl Week 2026, we sat down with Bruh and Holt to talk about what makes vinyl so collectible.

WHF: What is vinyl's appeal as a collectible item?

Bruh: "There's always a natural instinct to own physical items, right? It gives you a connection to the music, it means you're more likely to spend more time with it. My record collection is the story of my life: on this holiday I was into this genre, then you have the grunge years, the disco years… That's what it means for me, but a lot of collectors have their own motivations. It's really different for everyone."

Holt: "I think with the internet, people are too quick to write off old mediums. Everybody thinks that ease and accessibility are people's main drivers, but I would say it's more about experience and quality. And from that perspective, vinyl is still the best medium for the job. It's about more than just the music. We see behind the scenes of a lot of artists' processes, things like creating the artwork, the contracts, and vinyl is the best distillation of that. CDs and tapes do it as well, but streaming definitely doesn't."

Bruh: "The physical formats are the ones that stand the test of time. Demand for vinyl might vary, but it's never going away. What you see now is a counter movement to everything that's going on in the digital space. The more people talk about streaming and AI, the more it drives this subset of people towards the physical formats."

Do you think the rise of streaming has made vinyl more collectible?

Holt: "Yeah, I do. For artists, streaming is quite negative. But for consumers, it's quite attractive, because you can access music very, very easily. Streaming has actually made me buy more records, because it's cut out the wastage. I think streaming is definitely driving vinyl sales.

"But when you just let your streaming roll, and you're not curating it, and it starts chucking AI at you, you lose faith in it. But vinyl is now becoming so popular that maybe it doesn’t need to rely on streaming anymore."

It's almost like a backlash, I suppose. Everything's so ephemeral and digital, people want to actually hold a piece of vinyl in their hands.

Bruh: "I think backlash is an interesting way of putting it. Collecting does have a little whiff of punk rebellion about it. Music is such a strong passion for people, and the experience you get from streaming just isn't the same."

What makes a piece of vinyl particularly collectable?

Holt: "It depends on what makes it collectible to you. If you want an asset that you can sell in 20 years to make some money, then you're looking at scarcity, provenance, hype, all those things. Whereas for me personally, I'm looking for records that soundtrack a moment that I was involved in, whether it's a club night or a gig, or an artist that I'm interested in finding. There are those hard factors of what's valuable in a monetary sense, and then there are the softer, human factors, just the desire to own something that you feel something about.

"I buy loads of records by artists that I like, but I don't necessarily like the records themselves. I'm a completist – I might really respect the artist, but I might think their 80s stuff wasn't much cop. Roy Ayers springs to mind – he's got an awesome catalogue, but doesn't kill it on every record. But I still need to have it!"

Have you auctioned any particularly valuable pieces of vinyl?

Bruh: "We had a test pressing of Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock that we got from Arthur Baker, who produced that record. And some of the Masters At Work acetates that came direct from Louie Vega are really limited, they sell for around $700 upwards."

What does the future hold for vinyl?

Holt: "Vinyl still has some problems to iron out, one of which is cost. A new record [can be] £40/50, which is expensive. The major labels need to be less greedy. But I think the demand for vinyl will continue, from the young and old alike. My local record store in north London is always busy, and it's full of people from all different generations. So I think vinyl has got a bright future. The world is moving more towards it again, which I find really heartwarming."

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“Don’t you already have that?” This is a question my wife frequently asks when I’m crate digging and start examining a record.

It's a fair one. She’s usually right and I do indeed already own a copy. And, for anyone not in the world of vinyl, understanding why I may want two of the same album can be confusing.

After all, there are entire swathes of the human race who don’t get physical media in general any more. Why bother with it when you can get it via a streaming service, usually with considerably less faff?

Over the years, we at What Hi-Fi? have discussed multiple possible reasons why vinyl fans, such as myself, have a neurotic need to hoard an ever-growing collection of spinning discs.

Our production editor, Chris Burke, for example, penned a magnificent piece explaining why “old is gold” for him when collecting vinyl last year.

Many of you, our discerning readers, have long espoused various audio benefits, arguing there’s a warmth and fidelity “you just can’t replicate” when listening to vinyl.

There are merits to each school of thought. But as I pondered why I get so fussy about which specific pressing I own, and will usually end up buying more than one copy of an album if I really like it, I realised that my focus is slightly different to both.

Yes, I do value the history of a record. Like the absurdly affluent Dark fan who paid £19,000 for a copy of the first pressing of the band’s Dark Round The Edges album, owning a piece of music history is appealing. It’s the same logic as first edition books, which I also love.

And yes, I also care about audio quality, and understand why some buyers are obsessed with getting newer premium 180g/200g "audiophile" pressings.

But neither is my main focus. Instead, I’d argue, the perfect vinyl is the one that gets me as close to the artist's intended vision as possible – and that doesn’t mean automatically going for an original pressing or a modern “remastered” one in every instance. It’s more nuanced.

For example, let’s talk about The Beatles. One of the biggest bands in the world, so there are a lot of pressings out there, ranging from stereo remasters of early ones to fancy new “hi-res” Dolby Atmos versions claiming to be “the ultimate choice for audiophiles”.

I don’t care about any of them. My focus, especially for their body of work from 1963 to 1968, is on pressings containing the original mono mastering that the band themselves slaved over and released with their personal blessing at the time.

I don’t want a new version that none of them was involved with, even if it is technically better. That’s why I always search for the original mono pressings when visiting second-hand stores or boot sales.

Then there’s the jazz classic, Kind Of Blue, by Miles Davis. Here I’d actually avoid buying the original. This is because, believe it or not, one of the three tape decks used to record it was faulty, so there are very noticeable speed issues on original and older copies. The problem was only retroactively fixed with a remaster in 1997.

Because of that, while I would like an OG pressing for my collection, for actual listening, I own a newer remaster that fixes the original version’s speed issues, so I can hear what each maestro actually played, as they intended.

Or, if you want an even more modern example. This Record Store Day, the album I’ve earmarked as a treat to myself is The Cure's Acoustic Hits (25th Anniversary Edition).

First, because I love The Cure. Second, because front man and main composer, Robert Smith, was involved in the remastering of the original acoustic sessions, which were recorded as a partner for the band’s 2001 Greatest Hits collection. So, in many ways, the modern, cleaned-up version is closer to his intended vision, hence why I want it.

It’s all down to context, and, as is often the case, the devil is in the details when it comes to my preference for which specific pressing of an album I want. The only connecting factor is that I want it to be as close to the artist's vision as possible. Outside of that, there are no sacred cows.

Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below, or on our social media pages and forums!

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We asked, you answered. For our annual Vinyl Week celebration, we went looking for the UK's best independent record shops, and we thought we would consult those in the know: you, the readers.

You did not disappoint us.

You gave us recommendations from all over the UK, including Worcestershire, Malborough, Guildford, Cardiff, Manchester and beyond.

So whether you're looking for a new 12-inch or to pick up a bargain secondhand LP, these shops should be on your list.

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Some record stores inspire a devout following, but rarely do they contribute to a major life decision. Unless they're Kingbee Records in Chorlton, Manchester, that is.

Reader Mal Rowley describes it thus: "Fantastic shop. The holy trilogy of excellent taste, fair pricing and frequency of new stock. Been going for 30 years and not a week goes by without a find. Never stale."

They go on to add: "One of the reasons I bought a house here." We assume this is said with tongue firmly in cheek, but if it's half as good as Mal says, maybe it should start appearing as a feature on Rightmove listings.

Reader 'jamesrfisher' says his favourite is Resident in Brighton, originally because it had the first Public Service Broadcasting album as an in-store. "Since then it has expended its vinyl selection and taken over the store next-door," he writes. "It's a Brighton institution" thanks to its "great staff" who are "all very helpful." Sounds right up our alley.

Sticking with the south coast, Clocktower Records in Bridport also gets a big thumbs up. Reader 'Tobes' writes: "Great range, friendly staff. Just ask for Roy!" And tell him we sent you.

See the gallery of record stores below:

Cardiff's Spillers Records – which claims to be the oldest record shop in the world – also gets a mention. Reader 'mikerees52' describes it as "a great place to shop for lots of different genres." Seeing as Robert Plant recently dropped in to receive his plaque as a Record Store Legend, we've no doubt it's a quality record shop.

Not all the shops on our list have such A-list pulling power, or such historical significance, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of inclusion. A record store is all about its stock, the community it attracts and the service it provides. And according to one reader, Ben's Collectors Records in Guildford excels in these areas.

The store is "brilliant for anything second hand, some sealed originals and hard to find vinyl and CDs," writes reader 'DaveC'. It also offers "exceptionally affordable prices" while owner Ben is "very helpful and has an amazing musical knowledge."

If customer loyalty is the true test of a record store, then Sound Knowledge in Marlborough passes with flying colours. Reader Thomas Hartwell writes that it "has been my go-to for about 30 years! Wonderful staff and they host gigs too." What more could you want?

So there you have it, some of the UK's best independent records stores, as chosen by you, the readers. If you're ever in the vicinity, make sure to pay them a visit.

Did we miss your favourite? Write in and let us know.

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It’s Vinyl Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and while we’ve covered records from a wide range of artists and genres, there’s one special subset that I think deserves a bit more credit.

As someone who spends much more time in our dedicated home cinema testing room than our hi-fi stereo listening space, I find myself listening to a lot of film soundtracks.

I often use soundtracks from the likes of Dune, Interstellar and Blade Runner: 2049 to test the best soundbars, smartphones and home cinema amplifiers, and this has begun influencing my day-to-day listening habits, too.

The likes of Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Göransson, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are amongst my most frequently played artists on Apple Music, but a few recent trips to record stores prove that their influence extends way beyond streaming.

Now, I’m a huge proponent of physical media, as I’ve often rambled about here. 4K Blu-rays, especially special edition box sets and steel books, are my weakness, so the idea of adding a physical soundtrack to supplement my physical movie library is as incredibly tempting as it is financially concerning.

I think that there’s also something to be said for the preservation of movie soundtracks that vinyl is supporting in the same way that Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray are doing for movies and TV.

Rifling through the options at shops – including HMV, Rough Trade, and even Tower Records in Tokyo – unearthed everything from home cinema test room favourites. Yes, I’m talking about Blade Runner 2049, alongside likes of Barbie, Inception and Top Gun Maverick, and recent releases including Stranger Things, F1: The Movie, and Wicked.

However, there are also scores from cult classics and indie movies that are nestled in between them. I spotted the soundtracks for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Taxi Driver, Lost in Translation, Blade II and, perhaps unsurprisingly, every Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson movie imaginable.

As is the case with 4K Blu-ray preserving titles that can often be swallowed up and spat out into obscurity thanks to the streaming algorithms, it looks like vinyl records are ensuring that film soundtracks are given an equal opportunity to stand the test of time.

If you’re a cinephile looking to scratch the physical media itch, and 4K Blu-ray isn’t cutting it, then I’d recommend heading to your nearest record store to see what gems they have in stock.

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While the team at What Hi-Fi? HQ have been working hard on everything turntable-related for Vinyl Week 2026, I’ve been preoccupied in Japan with Denon and Marantz to see their latest innovations in hi-fi and home cinema.

While most of that is top secret, I did get a chance to explore some of Tokyo, including a stop in Shibuya. Home of the famous crossing that crops up in countless films, including (but not limited to) Lost In Translation and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the trendy, bustling high street is also home to one of my favourite shops of all time.

Tower Records Shibuya, for those unfamiliar, is a goliath of a retailer, offering up eight whole floors of vinyl, CDs, cassettes, merch, accessories and hi-fi equipment.

It’s a fantasy land for those obsessed with music, with every genre from J-Pop to hip hop, folk to metal, and indie to film soundtracks represented. Each floor has a theme or gimmick in this regard, which makes browsing this overwhelming shop surprisingly easy and fun.

My go-to floors are the sixth and seventh, with floor six being dedicated almost entirely to vinyl records across every imaginable genre. During my recent visit, I found everything from Charli XCX’s Brat to Jeff Buckley’s Grace, and even the soundtrack to Blade II.

There are entire sections dedicated to specific artists – yes, the Taylor Swift section is the first thing you see when you enter this floor, and it is spectacular – though you'll find a huge mix of artists and genres organised alphabetically in rows along this floor.

Funnily enough, there was a whole wall dedicated to film and TV soundtracks right by the entrance, which supports my argument that more home cinema fans should get into vinyl to preserve their favourite soundtracks.

It’s a feast, and it’s easy to get lost in there both physically and figuratively. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the latest releases are also playing over a pretty bold sound system on this floor, which had me Shazam-ing away gleefully in between flicking through old and new vinyl.

For a change of pace, you can head to the seventh floor, which is dedicated to CDs. There is every imaginable genre and artist here, and if you’re unsure, then you can find a pair of headphones and a “listening box” attached to most of the shelves.

These are loaded up with snippets of the nearby albums, and there are usually a few to cycle through. This try-before-you-buy idea is also a great way to find an artist or album you’d otherwise never have considered.

Sure, I could scour my streaming service of choice to discover these albums, but physically sifting through CDs from artists that I'd never heard of before felt way more authentic and tangible.

And I think Tower Records Shibuya's authenticity is what keeps me coming back. There is a genuine love of music on display here, from the oversized posters promoting upcoming tours and festivals that adorn the exterior of the building to the practically infinite selection of music found within.

If you're obsessed with all things physical media and have some room in your suitcase for a few records, then I couldn't recommend adding Tower Records to your Tokyo itinerary enough.

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This album was the 1980s poster-boy for CD – but I massively prefer it on vinyl

As you would probably guess, as a member of the What Hi-Fi? Team, I love listening to music, ideally with the best setup possible. I’m lucky enough to be able to regularly listen to a range of excellent hi-fi and home cinema kit in our dedicated test rooms.

But at home, I don’t have the budget or the space for a turntable to play my limited collection of vinyl records. Lucky for me, though, there are other ways to enjoy vinyl with a great sound system.

Hi-fi bars, also known as listening bars, originate from Japanese kissa culture, which can be traced back as far as the 1920s. These are intimate, living room-like spaces where audiophiles can listen to music on vinyl as the core focus rather than treating it as background music.

This idea then spread slowly from Japan across the globe. In the UK, there are now countless listening bars to be found with a variety of musical styles and sound system setups. That includes well-known entries such as Spiritland, Kaiho, and Space Talk.

To see if this could be the antidote to my lack of vinyl experience at home, I ventured to Behind This Wall – a listening bar tucked away in an unassuming basement in Hackney, London. It calls itself “a lo-fi bar with hi-fi intentions”.

It claims on its website that the system was put together like a home stereo system and now is “an ever-evolving, loosely amalgamated and slightly rebellious organism.”

The system certainly consists of an eclectic collection of hi-fi kit, including a custom Technics SL120 turntable, a vintage Yamaha P2050 amplifier, and a pair of Elipson Planet L speakers (which we gave four stars to in a review way back in 2012).

Upon entering, I am greeted by relaxing, vintage decor that feels like being in a swanky living room. The low-lit setting consists of a bar and cushioned seating areas to chill with a drink in hand.

I turn up quite early in the evening and am the first one through the door, so it’s the perfect setting to sit and enjoy the tunes. I can imagine that on busier days, the tracks might be a little harder to hear, so that is worth considering when choosing what time to come.

The vinyl album being spun is a unique find – Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares by The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir. In fact, it’s a challenge to find the exact version online on vinyl, although I have spotted it for sale on eBay.

The disc, released in 1986, consists of beautifully haunting Bulgarian folk music, which makes for atmospheric listening. While I find myself speaking to my partner from time to time, it is easy to become engrossed in the music like I would if I were listening on my own system at home.

Behind the bar, the staff clearly have a passion for the music as they tell me about how they have been listening to the album outside of work just for the fun of it. The records played are hand-picked by the staff and DJ, with fresh music coming in each month.

Also on display are Eberhard Schoener's 1977 genre-blending Trance-Formation album, as well as Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do For Love, which offers a more light-hearted jazz vibe.

Hi-fi bars are certainly something I can see myself returning to in the future, especially if I were seeking out genuinely interesting music to add to my roster rather than relying on a streaming algorithm.

Some bars specialise in certain musical genres, such as Jumbi in Peckham, which offers “the sounds and flavours of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora”. That musical expertise, paired with a top-notch bespoke sound system, makes these listening bars a worthy recommendation for budding audiophiles to experience proper hi-fi listening before investing in their own setup.

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Record Store Day is coming, and if you've never dabbled in vinyl, now is the perfect time to start. But for many people, the world of turntables and vinyl records can be a daunting place: for the uninitiated, there's a lot of jargon to get your head around.

That's why we've put together this handy list of terms relating to record players and the vinyl they spin, along with explanations of what they mean. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should serve as a starter to get you acquainted with all the main bits of a turntable.

A friendly record shop should be able to explain what terms mean and what you need to know about them, but it doesn't hurt to go in with a little knowledge in advance. Happy shopping!

33 1/3 RPM
A rotational speed for vinyl records. It rotates the vinyl 33 and a third times every minute, which is the standard speed for 12-inch LPs.

45 RPM
A faster rotation speed (45 revolutions per minute, or RPM) used for singles, which are commonly referred to as 45s.

78 RPM
The even faster speed of 78 RPM, used for the vintage shellac records that were popular until around the 1950s.

Amplifier
See phono preamp/phono stage.

Anti-skate weight
See bias weight.

Automatic operation
An automatic record player will move the tonearm into position and place the needle on the record's groove at the press of a button. It will also move the tonearm back to its resting position once you press stop or the record reaches its end. Whereas a manual record player requires you to manoeuvre the tonearm into position yourself. Semi-automatic turntables require you to move the tonearm to start and stop playback, but will do it themselves once a record reaches its end (a feature that's known as automatic return).

Azimuth
The vertical angle of the stylus relative to the record's groove.

Belt drive
Belt drive turntables have the motor offset from the platter, and use a belt (or belts) in a pulley system to rotate the platter. This isolates the platter from unwanted vibrations, but can make for an inconsistent rotation speed. Contrast with Direct drive.

Bias weight
A sideways force applied to the tonearm to counteract the inward pull caused by the record groove. Also known as anti-skate weight.

Bluetooth
Wireless technology found in some turntables that lets you stream records through compatible Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones.

Cantilever
The part that carries the vibrations from the stylus at one end to the magnets or coils at the other (depending on which kind of cartridge is used).

Cartridge
The component that holds the stylus, and transforms the information it picks up from the record's grooves into electrical signals. Also known as a phono cartridge, it comes in two main types: moving magnet or moving coil.

Counterweight
The adjustable weight at the back of a tonearm that dictates the force with which the stylus sits in the record groove.

Deck
Another term for turntable.

Direct drive
Direct drive turntables have the motor directly under the platter. This allows for faster start-up speeds and better rotational stability, though it can mean more unwanted vibrations. Contrast with belt drive.

Dust cover
The plastic lid that protects your record player's components – and the vinyl itself – from dust, dirt and airborne debris.

Electronic speed change
This lets you change the playback speed between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM by pressing a button or flicking a switch, rather than manually moving the drive belt.

EP
Stands for extended play. A record that is longer than a single but shorter than a full album.

Gatefold
A more premium form of vinyl packaging that folds out to encompass more artwork and sometimes a double LP.

Groove
The spiral track that runs from the edge of the record inwards towards the centre.

Headshell
The section at the end of the tonearm that holds the cartridge.

LP
A long-playing record i.e. a full album. Contrast with EP.

Mat
Usually made of cork, felt or rubber, the mat is a circular disc that sits on the platter but beneath the vinyl record. It protects the record from vibrations and minimises static. Also known as a slip mat.

Moving magnet
A type of cartridge in which the magnet is fixed to the cantilever and moves while the coil of wire is fixed in place. Contrast with moving coil.

Moving coil
A type of cartridge in which the wire coil is fixed to the cantilever and moves while the magnet is fixed in place. Usually found in more expensive cartridges, but tends to deliver lower output levels than moving magnet designs. Contrast with moving magnet.

Phono cartridge
See cartridge.

Phono preamp/phono stage
The component that amplifies and equalises the signal received from the cartridge in order to create the sound that can be heard through the speakers. A phono stage can be built into a turntable, an amplifier or set of speakers, or it can be a standalone unit.

Platter
The circular rotating disc upon which the record sits (on a slip mat, naturally) during playback.

Plinth
The body of the turntable itself, which houses and supports all the components.

Plug and play
A more accessible style of turntable that works straight out of the box with no need to add an external phono preamp, balance the tonearm or calibrate the cartridge. Some even have built-in speakers, though the sound quality will suffer.

RPM
Revolutions per minute. The speed at which the record spins – either 33 1/3, 45 or 78 RPM.

Sleeve
The packaging of a vinyl record.

Slip mat
See mat.

Spindle
The metal rod in the centre of the platter, it centralises the vinyl record in place during playback.

Stylus
The hard point, or needle, attached to the cartridge that tracks a record's groove to read the information stored within and transmit it to be converted into sound.

Sub-platter
Provides support for the main platter and connects to the motor via a drive belt.

Tonearm
The movable support that the cartridge is attached to.

Tracking force gauge
A tool that measures the downward weight that a cartridge exerts on a vinyl record. Setting this weight correctly will avoid skipping and possibly damaging the record.

Tracking weight
The downward weight that a cartridge exerts on a record, as measured by a tracking force gauge.

Turntable
Another term for record player or deck.

Vertical tracking angle (VTA)
The angle of the stylus in relation to the surface of the record, which dictates how the it sits in the groove.

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When Dire Straits released Brothers In Arms in 1985, it was kind of a big deal. Not because it was the first album to be certified ten times platinum in the UK and spent 14 non-consecutive weeks at Number One in the album charts (and nine weeks at Number One on the Billboard 200 in the US). Not because it remains the eighth best selling album in UK chart history. And not because it's a great record.

It is all of those things, but its real significance for hi-fi fans is that it will be forever associated with the compact disc, being the first CD to surpass a million copies in the nascent digital format and ushering in the future of music listening. In fact, you could say the album was made for CD – being one of the first albums to be recorded and released fully digitally. While most music was still being made to analogue tape, Brothers In Arms was recorded to a Sony 24-track digital tape machine, a decision born of main-man Mark Knopfler's constant striving for better sound quality.

Dire Straits' perfectionism and skill in producing – Knopfler (who had already produced no less than Dylan) and Neil Dorfsman helmed the process – together with the new, crystal clear audio promised by the new digital format made this the perfect marriage. And it pushed the compact disc from niche interest (CD players were expensive in the early ’80s) to mainstream dominance almost overnight, as audiophiles embraced its hi-fidelity sound, convenience and hardiness.

Living in the Eighties

But, as a teenager in 1985, I didn't have a CD player. Not very many people did, certainly not that I knew. Indeed, I remember a school friend bringing one of the famously 'indestructible' new discs into class, covering it in Tippex and saying, "Bet it won't play now."

CD players themselves were luxury items, and sometimes those early machines were thought of as less reliable than tried and tested record players. Even Dire Straits keyboardist Guy Fletcher recalls their label Phonogram (part of Philips) sending the band a load of CD players which "all broke within a week… Philips' technology was cutting edge, but it wasn't very robust".

So, naturally, I listened to the album on vinyl. I loved it, of course, and had no idea what I was missing out on by not hearing the recording in its apparently intended format.

In case you've never heard it (and I'd urge you to go and listen to it, on any format, right now) Brothers In Arms is a beautifully produced, musically brilliant, wonderfully crafted album that spawned a number of bona fide ’80s bangers. In general its sound is characterised by Mark Knopfler's unique guitar playing, but there's also rich orchestration with various synthesizers replicating the likes of pan pipes, accordions and more. There's also both slap and fretless bass going on – musically it's proper 1980s value for money – something for everyone.

And, talking of which, as it's just celebrated its 40th anniversary, there are a few special vinyl and super-affordable remastered CD options out there. Whichever format floats your boat.

Brothers in… tonearms?

Which brings me back to my point. While vinyl was not-dead-but-resting, I also bought Brothers In Arms on CD – which, since I became a die-hard vinyl revivalist, has sat in the attic gathering dust.

My Gen-Z daughter, like many of her peers, loves CDs (they're cheaper, for starters), and was going through my attic-bound CD collection when she unearthed several Dire Straits albums. I was inspired to listen again to the digital version of Brothers In Arms, with a handful of tracks A/B tested against my beloved vinyl copy.

Note that this is far from an exact experiment. I wasn't listening through What Hi-Fi?'s reference system in our treated, optimised listening rooms. My own gear is 'entry level', comprising an Audio-Technica AT-LP5x, an ageing Cambridge Audio Azur CD player, played though an Arcam A5 amplifier feeding Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk2 speakers.

What would I find? Would the rose-tinted specs be crushed underfoot and the veil fall from my ears as I embraced the pristine clarity and cleanliness of the higher digital resolution? Or would my obstinacy over vinyl's warmth keep my listening rooted in the ’80s?

Well, grab hold of yourselves, because we're about to answer the question once and for all – is vinyl better than CD? (Of course we're not, it's just for fun, folks…)

Money For Nothing

As Sting's "I want my MTV" vocal starts up along with atmospheric fretless bass slides, thunderous drum fills and otherworldly synths that rise to a crescendo before breaking into that timeless guitar riff, there's almost immediately no contest.

The CD version presents a much sharper, cleaner, noiseless background on which the instruments find more accurate placement and clarity, and drum beats land with greater precision.

But, dropping the needle on my 1980s vinyl pressing, I'm struck by the relative warmth of the guitar sound; in musician's terms, it's like comparing the warmth and overdrive of a valve guitar amp with a transistor equivalent. That warmth is immediately familiar, and I'm almost, though not quite, moved to air guitar. Still, I have to concede that CD wins this one.

Your Latest Trick

Again, with the CD version there are levels of detail present that seem, if not lost, muted on vinyl. Maybe I'm imagining it, but there are licks in the intro's guitar work I'd not picked out before, and even some lyrics present themselves with greater clarity and nuance.

Instrumental strands feel more precisely separated – but maybe in this instance, that isn't necessarily the best thing for listening. Your Latest Trick's sax-led smokey jazz bar feel is undoubtedly better served by vinyl's textural qualities: the drums sound warmer, the saxophone feels moodier, and in particular the cross-stick on the drums sounds slightly more behind-the-beat jazzy. Knopfler's laid-back drawl feels richer, too. Vinyl wins!

Brothers In Arms

Of course, one of the potential downsides of vinyl is the inevitable crackles and pops, which when heard in contrast with CD's cleaner canvas now distract a little too much from that atmospheric intro. In comparison, CD's low-noise backdrop allows the thunder that rolls across the ominous start to the track to sound richer and more detailed.

But in some ways the cold precision of the digital version rather detracts from the achingly sad melancholy. Drummer Omar Hakim (well known for his beat precision) lays down some cross stick here that, actually, sounds too metronomic. Listening to the LP, the track's synth accordion sounds more lush too, as does the Hammond. I'm going to call it a win for vinyl on this one.

Why Worry

Hate to sound like a stuck record (arf), but again on vinyl, the warmth in that guitar sound, and the synths, gives the track a textural richness that is just a little preferable to the coldness of the digital version. And now the most fun part, as it's the last track on side one, I get to turn the record over! Vinyl wins! Wait, I have to get up out of my chair? Daaamn.

On CD, though, the instrumental placement is astonishing, as if the guitar is in the room with you. That crystal clarity of the digital recording provides a contrast that's intentionally stark. In that way it's like the stark lines of a cubist painting rather than the warmer, more textured work of an impressionist.

Way more detail is unearthed on CD, especially from the piano and gentle, sparing guitar licks – while the drums sound particularly detailed, in that you can more clearly hear the sympathetic ring of the kit. I've never heard the fretless bass so clearly, either. Then again, I hate fretless bass, so I'm going to call this one a draw.

Walk Of Life

On CD, the hit song's famous organ refrain, and the way the second synth line comes in at the start, are almost startlingly evident; in fact, those multiple synth lines that comprise the track's intro are all really cleanly and clearly defined, while there's more resonance in the vocal "woo-hoo"s, too.

Comparatively, the vinyl version sounds a little muddier – the same synth lines are all there, but it feels more muted, more homogenised. And across all the tracks via CD, it's just easier to pick up more of Knopfler's intonations, the tone and character in his vocals. Got to admit, this one's better on CD.

Either way, aren't physical formats brilliant?

So, when you add it all up, it's a dead heat. There's no denying that CD resolution, detail retrieval and clarity is way better than vinyl; but there is still a warmth and tactility in the vinyl version that personally I can never quit.

Obviously there are subjective factors at play – for me, that record means a lot to me in the format I grew up with, and I've never felt the same connection to CDs as with my vinyl collection. I will always prefer the physicality of records, and collecting them appeals more to my heart, despite my brain discerning the clear difference in ultimate sonic quality.

Either way, whether you're a bigger fan of vinyl or CDs, both are good excuse to get down to your local record store and support sales of physical formats.

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The price of groceries, the threat of World War III, my wife’s insistence that Emerald Fennell's “interpretation” of Wuthering Heights isn’t “that bad”: there’s a lot to get angry about right now.

Which is why, middle-aged, reformed mosher that I am, I’ve found myself revisiting several of the bands I used to use for a cathartic vent as a teenager recently.

From the swooning, bellows of AFI's Davey Havok, to the politically charged screams of Zack de la Rocha, a steady stream of late ’90s and early noughties albums have been spinning on my turntable over the past few months.

But one in particular has been on repeat recently, Rage Against the Machine's second album, Evil Empire.

Why this album, over Rage’s wider body of work? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

First, it’s about to celebrate a pretty big milestone, turning 30 years old on the 16th of April. Second, I can’t help but feel it's a bit of an unappreciated, forgotten gem, even among Rage Against The Machine fans.

Even among fans I know, while everyone remembers the singles, especially Bulls On Parade (which I celebrated in our last Now Playing column), these days, most of the attention goes to the band’s self-titled debut album. And in some ways, I get why that's the case.

1992’s Rage Against The Machine is 100 per cent one for the history books, with the band's funky bass and drums intermingling with Tom Morello’s unique guitar style and Zach de la Rocha’s furious hip-hop vocals to create something truly unique.

Honestly, at the time, there was next to nothing like it, outside of maybe Faith No More’s Epic. As a sprog, it blew my mind.

And as a cohesive piece of work, it is better. Every track stands in its own right, but the album flows seamlessly from banger to banger, making it easier to listen to from start to finish.

• Buy Evil Empire by Rage Against the Machine at Amazon

This is likely why, until recently, I only owned the first album on vinyl and relied on streaming and my old CD copies for Evil Empire and The Battle For Los Angeles.

I say until recently, as after a quick trip to the record shop last month, I finally treated myself to a copy (sadly, it isn’t the first pressing; instead, it's a copy of the 2012 European 180g re-release I unearthed while crate digging).

And after revisiting it on the format, I feel I've finally given the proper time of day, listening to it from start to finish, in my comfy chair – not rock’n’roll, I know, but my knees aren’t up to thrashing or pogoing anymore…

For starters, the pressing made me realise quite how compressed most of the streams are, especially when listened to on Bluetooth headphones, which is how I've generally listened to Evil Empire as an adult. Rage Against The Machine may be famous for being loud, aggressive and rowdy, but there’s actually a lot of virtuosity to the band’s playing.

Much of which is lost in poor streams which push the sound loud, but cut out subtle details – the specific phrasing of Morello’s siren-esque lead guitar, minor vibrato in de la Rocha’s voice, swells in volume in Tim Commerford’s thundering bass, the attacking rhythmic precision of drummer Brad Wilk's grooving percussion.

You hear so much more, especially with the dynamics, listening to the album properly, rather than on a cheap stream.

This is especially true of Evil Empire, which has some stellar hidden gems. Roll Right, whose intro evokes a sense of UFOs flying overhead, with Morello’s guitar rapidly jumping in volume and from left to right, is one highlight.

Or my personal favourite, Revolver, whose experimental intro sounds like a complete mess when listened to via a low-quality stream, but on vinyl is truly immersive, laying the groundwork for the thundering groove-metal riff that erupts from it.

Then there’s the overall added depth you get, with the extra dynamics making the frequent breakdowns and exploding riffs just hit harder and have the impact the band wanted.

There’s so much to appreciate on the album. Which is why, not only do I recommend any Rage Against The Machine fan take the time to revisit Evil Empire, 30 years on, I’d also call on them to do it with a decent source and hi-fi set-up. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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What's better than getting your hands on some brand-new vinyl? Getting your hands on some brand-new special edition vinyl, that's what!

Every year, Record Store Day looks to raise support and awareness for independent record stores and the medium of vinyl itself by serving up an extensive selection of exclusive releases and limited edition records.

This year, the official Record Store Day 2026 takes place on Saturday 18th April – so mark out time that day to get down to a participating vinyl store and get your hands on some rare goodies.

To mark the occasion in conjunction with our own Vinyl Week 2026 celebrations, we've highlighted some of the most enticing releases that will be going on sale this RSD 2026. You can peruse the full, lengthy list of exclusive RSD releases at your leisure – below are the ones the What Hi-Fi? team is hoping to nab and add to our vinyl collections.

• Check out the full list here at Record Store Day 2026

Live at Metropolis by Kokoroko

One thing that struck me about this year’s Record Store Day list is the sheer number of releases. The rise in popularity of RSD and vinyl in general has unsurprisingly seen an increase in artists looking to offer something to fans during the event – but it also means there are plenty of releases that perhaps aren’t that special.

Happily, Kokoroko have risen to the occasion and offered something unique. Live At Metropolis, coming out on Brownswood, the label founded by the DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson, is four songs recorded in one take and cut live to vinyl at Metropolis Studios in London.

This four-track EP features Higher from the Get The Message EP, Idea 5 from the band’s 2025 album Tuff Times Never Last, plus a never-before-released cover of The Sweet and Innocent’s Express Your Love. And a mysterious fourth track, which is always good.

One-take recordings have been released by everyone from Miles Davis to The Beatles, delivering an authentic version of a piece of music that seems like the perfect fit for a special vinyl release.

Words by Joe Cox

Discover the Record Store Day release here

Laura Marling Live at Albert Hall, Manchester

Folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling has one of those voices that I could listen to forever. Full of rich depth, maturity, stark emotion and delicacy all at once, her songs throughout the years have never failed to charm me with her bewitching, confessional and melodic power.

This double LP edition captures her acclaimed performance at Albert Hall in Manchester in 2025, with one half focused on just her solo with a guitar, while the second part features a four-piece string quartet and a choir as she performs the 2024 album Patterns in Repeat in its entirety. Beautiful.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Discover the Record Store Day release here

Lo-Files by Bring Me The Horizon

A hi-fi magazine recommending a compilation of lo-fi covers? Sacrilege! Heresy! Fetch the pitchforks and burning torches!

It's a bit of an oxymoron, fair enough, but the idea of a 23-track album of lo-fi renditions of one of this generation's most popular heavy metal groups just seemed too quirky and incongruous to ignore.

This new collection features tracks from pretty much every era of BMTH's catalogue, from 2013’s Sempiternal through to 2024’s POST HUMAN: NeX Gen, reimagined into more laid-back reinterpretations by some of the most popular lo-fi producers around.

Has your headbanging been getting in the way of your study time? Consider this the perfect middle way for all you Type A rockers out there.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Discover the Record Store Day release here

Acoustic Hits by The Cure

The Cure are cool. Anyone who says differently can get in the sea. Acoustic sets are also cool. So what happens when you combine the two? The Cure’s Acoustic Hits record, that’s what.

It’s top of my wish list right now, as while I’ve got nearly all of the band’s long, diverse portfolio either on vinyl or CD (even the post-Bloodflowers stuff), I never got around to investing in the 2001 Greatest Hits collection, which the Acoustic Hits album was originally a companion for.

Why bother getting a greatest hits record when I already have the songs on the actual albums, right?

But with a newly remastered pressing out, one done by legendary frontman and primary composer Robert Smith, from the original 2001 cuts the band recorded at Olympic Studios in London, the timing feels right to complete my collection.

The album features alternative takes on most of The Cure’s classics. These include a rather splendid reimagining of Friday I’m in Love – the song my wife and I got married to – as well as a beautiful new version of Just Like Heaven.

Trust me, if you’re a fan of the band, you’re sure to find something you like among the 14 tracks in this Acoustic Hits vinyl.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Discover the Record Store Day release here

Perfect Sound Forever by Pavement

Hi-fi fans will know that "Perfect Sound Forever" was the advertising slogan used by Sony and Philips when launching the first-ever CD player in 1982.

Pavement fans will know that the band's third EP of the same name has never undergone a re-pressing since it its original release in 1991, and this special 10-inch white vinyl edition includes seven early tracks from one of the best US bands to come out of that early '90s underground indie/alt rock scene.

These tracks capture Pavement's early sound that helped them achieve cult status, with heavy distorted guitars, somewhat sardonic half-sung/half-spoken vocals, and a raw, lo-fi sound that became entangled with 90s slacker culture. Home is my personal favourite.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Discover the Record Store Day release here

God's Son by Nas

We regularly give Nas' seminal classic Illmatic a spin when putting a new turntable's talents to the test in our listening rooms, and across the hip-hop icon's reasonably extensive back catalogue, it's hard to find many duds.

Inspired by Nas' struggles following the death of his mother, God's Son is one of his most personal and emotive records, shrinking the lens down from the struggles of black urban life and class consciousness to something smaller and more intimate, but no less effective.

2026's special edition is the first colour pressing outside of the US, described by Record Store Day as "a record that has scarcely been available in Europe since 2002". Owning a Nas vinyl album is cool, but owning a Nas vinyl album that's historically been super tough to get hold of is super cool.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Discover the Record Store Day release here

KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, HUNTR/X Edition

Look, I want the goodies.

Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters is a global phenomenon and now an Oscar winner for its hit single Golden, and I have been utterly charmed by the music and the animation of the film: a fun, fast-paced story of warring K-Pop bands blended with Korean folklore and supernatural elements, and the triumph of friendship.

I've had my eye on the standard vinyl for ages, but its price felt quite steep. With the RSD 2026 release, you get plenty of extra goodies to make it worthwhile: a fold-out poster, sticker sheet, snapshot cards (3 of 12 versions), and a 'special effect' vinyl featuring original art by one of the film's artists, Marion Bordeyne. Her neon-splashed artwork is gorgeous, and I can't wait to get my hands on this exclusive release.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Discover the Record Store Day release here

From Bebop to Blue by Miles Davis

We know there are jazz and blues fiends who will sniff out collectibles like pigs hunting for truffles, and no special editions are more worth seeking out than those produced by the mind and mouth of the legendary Miles Davis.

From Bebop To Blue offers a silver and black triple vinyl package of three LPs which track the younger Davis' journey to becoming the titan he would eventually come, featuring the likes of Boplicity, So What and All Blues.

The whole set features exclusive text and specially integrated photos, as well as key dates, places and personnel behind each track. A proper collector's gem aimed quite unashamedly at enthusiasts and collectors alike.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Discover the Record Store Day release here

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Dirt. I have it on vinyl. I'm not talking about the classic Alice In Chains album, although I do have that record. No, I'm talking about literal filth in my grooves, some of which may well have accrued for 40 years.

Now obviously over the years I've 'cleaned' my records – meticulously (but admittedly only occasionally) wiping with cloths and sprays to get rid of dust, hairs and fingermarks from the surface of records. I've held them up to the light to check their cleanliness relative to before, then put them back on the turntable and assumed it was the best that could be done.

But, it's only now that I truly appreciate just how deep down and dirty records can get. Recently, I was given a Spincare 'Record Cleaning Machine' (around £60 on Amazon) as a birthday present.

This involves mixing cleaning fluid with filtered water in a kind of tiny bath with plastic rollers (adjustable for record size) at either end, and soft cleaning pads in the middle.

You immerse your record to just below the label, turn three times clockwise and three times anti-clockwise, wipe the water from them with a lint-free cleaning cloth and put them on a drying rack for 10 or 20 minutes.

These types of record cleaning devices have been around for years, of course, but it's the first time I'd tried one myself.

A restorative effect?

I expected this ritual to have more or less the same results as wiping records over with spray and a cloth, but cleaning the records this way not only removed a lot of the pop and crackle that dust and dirt invariably causes, it actually had a restorative effect.

I've written before on What Hi-Fi? about looking after your old records, and bemoaned my copy of Nirvana's Nevermind, bought from Jumbo records in Leeds the day it came out. Within a week, back in my student flat with its wonky floors, I'd scratched it. And for nearly 35 years I'd resigned myself to the fact that Smells Like Teen Spirit would never not jump in the middle.

But, since putting the 1991 classic through the Spincare, miracle upon miracle, it no longer jumps at all. It turns out that it was not actually damaged per se, but rather it was dirt/dust/smudges or whatnot making it jump.

My similar-vintage copy of The Breeders’ Last Splash, jumpy on the first track for as long as I can remember, has been similarly cured. And, after putting a huge swathe of my vinyl collection through the Spincare, I was finding yet more albums that benefitted substantially from a good bath-time.

The obvious point here is that not only can your eye not really see the state of what's in a record's grooves, but sticky fingers (not the Rolling Stones record, although that came up nice too), dust ingrained in the grooves, cat hairs, even fibres from paper record sleeves, can so easily affect your vinyl replay. And it clearly doesn't take years to gather there. Nevermind was just two weeks old when it somehow amassed enough grot in its grooves to have me think it must have been damaged by tonearm-jump.

I've since cleaned most of my records, some with genuinely noticeable results – and let's just say my wife really did not look after her part of our collection. I've had my work cut out with several Dylan records and 'classics' from Poison and the Quireboys. But you know what? They've all had a new lease of life.

Other methods are available

To test an alternative approach to vinyl cleaning, I also tried Secret Chord Analogue Record Restore (around £150). More than just cleaning the vinyl, the claim of this Australian product is that by brushing a special proprietary gloop onto each side of a record, leaving it to dry and set, and then peeling it off, any dirt and dust would be taken away with it, leaving your vinyl all shiny and new.

Does it work? To a point, although the process is somewhat fiddly, especially taking the layer of resin off, which is not as easy as it looks and comes off in little bits unless you really paint it on thick in the first place. Sadly, the first record to receive this was a recently acquired but frankly awful-condition copy of The The's Soul Mining – which Record Restore could not, with the best will in the world, restore.

Several dirty but essentially undamaged records have, however, come up nice after the Record Restore treatment, but really it's horses for courses. The main thing is, whichever method you choose, don't underestimate the effect of dirt, visible or otherwise, on your records.

I also now give my records a going-over with an anti-static brush. One or two of my albums, particularly picture discs, use nasty plastic covers that, while you can see through to the record itself, can cause static on the surface of your vinyl – which is another common cause of crackling and popping.

You don't need to spend a fortune on a record cleaning machine, either; although you can – on the likes of the Keith Monks Prodigy (around £1295), or Pro-Ject's VC-S3 Premium Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (£399). But, as I found, the simple, budget Spincare did the job at a mere fraction of the money.

Whichever method you chose, I'd urge you to give your collection a properly good clean. You might just resurrect an old favourite or two to good-as-new.

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Never heard of the Rega Planet turntable? We wouldn’t blame you. It was the company’s first product and was introduced in April 1973. Rega made it for only four years before phasing it out for the more conventional-looking and hugely talented – and now iconic – Planar 3 model.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The inaugural Planet was originally supplied without a tonearm, which wasn’t unusual back then. Most buyers went for something such as the highly regarded SME 3009 arm with good results. However, Roy Gandy, Rega’s co-founder, wanted to sell complete units, and the search for a suitable tonearm for his new deck led to a company called Cosmocord.

Cosmocord had plenty of stock of the Acos Lustre tonearm, and a deal was struck whereby it would supply the tonearm to Rega and take care of the distribution of the complete deck. The record player became the Acos Rega Planet while the agreement lasted (around a year), and then the Acos branding was dropped once Rega took charge of its own distribution.

Take a close look at the sample provided to us by Rega, and it is remarkable just how much of the Planet’s design is still reflected in the company’s current turntables.

To our eyes, the Planet ooks for all the world like an early Planar 3 with a fancy trio of pods to support the record. And, to a large extent, that’s exactly what it is.

That distinctive platter-less design was inspired by the premium Transcriptors decks of the day, with Gandy deciding that his first product needed something distinctive to stand out in what was already a crowded turntable market.

Early versions of the outriggers used chrome-plated brass, which was later changed to silver anodised aluminium with an inlaid rubber ‘o’ ring, as on our sample. The outrigger arrangement still looks stunning, and it is hard to keep our eyes off the deck when the pods are spinning with no record on top.

There is, however, a reason that just about every turntable on the market uses a flat platter to support the record. Those pods leave large parts of the record unsupported, and those sections pick up airborne vibrations, which adversely affect sound quality.

This is why the company moved to a more conventional platter design (though ultimately in glass rather than aluminium) for the Planer 3 that followed.

The Planet’s plinth will look entirely familiar to those who know Rega’s turntables. In this earliest incarnation, it is a chipboard piece that is black laminated on all its surfaces. This makes the structure relatively light and rigid – parameters that the company’s turntable designs have continued to prioritise over the years.

Gandy’s early experiments with plinths led him to conclude that excess mass was a bad thing, due to high noise-transmission and energy storage.

There was a long search for an appropriate motor. Rega eventually settled on one made by Philips and imported into England by a company called Impex. The motor was principally used in pinball machines, but it had qualities that Gandy wanted.

It ran at a lower speed than the others he had tried, which meant he could use a larger pulley and smaller centre drive hub. The result was a quieter operation with less vibration.

It took months of development to engineer a suitable way to mount the motor onto the solid plinth. In the end, a combination of a rubber ‘o’ ring and a suitably positioned metal plate did the trick. This arrangement allowed accurate motor alignment and good decoupling, while providing enough motor-body movement to compensate for any irregularities in the drive belt.

Those belts were bought as 3mm continuous cylindrical lengths of rubber, cut to size and then hand-glued end-to-end by Gandy. Enabling the drive system to cope with belt irregularities was certainly sensible.

As for the Planet’s feet, these were from a company that made rubber door stops. Originally, Gandy bought off-the-shelf designs, but after a number of weeks (and regular orders, we suspect), the company made bespoke feet for Rega. These were deeper and softer for added clearance and better isolation from support vibrations.

How does the Rega Planet sound today? Our test sample is straight from Rega’s vaults and is an early Acos Rega Planet fitted with the Acos Lustre arm. The cartridge fitted is Rega’s current entry-level moving magnet, the Carbon, which is a solid, balanced performer for its modest £35 / $75 price.

We connect the Planet to our reference system of Cyrus Phono Signature/PSX-R2 phono stage, Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, as well as a more price-compatible combination of Rega Brio Mk7 and KEF LS50 Meta speakers. Regardless of the partnering system, the Planet turns in a charming though not flawless performance.

Speed stability could be better, and the Planet isn’t the most dynamic performer. It’s fair to say that any current Planar turntable, including the entry-level Planar 1, gets more out of the record groove. Yet, we can’t help but enjoy ourselves.

We spend a few days working through our record collection, taking in large-scale classical symphonies such as Beethoven’s Fifth, old jazz classics such as Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis and modern pop productions such as Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever set. The Planet succeeds in putting a smile on our faces.

This is no sonic microscope. It doesn't dig out the last grain of information from the record groove – and the fitted Carbon MM isn’t going to do that, either. However, the Planet is a fun and interesting listen.

The information it does dig up is presented in a cohesive and balanced way. Music flows when played on this record player and, even by current standards, communicates the emotional content well. The latter point may seem like a throwaway line, but it is still surprising just how many hi-fi products, almost regardless of price, fail in this important respect.

While rhythmic precision isn’t impeccable, we get a good sense of musical momentum and involuntarily tap our feet with tunes that encourage such behaviour. Large-scale dynamic swings, such as in the Beethoven symphony, are soft pedalled, but lower-level intensity shifts still come through satisfyingly.

The tonality of a record player is largely dictated by the cartridge, and the Carbon is a nicely balanced performer. It doesn’t go overboard at either frequency extreme, avoiding any annoying peaks or troughs in frequency. The Carbon may be modestly priced, but it steps out of the way of the music better than most moving magnets at its price.

That sentiment applies to the Rega Planet as a whole. It isn’t massively revealing or insightful by modern standards, but put on your favourite record, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it. When that record ends, we think the temptation to put another one on will be strong.

Ultimately, when a piece of hi-fi encourages you to listen to another piece of music, it's doing its job well. Judged in this context, the Rega Planet still does the job.

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How much are you willing to spend on a vinyl? Twenty bucks? One hundred?

This is a question every collector faces whenever they make a trip to the record store, or rummage for LP gold at a pop-up fair, as I regularly do whenever Dig a Little visits my local pub.

And, for many of us, it’s an important one, especially when haggling with a trader and it's all too easy to get caught up in the moment.

If you're not smart, you’ll end up like me, overpaying for an album you’ve already got multiple copies of, just because it’s a pressing you don’t have – and not necessarily a better sounding one.

It's this inability to find a ceiling for my own spending habits that led me to pitch and write this feature, chronicling efforts to track down the most expensive vinyl in the world for our Vinyl Week event.

And while it may not be the most expensive ever, after a quick Google search, research on Discogs and a chinwag with various specialist auction houses, the idea led me to discover Dark’s Dark Round The Edges album, which sold for £19,000 at Omega Auctions in 2022.

Not heard of it? You’re not alone. Even speaking to fellow collectors and the editors at our sister publication, Louder, I was met with a series of blank faces. Adding insult to injury (for Dark fans), editor of Prog magazine, Jerry Erwing, tells me:

“It's more atypical of fuzzy psych of the era rather than prog. Listening to it, what does strike me is that, as with so many of these kinds of albums that somehow amass cult following, followed by great fiscal power, how unerringly ordinary and, to be brutal, boring it sounds!”

So, how does an album that most people haven’t heard of and is, as Jerry says, “unerringly ordinary” come to sell for nearly twenty grand?

What makes Dark special?

Speaking to Omega Auctions' Director of Operations and Consignments, Dan Muscatelli-Hampson, the obvious starting point is the album’s rarity.

Only 12 copies of the original pressing were made, and the one sold at auction was originally gifted to the owner by one of the British psychedelic rock band's members when it was first released in 1972.

“It was released in very limited quantities. This example, specifically the black and white gatefold sleeve, was produced in a run of only 12 copies. It acquired cult status amongst collectors through the years since release,” Muscatelli-Hampson tells me.

Muscatelli-Hampson adds that, even with that in mind, the auction house originally valued it significantly lower, and that album sales this high are still incredibly rare, even with "Holy Grail" finds like Dark Round The Edges.

“Pre-sale, we placed an estimate of £6,000-£10,000 on the record," he explains, "this was based on our experience through the years of working with rare and valuable records. We always expected that we would likely beat that auction estimate on the day.

“A sale price of £19k and quantities limited to 12 is in no way common. The vast majority of records are produced in large quantities, and the average values are far lower than that. Collectors will pay premiums for records that were produced in smaller quantities or that did not sell well at the time, and so therefore there are less available on the market. Where these factors are combined with the quality of music being high (such as on the Dark LP) – that’s where you can get into the ‘top tier’ of price bracket.”

Editor’s Note: I still have an LP of my university band, Sad Potato’s debut, self-titled album. As far as I know, it’s the only one in existence, and I am very happy to part with it for a cool £19,000. I'll even sign it for you.

But why this one in particular?

But aren’t there other albums this rare, from bigger-name acts? That was the question I was left with, the answer to which still eluded me.

Doing a call round with independent record store owners, I discovered that there’s a key factor, other than its rarity, that adds to the allure of rare vinyl. One that, as Flashback Records CEO Mark Burgess notes, only really makes sense if you’re in the fandom.

“In terms of your basic question, there is a basic answer, which is market forces. A record is worth what someone will pay for it, essentially,” he says.

“Copies come up for sale very rarely, so when they do, there is a bit of a frenzy around the sale and buyers get super-competitive, which will push the prices up at auction. There are many other records of equal rarity which do not command the same sort of price tag as the Dark.”

Burges goes on to point out that, in this sense, albums like Dark’s aren’t being bought like traditional vinyl, and that as a trader it’s better to think of them as antiques, ones which will likely continue to go up in value.

“These artefacts are now more than 50 years old and are starting to become valuable as ‘antiques’. The sort of person who spends £19,000 on an LP will probably never actually play it – they probably just wanted it as a trophy in their collection, for personal satisfaction and to impress their friends. They can also be pretty sure that the value won’t go down any time soon,” he says.

“The supply of these rare records is getting tighter and tighter as time goes on, and the rarity value of these items in good condition is only going to go up. So the rare market is booming across many genres, not just ’70s Rock. Reggae seven-inches', Delta blues 78s, ’90s rock and indie vinyl, Northern Soul and early stereo classical LPs are just some areas where there are very sought-after rarities.”

Steve Sexton, Senior Buyer at Sister Ray, mirrors the sentiment, arguing it’s largely about fandom and “owning” the history as much as the music.

“We’re all collectors, so the Dark album going for such crazy amounts is maybe the logical pinnacle of that. There’s a strata of customers who will want the first press 1A/1B matrix of records, in the ’60s market especially,” he says.

Is it worth it?

And this brings me to my final question: is an album ever really worth £19,000? Here, the answer is difficult. There are plenty of people willing to pay vast sums for the records they love. That’s clear if you look at Omega Auctions vinyl section, where numerous albums have been sold over the years for multiple thousands.

But, is it worth it? Here, as a collector, I think there is no universal answer. As noted by Relevant Records owner, Andy Powell, it all depends on the individual and specific record you’re looking at:

“There are plenty of Holy Grails kicking around, depending on what your bag is – it’s in the eye of the beholder.”

Do you agree? If so, which album would you be willing to part with vast sums of cash for? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media and forums.

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If you are serious about collecting vinyl, odds are you have heard of Discogs. It's one of the most popular sites to sell and buy second-hand vinyl, as well as keep track of your own collection.

A lot of these vinyl records, however, are on the expensive and rare side of the market. Whether it's a limited edition release or a hard-to-find first pressing, there are all sorts of reasons why an album can cost more than a turntable.

In honour of Vinyl Week 2026, let's take a look at the top ten best sellers from March on Discogs. Can you guess which album takes the number one spot?

10. Kissteria: The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case by Kiss

Sold for $3400 (approx £2530)

Fans of Kiss will certainly be tempted by this jam-packed vinyl collection, which launched back in 2014. It includes 34 albums from the face-painted rockers, such as Hot in the Shade, Hotter Than Hell and Alive!.

As you would expect at such a price tag, there are also exclusive offerings to please the top echelon of fans. Take the two LPs of You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best, which are exclusive to the box set. There's also a fair bit of merchandise thrown in, including oodles of promo posters, as well as a Kiss-themed vinyl cleaning cloth and turntable mat.

It all comes packaged in a rather chunky road case so you can live out your rock-star-touring dreams.

9. High Spirits by Joe Harriott Quintet

Sold for $3619 (approx £2695)

Released in 1965, this post-bop album is no longer currently available on the marketplace, as the most recent listing was snapped up for quite a sum of money.

The vinyl was originally released in mono, where all instruments and vocals are centralised in the mix, making it quite the find for audiophiles.

8. Girls Are Against Me by The Utopias

Sold for $3947 (approx £3000)

This seven-inch vinyl from The Utopias certainly does not get you much song for your money. There are only two tracks on the list, those being Girls Are Against Me and I Want To Go Back To My Dream World.

That adds up to just over five minutes of listening time. Both of these tracks are difficult to track down, either on streaming or on physical media, which explains the hefty price tag.

7. Sex Drive by Necros

Sold for $4299 (approx £3200)

Craving some hard-core punk? This 1981 release from Necros will certainly satisfy those urges. There are only four tracks on the vinyl, but it is one of only 100 copies that was originally printed and still includes the insert.

Missed this one? Fear not, there's another one on sale at the time of writing from £2590...

6. Sonates Pour Clavier Et Violon by Johann Sebastian Bach

Sold for $4481 (approx £3335)

That's enough hard rock, let's move even further back in time to some old-school classical works. We listen to plenty of Bach's repertoire in our test rooms due to his complex yet moving compositions that challenge every sound system.

This 1957 mono release was printed in France and features a cloth-bound gatefold sleeve to keep it pristine in your collection.

5. Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin

Sold for $4597 (approx £3420)

Leaping into the top five is Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album, which first flew the band to stardom.

This coveted turquoise edition is a first pressing from the celebrated rock group, and is sought after as only a limited number were produced before the label switched the colour of the text from turquoise to orange.

4. Barbie by Kenny & The Cadets

Sold for $6000 (£4465)

If you're a Beach Boys trivia expert, you may well already know that a few members crafted a one-off recording in the early 60s before the band really took off and adopted the name Kenny & The Cadets.

That release was Barbie, which is reminiscent of future Beach Boys tracks such as Surfer Girl. You can also listen to the bonus track What Is A Young Girl Made Of, making this track an excellent (yet expensive) addition for a Beach Boys fanatic's collection.

3. Super-Sonic Jazz by The Sun Ra Arkestra

Sold for $6666 (approx £4960)

It's easy to see why this disc sold for such a hefty price. The sold copy was a first pressing with the original cover, placing it among the earliest LPs issued by El Saturn Records – a label founded in the mid-1950s by Sun Ra, Alton Abraham and Artis Abraham.

The disc was also the first full-length album released by the label, cementing its importance in music-making history.

2. True Blue by Tina Brooks

Sold for $7241 (approx £5390)

I can practically hear all the jazz collectors sitting up in their seats. This is Tina Brooks' only record produced with the jazz legend at the helm in his lifetime, despite recording several others for the label. Others that he recorded did get posthumous releases, luckily.

That's only part of the reason the 1960 record might have sold for such a high price: fans on jazz forums have also speculated that the label pressed fewer than 1000 copies.

1. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd

Sold for $11,842 (approx £8815)

We have written a few of these lists now, and a name that pops up time and time again is Pink Floyd.

And this edition of Dark Side of the Moon is a real draw for hard-core collectors because, according to the seller, it is one of the first 300 copies produced. They even claim it belonged to a former EMI employee.

It is by far the priciest record sold on this list – any by quite a margin. Most of us will have to look on longingly at the lucky so-and-so who had the disposable income to be able to own and now listen to this best-selling album in practically its original form.

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It’s been about three years since the vinyl bug hit me. Since then, I’ve undergone two turntable system evolutions (many of you will be pleased to know I have a proper separates vinyl system now), and bought a lot of vinyl records.

The varying quality of vinyl pressing has been the most surprising element to me. I’ve been buying records from pretty much everywhere you can find them: HMV, Amazon, second-hand fairs, online at Rough Trade and other indie record stores, and even specialist pressings imported from the US. And while most have sounded perfectly fine (and some rather exceptional), I have been disappointed by a fair few of my vinyl purchases.

I don’t regret any of my purchases, but I can’t help but feel a drop in excitement when I put on a record – new or old – and it simply doesn’t have the depth of detail and dynamic range that I know I can usually hear from the vinyl format.

Some of the newer album releases I’ve listened to on repeat on streaming, for instance, haven’t really translated well over to the official vinyl pressing – such as a rather poor pressing of Wet Leg’s Wet Leg, and even Waxahatchee’s Tiger’s Blood, while second-hand crate-digging has left me with wildly different qualities too.

With prices still fairly high, it feels a bit of a gamble to buy a record that may or may not sound tip-top through my rather nice hi-fi setup at home.

The one type of genre that hasn’t failed me at all is video game soundtracks, as well as film and TV soundtracks.

Video game soundtracks have been an unexpected genre with high reward when released as a vinyl pressing. This is an immersive genre where the animation and artwork are the priority, but music can be just as integral to the gameplay. It lends itself brilliantly to the vinyl format and its packaging.

The result is that plenty of these video game soundtrack vinyl releases have absolutely stunning artwork, which brings back much of the joy of owning vinyl records with beautifully designed gatefold sleeves that you can pore over – or display as artwork – while the album is spinning on your record player.

Admittedly, most video game music perhaps isn’t as complex to reproduce compared with real instruments, but the ones I’ve bought so far have never failed to entertain. Games where the music is part and parcel of the game, like Florence and Sayonara Wildhearts, sound fantastic through the sonic lens of a great turntable system. My copy of Florence, with its beautiful cello and piano compositions, sounds lush, clean and open – full of insight and subtle dynamics.

There are plenty of games – such as Stardew Valley, Undertale, Hollow Knight, The Last of Us – where the soundtrack immediately is entangled with hours of gameplay. Played on vinyl, video game soundtracks can be mesmerising – you can be immediately transported back into the environs of the game, truly appreciate the music on its own (sometimes even for the first time), and they often prove to be lovely music to relax to.

Moreover, you also end up with some clever artwork. A Little To The Left (pictured above) is a beautifully designed indie cosy game about patterns and organisation, and the vinyl cover has two modes: a disorganised version and an organised one, and you simply put the cut-out cover on the one you wish to display. Clever.

It definitely helps when there is an organisation or record label who puts a lot of effort into the vinyl pressing to ensure it’s of a high quality. Merchandising company and artist collective iam8bit is the gold standard for these premium, collectible vinyl soundtracks – meaning you’ll get a high standard of vinyl pressing and gorgeous artwork that makes it worth the price. Many of these special issues drop for a limited run, too, so they aren't always easy to get ahold of.

Mondo is another company where they take very good care with their record pressings, and they have some great film, game and animation soundtracks available on gorgeous vinyl.

My most prized vinyl album is the limited edition (and long sold out) Mondo release of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Once More With Feeling musical episode soundtrack – you’ll probably have seen the red vinyl splashed across most of our turntable reviews, as it’s such a good quality pressing that we regularly use it for testing.

My Buffy vinyl came with exclusive gatefold artwork and a ‘Slaybill’ of liner notes; most of the Mondo releases similarly have exclusive artwork that creatively captures the mood and essence of the film. The excellent Home Alone soundtrack vinyl by Mondo, for instance, has the McCallister house and some of Kevin’s booby traps drawn on the gatefold.

The RSD 2026 vinyl release of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack includes new original artwork, a poster, stickers and collectable cards – which is why it’s my RSD wish list. I love the soundtrack too, of course, but the additional artwork and goodies are a great incentive, and why I’m more likely to try to get the RSD version rather than the standard vinyl.

For me, it’s what makes collecting vinyl a lot more fun, and it makes justifying the higher prices more amenable as I get some lovely pieces of art alongside the music I love. As I already own my favourite 90s/00s albums on CD, I end up having more fun finding albums that either originally came out during vinyl’s pre-CD peak, or searching for a fun, collectable soundtrack with great artwork and goodies. It’s why I find myself checking iam8bit and Mondo more regularly than I ever do Rough Trade or Discogs.

There are exceptions, of course. My copy of Clint Mansell's Moon soundtrack doesn't come with any goodies, but it sounds lovely on vinyl. Some of my best music vinyl purchases have come from the brilliantly named “interesting but just a little bit tatty” section in my local second-hand music shop (The Sound Machine in Reading), and these ones – Tom Waits’ Small Change and Son House’s Death Letter Blues – are some of the best-sounding records I own, with astonishing detail, dynamism and soul. It’s the kind of quality I keep chasing with every purchase.

Buying and collecting vinyl can feel a little like a lottery these days, especially if you care about the pressing and sound quality; most of the time, I do try to get past it and simply enjoy the album on my system. But it’s hard to ignore when you’re confronted with a disappointing, low-quality pressing with squashed dynamics.

So when I do find myself setting time and money aside for some new vinyl purchases, it’s the beautifully put-together video game and film/TV soundtracks I’ll search through first and put high on my wish list. So far, they’ve never let me down.

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Here's reason to celebrate: UK vinyl sales have reached an 18-year high. But not only is the format thriving, the shops selling it are, too – bricks and mortar stores have increased their share of vinyl sales by nearly a third since 2021, now accounting for 41.2 per cent of all purchases.

So when the UK high street is struggling, just how are record shops bucking the trend? As part of our Vinyl Week 2026 event, we went in search of answers.

A house made of dreams

One of the UK's most forward-thinking record shops is Dreamhouse Records in Leyton, east London. As well as selling sit-in coffee and having an alcohol licence, it runs regular film nights, a monthly dance hall night, hosts DJs, live bands and album launches, puts on live music for the weekly Saturday market outside the shop… the list goes on.

It all helps get people through the door and hearing music they might not have heard of before. But crucially, it also establishes the store at the heart of the community – which is where owner Jon Clifford firmly believes record shops belong.

"It's essential," he says. "People come in here as much for the sense of community as they do for the records. A lot of people come in just to chat about music. And I'm more than happy to do that. If you're just clicking online and waiting for a piece of vinyl to come through the post, you get none of that."

In fact, he says it's the reason he opened a record shop, after years of weekends spent dragging various family members around his favourite ones.

"It’s not just a transaction," he says. "I've got loyal regulars who have really bought into what I'm trying to do here. A very high percentage of my sales aren't just somebody bringing a record up to the counter then paying and leaving. It's a conversation."

And it's these conversations – and the good times they entail – that spread the word about the shop. "We're not in Oxford Street, we're in a side street in east London, the footfall isn't massive," Clifford says. "But if you create a good sense of community, people come back, and they tell other people about it. So it's really crucial to a record shop's survival."

Of Grave concern

For Richard Churchyard, the owner of Raves From The Grave in Frome, the community action extends to sponsoring the Frome Town FC football team, the Frome FM radio station, and the Frome Festival, as well as promoting local musicians. This publicity has helped offset some of the confusion caused by the shop's name.

"The name Raves From The Grave came from my surname," he says. "It's been a downside in some ways, because people think we only sell old music, or dance music. But after nearly 30 years in business, they've worked out that’s not the case."

As well as playing an active part in the community, it also hosts plenty of events, including listening parties for big album launches from the likes of Pulp and Gorillaz, a coffee cart for Record Store Day, DJs playing in store, and more.

"Things like that really help the shop stand out," Churchyard explains. "We're very established now, we get people coming from miles around because they don't have a shop like us near them."

But of course, since opening in 1997, it has notched up its fair share of regular customers too. "You know that certain people are going to come in every Saturday and pick up the new releases, and they always have a chat," Churchyard says. "Some of them stay for two or three hours, because there's always plenty of music for them to explore."

Staying Relevant

Like a lot of other record shops, Relevant Records in Cambridge has an onsite cafe that was part of the store's inception (though it's no longer run by the store). But it also goes big on local talent, featuring Cambridge-based musicians on its website and stocking their vinyl. "We're into the grassroots thing," as owner Andy Powell puts it.

"A lot of local bands want to put out vinyl in small quantities," he says. "And we'll always stock them."

The shop has been a fixture on Cambridge's Mill Road for 12 years, and is as much a place to drop in and talk music as it is to buy the latest releases. "It's always been a bit of a social hub, especially at the weekends," Powell says.

Like other independent record stores, it provides a much more fulfilling experience than buying vinyl online. "If you're into the physical media side of things, which a lot of people are, then there's no comparison – shopping in-store is much more of an experience." And not just because of the social aspect. "You might see something you didn't know you wanted and end up buying it. That's always a risk."

Thankfully it's a risk that lots of people are willing to take.

Sound reasoning

Of course Cambridge is a relatively metropolitan place, with lots of diverse influences making for a healthy local music community. Other record shops face a different challenge. As the only independent record store on the Isle of Man, Sound Records has a much smaller pool to choose from for the Sound Sessions it records for its website. Though it is casting the net wider.

"The island is pretty obscure for touring artists because we're pretty small, but we do get quite a few people come through, mostly legacy acts, but some local bands bring people over when they're co-headlining," says the store's owner, Gareth Simon.

Not that being small is any impediment to success. By placing itself at the heart of the local community, Sound Records has developed a strong reputation in the six years it's been in operation, especially with local musicians. That's helped in no small part by the shop stocking music accessories like guitar strings alongside vinyl.

"We help out local musicians any way we can," Simon says. "We're doing a shop-exclusive pressing of a local band called Silo, who are getting decent attention from Radio 1 and 6Music. But it's more about helping the aspiring musicians who haven't got that coverage, and that's really satisfying."

The nature of the island actually helps the store stand out, Simon says, as "there aren't that many interesting shops, particularly for younger people. So people do appreciate having a record shop like ours".

Buying vinyl online not only lacks the curated aspect, it lacks human interaction, too, which can throw up some interesting insights on people's listening habits.

"The teenagers that come in love vinyl just as much as the customers in their forties and fifties," Simon says. "The older lot were obviously there for vinyl the first time round, and the kids have figured it all out – they see vinyl as a way to express their interests in a physical form. But a lot of those in the middle, say late-twenties to late-thirties, a lot of them have no frame of reference. They've really missed out on physical media as a whole, they're like a lost generation. It's a real shame."

Our advice to them? Get down to your local independent record shop and see what you're missing.

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"The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl" – so says American humorist Dave Barry, and we have to agree. What Hi-Fi? is celebrating our 50th birthday this year, and vinyl and turntables have been the building blocks of our publication ever since we started in 1976.

The annual Record Store Day falls on Saturday 18th April this year, and we've been running our Vinyl Week 2026 event in the lead up to the big day, to celebrate this enduring analogue format.

So far, we've brought you reviews of Audio-Technica's most premium turntable yet, both of Sony's new affordable and capable turntables, and taken a look at the original Rega Planet from 1973. We've also spoken to independent record shops to find out how they are evolving beyond simply selling vinyl to become thriving community hubs, and we've reminisced about some beloved but forgotten turntables (it seems many of you had the Dual CS505-2!)

We've also been waxing lyrical about some of our favourite albums on vinyl – from Dire Straits to Rage Against The Machine to video game soundtracks – and share our picks from this year's exclusive RSD 2026 releases.

And there's still more to come: our TV/AV editor auditions a turntable in his home cinema system for the first time, we test a turntable with a CD player integrated, head to a trendy vinyl bar to find out what they're like, and get insight from hi-fi engineers about turntable design.

Check out our social media channels for exclusive videos from our test rooms, and you can stay up to date that with all the latest Vinyl Week 2026 features by bookmarking this page, or going to our dedicated Vinyl Week channel on the website, or signing up to our newsletter.

Whether you're queueing up for one of those special RSD 2026 releases or simply enjoying your vinyl collection at home, do get involved and drop us a comment to share your favourite vinyl album or record shop, what turntable you're listening on, or which new releases we should all be checking out.

Reviews

• Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 review: classy-looking turntable with a wonderfully clear, insightful sound
• Sony PS-LX3BT review: an affordable and excellent entry point into vinyl
• Sony PS-LX5BT review: a do-it-all turntable that offers a step-up performance from its cheaper sibling
• Mixx Analog+ review: Mixx extends an olive branch in the vinyl vs CD format war by integrating them both in one affordable, never-before-seen design. Does it work?
• Audio-Technica AT-VM740xML review: a polished and balanced moving magnet cartridge that does a lot right

Features

• Forgotten gems: 8 unsung turntables that deserve to be celebrated
• A hi-fi classic: meet Rega's first-ever record player, the Planet
• "It's not just a transaction, it's a conversation" – how vinyl record shops are thriving in the digital age
• This album was the 1980s poster-boy for CD – but I massively prefer it on vinyl
• I’ve started collecting vinyl records of this unusual music genre – and it’s been a lot more rewarding
• We pick 8 of the best Record Store Day 2026 releases – The Cure, Nas, Miles Davis, Pavement and more
• The 10 most valuable records sold on Discogs last month (March 2026)
• I visited one of the world's largest record shops, and it's like Disneyland for audiophiles
• Here’s why this “unerringly ordinary and, to be brutal, boring” vinyl record is worth £19,000
• This underrated Rage Against The Machine album holds a special place in my vinyl collection
• I don't have the budget for a turntable – is this solution a worthy alternative?
• “The next leap isn’t about making turntables heavier or more complex; it’s about making them more intelligently controlled systems” – Hi-fi engineers discuss where there is room for improvement in record player design
• If you’re a fan of 4K Blu-ray, then there’s an underappreciated sector of vinyl that you should explore
• Vinyl at its worst is still something special – just ask my seven-year-old
• Ask The Reader: these are the UK's best independent record shops, as chosen by you
• Pro-Ject's special edition, lightning bolt-shaped AC/DC Turntable shoots to thrill – and leaves us thunderstruck
• Is sound quality really the most important thing in hi-fi? Our recent testing has me wondering
• Controversial opinion: there’s more to collecting vinyl records than audio quality
• "It's still the best medium for the job" – the collectibles experts from Wax Poetics on why people will always buy vinyl
• Don’t call it a comeback – vinyl is here to stay, according to one of the UK's biggest music distributors
• The 16 best prog rock albums our hi-fi experts recommend for testing

Advice

• Don't dismiss the dirt – cleaning your records properly could revitalise your vinyl collection
• Vinyl on your radio? Discover 4 non-traditional but easy ways to listen to your turntable
• The A-Z of vinyl: a glossary of turntable terminology
• Sony’s new Bluetooth turntables have an ace up their sleeve – and it’s great for vinyl newbies
• The best vinyl and turntable accessories you need this Record Store Day
• Best Bluetooth turntables 2026: versatile record players tried and tested by experts

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Some seriously exclusive Queen memorabilia is set to go under the hammer as part of Propstore's next live music auction.

As one of the world’s biggest entertainment memorabilia auction houses, Propstore will be selling a host of big-money collectibles, including Queen memorabilia from the band’s head roadie and photographer, Peter Hince.

More than 60 items from Hince’s collection will be up for sale as part of the April auction, including Freddie Mercury's gold Shure 565 S microphone and the iconic frontman's backstage dressing gown, worn during the band's The Game tour during the early 1980s.

Perhaps the most exciting offering up for grabs, especially if you're a vinyl vulture, is a rare limited edition blue vinyl pressing of Bohemian Rhapsody.

One of just 200 specially commissioned pressings produced by EMI in 1978, the record was presented at a celebratory event at Selfridge’s, with an estimated worth currently hovering between £20,000-£40,00. If you're just a poor boy from a poor family, you can pretty much forget getting hold of it, then.

Other highlights from the auction include Mercury’s A Night At The Opera tour tambourine, John Deacon’s stage-used guitar pick, and even a 1987 Christmas card from Freddie Mercury, estimated to go for anywhere between £3000-£6000. Merry Christmas, indeed.

The auction will take place on April 30th, with bidding available online, by telephone, and via absentee bids.

Auction registration is open, and you can check out the full catalogue via Propstore's official website. Happy shopping!

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These are the best record players for playing your beloved vinyl

Record Store Day (RSD) is on the horizon, and to celebrate, we're hosting our usual Vinyl Week in the run-up. This covers all things vinyl, from the best record players to buy, to tips for buying second-hand vinyl and the best RSD special edition releases.

But we have a question. What's the UK's best independent record shop? And we want you, the readers, to help us answer it.

Maybe you have a long-term favourite that's served you well for years. Or there's one particular shop that specialises in a niche genre. Perhaps it's the staff that make it, and you pop there for a chinwag when you're not even buying anything. Or maybe you just stumbled upon a great little shop while on a weekend away somewhere.

Whatever the reason, we want to know about it. And if you don't have a favourite? Now's the time to find one! The Record Store Day website has a handy shop finder tool that lists all the stores taking part in the big day. If it's on the list, it's independent, with a high chance of stocking some great quality vinyl.

Just enter your postcode to find your nearest store, and head there to check it out.

What's the UK's best independent record shop?

Record shops are increasingly branching out to offer more than just a traditional shopping experience, with on-site coffee shops, album launches and live gigs now commonplace. If there's anything unique about your favourite record shop, make sure to let us know.

They're increasingly community-focussed too, providing an opportunity for like-minded souls to swap tips and talk music. So if your shop of choice does anything special to bring people together, we want to know about it.

You can tell us about your favourite record shop in the comments below, on our forum, or on our social media channels. We'll put them all together in an article for Vinyl Week, bringing you the finest independent record shops at which to go vinyl hunting this Record Store Day. And brought to you by those in the know: the What Hi-Fi? readers themselves.

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With Christmas on the horizon, chances are you’ve been thinking about what you’d like to get the special people in your life. You might have even thought about what you’d like them to get you, too. Maybe a new pair of wireless headphones, a music streamer, or even an OLED TV? Or, maybe you’re not sure yet.

As lovers of hi-fi and AV equipment, the What Hi-Fi? team’s Christmas wishlist is littered with equipment falling into the aforementioned categories along with physical media to help us better enjoy our existing gear.

So, if you’re finding yourself stuck for ideas on what to get people, or even what you’d like for yourself, hopefully our Christmas wishlist can provide some inspiration. Check it out below.

Arcane: Series 2 SteelBook

Words by Robyn Quick

SteelBooks, a premium collectable case for a Blu-ray or 4K disc, can be a divisive subject for many AV fans. For some, the idea of forking out extra for the same movie or TV show you can get from a standard 4K Blu-ray is pointless. But, others see it as a worthwhile purchase to celebrate your favourite content and keep it for decades to come.

As you may have guessed, I sit in the second camp. So, I could barely contain my excitement when I saw that the second season of Arcane has finally got a 4K SteelBook release, complete with custom artwork on the cover. It costs a whopping £50, but that hasn’t stopped me from putting it at the top of my Christmas wishlist. A person can dream, right?

The series was released on Netflix last year and, if you haven’t watched the show, I can only urge you to do so. It’s packed with jaw-droppingly beautiful animation from start to finish, all while set in a dystopian, steampunk-inspired world that will suck you in from the first frame.

Buy Arcane Season 2 SteelBook at HMV

LG C5 (OLED55C5)

Words by Joe Svetlik

I’ve needed a new TV for a while now, but the situation is getting ever more pressing. My current model is pushing 12 years old, which is about 96 in TV years. To make matters worse, I recently had a new TV cabinet made. Which is great, but it just throws the crapness of my current TV into even sharper relief.

That’s why I’ve added the 55-inch LG C5 to my Christmas wishlist.

Now I think it would fit in my alcove, but I have to be careful. A friend on our road recently bought a 55-inch TV, and despite careful measuring, it is just that bit too big, meaning it has to sit at a slight diagonal at all times. He would have replaced it with a more sensibly sized model, as his wife suggested, but in his words, he was being “a bit of a child about it.”

Why the C5? It won a What Hi-Fi? Award for its rich, punchy, crisp image and peerless feature set. And for me, 55 inches is the perfect size – cinematic without dominating the room. Providing it fits.

Joe Hisaishi – Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite) on vinyl

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Regular readers have likely figured out I am a bit of an anime fan. One that’s especially fond of Studio Ghibli titles. This year alone, I went to see the London stage production of Spirited Away and to the BFI to check out the 4K remastered version of Princess Mononoke on the big screen.

The latter was a particular highlight, with the work done to its audio reminding me quite how beautiful the music, as well as iconic artwork, is for Ghibli movies. So much so that there’s one specific record at the top of my wishlist for Santa this year – Joe Hisaishi’s Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite).

Though the original soundtrack vinyl is great, I’ve always been a big fan of the Symphonic Suite version, which saw composer Joe Hisaishi re-arrange it for a full orchestra. The result is a captivating listen that captures the film’s evocative, thought-provoking, but ultimately hopeful and sympathetic tone.

This makes it a fantastic listen from start to finish and one I’ve been wanting to own on vinyl all year. Here’s hoping Santa’s listening and didn’t spot the “incident” on Denmark Street that I was 100 per cent not responsible for in March…

Buy Joe Hisaishi – Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite) on vinyl at Amazon

Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas on vinyl

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s soundtrack to the 1965 special A Charlie Brown Christmas is up there with The Muppets Christmas Carol as encapsulating a kind of magic that transcends all time, ages and trends.

The whimsical yet sometimes muted jazz compositions match the Peanuts TV special beautifully, capturing the melancholy mood of Charlie Brown as he grapples with finding the true meaning of Christmas, while his friends mock and ridicule him, until, eventually, you get that lovely combination of friendship, kindness and warmth.

There are compositions in this album that are now synonymous with both Christmas and Peanuts (such as the bouncy, upbeat Linus and Lucy), while Skating is a personal favourite that fills you up with childhood joy and the feeling that everything will be okay. I’ve been eyeing up the Craft Recordings vinyl reissue (ideally gold foil package) for ages.

Buy Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas on vinyl at Drift Records

LEGO Retro Radio

Words by Harry McKerrell

If, like me, you’re at the stage of life where you’ve got various nieces and nephews running all over the place during the festive period, you’re probably going to be gifting quite a lot of LEGO this year, especially once your pint-sized relatives reach the stage where they’re not in danger of just trying to eat the blocks.

That’s all well and good, but who’s buying the LEGO for me? Millennium Falcons and pirate ships are a bit off-brand (still cool, though), so how about a retro radio instead? Inspired by the transistor designs of the 1970s, complete with that classic horizontal tuner, the radio is capable of making a few actual noises – though I’d predict that it probably looks a lot better than it sounds.

Buy LEGO Retro Radio at Lego.com

WiiM Pro Plus

Words by James Cook

In my experience, when listening to music socially, most people nowadays want the convenience of a wireless connection to a speaker and a music streaming application so everyone can queue up songs. And whilst I think it’s a shame that many have never listened to a vinyl record in full on a proper hi-fi system, there are merits to this, provided it doesn’t sacrifice too much sound quality.

For too long, I’ve been using a Lightning-to-RCA lead to connect my iPhone directly to my integrated amplifier for catering to social gatherings, so sound quality has, inevitably, suffered. That’s where the WiiM Pro Plus comes in.

This five-star, affordable music streamer is detailed, expressive and organised, and will slot nicely into my existing hi-fi setup without breaking the bank. It’s got a plethora of streaming options to choose from too, so I can enjoy convenient and collaborative listening without sacrificing so much sound quality – perfect for when I’m entertaining friends or family, or even those rare occasions when I can’t be bothered to stick a record on the turntable!

If you’re planning to do anything similar over the Christmas period, I’d recommend giving it a look yourself.

Technics EAH-AZ100

Words by Lewis Empson

I started 2025 with a flying visit to CES, the annual consumer tech trade show, with Panasonic, where the Japanese tech giant announced a new pair of wireless earbuds alongside its latest batch of five-star OLED TVs.

The Technics EAH-AZ100 immediately caught my attention; at the time I had a pair of EAH-AZ60M2 buds constantly lodged in my ears, so I was already a fan of the company’s work.

After a quick demo at Panasonic's launch event, and a follow up listening session back in the UK using our very own review pair, I was completely sold on these incredible sounding earbuds, and I’ve been pining after a pair ever since.

Their clean and spacious sound is befitting of a What Hi-Fi? Award, and I especially appreciated how expressive and punchy these buds sounded, meaning they perfectly suited my preferred music genres of alternative and pop.

I can’t forget to mention the “excellent noise cancelling", which would also make the AZ100 a perfect companion for my noisy morning commute.

These premium buds are at the top of my wish list, especially in that dashing new Midnight Blue finish.

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Words by Daniel Furn

As one of the newer members of the What Hi-Fi? editorial team, I was lucky enough to sit in on our reviewers’ extensive testing process during one of my first weeks here. The test I witnessed was none other than the five-star Sony Bravia Projector 7, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because the Bravia Projector 7 boasts incredible depth, superb contrast control and is quite simply a joy to watch. And a curse? Going back to my home TV, itself a very capable OLED, feels a lot less cinematic in comparison.

I realise that with a starting price of £6999, this very much falls under the “wish” part of a wishlist. But if Santa Claus decides he’s feeling particularly generous, then to have the rich, balanced, and detailed image of the Sony Bravia Projector 7 would very much be a Christmas miracle. Maybe if I’m particularly good next year?

PlayStation 5 Pro

Words by Tom Parsons

Look, I don’t need a PS5 Pro. Of all of the ‘Pro’ PlayStation consoles in history, it feels like the least essential, even to someone as graphics-obsessed as I am, but just knowing there’s a better version of the PS5 out there with slightly smoother, slightly shinier visuals is enough to nag at me.

There’s another thing at play here, too. My good lady wife has, at the age of [redacted], suddenly taken up gaming. She’s recently smashed through Ghost of Tsushima and The Last Of Us Part 1, and is about halfway through The Last Of Us Part 2. She’s got her eyes on The Witcher 3 next, and I know first-hand what a long, obsession-inducing game that is.

In other words, my current PS5 is in high demand these days, and it looks set to get worse, so it might be time to treat myself to a second one. And if I’m going to get a second PS5, it might as well be the best one that’s available, right? It is Christmas after all.

Buy PlayStation 5 Pro at Amazon

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X

Words by Andy Madden

As someone who spends a lot of their working time tethered to a laptop, I’m always on the lookout for a quality pair of headphones to make the time pass by. Of course, the best wireless headphones deliver convenience and quality, but when I’m at my desk, I don’t mind a wire or two getting in the way.

This is why I’ve been using the Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X on and off for the past few years. I’ve been plugging these cans directly into my MacBook Pro, and given I’m only using them with Amazon Music, I don’t really need to plug them into an external DAC, which helps to keep the wire count to a minimum.

So you can imagine the look on my face when I first read our Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X review. These headphones succeed the pair I’m using and manage to take performance forward in a number of areas, all the while remaining as comfy as your favourite pair of slippers.

I also don’t mind the fact that the Beyerdynamics are an open-back design. While I’m working solo, nobody is being annoyed by the headphones leaking my favourite tunes. It’s just something you might want to bear in mind if you add them to your wishlist.

It’s going to be a simple case of swapping out the old with the new, and I’d urge anyone looking for a simple and hugely effective way of boosting their own desktop audio to take a closer look at these classy over-ears.

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It's clear there's still plenty of interest in vinyl during the Black Friday sales period and in the run-up to Christmas.

The 'vinyl revival' is frankly old news and the popularity of records with young and old music lovers is clearly not a passing fad.

Amazon's vinyl records section is joining in the Black Friday fun, offering 3 for £66 on selected records. And that's what stopped me in my tracks.

• Browse all the Black Friday vinyl deals on Amazon

Was it a typo? Should it actually be 6 for £33? How about 30 records? I'm exaggerating but as someone who has been buying vinyl for three decades, could it really be that 3 records for £66 represents a great deal?

To paraphrase Principal Skinner from The Simpsons, 'Is it me who is out of touch? No, the price of vinyl really does seem to have gone through the roof.'

Of course, the rise in prices hadn't completely passed me by, but now that that the regularity of my vinyl purchases has slowed from a steady stream to a drip, I really was shocked to see that the cost of a new album can be the wrong side of £30. This does make '3 for £66' seem more tempting.

• Our pick of the best vinyl deals this Black Friday

And it's not just Amazon. The monster that is Record Store Day has now spread its tentacles into Black Friday and, while your local record shop experience may differ (and I'd urge you to go in and find out), a quick look on the Rough Trade website sees full-price releases at £40. If you have your eye on a double LP (let alone triple or more), then naturally the price rises further.

Rising production costs play a huge factor but it's hard not to think that record labels and artists are also making hay while the sun shines.

It's no surprise, then, that many people prefer buying second-hand vinyl – like my colleague, Chris Burke, who declared old is gold when it comes to record shopping.

Sites such as Discogs (which reported that vinyl was around 24 per cent more expensive than five years ago) are a mecca for fans of first pressings and checking matrix numbers, while auction sites such as eBay are also worth a look, though you need to take care when checking the quality of what you're buying.

Regardless of these inflating prices, I will always sing the praises of spinning vinyl. If you want the latest releases, it seems you're really going to have to pay for it, but for real bargain hunters, there's always the secondhand market – online and of course in stores.

And if you're completely on board with the cost of vinyl in 2025, then you might just want to take advantage of that 3 for £66 Black Friday sale after all. Meanwhile, I will probably dust-off something from my existing collection...

Black Friday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• LG C5 55-inch: lowest-ever price at Richer Sounds
• JBL soundbar: now better than half price
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• Sony headphones: now just £29
• Stereo amplifier: Cambridge Audio now £299
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals
• Vinyl: 3 for £66 at Amazon
• Wireless earbuds: Award winners now £75

About two years ago, I got really into vinyl. It technically started with a love for turntable design and how tactile they are to use. Having reviewed a series of superb-sounding record players of varying designs from Rega, Pro-Ject, Technics, Vertere and Michell in the last couple of years further cemented my love for turntables.

I then wasted no time in setting up my turntable system at home, even buying a lovely vintage cabinet on top of which the deck sat. That cabinet also doubles up as vinyl record storage, and while my collection remains small, it is growing... albeit slowly.

Vinyl records are on the pricey side, and while I peruse the second-hand shops and record fairs regularly, the choice is usually filled with artists I don't know or love (there's a lot of Steely Dan), or the quality of pressing is equally of a lucky dip nature.

I've decided, however, that there are big gaps in my vinyl collection that I need to rectify, and so have been scouring the Black Friday deals online to find any discount on classic albums and modern releases alike. Some, of course, are still full price – so far.

Here are my top vinyl picks in my shopping bag right now...

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Black Friday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals

Halloween might have been and gone, but nothing embodies the spirit of the living dead quite like vinyl. Abandoned by Sony in 1989 in favour of CDs, the format was expected to go quietly into the night, but due to its superior sound quality and consumer disaffection with digital platforms, vinyl has lived on, growing stronger with each passing year.

And now it comes in an adorable 4-inch size, the format's first physical change in decades. Tiny Vinyl is exactly what it says on the tin: a vinyl record, but smaller. Due to their tiny size, the discs can only hold a single track on each side. But they play on a regular turntable with no specialist equipment required. And for collectability, they really are hard to beat.

A different kind of vinyl

Tiny Vinyl has its roots in a different kind of vinyl collectible altogether. Neil Kohler (who co-founded the company with former concert promoter Jesse Mann) previously launched Funko, the firm known for its Pop range of stylised vinyl figures based on characters and artists like Freddie Mercury, Back To The Future's Marty McFly, Noel and Liam Gallagher and Bart Simpson. "We saw the resurgence of vinyl records and thought 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could make a record that was small enough to fit inside the package of a Funko Pop?'" says Kohler.

They approached a local record pressing company with a view to producing some samples. But Nashville Record Pressing turned out to be not just any local pressing plant, but a division of GZ Media, the world's largest manufacturer of vinyl records. Talk about a happy coincidence.

But the engineering process was far from smooth.

"It was important to us to play at 33 RPM so that it could play on a normal turntable without any special equipment," Kohler says. "45s are cool, and certainly there's a place for them, but we wanted it to work just like a regular 12-inch vinyl." It turned out to be quite a technical challenge.

The outer grooves of a standard 12-inch record have a much longer circumference than the inner ones, so information can be spread across them more widely. That’s why you get better sound quality from the grooves towards the perimeter. With the grooves closer to the centre of the record, information has to be packed more densely, which means less good sound quality.

Given that a Tiny Vinyl sits within the label of a regular 12-inch record, there really isn’t much room to work with – hence the short running time of just four minutes each side.

Nevertheless, the engineers at GZ Media found a way. Three months after sending off some master recordings provided by singer-songwriter Daniel Donato (a friend of Mann's from his concert promoting days) along with some artwork they had comped up, Mann and Kohler received the first ever Tiny Vinyl discs. "We were kind of shocked that they were actually playable," says Mann.

They gave Donato 100 copies to sell on tour, which he had to ration to avoid selling out immediately.

Validated, they produced a run for Rainbow Kitten Surprise, a band managed by one of Mann's friends, and news spread by word of mouth. A meeting with the buyer at retail giant Target soon followed. Now Target stocks over 30 Tiny Vinyls, including releases from big names like Rihanna, Ariana Grande, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe and Chappell Roan. You can see every release on Tiny Vinyl’s Instagram.

Decks appeal

Touring musicians love Tiny Vinyl, as not only are they eminently collectible, they're also much easier to cart around than a crate of 12-inches. And with streamers paying such piffling royalties, any extra merchandising opportunities are always welcome.

The sound quality of such a dinky record won't be up there with a 180g full-sized vinyl. But that hasn't stopped fans buying them – even if they don't have a way to play them; Mann points out that 50 per cent of vinyl buyers don't actually own a record player. "Lots of people put the vinyl on their wall to display instead, like a badge of honour," he adds. "It's a really palpable physical connection between a fan and an artist."

This is just one of the reasons he thinks vinyl will be around forever.

"Streaming is great, but it's almost too convenient," says Kohler. "It doesn't compare to holding something physically in your hands, opening it up, seeing the sleeve art, the credits and who they wrote with… You don't get that with Spotify. And you're not showing your favourite artist any appreciation by streaming them and giving them whatever fraction of a penny they get per play. If I buy the vinyl, or the CD, or the keychain, or the poster, I'm in. I'm a fan and I'm proud to show it. Tiny Vinyl is another way to say, 'I love what you're doing.'"

Opening the vinyl floodgates

So what’s next? Tiny Vinyl is planning a range of accessories for 2026, and would love to do something for Record Store Day, although the minimum required run of 2000 copies has proved "daunting" for the smaller independent labels and retailers whose day it is. But Mann and Kohler see Tiny Vinyl as an on-ramp to the world of vinyl records, a gateway drug for those who have grown up never experiencing the joys of physical media. Once you get one in your hands, it's hard to disagree.

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It's a good time to be a Bruce Springsteen fan! This week has seen in the release of The Boss' biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring The Bear's Jeremy Allen White in the titular role.

But Bruce fever doesn't have to stop when you step out of the cinema. If you want to experience the iconic tracks on your own turntable, we have spotted a great set of deals over at HMV that you might want to take advantage of.

The retailer is offering a bundle of three vinyl for £66, including Born in the U.S.A, Nebraska, and Lost and Found: Selections from the Lost Albums which features a curated collection of 20 previously unreleased songs.

If you bought these albums individually at HMV then it would add up to just under £100, so this is a saving certainly worth considering. While it would be a little cheaper than this at Amazon (clocking in at around £85), HMV's bundle deal will still help you save a decent £19.

Need a little more convincing? The vinyl albums included in this deal contain some of team What Hi-Fi?'s favourite Springsteen tracks (stay tuned for our list coming very soon covering the best Springsteen songs to test your sound system).

Take Born in the U.S.A from the album of the same name, for example.

It starts off with the barebones, consisting of just a steady snare drum and synths. Springsteen's raw and emotive vocals come in to lend the track an extra layer and, in his usual fashion, the lyrics are far from typical American patriotism.

He sings: "The first kick I took was when I hit the ground / End up like a dog that's been beat too much" to let us know this is a rebellion, not a celebration.

Then comes the more riotous drum beat and guitar part, creating a toe-tapping tune that is sure to please.

If you're looking for a selection of excellent vinyl to spice up your listening experience, this deal at HMV is well worth another look.

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It's time to take a look at the most expensive vinyl sales of last month, courtesy of the crate-diggers over at Discogs.

The world's foremost vinyl database is a treasure trove of information, from endless Beatles and Pink Floyd releases to obscure soul and house records.

You can 'dig' virtually to your hearts content or you can take the plunge and make a purchase if you see something you can't live without. The only problem? You can sink some serious money if you're not too careful.

Let's take a look at the top ten sellers from July. Set your face to stunned.

10. See You On The Other Side by Ozzy Osbourne

Sold for $2500 (approx £1850)

Fittingly, the 10th highest-selling record on Discogs last month (well, it was joint 9th strictly) came from the now sadly departed Ozzy Osbourne.

This huge box set, including signed certificate from the man himself, blood-spattered vinyl, transparent 7-inch and more, was released in 2019 and has commanded top dollar ever since. In fact, a near mint box set sold at this price back in April 2024.

That being said, the number of similar items on sale at the time of writing does suggest a degree of attempting to 'cash in' by some sellers, which represents the somewhat less agreeable side of vinyl collecting...

9. Farm by Farm

Sold for $2500 (approx £1850)

Reportedly only 500 copies of this album were ever pressed, having been recorded at the famous Golden Voice Studios in Illinois before the band split up (and the studios later burnt down).

As is so often the way in vinyl circles, this has become a legendary holy grail for fans of psychedelic rock. If you enjoy your 70s rock with equal parts blues and country, and plenty of spaced out guitar solos, this one's for you.

Having been a hard to find record for a few decades, it seems a few copies have emerged in the last few years... As one commenter puts it, "All these sealed ones popping up out of nowhere and no one questioning it or just how many this person has before dropping 2.5k lol". We can't put it better than that.

8. Night of the Living Dead by Misfits

Sold for $2550 (around £1887)

Another expensive Misfits vinyl release, this time for the horror punk band's third release. This 7-inch vinyl was released on the influential Plan 9 punk label.

Night of the Living is named after the 1968 horror film, and the song's lyrics borrow from the zombie plot of the film.

The band performed the single live at Irving Plaza in New York City on the night of the release back in 1979, and sold the single at the door. No doubt for quite a lot cheaper than this one...

7. 日本人 by Far Out

Sold for $2906 (around £2141)

If in doubt, always keep everything that comes with your records.

This expensive slice of 70s Japanese psych rock crucially come "with insert" – a four-page inserted piece of art and information on the band and tracks, without which you may not be paying quite this much money for the record.

However, it doesn't have the 'obi', which is a paper band that is wrapped around the spine of Japanese records, providing information about the album in Japanese. You'd need to find a bit more scratch for a release with that still intact...

And yes, that is the same Denon, though both the record label and the AV company have subsequently changed ownership a number of times.

6. Hank Mobley by Hank Mobley

Sold for $2999 (around £2209)

"This record is not bad but it's definitely in the 'more rare than good' category. Mobley made many records better than this one." Ah, never change, Discogs commenters.

One of the most important jazz (and music) labels of all time, this release appeared on Blue Note in 1957.

This album is considered to be one of the most collectable albums in the Blue Note discography (and that's a lot of records) due to the fact it sold poorly when it was released and wasn't subsequently re-released. Hence the price of this one.

5. Process Of Elimination by The Endtables

Sold for $3500 (around £2578)

Formed in Louisville in 1978, The Endtables lasted less that two years, releasing just one four-song EP while together – but those four tracks have really lasted the test of time for punk fans.

Drag City, an indie label from Chicago, combined tracks and live performances into a special release in 2010 but

Discogs reveals that this particular copy was reportedly sold by Squirrel Bait and Gastr Del Sol‘s guitarist, David Grubbs.

4. The Beatles by The Beatles

Sold for $3599 (around £2699)

Not just any Beatles record, but a Beatles record with a misprint! Misprints are like manna from heaven for collectors, so a Beatles misprint will always mean high prices.

The Beatles eponymous LP was originally released without E.M.I. Records on the label. A repress was ordered but not before this original became a holy grail for Beatles completists.

3. I Don’t Need Help / Frenchy The Tickler by Johnny K. Killens and The Dynamites

Sold for $4000 (around £3000)

Released in 1967, this is the only time this obscure funk record has been sold on Discogs – and from out of nowhere, it's been sold for £3000.

Deep City Records also released a handful of records by Helene Smith and The Moovers in the mid-1960s before going on a 40-year hiatus broken in the mid-2000s.

Discogs notes this record came to wider prominence after its inclusion on Numero Group‘s 2006 label compilation, Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label.

2. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

Sold for $4333 (around £3250)

Another month, another Pink Floyd record delivering someone a big pay day.

Mint or Near Mint copies of this first pressing command top dollar, even though the band was wise enough to order a hefty first round of pressings.

Case in point, there are 88 different runout variations (the blank vinyl space which contains etched matrix numbers and other details). Originally released with two posters and two stickers – if you've still got those, you can start spending your fortune...

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles

Sold for $5333 (around £4000)

Yes, it's that album again but this one is particularly interesting to us.

This 1984 release came courtesy of Nimbus, a British label known for its classical music discography, and respected by audiophiles for its “Supercut” versions. The label remastered these copies from the original tapes.

The label was also a pioneer of the Ambisonic surround-sound system, and became the first company to master and press CDs in the UK.

These Nimbus Supercut LPs were released as mail order promotions in conjunction with Practical Hi-Fi and Hi-Fi Today magazines during the early 1980s. They were available in limited quantities of around 1000 pressings per release. Don't say we didn't tell you it was worth subscribing to your favourite hi-fi magazine...

Tempted by this one? There's another one on sale for £20,000...

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Introducing a new way to listen to records: Tiny Vinyl! These adorable 4-inch records work on a regular turntable just like their 12-inch equivalents, but are a third of their size.

They run at 33rpm, and can only hold four minutes of music on each side. But practicality is not their main appeal – it's the cute, dinky format itself.

They're also reportedly better for the planet. They use 100 per cent bio-attributed vinyl and weigh just 15g each (a standard LP weighs around 140g). This means a lower environmental impact in terms of production and shipping.

US startup Tiny Vinyl has signed an exclusive deal with retailer Target to sell them in the US. The range includes releases from Chapell Roan, Katseye, Ghost, Doechii, Gracie Adams and The Rolling Stones.

You can see the full range here.

Each 4-inch record costs $14.99 (around £11 / AU$23), which is a lot to pay for a maximum of eight minutes of music. But they are adorable, and could be collectibles to boot. And for many vinyl fans, that will be priceless.

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Fleetwood Mac’s tenth studio album is getting three new special releases to mark its 50th anniversary year.

On 8th August, a Blu-ray Audio disc with a new Dolby Atmos mix will arrive alongside two brand-new limited-edition vinyl as part of the label Rhino’s series of high-end reissues.

This is the second of the band’s albums to be remixed in Atmos for Blu-ray Audio, following Rumours last year. The mix by Chris James (who also mixed Rumours and Tusk as well as Prince’s Purple Rain in Atmos) promises to deliver “a fully immersive experience” of the breakthrough album.

The Blu-ray Audio also includes a traditional 5.1 surround mix by original producer Ken Caillat and Claus Trelby.

The record release, meanwhile, is part of the Rhino High Fidelity collection and comes in two versions: one is limited to 5000 individually numbered copies, while another is limited to only 2000 copies and includes two replica 7-inch singles featuring the singles Over My Head backed with Rhiannon, and Say You Love Me backed with Blue Letter.

The vinyl has been mastered by Kevin Gray, who was also behind the Rumours 45rpm cut, and cut directly from the original analogue master tapes before being pressed on 180g wax.

By 1975, the year the Billboard 200 chart-topping album was released, Fleetwood Mac already had a storied history, of course, what with founder Peter Green’s era, numerous subsequent personnel changes, and a temporary disbandment behind it.

But it was just before then that Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Knicks joined the Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie lineup, and, beginning with the self-titled album, the band was transformed into the iconic group we remember today.

As featured in the new liner notes by music journalist Anthony DeCurtis, Buckingham recalls the energy surrounding that period: “I think we all felt that we had grabbed ahold of something and that it was going to take us wherever it was going to take us.” He adds, “It was a great sign that we were destined for something.”

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Amazon Prime Day isn't just about buying yourself a decent set of wireless headphones. Physical media is back on the rise, meaning you can nab a bargain on some very enviable vinyl releases as part of the big sales event.

After all, who doesn't love a lovely bit of vinyl to add to their collection? Whether you're just starting out or you're a seasoned vinyl hunter, we've pulled together some of the best deals to treat your record player for less this summer.

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If you're serious about collecting vinyl, you're probably aware of Discogs.

The website has become the internet's main resource for not only collating your record collection (in great detail) but also buying and selling secondhand vinyl.

And often, those records can be very rare and very expensive.

Whether it's a first pressing or a limited edition, a hard-to-find track or a deleted album, all sorts of details can make a specific release more valuable than the next. At least to someone.

The month of May was no different with ten records selling for more than $3000 (around £2200) and the most expensive vinyl making a tidy $6690 for one lucky seller.

Let's have a look in more detail at last month's most expensive records on Discogs.

1. Please Please Me by The Beatles

Sold for $6690 (£4926)

Who else?

The Fab Four are collected like no other band and have the discography to match, with stereo and mono pressings, UK and US releases, re-releases, re-masters, you name it. Oh, and lots of counterfeit records to avoid ("If George casts no shadow, it's a counterfeit.")

This month's big seller was a second pressing of the band's debut album, notable for the label crediting the songs to Northern Songs Ltd., the publishing company formed to manage John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s compositions, rather than Dick James Music Co. It is suggested only 900 such copies exist.

Beatles fans are also adamant that this is an excellent sounding stereo pressing (of course most of the Beatles catalogue was mixed and released in mono).

Just don't tell the person who sold their copy for £25 back in 2014...

2. Earth A.D. / Wolfs Blood by Misfits

Sold for $6500 (around £4778)

This release is a fine example of the level of insight you can expect from Discogs.

Head to the release page and you'll see users have logged 67 different versions of this hardcore punk release, thanks to variations in sleeve and vinyl colour, errors, new matrix numbers, a change in pressing plants... and on and on.

Released in 1983, it's the second and last record to feature founding member Glenn Danzig on vocals, and this particularly expensive copy is the purple version (sometimes listed as magenta, unhelpfully). Number of copies pressed? Unknown...

3. How To Make Lemonade by Beyoncé

Sold for $5680 (around £4175)

It doesn't have to be old to be expensive – but being a limited edition certainly helps. And that's the case here with this vinyl box set, which was limited to 2500, and reached its highest ever sold price last month.

Proving it's not just about the music, this release features two yellow vinyl records but also a 600-page coffee table book, behind the scenes photos, poetry and more.

Crucially, this particular release is 'sealed' – so it hasn't been opened let alone played or indeed read, let alone covered in greasy fingerprints.

Previous versions have been selling for under £1000, so it just goes to show the value, to some people, of a sealed copy...

4. She Likes To Dance by Dudley Birch

Sold for $5681 (around £4172)

This is classic Discogs: a 1980s soul record that only six (!) people have logged in their collections.

And with only two videos on YouTube, one of which is deliberately cut short, and no sign of the track on streaming, you effectively need to own the record to even hear the music.

This is the first time the record has been sold on the site, and it sold within days for a hefty sum. No wonder the only comment on the release page is, "Anyone have a copy they are willing to sell?"

5. You Laugh E.P. by No For An Answer

Sold for $5568 (around £4089)

The appeal of this particular record is pretty clear: only 36 copies were ever released. The live photo sleeve sets it apart from the more common versions.

It's the first time this has ever been sold on Discogs, as the seller noted in the listing, writing: “You and me will never see this again.”

6. Growers of Mushroom by Leaf Hound

Sold for $5135 (around £3771)

Not the psychedelic album you might expect from the name and cover, but rather a slice of 1970s hard rock that has gone from obscure to incredibly sought after since the turn of the century.

The band's eponymously titled first album was released on Telefunken in Germany before this Growers of Mushroom release came on Decca and featured all of the first album's tracks, plus a couple of extra songs for good measure.

Various reissues have appeared in the 2000s but this expensive item is of course the original release.

Missed this one? Fear not, there's another one on sale at the time of writing for £12,000...

7. Milkcow Blues Boogie / You’re A Heartbreaker by Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore And Bill Black

Sold for $4500 (around £3306)

This list is all about the most expensive vinyl (even though Discogs does cover CDs and cassette tapes) but this release is actually on shellac. Also known as 78s, they're made from resin shellac rather than vinyl and were a heavier and more fragile, earlier incarnation of the record.

No great surprise on the high price considering this was released in 1955 and is one of the first times Elvis Presley was recorded. This is also the first time this exact version has been sold on Discogs. A rare record, then!

8. Mosaics by Michael Rabin With Leon Pommers

Sold for $3920 (around £2880)

Another early stereo recording, this time from classical prodigy Michael Rabin.

Captured in the famous "Capitol Full Dimensional Stereo", the album has become highly sought after as an example of Rabin at the height of his powers, despite still being in his early 20s at the time of the recording. He sadly died at just 35.

9. Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

Sold for $3410 (around £2506)

"I'm all about Beatles records, but you have to be an absolute nutcase to spend thousands of dollars on an Odeon pressing of Yellow Submarine," says one cheery commenter on Discogs...

Can we explain this one? Well, as always there are many many versions of this record, but this one is an 'export' version for Europe, which might suggest a completist is completing their collection, and there were likely a relatively limited number released. And don't forget the gold Odeon sticker...

10. So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy

Sold for $3250 (around £2389)

We're dragged back into the 21st century by Fall Out Boy, delivering a real collector's item. This isn't a vinyl record or even a shellac, it's in fact a "CRYNYL". And what is that?

Well, it was marketed as the first ever album to feature the artist’s (Pete Wentz) actual tears diluted into a specially-made solution and then sealed into the record. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies, packaging includes a built-in tissue dispenser. Yes, really.

The record certainly looks stunning, so who are we to argue?

Elsewhere in the top 25 most valuable records sold last month were albums from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Dr. Dre.

Head over to Discogs to see the list in full.

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There's no two ways about it – physical media, vinyl especially, is back in vogue.

It feels like every week we write about the revived record, whether it's a story on vinyl’s record-breaking sales or a cool new special edition record we “need”, or a feature on why we love the format so much.

Based on my last round of interviews with record store owners (and going by the fanfare shown on TikTok), it is also clear that young people are showing an increased interest in vinyl, which is no bad thing.

But last weekend, I had a fantastic experience that demonstrates the phenomenon at a local level. Specifically, at a pop-up shop appearing at my local pub in north east London, The Forest Tavern.

Historically, the pub has been a pretty straightforward place when it comes to events. The weekly pub quiz, live music on a Saturday night, an annual disco for Halloween – pretty much the standard stuff you’ll find at most decent boozers in Britain.

But last Saturday it was taken over by Dig a Little, a local group that does the rounds in the UK selling second-hand records.

Sitting in my usual seat next to my wife, I witnessed the group, which includes two locals from the area, turn up and slowly build a shop area for people to browse their record collection.

And once they finished and packed up, something truly magical happened – it brought the community together.

Like most pubs in Forest Gate, the Tavern has a diverse clientele. Go in on any day and you'll spot West Ham football fans looking for a change of pace from the Boleyn Tavern (the classic Hammers watering hole, complete with a statue of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Ray Wilson and Martin Peters from the 1966 England team outside it), as well as students, young families, yuppies, pensioners and, well, couples like us.

Normally when I visit, while we’re all perfectly pleasant to one another, we all do the British thing, keeping to ourselves and avoiding any cross-fraternisations between groups.

And why not? I am happy to admit that my knowledge of football, let alone West Ham FC, is lacking and I have very little interest in changing that.

I also can’t imagine many of the other frequent visitors wanting to join in on a debate over which Power Rangers Zord is best – as we did over a game of Monopoly Deal during our last visit.

But on this hallowed day, vinyl worked its magic and these barriers briefly came down in my little corner of north east London.

It’s all about community

Within moments of the Dig a Little pop-up opening, people chatted away as they flicked through records.

Sure, there was some snobbery at the start. One of the older chaps next to me pulled a face when a young lad asked one of the organisers if they had any Taylor Swift. But his subsequent response was all about inclusivity.

I particularly enjoyed the grade-A lesson (rant) he gave the lad as he preached the virtues of Aretha Franklin and Sister Sledge, arguing that he should care more about those ”original” stars/divas than the newer “rip-offs”.

Each to their own, I guess.

The fact the organisers then showed him, and a growing horde of other seemingly curious vinyl newbies, how to check for scratches, what record-playing equipment to use*, and offered general advice about what to look for when scouring records made it all the sweeter.

*Don’t buy a one-box turntable/speaker system; go for a separate turntable and speaker setup if you can afford it.

I was also pleased to see that the wisdom being imparted didn’t fall on deaf ears. I heard at least two of the younger attendees ask their parents if they could get a turntable to play their new purchases at the event.

This was especially nostalgic for me as it took me back [redacted] years to when I made the same request after visiting a record fair with my dad as a kid.

Even the cool young adults were getting involved. The gaggle of mid-20s folks in baggy jeans and “vintage” nu-metal t-shirts – who I believe are the new version of hipsters – were rummaging through the crates next to me and the other grey hairs with zero judgement.

Anyone my age knows this sort of acceptance from Gen Z is rare. At least one of them has pointed and laughed at my Styx t-shirt in the past…

In fact, the only minor near-miss disaster occurred when I was chatting to one of the organisers and let slip the classic “Peter Gabriel is better than Phil Collins” bomb, despite seeing him place a record from the latter as a prestige piece on one of the tables.

In my defence, I’m 100 per cent right.

It's this part of vinyl that I love and feel doesn’t get sold enough. It is the community that makes vinyl, and music holistically, so special. And as the event went on, it left me with one clear thought: this is how we get young people into hi-fi.

That the younger attendees were getting involved and asking about the best hardware to play it on as the event went on shows this, and is a real positive in my mind.

Here’s hoping we see more events like it appear in the future, as it’s always nice to see people coming together over something as special as their shared love of music, especially in today’s world.

Either way, I had a blast sharing my passion with my fellow E7 pubgoers that afternoon.

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Pink Floyd's iconic 1971 performance, recorded in Pompeii’s ancient Roman amphitheatre, is receiving a release across multiple formats on 2nd May, marking the first time this historic concert has been available on vinyl.

The release presents the band's performance – famously filmed without an audience in the historic ruins – capturing the group at a pivotal moment just before they began work on their landmark album The Dark Side Of The Moon.

This significant restoration project follows the discovery of the original 35mm cut negative within Pink Floyd's own archives. Each frame has undergone meticulous hand restoration to create what Lana Topham, Director of Restoration for Pink Floyd, describes as "the first full 90-minute cut" that combines the original concert footage with additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments.

The technical aspects of the restoration are particularly noteworthy. Acclaimed songwriter, producer & Porcupine Tree frontman and Grammy-nominated spatial audio mixer Steven Wilson has created new audio mixes in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround and stereo formats.

The 2LP vinyl edition features the stereo mix spread across four sides, with the final side containing two bonus tracks – 'Careful With that Axe, Eugene – Alternate Take' and 'A Saucerful of Secrets – Unedited' – that also appear on the 2CD release.

The film itself captures Pink Floyd performing seminal tracks including both parts of 'Echoes', 'A Saucerful of Secrets', 'One of These Days' and 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun'. This period represents what many fans consider the band's most experimental phase, bridging their earlier psychedelic work with the more structured compositions that would follow.

The remastered film landed in cinemas and IMAX worldwide from 24 April, ahead of the physical formats like the vinyl and Blu-ray versions releasing on 2nd May. The latter includes both the 85-minute feature film, and the 60-minute concert performance, though omits the bonus tracks included on the vinyl and CD releases.

The 2LP vinyl edition can be snapped up by eager listeners for $41 / £38 / AU$100 – just make sure you pair it with one of the best turntables for the ultimate listening experience.

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How big is your vinyl collection? And how often do you add to it?

Back in December 2015, Ringo Starr auctioned off his personal copy of The White Album for a whopping $790,000, setting a record for the most expensive vinyl record ever sold that still stands to this day.

The reason it was worth so much money wasn’t just because it was owned by the former narrator of Thomas the Tank Engine, but because it was the very first copy of the album ever pressed, with the serial number 0000001 stamped on the sleeve to prove it.

While not everyone has a record worth the same as two Ferraris in their collection, most people who buy vinyl own something that’s particularly valuable to them, whether it’s through rarity, sentimentality, or some other reason that’s harder to quantify.

For this year's Vinyl Week and to coincide with Record Store Day, we considered asking Ringo to pick the next most expensive record from his collection but we’ve lost his email address, so here are the What Hi-Fi? editorial team’s most valuable records and the stories behind them instead.

Scott Garcia – A London Thing

Words by Joe Cox

I started buying vinyl out of necessity. Having dabbled with Britpop in my early teenage years, my head was turned by dance music, and by the time I was old enough to go to clubs (legally, at least), I aspired to be a superstar DJ. And in the late 90s, this meant buying records.

It wasn’t just that mixing vinyl records was a prerequisite for being a DJ (this was before CDJs and tracks on USB sticks) – it was literally the only way to own the music in question.

So my vinyl buying began in earnest, with weekends spent nervously asking to listen to new releases in record shops and spending £6.99 – a small fortune in the context of my paper round – on white labels, often with only one or two tracks on the record.

This means my relationship with vinyl was a utilitarian one. I wasn’t making a conscious decision to buy vinyl; it was simply the only option for the music I wanted, and how I wanted to play it. I was buying and playing records rather than collecting them.

Despite only ever mixing records with mates in our respective bedrooms, I convinced myself I needed to be buying every ‘big tune’ that was released in order to further my DJ career, a career which, while not actually active in any way shape or form, was surely only a matter of time.

Back in the real world, and 20-odd years later, this does leave me with more than my fair share of tracks that haven’t really stood the test of time. Amongst some stone-cold classics, of course.

But collectively they remind me of the time I fell in love with dance music; of messing about mixing records with mates; and learning how to interact with moody blokes behind record shop counters.

With that in mind, rather than plumping for the obscure dubstep record that Discogs tells me is worth £250, I’ll pick the record I was given by my mates for my 18th birthday: A London Thing by Scott Garcia.

DJ magazine called it an “era-defining UKG anthem”, and while it seems a little cheesy now, it does serve as the perfect reminder of my formative years – in life, music, and buying vinyl.

• Find Scott Garcia – A London Thing on Discogs

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Once More With Feeling

Words by Kashfia Kabir

It's no exaggeration to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer played a big part in shaping who I am today. My favourite TV show of all time since I was 11 years old, its distinct lingo, great (and occasionally bad) fashion choices, pop culture references, music, and parade of great supernatural villains have stayed with me today. Moreover, there are lessons and morals I've learnt from the demon-fighting gang of high schoolers – about relationships, friendships, life, dealing with the eventual apocalypse – that still ring true for me today.

One of the seminal episodes of Buffy's history is Once More With Feeling – a season six episode that is entirely a musical. It's a delightful, heartfelt, silly, witty episode with brilliantly written lyrics (and some great singing performances), that tackles one of the most difficult themes in their lives in song. Great tunes, great emotion, great demon of the day.

So when Mondo released an exclusive limited edition vinyl pressing of the soundtrack, I had to have it. I already owned the soundtrack on CD, but this special vinyl edition is packaged beautifully, with new original artwork by Paul Mann on the gorgeous gatefold sleeve, a "Playbill" of lyrics, credits and more liner notes from the show's creator, and was available in three colour variants. I went for the red vinyl – you've probably seen it in many of our turntable reviews, as not only is it a great album, but this Mondo edition is also a great quality pressing and sounds fantastic. We use it for testing record players regularly.

I didn't have a turntable when I bought it but there was no doubt in my mind it would be one of my most cherished items, and it remains my favourite vinyl record as my collection grows today. This one has become a rare collector's item too, as there aren't many Buffy fans willing to part with their LP – I've seen it listed for over $1000 on eBay, which is wild considering I only paid $25 for it back in 2019. Its worth to me far exceeds its monetary value – it's a great quality pressing and package overall, but it simply brings me joy every time I hear it, 20+ years on from when I first saw the musical episode. And that I can keep a piece of Buffy living on in my day-to-day work life? Well, that's just swell.

• Find Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling on Discogs

Claudio Simonetti's Goblin – The Murder Collection

Words by Becky Roberts

It’s hardly surprising that my most valuable record, sentimentally speaking at least, is the very first one I bought. But since moving to Australia and having to leave my collection back at home in the UK (hence the bog-standard picture above), my connection to it has grown even more.

This won't be news for fellow horror aficionados, but prog-rock band Goblin soundtracked copious iconic Italian genre movies, including cult classics by giallo godfather Dario Argento (Suspiria, Deep Red, Tenebrae and Opera, for example) and fellow 70s horror maestros Lamberto Bava (Demons) and George Romero (Martin, Dawn of the Dead). And its keyboardist Claudio Simonetti has kept its iconic sound alive over the decades through various iterations of the band for new and old fans to savour.

The limited-edition (499) Record Store Day exclusive of the aptly named The Murder Collection, which presents the compilation on a graphic-perfect picture disc with a clear sleeve, comprises freshly rearranged compositions of Goblin's most famous scores, rerecorded with the three bandmates of Simonetti’s horror tribute band, Daemonia.

It’s the sounds you remember, characterised by the discordant synth-laden melodies laid down by the composer's trademark keyboard, only this time they are amped up by brighter spotlights on pummelling percussion and dynamic rockier guitar that lunge from the wax. It’s the classic margarita but with a chilli salt rim providing that extra kick.

Despite owning albums that would fetch a lot more on Discogs, this is the one I would save from a burning building – as long as my flight home got there in time.

• Buy Claudio Simonetti's Goblin – The Murder Collection on Amazon

Slint – Spiderland

Words by Tom Wiggins

Slint’s Spiderland is an underground classic. Originally released in 1991 and considered one of the albums that helped to popularise the emerging genre of post-rock, it’s a record that I’ve always loved and has always felt mysterious for one reason or another, whether it’s the sinister-sounding songs about fortune tellers, vampires, and shipwrecks; the band’s floating heads peering out from the monochrome text-free cover; or the fact that they broke up before it even came out.

In April 2014, Touch and Go Records released a limited-edition Spiderland vinyl box set, including a bunch of extras that I was keen to get my hands on: a book of unseen photographs, CDs of the remastered album and 14 previously unreleased demos and outtakes, and a DVD of Breadcrumb Trail – a documentary about the band by film-maker Lance Bangs that seemed unlikely to ever get a standard release.

(In the end, it got uploaded to YouTube in full in 2017, but I wasn’t to know that at the time.)

Unwilling to fork out $150 for an album I already owned on both vinyl and CD (told you I was a fan), I kept my credit card in my wallet. But after the run of 3138 box sets had sold out the label announced that it had some spare copies of those extras (minus the book), which were bundled up in work-in-progress versions of the limited-edition packaging and listed for sale on its website. They came in a gatefold sleeve and bear the same catalogue number as the full sets, but you can tell it’s just the leftovers because the cover is white rather than black.

A much more reasonable $22 (plus $22.50 shipping) later and that’s how I came to own the most valuable record on my shelf, which isn’t really a record at all, but is quite possibly rarer and more valuable than the one I didn’t buy.

• Buy Slint – Spiderland on vinyl from Amazon

Velvet Underground – Loaded

Words by Chris Burke

Loaded was one of a handful of records I inherited from my older sister when she went travelling (and no, sis, you're not having any of them back). As an indie kid in the late ’80s, not only was I surprised at how much groove this record has – as opposed to the more 'experimental' John Cale/Warhol's Factory ’60s Velvet Underground output – but it was the first record I'd heard by the band that I really connected with.

It was also an "oh, I get it" moment in regard to all the indie music around at the time. So, so many bands were evidently influenced by the Velvet Underground in the ’80s, and it was one of those 'connecting the dots' moments in that rock family tree.

From the dreamy, sun-soaked opener Who Loves The Sun to the addictive swing and bounce of Rock And Roll, to the beautifully laid-back album closer Sweet Nuthin', it's a true classic. My favourite track, Sweet Jane, blows marijuana-smoke rings around themes of romance and rock’n’roll as its groove and melody utterly captivates.

While the Velvets themselves had transformed by this point into more making accessible radio-friendly music, with late-comer Doug Yule now musically in the driving seat, this album also continued to hint at Lou Reed's greatness still-to-come, as his legend grew and his song delivery became ever more iconic (think Walk On The Wild Side, Satellite Of Love, the Lou Reed album version of the Velvets' Lisa Says) in the early-'70s.

There's also that truly wonderful trippy cover art – so very, very 1970. As perhaps one of the oldest albums I own, I've taken special care of my copy over the years, and despite having a number of more monetarily valuable pressings in my collection, this one holds a special place.

• Buy Velvet Underground – Loaded on vinyl from Amazon

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Having a 180g sticker on your vinyl has become a bit of a badge of honour for some record labels and has led to some assumptions that the heavier the vinyl the better the sound.

Most vinyl from the past couple of decades weighs in at around the 120-140g mark, but 180g pressings have become a more regular occurrence with some heavyweight releases even hitting 200g and 220g.

But should we be classing 180g records as audiophile-grade vinyl? Is it a valid selling point that brings benefits and a better listening experience? Or has the merits of vinyl weight become a “thing” purely through some clever marketing. Is it more of a perception than a fact, or is the subject a bit more complicated than that?

We reached out to several manufacturers in the field for their thoughts on the subject – here’s what they had to say…

Does vinyl weight make a difference to sound quality?

Opinion seems to be split on this subject from the off, with some believing it does have an impact...

“Ultimately, yes. From a technical theory perspective, a heavier record will have more mass, and therefore will reduce vibration transfer from the turntable motor to the stylus, which will be better for sound quality. There are, however, many variables within this in the real world, but the technical theory supports it.”

Edward Forth, global brand projects and partnerships manager, EMEA, Audio-Technica Europe

“Yes, for one simple reason… stability! We want that disc to be a stable 'counterweight' for the work that the stylus is doing. Imagine if we had a disc with “no mass”, then the stylus would just “move the disc around” while tracing the groove. This is a very exaggerated example, but it shows that a heavier record will give us some 'hold' for the stylus.

"The higher the mass of the disc the better a “reaction mass” we have to the stylus forces, and therefore we get a better sound with no loss.

"It’s a further interesting point to note that heavier records will bring more benefit to more affordable turntables, where the performance of the platter may be more limited. On a high-end turntable like my TechDas, the vacuum and platter make a lot of difference and I can play 100g records with amazing sound quality.”

Leif Johannsen, chief of acoustics and technology, Ortofon

“Yes: the difference between 180 gram and lower-weight vinyl can be quite audible. Since the slimmer vinyl has less material available, there are theoretically more resonances during tracking, which negatively affects the tracking process.

"More material may mean lesser resonance, which results in a more precise overall sonic presentation, with less unwanted noise or stress.”

Robert Suchy, CEO, Clearaudio

However, others are less than convinced that a difference in weight can add or remove anything from the sound...

“In simple terms no, you can have excellent 180g pressings and poor 180g pressings. The main advantage of heavyweight vinyl is durability and less likelihood of warping. If you look after your vinyl and store it properly, the vinyl weight should not come into play.

"The groove depth is similar (and set by the cutting engineer), so if the original recording and mastering is good, then the sound should be high quality. Perhaps in the early days, a little more care was taken over the production of 180g vinyl; however, in modern times, there is also an element of marketing and re-pressing with releases on 180g to increase sales.”

Simon Webster, sales and marketing co-ordinator, Rega

“Technically, there should be nothing that the weight of the vinyl contributes to the sound or removes from it. The magical term of '180g vinyl' merely describes the maximum allowable size for a run-of-the-mill record from the 1960s. As long as the record is flat and the groove is exactly concentric with the centre, the thickness of the record should not contribute to any variance in speed stability – wow and flutter –either.”

Jon Jeary, electronics engineer, Goldring

“From a purely audio perspective, the weight of a vinyl record does not directly affect sound quality, assuming the records are pressed from the same master and produced with equal care. A 120g and a 180g record can sound identical if all other variables are controlled.

"The notion that 'heavier equals better sound' is largely a myth. That belief likely stems from the fact that many 180g pressings are part of premium reissue campaigns, which often use superior masters and higher-quality pressing processes. So when people hear a difference, it's usually the mastering or pressing quality they’re noticing, not the weight.”

Lothar Mertens, sales and marketing turntables, DUAL GmbH

“I don't think the weight itself has much of an effect on the sound quality, but I think what does have a significant effect on the sound quality is the increased thickness and rigidity of a heavier record.”

Tetsuya Itani, technical expert for Technics at Panasonic Japan

Is there an optimal weight for vinyl?

Is there a magic number? It seems there's a general agreement that heavier vinyl does give a higher level of user satisfaction than cheap, lightweight vinyl.

180g seems like a good compromise, but as many of the manufacturers note, the quality of what you get from a record depends on the quality of its production.

“Starting with the basics, it is obvious that there is a huge tangible difference between the floppy mass-produced vinyl from the late-’70s/early-’80s, and a nice thick 150-200g disc.

"Even if there were no other difference, customers would go for the quality feel of the thick disc. We must remember that vinyl is a lot about feeling and tangibility.

"I did, on purpose, say 150-200g, because I personally think that well-produced discs in that mass range are sort of equally good. But as one side-point, it’s also important to remember that production of 'thick' records can also be more sensitive, so careful quality control is vital. The cooling process after pressing is critical, and if not done the right way we will have warped records!

"Many audiophiles have been impacted by poor quality production of thicker discs over the years.”

Leif Johannsen, Ortofon

“Different weights have different advantages and disadvantages, so an optimal weight would depend on your priorities. Heavier records have the technical advantage of mechanical vibration reduction, and also benefit from a reduced tendency to warp in less than perfect storage conditions, but by their nature are more expensive.

"Ultimately, the real decider when it comes to sound quality are factors outside of the record weight. Has it been recorded well, has it been mastered correctly, has it been cut well, were there any issues in production etc?

"A really well-recorded and produced 140g record is always going to sound better than a badly recorded and produced 200g record. Record maintenance should also be considered. If a 140g record becomes warped, there is a process that can be applied to return the record to its original state – with 180g or above, this is not possible.”

Edward Forth, Audio-Technica Europe

“Even heavier-weight vinyl could be an interesting thing to explore, but 180g is a good standard at a reasonable price to manufacture.”

Robert Suchy, Clearaudio

"I like heavyweight vinyl mainly because it gives the impression that it will be of higher quality. If I have spent a fortune on a new record – Elbow’s Seldom Seen Kid for instance – I would much rather it came on two 180g discs running at 45 RPM than a single floppy 120g LP running at 33 RPM.

"I know, though, that it’s the playing speed that contributes most to the increased bandwidth and the quality of the plastic – virgin vinyl is best – that contributes to the lower noise floor and not the weight of the vinyl.

"However, my subjective enjoyment is nevertheless increased by the knowledge that the record is a full-weight standard disc."

Jon Jeary, Goldring

A greater perception of quality

The record industry seems to have landed on 180g as the figure for higher quality vinyl, and some manufacturers believe this is not only sonically beneficial but also gives the customers quality reassurance in other ways.

“If an artist/label/company has gone to the effort to press their vinyl on a 150-200g disc – often this is also a sign of 'care' and an eye for 'quality' throughout. This is therefore a good sign that they’ve taken care of all quality aspects throughout the recording and manufacturing processes.

"So, having a 180g record gives the customer a guarantee that the record has been produced with utmost care in all ways.

"So yes, it should sound better! And the remark I started with about the tangibility of a record is also part of this… like receiving a nicely printed heavy gatefold cover with nice inner sleeves. We are suckers for these kinds of quality products”

Leif Johannsen, Ortofon

“180g vinyl offers sonic benefits without a prohibitive cost of production. But heavyweight vinyl can’t make a poor recording sound good, and previous experiments with thicker vinyl have not brought improvements, either. As ever, a high-quality recording makes the biggest difference – it’s the key foundation for great-sounding vinyl, followed by good mastering and pressing.”

Robert Suchy, Clearaudio

“180g would be my record weight of choice, as long as all of the external parameters that affect the record have been at the highest quality. One cannot say that it will always sound better, as it is just one part of the overall record-making process.

"The sound is much more down to the human factors in the recording and manufacturing process of a record. If you were to take a 140g pressing and 180g pressing from the same stamper, in test conditions the 180g should technically sound better, but sound is a very subjective thing!”

Edward Forth, Audio-Technica Europe

"The best sounding record in my collection – and I have over 1000 vinyl LPs – is Supertramp’s Crime Of The Century on a half-speed master, which is pressed on 120g vinyl. I did not know how heavy it was before responding to this question and had to go off and weigh it.

"Its quality has nothing to do with the weight of vinyl, but it is pressed on high quality, very quiet vinyl – giving it improved signal-to-noise ratio – and was mastered at half speed, adding higher bandwidth, which are the main contributors to the sound quality outside of the original mixing and mastering done in the 1970s."

Jon Jeary, Goldring

“180g has become the de facto audiophile standard, offering a nice balance of durability and perceived quality. The 200g pressings are more of a niche, aimed at collectors. While they feel impressive in hand, they don’t necessarily sound better.“

Lothar Mertens, DUAL GmbH

“The deflection of the record during playback causes the needle to vibrate up and down, which creates stereo inverse component noise and blurs the sound image. 180g vinyl has an advantage over 120g vinyl in this respect.

"However, and this is my opinion based on personal experience, but I feel that 180g discs are more prone to static electricity generation than 120g discs. I think this may be due to the fact that the amount of resin used in the 180g vinyl is larger than in the 120g, but I do not know the true reason.

"In any case, the 180g disc should be handled with care.”

Tetsuya Itani, Technics at Panasonic Japan

So there you have it. Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the subject of the ideal vinyl weight and its actual impact on sound quality.

However, the manufacturers we've spoken to all agree on one thing – that the most important factor is the quality of the recording in the first place and the care taken during the mastering/pressing.

There also appears to be agreement that the feel and appearance of heavyweight vinyl gives the perception that you're getting a higher quality product for your money.

But whatever the weight, if it makes you feel like you’re having a better experience, and puts a smile on your face every time you slide it out of the sleeve and place it on your record player, then isn’t that what matters?

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At the end of last month, we asked you, our hi-fi-loving readers, how big your vinyl collections are. We asked for some general feedback on the state of the vinyl game, too, and you absolutely delivered!

Lots of you replied to that story and our social posts with your experiences and opinions, and while each response was of course unique, a few general themes emerged.

Firstly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, lots of you own a lot of vinyl. But even those with huge collections invariably had a break from vinyl during CD’s heyday.

Many were brought back into the fold as a result of the so-called ‘vinyl revival’, which of course also introduced plenty of people to vinyl collecting for the first time.

But this period of vastly increased vinyl popularity is clearly a bit of a double-edged sword, with many of you complaining that prices have risen sharply while the quality of pressings is not what it used to be.

As a result, many of you are buying older records second-hand as you feel the quality is better.

Four-figure collections aplenty

We’re not surprised that many of you have vinyl collections consisting of hundreds of records, but the number of you with thousands of pressings is startling.

Readers including ‘Srdjan Stojanovic’, ‘bkshah’, ‘Danny J’, ‘Ju ju 2’ and ‘Hubie Greene’ all have collections of around 1000 records, but even this is fairly conservative compared with some.

‘Bhose’ says, “I have around 5000 records,” which they’ve “been buying since I was 10 (in 1979)”.

Interestingly, Bhose is one of the few respondents who said that they don’t frequently listen to their vinyl:

“I've never bought vinyl to regularly play it and listen to it. I bought and buy it to have my music in its 'prime' format, and I listen to recordings I've made from the original vinyl, on cassette tape back in the days, then CDs later, to now.”

Reader ‘Steve Topp’, meanwhile, has a collection of “just over 4800 albums”, and they have a particular, fairly niche area of interest:

“I have two stereo systems in my house. They each have a stereo and a mono turntable. I really specialise in collecting Mono ’60s rock and jazz albums. The Mono albums played on the Mono cartridge turntables sound truly amazing. It's like you are in the room when the recording was made.”

Then there’s ‘Jponti5056’ who, along with their husband, owns “over 4000 albums and 200 78s”.

“We add to our collection almost weekly (we just purchased two this week),” they explain.

All of these numbers pale in comparison with the collection of 'Tomas Vydra’, which pre-Covid was “approx 20,000 vinyl and nearly 40,000 CDs”.

He has more recently had to reduce the size of his collection by about half, but that still makes it the largest of all our respondents. His occupation might have something to do with it: he presents a show on Prague’s Radio 1 where he plays tracks from vinyl.

"Since 1994, I have a show on Prague's Radio 1 where I spin vinyl records from the ’60s and ’70s. It's on every Saturday from 11.00 am until 1.00 pm (CET)."

One person who might give Tomas a run for his money is ‘Batman6770’, who says, “I have been averaging [buying] 15-20 records a week for years now.”

Despite seemingly having a Bruce Wayne-sized budget, ‘Batman6770’ still has to disguise how much they spend on vinyl:

“I’ve got lots of tricks to obscure the true amount I’m spending on these records from my wife! Things like transferring cash to PayPal, buying gift cards while grocery shopping and, of course, getting the mail before she gets home! Luckily I have so many records now that it’s impossible to notice these new additions!”

Reader ‘Driveshaft’, meanwhile, has a unique approach to collecting:

“I have just under four feet of space on my shelf for my records, and I'm strict about keeping it that way. That means for every new record that comes in, an old one has to go. It's a cruel practice, but effective. It keeps me from becoming a pack rat and holding onto something just to keep it.”

Lots of you parted with your vinyl collections to buy CDs – and are still re-buying the records you sold

We sensed a lot of regret in the comments on our story.

Many of you, perfectly understandably, went all-in on CD and sold most or all of your vinyl to build your collection on digital disc, and are still trying to buy back again the records you sold.

Reader ‘RDeschain’ says, “I had a decent vinyl collection as a kid, but I let it go in the mid '80s when I got into CDs. A few years ago I decided to get back into vinyl with the goal of replacing those records I had as a kid. It quickly grew into a quest to gather as many of my favourite artists' work on vinyl before it disappeared for good.”

‘PedroB’ tells a very similar story:

“I started buying vinyl in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Did that thing in the ’90s where I sold a lot of it and re-bought it on CD. Around 2005 when I stopped travelling for work I got back into vinyl.

"Since then I've upgraded my turntables five or six times along with my speakers and amps. Now I'm retired due to ill health, but pre COVID I was buying an album almost every day, brand new, or second-hand. At least 300 per year. I was also buying albums I'd replaced with CDs on vinyl again!”

‘PCookie’, meanwhile, has had to say goodbye to their record collection not once, but twice:

“I had about 300 LPs as a teenager, but they were all stolen when I was a student at uni. I re-bought some plus a new lot, but then sold most when CDs came out. I bought 100s of CDs and still have those, but I now also have about 100 LPs. I’m adding to those slowly but still buying the odd CD. I also stream a lot!”

Increased costs mean many of you are reducing how much vinyl you buy

It might be a term that many record collectors hate, but the so-called ‘vinyl revival’ is definitely responsible for bringing many lapsed collectors back into the fold. That has to be a good thing, but it also seems to have pushed up prices.

Commenter ‘Nick’ says “new records, especially 12s and 7s, seem very expensive – I think this is due to the high cost of pressing very limited numbers – so I don’t buy many. £20 for a 7-inch is way too much.”

‘Gothicdave’ agrees: “Vinyl is becoming very expensive, with the newest styles, such as liquid or gel-filled records, coming in brand new at scary high prices of up to £80 or £90.”

Our friends across the pond are struggling with high prices, too. This is what ‘6ea6peoplejuice’ has to say:

“Lately, I've been buying less per year, as the prices are getting kinda high. Pre-2020, a single disc record was around $20 (USD). Lately, it feels like we are paying $30+. And sometimes, when ordering directly from artists, shipping is another $8-10. High prices won't stop me from buying records, but they will cause me to buy fewer.”

Several readers, including ‘Charlyarg’ and ‘Frank Andrews’ have even resumed or increased their CD purchasing, at least in part because of high prices for vinyl.

Another commenter, ‘Paul L’ expands on that point:

“I still buy vinyl, though about 80-90 per cent of the albums I buy these days are on CD, mainly because I've invested more heavily in the CD side of my system, but also because CD offers better value, and the quality of vinyl pressings (plus, in some cases, the cash grab of multiple colour variants) has turned me off.

“I'll continue to buy vinyl for special releases by artists whose music I love, or albums with no CD release, but only where the cost doesn't feel disproportionately expensive compared to other vinyl releases.”

Most (but not all) of you feel older vinyl is better

The question of vinyl quality comes up a lot in the comments, with many people complaining that modern pressings aren’t up to the standards of the old stuff.

Reader ‘Dogtown16v’ believes it’s the quality of the materials that’s the problem: “Since I’ve been buying new vinyl I’ve noticed how rubbish the actual plastic is,” they say.

But for several others, it’s the format of the original recordings that is the issue. ‘Roger Harris’ states that “new releases are mostly digitally sourced (eg from a CD!) so there’s no point”.

While ‘AndyC405’ says, “I'm not always a fan of new pressings as they still manage to sound 'digital' (e.g. a bit harsh) at times (to me),” though they also feel that it’s still “worth it usually for the experience”.

‘james beaumont’, though, struggles to understand that stance:

“Seeing as most vinyl records these days are pressed from digital masters, I really cannot see the point in buying what are essentially giant CDs. When you take into account all the pops, crackles, skips, warps, weight, size and price, why anyone who understands the above would still give them the time of day is baffling.”

Back to commenter ‘RDeschain’, who buys older records for both quality and price reasons:

“I stick mostly to vintage for a number of reasons: that’s the music I love most; modern pressing quality isn’t great and is very inconsistent, while vintage record pressings are just better; and today's vinyl record prices are outrageous – I would rather take the $35 I could spend on one new record and go and find three nice used records instead.”

But it’s certainly not all bad news for modern vinyl, and it feels appropriate to end on a couple of positive comments.

‘Collinslw2’ is very appreciative of some of the very high-quality pressings that are now available:

“My hiatus from and return to vinyl made me acutely aware of the increase in pleasure generated by the advances in vinyl playback hardware and recordings,” they say.

“Today's higher-end turntables are a revelation for yesterday's vinyl, and today's high-end vinyl is way better than yesteryear. I've been back to vinyl for over a year and most of my collection is MoFi (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab), 45 rpm reissues. I also own two UHQR releases (wow, just wow), and quite a few 180g repressings.”

‘SLOWPAW STEVE T’ agrees, while also offering some specific recommendations and a bit of useful advice:

“In my experience, modern vinyl can sound amazing on my system. I’m happy replacing original records with modern remastered equivalents. The recent series of Atlantic Genesis and Yes 45 rpm reissues sound fantastic and are highly recommended; the Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin remasters sound better than ever; and the Harry Moss Beatles recuts made in the ’80s are amazing quality.

“I’m looking forward to more in the future of my favourite rock albums, but it is wise to check online reviews of remasters in general, as they don't always get it spot on.”

So there you have it – What Hi-Fi?’s readers have delivered their verdict on the state of vinyl. If you’re inspired by what they had to say, make sure you check out the rest of our Vinyl Week coverage.

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Many of our readers' thoughts are echoed by our own Chris Burke: Old is gold: why I massively prefer buying old vinyl to new

Freshly bitten by the vinyl bug? Check out our guide to buying your first turntable and this guide on how to set up a turntable

What do the designers of your favourite turntable love listening to? What are the vinyl records that they cherish or recommend for their great-quality pressing?

For Vinyl Week, we spoke to some of today's most respected turntable designers and manufacturers to find out their favourite vinyl discs for testing and pure enjoyment, and why they have chosen each pick.

We are also treated to some wonderful personal stories of how a specific album or a track had a huge impact on their lives – from kickstarting a "lifelong affair with vinyl" to leading them to "look into record player design" in the first place.

Best of all, we now have an armful of new vinyl recommendations to go hunt for on Discogs – so we can enjoy exactly what the makers of some of the best turntables in the world are listening to.

Heinz Lichtenegger – CEO, Pro-Ject Audio Systems

Throughout my life I have listened to many, many types of music. My audiophile career began with the unbelievably good (and expensive) UHQR version of The Dark Side of the Moon, then later I got into jazz, including artists like Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, and then of course Miles Davis and Archie Shepp.

Today my life is more focused on classical music and operas, and less focused on absolute audiophile records. Instead, I care more about the individual interpretation of a piece of music – though I of course still want it to be a good recording. I especially love old, true analogue records that may have some noise, but that also hold more warmth and colour.

Tosca – Puccini, Leontyne Price, Di Stefano, Taddei / Vienna Philharmonic with Herbert von Karajan (Decca, 1963)

My favourite opera record. This recording is unbelievably dramatic and super powerful, yet there is also incredible timbre in the voices. This one is only for bigger systems, so you can really experience the big dynamic shifts that show how amazing Tosca is.

Don Juan – Richard Strauss, Tod und Verklaerung, Also Sprach Zarathustra / Vienna Philharmonic with Herbert von Karajan (Decca, 1960)

My favourite classical record. This record is from a series I created with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Universal Music, which included some favourite VPO recordings from the past. This performance combines the very best composition with the very best interpretation by a conductor, recorded in the legendary Sofiensaal in Vienna.

The record is taken directly from the original mastertape and, while it has some noise, the tone and the sweetness of the music are without comparison. It is proof that we were already capable of great recordings even over 60 years ago.

Robert Suchy – CEO, Clearaudio

I’m going to choose three special pieces of vinyl. My personal favourite is Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah, from his studio album, Grace (Columbia, 1994). This is music emotionally performed at its best; profoundly moving when a cartridge, tonearm and turntable are singing as they should.

My second choice is the perfect track to kick off a turntable demo session: The Curse from Agnes Obel’s album, Aventine (PIAS, 2013). It is a haunting, layered track that both relaxes you, yet focuses your mind on the music and what you’re hearing.

Finally, a current all-round favourite album is The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music of Game of Thrones. Ramin Djawadi’s awesome music is brilliantly performed and recorded. This is a vinyl record that connects you to the genius of the composer and the skill of the musicians – and it evokes key moments from the TV series, too. Music in 3D!

Jonathan Nye – managing director, Michell Audio

Legend – Bob Marley and the Wailers (Island Records, 1984)

Back in 1995, at just 15 years old, I found a Technics turntable abandoned in a skip. To me, it was a treasure waiting to be revived. After giving it a thorough clean and a new stylus, I was eager to test it out. I hooked it up to my Kenwood amplifier and Mission speakers, but there was just one problem – I had no records to play.

My mum didn’t have any vinyl, but she asked around on my behalf. Before long, a friend kindly donated a copy of Legend by Bob Marley. Excited, I rushed to my bedroom, ready for my first proper vinyl experience. Having already heard the tracks on cassette, I thought I knew exactly what I was in for. But as soon as the stylus touched the groove, I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The music felt different – more alive. There was an openness and warmth I had never heard before. The bass was fuller, the vocals richer – it was as if Bob Marley himself had stepped into the room. I sat there, mesmerized, playing the entire album twice without a break. The experience was so powerful that I ran to the lounge, urging my parents to come and listen. I had to share this incredible discovery.

That moment changed everything. Music wasn’t just something I listened to any more – it became something I felt. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with vinyl, a passion that, at the time, I had no idea would shape my future. Years later, fate had one more surprise in store for me. I married the granddaughter of a turntable manufacturer and eventually found myself running a company so deeply connected to my love of vinyl.

Sometimes, life has a way of bringing things full circle. And for me, it all started with an old turntable from a skip and a copy of Legend.

From a Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton (Mercury Nashville, 2017)

Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 is more than just a great album—it’s a masterclass in pure, unfiltered sound. Produced by Stapleton and Dave Cobb, the album embraces a minimalist approach, stripping away excess production to focus on raw musicianship, heartfelt songwriting, and the unmistakable warmth of a live performance. Every note, every breath, and every subtle nuance is laid bare, giving the listener the feeling of being right there in the room with the band.

The album's sparse yet powerful production not only makes it one of my favourite albums, it also makes it ideal for developing new products, such as the Apollo phono stage. I love authenticity, emotion, and a connection to the artist's original vision; that excites me and drives us all at Michell.

Tetsuya Itani – technical expert, Technics

Some of my collection is only available in Japan, so I will exclude them and list two copies that are available worldwide.

For Sentimental Reasons – Linda Ronstadt, Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra (Asylum, 1986)

This record has a realistic and vivid live sound, and Linda Ronstadt's vocals in her prime are also highly appealing.

Symphony No. 9 – Anton Dvorák / London Symphony Orchestra with István Kertész (Decca)

I think it's a good idea for every vinyl fan to have a copy of this album. The VPO version is more famous and popular than Kertesz's from The New World, but I prefer the LSO version because it is more energetic.

Mat Weisfeld – president, VPI

Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Warner Bros., 1991)

It was a rough week at VPI – one of those moments that left me questioning why I continued pushing forward as a manufacturing business owner. I couldn’t sleep. It was late, and the weight of it all lingered. So I put a record on the turntable and a pair of headphones over my ears.

The night before, my girlfriend – now my wife, Jane – and I had been listening to Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, my brother's favourite album. That night, though, I was alone with my thoughts, struggling with the question that haunted me: What would my older brother Jon do? After all, he was always meant to run VPI.

It's 2 am and I'm half-asleep; the first track Power of Equality played, and a lyric hit me hard: “Little brother, do you hear me? / Have a heart, oh, come get near me / Misery is not my friend / But I'll break before I bend / What I see is insanityWhatever happened to humanity?”

That moment grounded me and gave me my answer. The very next day, I designed the VPI Prime turntable – and changed the entire direction of the company.

Touraj Moghaddam – CEO, Vertere Acoustics

Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins (Prestige, Hi-Fi LP 7075)

Specially, the track Work by the Thelonious Monk Trio. Monk’s playing, ‘phrasing’ and construction were just unbelievable – almost like drumming a tune with exceptional timing and delicacy.

The recording and production is not bad at all, but this track was what led me to look into record player design!

I'll never forget hearing Monk on the TV, around 1983-84, and being able to relate to his timing, playing style and key changes so much better than I could when listening to his albums on my turntable at the time. It was an eye-opener and made me want to understand what the reason was, and whether a turntable could be designed to achieve this.

The Wall – Pink Floyd (Harvest/EMI, 1979)

I was an undergraduate when The Wall first came out in 1979 and I remember like it was yesterday when I first put it on, and WOW! It was an opera and so exhilarating – a proper roller-coaster ride. I sat through four sides and at the end was just gobsmacked.

The recording came across as great at the time and quickly became a ‘reference’ and joined The Dark Side Of The Moon. Even today, it is often used at our demos and events. The album was only surpassed by the first live concert of it, which I saw at Earl’s Court in 1980.

Cantate Domino – Oscars Motettkör choir, Torsten Nilsson, Alf Linder, Marianne Mellnäs (Proprius, PROP 7762)

It was in the early 80s when I first heard this album at The Sound Organisation in London. Roger Macer (RIP) was not just a sterling retailer, he was also a friend. We shared lots of music listening sessions and a good few late night/early mornings at Ronnie Scott's...

The sound quality of this vinyl is exceptional – it's a great pressing. But more importantly, the whole album is like a ‘haunting’ – so emotional, in harmony, with an almost life-like presence. It's so good that I got my copy within a day or so. And don’t forget, in those days there was no online or Amazon...

Roy Gandy – co-founder & owner, Rega Research

Willow – Joan Armatrading (Show Some Emotion, A&M, 1977)

At Rega, we don’t listen to the “sound” of our equipment, but rather listen for the intricacies of an artist’s performance, or the discernibility of complex musical arrangements. If we can correct any issues here, any issue with the sound is automatically corrected.

One of the earliest [vinyl] test tracks I can recall using for this, which we still use today, is Willow by Joan Armatrading from the 1977 album, Show Some Emotion. It’s a beautiful performance, arrangement and recording, which makes it easy to spot any issues in the sound reproduction.

I Want To Break Free – Queen (Greatest Hits 2, EMI/Parlophone, 1991)

If you’re looking for something more upbeat to test your system, this is a great one, and needs little introduction. However, if you're looking for this on vinyl, be careful to only choose the 1991 pressing of the Greatest Hits 2 – many other versions of this song are less well pressed.

Yosuke Koizumi – head of analogue audio engineering division, Audio-Technica

Basket of Light - The Pentangle (Transatlantic, 1969)

One of my favourite music genres is British folk music. The band Pentangle was formed in the late 60s and they are a mixture of jazz and folk musicians. Their debut album is incredible already, but I personally prefer to listen to this third album.

Page One – Joe Henderson (Blue Note Records, 1963)

This is Joe Henderson’s first album from Blue Note Records in 1963. All of his five titles in Blue Note are amazing, but you can enjoy his artistic expression with Latin rhythm from the first track on side A. All of the other tracks are unbelievably nice. We cannot expect to get the original pressing at an affordable price, but later issues from the 70s to early 80s with ‘VAN GELDER’ engraving around the centre label are still very enjoyable.

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We have had a veritable raft of turntables populating our test rooms recently in the run-up to Vinyl Week 2025. From relatively affordable Bluetooth models such as the Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT to the very purist Rega Planar 3 RS Edition and the impressively high-end Vertere SG-1/Xtrax, it’s been a great chance to indulge ourselves just a little and get some records spinning in the way that, if you ask some hi-fi and vinyl enthusiasts, God intended.

While our eclectic selection of decks has been dominating test-room surface space, vinyl hasn’t been the only format in play in the What Hi-Fi? Towers building. CDs continue to hold strong as a means of musical transmission, with the new Cyrus CD 40 player, currently in for testing, sitting alongside its Award-winning Cyrus CDi cousin on our test-room rack.

The temptation here, of course, is to launch into a charged polemic espousing the virtues of physical media over the soulless evils of modern streaming, or to pick a preferred format and fight its corner to the detriment of inferior pretenders.

“Vinyl just sounds better” is the received wisdom passed down from collectors and enthusiasts who can’t get enough of their precious polyvinyl chloride. “Vinyl is warm, CDs are thin and cold” is another old adage, and while that may hold true some of the time, so much of a CD or record’s quality or so-called personality is down to the quality and feel of the player playing it.

Listen to our Cyrus CDi and tell us that it isn’t musical, dynamically expressive and hugely entertaining. Yes, the Rega Planar 2 is a magnificent performer, but it showcases a slightly brighter, leaner sound than, say, the warmth and smoothness of the less costly Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT.

Once you start factoring in the variances in cost, form and use case, it becomes far harder to make sweeping generalisations about how a type of product conveys your music. As is the case with headphones, floorstanding speakers and amplifiers, each product, be it good or bad, high-end or budget, has a distinct personality all of its own.

Let's talk about our feelings

So let’s sidestep such pitfalls and instead delve a little deeper into what they are like to use rather than how they tend to sound. Much of the appeal of a turntable, CD player or even some dedicated music streamers comes from their physical aspects, be that interacting with the product themselves or the ownership of a collection of CDs or records to play on them.

As CDs hold strong and vinyl sales continue to soar in an age of digital streaming, those aspects of use have clearly become more important than ever with users for whom poking a smartphone to load up Spotify isn’t scratching a very particular itch.

I'm certainly starting to understand the ritualistic process behind playing your favourite vinyl record. Selecting a lovingly crafted record, complete with its large, bold cover and housed in its own protective sleeve, feels far more momentous and meaningful than accessing a cold digital file amid an infinite galaxy of other MP4s.

Handling vinyl requires care, be it removing the record from its sleeve without touching the main surface or gently placing it on the platter of your deck, something which breeds a sort of ritualised respect for your music. You can’t break a streaming file (most of the time, anyway), and thus it has less inherent value. A record is yours, and if you break one, there will never be another quite like it.

It’s a similar story with CDs. I used to have a somewhat love/hate relationship with the shiny disc before streaming threatened to make it obsolete as the noughties transitioned into the 2010s. That was mainly due to the format’s propensity to get scratched, damaged or misplaced.

Then there’s the awful plastic cases which, inevitably, would often be made redundant thanks to their small, flimsy ‘hinges’ snapping off with sadly predictable regularity. What’s wrong with those folding cardboard sleeves, anyway?

Yet my recent return to CD Island courtesy of our in-house Cyrus CDi player has been a far more pleasurable experience than I had previously anticipated. Perhaps handling vinyl records has made me as cautious as a white-gloved museum curator gently pursuing the original Domesday Book or a nuclear reactor worker handling some sort of glowing, Simpsons-esque control rod; that ritualised behaviour seems to have carried over to my modest but valued CD collection.

Gently removing my now-precious copies of Radiohead’s Amnesiac or Soundgarden’s Down on the Upside and slotting them into the Cyrus was, like laying down a record and carefully placing the needle into the groove, a mini-event to be savoured. It takes actual time and care to move from a point of silence to one of musical enjoyment, a process which once again adds value to the end result. Perhaps an appropriate analogy would be the difference between ordering takeaway and making a meal yourself – a similar outcome, but it's all about the journey getting there.

(Don't) skip to the good bit

Then there’s the process of actually listening to physical media. Preparation is one thing, but the way we experience records and discs is a world away from how we interact with digital streaming. When I first tested a turntable, it hadn’t even occurred to me that, in most cases, there are no means of skipping or ‘pausing’ tracks via the means to which I'd become accustomed thanks to digital libraries and CD changers.

If you want to change songs, that has to be done by manually lifting the tonearm and dropping the needle as close as you possibly can to the right groove as you search for The World is Yours on Side One of Nas’ Illmatic. If you are going to change the song, it had better be worth it – vinyl encourages you to listen to albums as albums, not as a collection of three songs that you play on repeat and six or seven that you ignore altogether.

If vinyl urges you to listen to whole albums, CDs at least push you to listen to whole songs. Yes, many CD players will have a fast-forward button, but it’s not as efficient or accessible as the pinpoint slider you’ll find on Spotify or Tidal. As I worked my way through Down on the Upside via the Cyrus feeding into our ATC SCM50 reference speakers, the idea of fast-forwarding simply didn't occur.

This time, I could skip tracks if I so chose, yet even that felt like something of a taboo given the time I was taking to sit down and enjoy each one. Yes, part of that is down to the respect I have for our entire reference system – there's a lot of money in those cables alone – but that oddly reverential feeling goes beyond concerns of mere financial value.

Let's also not forget those little added extras that, for better or worse, define the physical experience. Each record does have its ‘personality’, sometimes defined by pops and crackles, sometimes by a slightly warped edge or unsightly bend in the PVC. Pressings vary from one batch to the next, only adding to the perceived uniqueness of a given record, which makes it special to its owner.

CDs aren’t immune to such charms, either. My personal copy of Down on the Upside made it through to the third track, Zero Chance, before it began to struggle and skip in a manner that I’d all but forgotten thanks to my cosseted digital privilege. Burden in my Hand also threatened to judder to a halt, but a little TLC in the form of a gentle wipe with a soft cloth soothed its jangled nerves. Ah, the frailties of tactile media – now that takes me back.

The human touch

Maybe there’s just something inherently human about craving things which exist in three-dimensional space rather than those housed in that strange digital realm which, lest we forget, has only been around for less than 50 years. I still make all of my notes for the day in my notebook rather than on my phone, and I know colleagues who swear by the humble Post-it note as superior to computer-based workflow planners.

Reading the lyrics of a song on a screen as it plays is nice, but reading them from a lovely CD booklet is something else entirely. Look at the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours on Spotify and then hold a copy of a proper record. There’s simply no comparison.

Listening to music isn’t just about the sound that’s produced – it’s about everything else that goes with it. For many enthusiasts, be they CD lovers or vinyl devotees, it’s a hobby with roots in the physical realm of touch and experience that goes far beyond the end result of simply hearing the eventual sound produced. A digital file in a rented digital library can never have the sense of emotional attachment you’ll feel for your favourite record or cherished CD, nor can it replicate the process involved in accessing it.

The reason behind the resurgence of physical formats among the younger generations is obvious – because in a removed and sometimes soulless physical age, they want to interact with, experience and feel their music, rather than simply play it.

And you know what? I totally get it.

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The biggest day in the vinyl enthusiast’s calendar is, like the queues that will inevitably form outside record store doors, just around the corner.

This Saturday (12th April), thousands of record stores around the world will celebrate their day – why, Record Store Day, of course! – by stocking exclusive RSD album releases, enjoying extended opening hours and hosting special events.

If you, like me, plan on heading to your local store, either to grab one of those special drops or simply to soak up the crowd vibes, there are a few things you can do to ensure tomorrow goes smoothly…

1. Plan ahead, duh

Not every store participating in RSD will stock every special release – I learned that the hard way some years ago, thinking that bagging a seemingly ordinary Suede release would take one store visit and all of 10 minutes.

And naturally the more hyped drops, such as Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music (50th Anniversary) release on silver ‘metallic’ vinyl this year, of which only 2500 are available globally, will probably go pretty quickly after doors open to those who have queued. Want Taylor Swift’s Fortnight (quantities unknown!)? The same applies.

So if you have a must-own record or two in mind that you’ll be gutted to miss out on on the day, call the store you plan on visiting to see if they will carry it.

Alternatively, check their website to see if they’ve posted what RSD stock they have, or drop them a message on Instagram if they’re particularly active on social media.

Locate one or two nearby back-up stores for a Plan B. And, importantly, arrive early – at least two hours before opening time, going by my experience of smaller, non-central London stores; or much, much earlier (some people queue overnight) if you’re going to big, popular stores like the UK’s Rough Trade outlets.

I’m stating the obvious here, but that probably means an early start for your Saturday so, for crying out loud, take some breakfast with you, or alternatively a mate who can pop over to the bakery while you stay in line. No one likes to shop when they’re hangry.

Speaking of mates, if one has asked you to grab the same release you’re getting for them too, just be aware that some stores offer a ‘one copy per person’ policy.

The pressure should be off if your RSD wishlist is longer and you will be happy snagging one or two. Just don't get carried away with the event – buy what you actually want and what you'll listen to, rather than just buying for the occasion, not least as RSD exclusives typically carry a high price tag.

2. Check second-hand vinyl

That said, RSD is a great opportunity to browse both brand-new and second-hand records that aren’t RSD releases, and stores will be sure to have stocked up on the latter, knowing full well there is an increasingly large audience for second-hand vinyl and that their footfall will probably reach a year-high that day.

If you will be digging through the second-hand crates, the usual second-hand record shopping advice applies: take the record out of the sleeves and find the brightest place in the store (or step outside into the sunlight briefly) to check for scuffs or scratches.

Remember, a good sign of a well-looked-after record is a well-looked-after cover. And if it’s not too busy and the store lets you spin records there and then, give them a quick listen.

3. Don’t get discouraged

While it’s very unlikely that highly limited exclusives will be easily up for grabs once they’re gone, some RSD albums will inevitably get a wider release down the track in similar form. So if you miss out, keep your eyes peeled for a larger repress.

Plus, if your wishlist is, say, available in larger quantities (five thousand or more, say), they could well pop up on Discogs to purchase soon after.

While RSD is all about in-store purchases, leftover RSD stock is often up for grabs from stores’ online sites a day or two after, too.

4. Make a day of it!

Plenty of record stores participating in RSD around the world are hosting special events. For example, Permanent Records Roadhouse in LA are hosting a live debut performance of brand-new ambient work from William Cashion (Future Islands) and Jeff Schroeder (Smashing Pumpkins).

The RSD organisation itself is hosting a pop-up event at London’s Truman Brewery, selling mystery vinyl for a fiver a pop.

And the Northside Records store I’ll be heading to in Melbourne has rotating DJs all day, plus live performances and in-store signings from two local bands.

So check out nearby store events (you can search your area’s RSD events here) and make a day of it! Find somewhere good for lunch or dinner nearby, and check out a listening bar if you’re heading to a city…

And the Sunday? That’s for listening to your new RSD purchases at home in your favourite chair.

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The team at What Hi-Fi? are all pretty big music fans – which hopefully doesn’t come as a huge surprise given our ongoing mission to find the best audio hardware to make tracks truly shine.

This is why we love chatting to our colleagues across the office on the music desk about the latest albums we’re streaming, gigs we have coming up and, in keeping with this week’s theme, vinyl records we’re hankering after.

So to help celebrate our special Vinyl Week event leading up to Record Store Day this Saturday 12th April, we asked 10 of the big-name music journalists we share an office with which albums they treasure most – and the answers were revealing.

Ranging from original pressings of classic prog albums to rare greatest hits collections, our colleagues have all amassed quite a library. But, of that vast pile, these are the records they covet most.

Dave Greenslade & Patrick Woodroffe – The Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony

The 1979 collaboration between Greenslade keyboard player Dave Greenslade and fantasy artist, the late Patrick Woodroffe, The Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony (the first five books of creation, apparently) became something of a holy grail amongst my musically literate friends.

An expansive hard-back book, swathed in rich illustrations, and a double album of instrumental music to boot. Nothing seemed to sum prog rock up more than this wonderful folly of a release.

It came out in 1979, with new wave raging at the time, and apparently sunk without trace (of course!). I finally tracked a copy down in a second-hand record store somewhere a long time ago and was delighted with my find.

Full disclosure: I’ve not listened to it in years. It has lain gathering dust in my vinyl vaults 'til unearthed for this. Might give it a spin now – apparently Phil Collins plays drums on it…

• Buy The Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony on Amazon
• Stream The Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony on Spotify

Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (40th anniversary)

Ask any Motörhead fan and they'll tell you live is where the band truly came, erm, alive. The band's only number one on the UK, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith remains probably the definitive document of Britain's – possibly even the world's – greatest rock'n'roll band.

But amidst the squall of feedback, there's a sense that CD is just too clinical – don't even get me started on MP3s – meaning …Hammersmith on vinyl isn't just the superior version of that record, it's the only choice for the discerning music fan. Alas, it’s also the closest we can get now to the inimitable thunder they could bring to bear at every gig.

I already owned a particularly dog-eared copy of the album when I spotted the shiny new boxset sitting on the table at my favourite record store.

The album technically hadn’t come out yet – I was a day early and it was only sitting there to be processed as it had been delivered that morning – but, like Wayne Campbell, I knew it would be mine.

Sure enough, I walked away with that regal boxset like the cat who got the cream – best £80-odd I’ve ever spent. Well, other than on Motörhead tickets.

• Buy Motörhead, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (40th anniversary) on Amazon
• Stream Motörhead, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (40th anniversary) Tidal

Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory

I live in a flat, so I try to keep my vinyl collection small – not easy! Linkin Park's 20th anniversary edition of Hybrid Theory is housed in a massive box – complete with CDs, DVDs, a cassette and a photobook – but it's my absolute favourite.

As a teenager in the nu metal era, Hybrid Theory was truly formative for me, and remains a go-to comfort record. Although I'm still hugely sad about the loss of lead singer Chester Bennington, his legacy lives on, as countless bands I love today have been inspired by this debut.

• Buy Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory, on Amazon
• Stream Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory on Tidal

The Sheepdogs – Changing Colours

During the pandemic, to make weekends feel a bit more 'weekend-y', my partner and I began making cocktails and playing records on Friday evenings.

I'd started buying vinyl about when I joined Classic Rock full-time, so my collection includes a lot of albums I've become attached to through work. Some got played obsessively during those vodka-ed up lockdown Fridays, bringing light and definition to a strange period.

Of them all, though, this double LP by Canadian rock'n'rollers The Sheepdogs feels like a true celebration of the format.

Thoughtfully sequenced over three sides – with a gorgeous, colourful gatefold jacket and sleeve art that still makes me happy when I open it (i.e. often) – it's bursting with lovingly crafted fun, nuance and transportive moments. Not a dud track in sight.

• Buy The Sheepdogs, Changing Colours on Amazon
• Stream The Sheedogs, Changing Colours on Tidal

Mother Love Bone – Apple

This was nearly an impossible ask! And there's every chance I'd pick a different 'most cherished' vinyl if you asked me tomorrow.

In the end it came down to a toss up between my blue vinyl The Replacements Let It Be LP and the one I finally chose – my original copy of Mother Love Bone's Apple.

Bought on the day of release, which the internet tells me was July 19, 1990, from my local record shop – the long gone, much lamented Dominion Records – this album probably marked the beginning of my major obsession with the music scene in the Pacific North West. Which, in turn, is more or less how I ended up doing this kinda thing for a living.

My copy is beyond knackered – it’s an album I adore and I played it to death. I still do. Crackles and scratches be damned…

• Stream Mother Love Bone, Apple on Tidal

Metallica – Master Of Puppets (1987, Direct Metal Mastered, 45rpm)

Mick Wall's KKKKK review of Master Of Puppets was the lead review in the first issue of Kerrang! magazine I ever bought, and the San Francisco band's third album became the first record I ever bought.

It's still my favourite metal album, so I own it on vinyl, on cassette, on CD, and in a fancy box set, with a classy accompanying book... then got eight bands to record it anew for Kerrang!'s 20th anniversary.

But, annoyingly, my 1987 DMM copy of the record – two records, actually, as Music For Nations reissued it as a double album, playing at 45rpm – inexplicably went AWOL from my parents' home in Ireland at some point after I moved to London.

So sentimentality, and a generous book deal to co-write a two volume Metallica biography, meant I sought out a replacement on eBay a decade ago.

Worth its stupid price tag for Orion alone, to be honest, and for that Ross Halfin photo taken at 3132 Carlson Blvd, El Cerrito, California where they looked like the coolest band in the world to me as a teenager, and changed my life forever.

• Buy Metallica, Master of Puppets on Amazon
• Stream Metallica, Master of Puppets Remastered on Tidal

Soundgarden – King Animal

Considering the daft amounts of money I have often parted with in order to score a rare record on import, it’s not lost on me that my most treasured one of all was actually free.

While he was on holiday, my great friend and fellow journalist James Hickie bought me a copy of Soundgarden’s comeback album King Animal at a New York show. It was already special to me: an album that marked the return of one of my favourite bands after a long, long hiatus.

But thanks to James, this version actually also has all four members of Soundgarden’s signatures adorning the beautiful sleeve. When Chris Cornell tragically passed away in 2017, I spent a long time just holding and looking at it. And I still do to this day.

• Buy Soundgarden, King Animal, on Amazon
• Stream Soundgarden, King Animal, on Tidal

The Doors – L.A. Woman

This decision was a tough one. Should I opt for something that has been with me for years, or a more current album that has inspired me?

The short list included Plini’s Sunhead, a jazz/fusion/metal EP which pushes me as a guitarist, or Brian Eno’s Music Apollo, which has inspired many of my ambient creations which led me to write about synthesisers.

But heart and history won out, with L.A. Woman by The Doors, which has been the soundtrack to everything in my life from young romances, long sessions at my desk, discovering I’m a (half) decent musician, to simply being the backdrop to a contemplative evening.

Nothing, for me, beats Riders On The Storm, for any situation.

• Buy The Doors, L.A. Woman on Amazon
• Stream The Doors, L.A. Woman on Tidal

Deadmau5 – Random Album Title

Unavailable on vinyl for well over a decade – and I didn't actually own a record player during its original run – one of the greatest edm albums ever finally made its way back to wax last year with a lovely, blazing red disc glow-up.

I didn't so much as pause to blink before ordering my copy once it came on sale, and it was worth the hefty transatlantic postage costs. Mixed in its original format, genre classics such as I Remember and Arguru sound as warm, vibrant and propulsive as ever.

A true Desert Island Disc for me – and now I actually have one to take with me!

• Stream Deadmau5, Random Album Title on Tidal

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – The Live Anthology

Tom Petty is recognised as one of the greatest songwriters of the past 50 years, with numerous chart hits on both sides of the Atlantic to his name.

Some of his albums, though, haven’t dated well, weighed down by at-the-time trendy, ornate or clunky production (sorry, Jeff Lynne).

The Live Anthology strips all that away, allowing jewels such as Breakdown, Mary Jane’s Last Dance and Runnin’ Down A Dream to be pared back and rejuvenated by Petty and the Heartbreakers, self-professed as “America's Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band”.

The tracklisting packs in the hits alongside well-chosen covers like Green Onions and Oh Well. The vinyl set is the definition of comprehensive – 7 LPs and a book. It is superbly designed and not available on all streaming platforms.

Highlight is a sublimely placed, perfectly mixed It’s Good To Be King. When the time comes, I very much hope they bury me with this set.

• Shop for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology on Discogs
• Listen to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology on Spotify

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Not strictly in the spirit of Record Store Day, I know, but bear with me.

I'm not talking about new releases, which are obviously on new vinyl – and I'm as excited as anyone for some of the great new records supporting the celebration of bricks and mortar record shops. But let's just say, you will no longer find me in a shop flicking through new, heavyweight versions of decades-old LPs whose original release was primarily on vinyl.

Now, I much prefer to seek out the original or contemporaneous copies of albums that were recorded in or before the 1990s in particular – to complete artist collections I'd already begun, or add now because I wasn't so much into the artist at the time (or wasn't born). I'm not concerned with the weight of the vinyl, and how much better or worse it might sound whether it's 180g or 120g. I'll leave that debate to others.

So why do I care so much about a record's age?

Not 'our price'

First let's address the phenomenally expensive elephant in the room. Vinyl has risen in price dramatically in recent years, with Discogs' Marketplace analysis finding that the average price of one vinyl record is around 24 per cent more expensive than it was five years ago.

So, forty quid-plus for a re-release of, say, a 1980s album is tough to justify for music I may even already own on CD but simply want to add to my vinyl collection. I've bought great-condition copies of ’70s and ’80s albums for a quarter of that price that sound just as good, if not (perhaps subjectively) better, than a new pressing.

Long before I became a 'proper' (rather than incidental) collector of vinyl – ever since joining the format's revival as I wrote about here – by the mid-’90s, I already owned a ton of records. I started buying music in the 1980s, when it was one of three options alongside cassette and CD (but, like most people I knew, I didn't have a CD player yet). All through vinyl's fallow years, I kept all my records, managed to store them well, move house with them remaining intact – and now those records are my favourite part of my collection.

A lot of that stems from the fact that I can pretty much remember when and where I bought those LPs – and just what each meant to me at the time. Nostalgic, certainly, but I am certainly never going to remember those details about a record (even one I may have always wanted in my life) that I just bought after fighting my way through Manga merch in HMV last week.

The nature of finding a great second-hand record, on the other hand, makes its purchase so much more special.

Rewarding work

Ask any collector – of stamps, pre-war spoons, taxidermied kittens, whatever – collecting is only really fun if you have to work for it. The thrill is indeed in the hunt. I find it way more rewarding to track down a good quality second-hand copy of a desired record.

That joy can come from a surprise, affordable find at a record fair or charity shop (where I won't pay more than £20-ish for an album, as a general rule), or from the joy of sliding an online-purchased record out of its sleeve to find it still has fanclub inserts or even the record label's 'Nice Price' adverts from its time. It's extremely gratifying to add a new (old) record to sit alongside my old (old) records.

Recent additions I'm particularly pleased with include The Cars’ Candy-O and the Rolling Stones' Beggar's Banquet, both bought for just a tenner, from our wonderful local record fair. In contrast, I'm way less thrilled with my new-vinyl copy of Led Zeppelin II. The extra-weighty 'Brown Bomber' sits, awkwardly I feel, between 40-plus year old copies of Led Zeppelin and Led Zep III, the latter with its original, beautiful rotatable sleeve still intact.

Double trouble

Then there's the matter of new vinyl's formatting. Originally LPs were of a certain length – you can only fit so much of that spiralling groove within the confines of a 12-inch platter. This, of course, dictated the length and thus running order of an album, which in turn affected what made the cut and what didn't (the beautiful Silver Springs, for example, incredibly didn't make Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album originally).

With new vinyl marketed more as a luxury edition of an album release, one conceit by record labels seems to be to make double albums out of what was once – and/or really only needs to be – a single album release.

At best, you're having to change the record more frequently, interrupting the flow of a record that had a specific running order for sides A and B. At worse, this can result in Side D containing just one crappy out-take track. I'm looking at you, Queens Of The Stone Age's In Times New Roman – there are two-sided albums, and there are four-sided albums; three sides is frankly nonsense.

This sort of thing reinforces a creeping sense that a new vinyl release somehow isn't as much of a 'proper' thing – a cynical marketing move, even, to sell more formats of the same product.

Not all are created equal

It stumps me as to why (please, someone tell me), but in my experience, not all new records seem to sound as good as they should. I've bought new-vinyl versions of albums that sound muggy to the point of being significantly worse than an MP3 burned from CD.

If you believe a lot of record-collecting forums, it seems not totally uncommon for some newer recordings to be made from the most recent version of the album because the record label no longer owns the original analogue master. Which could mean from CD or even MP3, and so at best they lose a lot of the warmth of the original vinyl; at worst, they just don't sound good.

A quick check on Discogs tells me that my copy of The Killers' Hot Fuss (the worst offender I own in the new-vinyl sound quality department) was pressed from an original vinyl mastering. Which, of course, spanners the above theory somewhat. Still, for whatever reason, that particular recording does sound poor – and I paid a new-vinyl premium for it, just for the sake of owning it, despite already having it on CD.

This has sown some seeds of doubt with me as to how good new vinyl actually is, comparatively – but since I've also bought Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon on new vinyl, which both sound incredible, that is probably just me actually being paranoid.

Sure, older vinyl can have its imperfections, scratches, and wear and tear. But so long as that intended warmth and great resultant sound is coming through my speakers, the odd pop and crackle that goes along with it and betrays the record's age, to me confirms its authenticity and enhances the listening experience. I don't necessarily prefer the way old records sound, but I'm more than OK with it.

In the vinyl analysis…

Perhaps the main reason for my greater love of old vinyl, though, is that, when it's in good condition, a second-hand record feels as though it's been really cared for and loved by someone. For whatever reason it ended up in a second-hand store, and along whatever long and winding road it took to get there, someone once bought it and played it, and quite probably loved it as much as I do now.

But, that said, all vinyl is great to play and own, whatever its weight, age or provenance – and the fact that this venerable format is thriving in 2025 is certainly a massive cause for celebration either way.

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When you are on the hunt for a highly anticipated album on vinyl or for your favourite nostalgic listen, sustainability is unlikely to be the first thing on your mind.

And that’s fair enough; getting your hands on new music is understandably more at the forefront (and we hope audio quality is in there, too.)

Sales for vinyl records in the UK rose by an impressive 10.5 per cent to £196m in 2024 according to the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association. That equates to 6.7 million vinyl records sold.

In the US it’s a similar story, with vinyl making almost three-quarters of the year’s total physical format revenue ($2bn) according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s 2024 annual report. That’s a whole lot of records.

Vinyl records are made of PVC, a cheap and durable material commonly used for building such things as pipes and signs; but Greenpeace says it is the single most environmentally damaging of all plastics.

While its flexible quality is great for records and building material, it is toxic at all stages of its life. On top of all that, a key ingredient is oil – a fossil fuel.

When PVC gets thrown away (although we hope you aren’t dumping your record collection!), it's more difficult to recycle than your average plastic.

You cannot recycle it from home, so anything made of PVC must be taken to your local tip or recycling centre.

Taking all this into consideration, it is not really a surprise that many artists and manufacturers are keen to find an alternative.

From recycled materials to completely new ones, there is a rising market for sustainable records. Below we have highlighted some of the most prevalent ones right now.

Testing out bio-plastics

Using a different kind of material to replace PVC is a good way to make records more sustainable, with bio-plastics – plastics made of biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources – proving to be one of the best routes to go down.

More and more labels, manufacturers and artists are choosing to invest in this emerging market. Speaker manufacturer PMC, for instance, recently invested in a brand named Evolution Music Ltd. which is behind the development of Evovinyl, a plant-based alternative to PVC.

Evolution Music’s CEO and founder, Marc Carey, says that “creating more sustainable options have to be the way forward.”

Carey decided to create this new bio-plastic material from the ground up after researching sustainable alternatives for years because “the right options were not there.” He wanted to create a “non-toxic supply chain equivalent to PVC, but without changing the manufacturing process for the compound.”

Evovinyl is made from sugar cane, which has the great benefit of being compostable, more sustainably produced and far less impactful to the environment.

This is partly thanks to it pressing at a lower temperature than regular vinyl, therefore being less energy intensive. Even the cycle time is faster, and it has anti-static properties.

You might be wary of the longevity of the alternative material, but it should last the same amount of time on shelves as standard vinyl.

But does it make a difference to its sound? While we have not had a chance to listen to it ourselves, Carey says Evovinyl is “no different to PVC” in terms of sonic performance.

While producing it is “slightly more expensive”, Carey says Evovinyl does not really affect the overall price of the record.

This is far from the only experimentation with bio-plastics that’s going on in the music industry. Artists such as Billie Eilish and Coldplay have released some of their albums on Biovinyl, another alternative material made from bio-based PVC using cooking oil or industrial waste gases.

Taking old and making it new

Another method to avoid manufacturing records from toxic PVC is by using 100 per cent recycled materials to create a spanking new product.

This is usually done by reusing the leftover material from previous pressings in the factory and turning it into new creations.

Going back to Billie Eilish, the 23-year-old artist released her second album Happier Than Ever on recycled vinyl (or ReVinyl) back in 2021.

This is said to be comparable to coloured vinyl records in terms of sound performance (which is to say, not quite as good), but we wanted to give it a listen first-hand.

We got hold of Eilish’s album in recycled form, but have a caveat to reveal before we get into the sonic quality.

She produced the album only in ReVinyl, so we don’t have a direct vinyl comparison to listen to. We do, however, have the track on Tidal, which is as close as we can get.

When listening to the eponymous song Happier Than Ever on the ReVinyl record, we pick up on a fair bit of crackle during the opening quiet moments.

What is more noticeable, though, is the track’s emotive balance between vocals and instrumentals.

It feels much more authentic compared with the Tidal version, giving an impressive blast of bassy drums as the second chorus kicks in.

While we don’t have a comparison with regular vinyl, this pressing feels nicely balanced even with pops and crackles in the softer songs.

Even though we have highlighted above a few ways vinyl records are becoming more sustainably produced, there is still a long way to go.

Artists still release multiple variants of the same vinyl, with different art or colours (we're looking at you, Taylor Swift), and the majority of them are yet to release music on sustainable PVC.

We can only wait and see if those involved in every stage of the manufacturing process decide to make a change and move towards an eco-friendly vinyl production.

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Record Store Day is back for another year! The nationwide event seeks to raise interest in and awareness of vinyl and independent record stores, offering up a heaving list of special releases and limited-edition records that are only available to specific participating stores to entice audiences new and old to pick up something special this weekend. The official Record Store Day 2025 takes place on Saturday the 12th of April, though the initiative has events running throughout the year.

To mark the occasion in conjunction with our Vinyl Week 2025 celebrations, we've selected our favourite exclusives that will be going on sale as part of the annual event. You can peruse the full list of exclusive RSD releases, but we've honed down the records that we are most excited about and are tempted to buy for ourselves.

• Listen to the full playlist on Tidal

Sam Fender – Me and the Dog EP

While I’m sure there are plenty of excellent albums yet to be released this year, they’ll have to go a long way to beat Sam Fender’s exceptional, soulful and politically charged People Watching. Fender’s Springsteen-via-Newcastle-upon-Tyne style is absolutely electric, encompassing everything from toe-tapping folk-style tracks to razor-sharp scathing rants directed at social injustice and heartbreaking autobiographical compositions that document journeys of grief.

As part of Record Store Day 2025, Fender has announced an EP that includes a handful of tracks not featured on the album, titled Tyrants and I'm Always On Stage. Also on the EP is People Watching, Me and The Dog (which has been a streaming exclusive until now) and a live recording of People Watching from his show at the O2 Arena. That final track is especially poignant for me, as I attended (and thoroughly enjoyed) one of his shows at the O2.

People Watching is a truly special album, so this Record Store Day exclusive pressing is a must-have in my opinion. It has also given me hope for a full deluxe version of the album to be released on streaming platforms in the future.

Words by Lewis Empson

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Me and the Dog on Tidal

MJ Lenderman – And The Wind (Live and Loose!)

This isn't just MJ Lenderman playing songs from his Ghost of Your Guitar (2021) and Boat Songs (2022) live as they appear on the album; this is the breakthrough Asheville singer-songwriter giving extra vigour and vitality to those songs on stage through energetic reimaginings and a hearty backing band that includes fellow Wednesday bandmates Ethan Baechtold (bassist) and Xandy Chelmis (pedal steel guitar/tamborine).

His often sparse and lo-fi songs are now caffeinated, full-band jams and grooves that rollick from one to the next. There's a whole new dimension to the distorted, whisper-quiet Live Jack, while the sober Catholic Priest works better with its added instrumental expression.

Never once does this collection of amped-up performances, recorded in Chicago's Lincoln Hall and Los Angeles' Lodge Room in 2023, feel anything other than 'in the moment'. This is a very present live album worth not only hearing but also owning.

Words by Becky Roberts

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to And the Wind on Tidal

Goat & Graveyard – Ship Of Fools/Light As A Feather

Let me introduce you to Sweden's finest anonymous, mask-wearing rock band that isn't Ghost. Goat mix psychedelic-rock guitar fuzz, funky beats and trancey experimental world-music flavours with joyously belted-out African-esque female vocals.

The best way I can think to describe how all this actually sounds together is that it's one big party. The band's energetic live shows and blissed-out jam sessions, many of which can be found on YouTube, are truly, hip-shakingly, hypnotically groovy.

Fellow Swedish rockers Graveyard, with whom Goat have collaborated here, are neither mask-wearing nor, despite the name, in any way satanic or dark. As a more pared-back and way less theatrical proposition than Goat, the Gothenburg four-piece sticks to guitars-bass-drums for bluesy hard rock, underpinned by a truly soulful feel thanks to some righteous grooves and Paul Rodgers-esque vocals.

Whether you're a fan of Goat or Graveyard, or both (or if you've yet to experience the joy of either band's music), it's going to be super exciting to stick this Record Store Day 7-inch on the turntable and boogie.

Do note, we haven't got the YouTube clip for the above track, mainly because there isn't one, so we have attached their most recent album instead.

Words by Chris Burke

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Waxahatchee – Much Ado About Nothing b/w Mud

Waxahatchee’s Tiger’s Blood was my album of 2024: a gorgeous, lush, hazy, Americana-tinged folk indie record from singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, whose lilting, honest vocals and unflinching yet emotional lyrics have stuck in my soul since that standout single, Right Back To It. Perfect for dull, grey days as well as sunny, summery days.

Naturally, then, a 7-inch of three bonus songs that were recorded during the Tiger’s Blood sessions being on the RSD 2025 list has caught my eye.

Much Ado About Nothing is cut from the same cloth and sounds beautiful, but Mud (featuring MJ Lenderman on backing vocals again) and Next To Me are entirely unknown to me – and I can’t wait to hear them. The 7-inch record doesn’t get enough love, either, and I’m keen to grow my collection of 45s with this release.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Much Ado About Nothing on Tidal

Bloc Party – Little Thoughts

In the early noughties, Bloc Party’s brand of energetic indie rock left quite the impression, and if there’s one song I have to hit repeat on every time it appears on my playlist, it’s Little Thoughts.

There’s just something about the infectious drumming of ex-band member Matt Tong that I can’t get enough of, and this track showcases it perfectly. It’s absolutely relentless. The pacey drumplay doesn't pause for breath once – it just seems to get faster and faster the longer the track goes on.

As an aspiring air drummer for more than three decades, for me this is a track guaranteed to blow the cobwebs off my imaginary drum kit. Apart from the drumming, the song's pace is also encouraged by a similarly speedy bassline which helps catapult things along.

Little Thoughts has appeared on some versions of the band’s debut studio album Silent Alarm (which is 20 years old this year!), but a Little Thoughts EP was released on CD in Japan back in 2004. Now that it’s getting a vinyl release for RSD 2025, I can’t wait to pick it up.

And it actually has two bangers on there. The second is Helicopter which those unfamiliar with the band (and who live in the UK) will have heard in a recent EDF Energy commercial. Very glamorous.

Words by Andy Madden

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Little Thoughts on Tidal

Gil Scott-Heron – Moving Target

For me, the standout track on Moving Target is Washington D.C., not just for its social commentary – which, 43 years on, remains as relevant as ever – but for its catchy chorus.

It features in the Gil Scott-Heron documentary Black Wax, which captures the poet and godfather of rap at his charismatic best, strolling along the Potomac, boombox on his shoulder, singing along to his own track. The documentary as a whole is a must-watch – sections of it show that Heron missed his calling as a stand-up comedian.

I digress. Moving Target offers a more laid-back groove than some of Heron’s previous studio albums and a greater reggae influence (especially on No Exit). You still get plenty of social commentary – it’s not that much of a departure – but it’s a bit more polished this time around.

This is a chance to own a bona fide classic from a giant of the black music scene and one of the most influential musicians of his time.

Words by Joe Svetlik

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Moving Target on Tidal

Klaus Doldinger & Giorgio Moroder – The NeverEnding Story OST

If you were born in the 1980s, The NeverEnding Story is a movie that is probably burned into your psyche for a couple of reasons.

First, because of that scene midway through the movie that had every single one of us in tears and traumatised for life; to this day, I have to leave the room and wait for it to finish whenever my wife and I rewatch the film.

Second, because it has one of the most over-the-top, memorable '80s soundtracks you’ll ever hear. Composed by jazz musician Klaus Doldinger and renowned producer Giorgio Moroder and with vocals from Limahl (of Kajagoogoo) and Beth Anderson, the opening banger alone immediately plucks my heart’s nostalgia strings.

With this special Record Store Day 2025 release, which features the whole soundtrack, including recordings originally thought lost to the ages, I can’t help but think it’s time to return to Fantasia.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to The NeverEnding Story OST on Tidal

Stone Temple Pilots – Live in New Haven 1994

For sheer enjoyability, Stone Temple Pilots' Purple is one of my favourite albums ever recorded, not to mention proof that 1994 was one of the best years for music. It's one of the CDs I had on repeat in my car back in the old days, enjoying heavy rotation alongside the likes of Radiohead's The Bends and a Feeder Greatest Hits album. Hey, it was a different time.

Live in New Haven 1994 was actually released on August 23, 1994, a month after Purple had hit shelves, so it's not surprising to see the setlist packed with favourites from the band's sophomore effort. Interstate Love Song, Meatplow, Still Remains, Vasoline, Silvergun Superman – they're all there, while heavy-hitters from the group's debut Core also feature.

17 live tracks on two separate LPs courtesy of one of the finest grunge outfits ever? Very nice.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Live in New Haven 1994 on Tidal

De La Soul – Bigger & Respect

You don't just get re-releases of golden oldies for Record Store Day, you also get lost classics that see the light of day as part of the event. Bigger and Respect were originally recorded during the studio sessions for De La Soul's excellent 2004 drop The Grind Date, but they never made it to the final cut.

As part of the celebration for the album's 20th birthday (2004 was 20 years ago?!), the group decided to unearth and revitalise Bigger and Respect from the archives. Presented on vinyl for the first time as a double 7in set, the once-lost tracks have been paired with instrumental versions ofRock Co.Kane Flow and The Future.

They're not the easygoing, sun-splashed tunes that you'll find scattered across the group's Daisy Age icon 3 Feet High and Rising. Instead they employ the harder, leaner aesthetic gaining traction as noughties hip-hop found its stride.

Naturally, they nailed it. Hey, this is De La Soul. They can do anything.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Discover the exclusive Record Store Day 2025 release

Listen to Bigger on Tidal

Listen to Respect on Tidal

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9 tips for new or returning vinyl fans that will help you on your record-collecting journey

Vinyl Week 2025: all of the latest reviews, advice and features

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I began collecting vinyl in the 1980s, back when it wasn't so much a conscious act of 'collecting', but as a music-loving kid was simply my preferred format to buy LPs and singles on. Having survived its own 'death' and returned, strongly, in the last decade or so, vinyl has become so much more than the commodity it once was.

I'm thankful I was never tempted to get rid of my old records as I transitioned to CD and then MP3, and since I started to buy vinyl again, the nature of my record buying is unabashed 'collecting', adding each new purchase proudly to my existing collection (even if I already owned it on a digital format).

Record collecting is an extremely satisfying hobby and one that is easy to get hooked on. But it can be an expensive one. With the average price of vinyl having gone up by, according to Discogs' research, 24 per cent since 2020, inflation in particular has changed the way we are buying records.

Record lovers are by necessity exercising more caution in their buying, prioritising quality over quantity and focusing on records they really want. If you're just starting out on your collecting journey, or returning to it, post-revival, it's even more important to take care when building, and maintaining, your precious vinyl collection.

Here are ten tips encompassing what to do and what not to do, to help you make, and keep, a great record collection.

Check the physical vinyl if you're buying second-hand

If you're crate-digging for second-hand records, check the actual vinyl itself before you commit. No decent record shop owner is going to mind you (carefully) taking the record out of its sleeve, and finding the best light to hold it up to, to check for obvious scratches, marks etc. I've bought second-hand records that, while the sleeve was in good condition, the record itself was fairly poor.

It cuts both ways that you can't always judge a record by its cover – I just picked up a bargainous copy of The Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet at a record fair, whose sleeve was in a sorry state, with evident patches where stickers (probably from a lending library) have been removed. A tatty sleeve, for sure. But, the record itself is in very good condition for its age.

If you're not sure that you're looking at any sort of a bargain, get your phone out and quickly search for the record on Discogs, which is a handy resource for telling you what a record is selling for, dependent on its condition, and what it would cost you to get it posted to you. This will all help you assess the value of a record you're considering buying from a store.

• Here are more tips for buying second-hand vinyl

Make sure your record player is level, stable and watch out for floor vibrations

If the floor of your listening room is noticeably bouncy, or flexes with footfall (often this will be an upstairs room), be careful when your records are playing. Jumping around my student bedroom to Nirvana's Nevermind, upstairs in an old terraced house, caused my deck to jump and the needle to scratch Smells Like Teen Spirit permanently, rendering it unplayable without a massive jump, less than three days after Nevermind's release. And it's still in my collection, and still ruined.

You can read more about how to properly set up your record player to get the best sound and preserve your records better.

Use plastic wallets, you'll be glad you did

I used to think plastic sleeves made shelves of vinyl look a little scruffy, preventing you from seeing the spines which, when new, looked lovely and helped identify the record too. But years of thumbing through my collection has caused the spines to become scuffed and dog-eared.

Plastic wallets will help keep your record covers and the vinyl inside in much better nick. To help your filing, use cardboard dividers to help narrow down your search if you can no longer read the spines due to the plastic wallets.

Store your record collection properly

We've already compiled a handy guide to storing your vinyl records – but the main points here are: keep them away from excessive light or heat, and in a dry place; use plastic wallets and dividers to stop you over-thumbing them; store them upright, not stacked; make sure to put the vinyl back in its inner sleeve; and use recommended products to keep them clean.

Be especially wary of heat. Vinyl really, really doesn't like getting hot. Don't store your vinyl in direct sunlight or too close to a radiator or heat source, but also be careful on the way home from the record shop. Should you be lucky enough to have bought your new record on a particularly hot day, don't leave your new purchase in the car while you wander off to other shops. Like dogs, it's cruel – and no, you can't just crack a window.

Once, years ago, I'd bought Dinosaur Jr's seminal Bug album and, after an extended day out, got a takeaway on the way home – and put the well-wrapped food in the same bag as the vinyl. When I went to play my brand new record, I found just five minutes of excess heat had warped it and rendered it unplayable.

• Our step-by-step guide on how to clean your turntable

Listen through decent kit

If you're reading What Hi-Fi? in the first place, then we really shouldn't need to say this – but if you're serious about vinyl, you should have at least good, if entry-level, gear with which to play your records. You can find many buying guides for best affordable turntables and other necessary gear on What Hi-Fi?, and you can also have a set-up with fewer boxes than a full separates system entails – for example a turntable with a built-in phono stage and a pair of powered speakers.

You don't need only the very best set-up to enjoy your collection, but of course the better it sounds, the more you'll enjoy your records. It's sort of the point. We'd probably recommend not playing your records on those all-in-one decks that looks like a suitcase, too.

Speaking of which, make sure the tracking weight of your tonearm isn't too heavy (or too light), which can each cause their own kinds of problems for your vinyl. Again, follow our guide to setting up your turntable properly.

Check the record you're buying online is the real deal

For the serious collector, of course, there are plenty of sites online to virtually dig for rarer editions, but if you're just starting out there's few better places to look at than eBay and Discogs. The latter’s marketplace features bona fide dealers, and it tells you the condition (based on established grading criteria, such as Mint, Near Mint, Very Good Plus, down to Fair/Poor) of every listed record's vinyl disc, and also its sleeve.

Being able to compare an album's various listing prices should also ensure you don't overpay. As on eBay, be sure to check the seller's history, star rating and reviews. If you're going via eBay and the like, a good seller should give you plenty of information about the record's condition, and even a catalogue number. You can always cross-check that record against listings on Discogs to check value and authenticity (and again make sure to read the seller's history and reviews).

You can't always 100 per cent trust the grading (one person's idea of 'near-mint' isn't necessarily going to make it so), but it's a fair start. If you have the time, it's worth a quick Google for mentions of a record's catalogue number on forums, message boards and comments sections, as whole batches may have fallen victim to factory error or pressed on sub-par vinyl.

Fakes are rare, but they are out there, unfortunately. These are pirated pressings, as opposed to bootlegs (which can themselves be worth owning as they preserve albeit unofficial live recordings, outtakes or otherwise unreleased tracks that might otherwise have been lost), that will not be mastered from an owned, original recording. If you're in any doubt as to the authenticity of a record, we have some tips for spotting fakes here.

Know what you want in your collection

There's a lot of music out there, and it can be a bewildering experience wandering into a well-stocked record store without knowing what you want. I still experience at least a partial mind-wipe of the records I'm after as soon as I walk in the door.

It helps to keep in mind an idea of what you're looking for, or better yet keep a list. If you're collecting – and as a hugely collectible thing, vinyl records have a certain cache that means you'll want your collection to be only full of great things, not impulse buys – it might help to give you a better start to your hunt to have at least prioritised artists.

After some cool albums, but not sure where to start? Something like Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time contains, obviously, plenty of records that are considered classic. You're not going to go far wrong with having Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Nirvana's Nevermind, Prince's Purple Rain or Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (all in the Top Ten) in your collection, for example.

Or you can always peruse our list of the best-sounding vinyl records to test turntables for inspiration.

...but, most importantly, collect what you love

Don't let anyone tell you that Daphne And Celeste Save The World isn't worth owning on vinyl, should you happen to be a big fan…

And don't be intimidated into buying that classic hard bop jazz album that everyone always goes on about if you're never, ever going to listen to it. Because, specifically, you even don't like jazz.

And don't feel like you just have to buy something because you've spent an hour or more filing through records, if you haven't found something you really want. Just walk away, and return another day. You'll be glad you did.

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From voice to vinyl: how records get their groove

How to set up a turntable and get the best sound

Old is gold: why I massively prefer old vinyl to new

Happy Record Store Day!

We hope you're out and about at your local independent record store, shopping for some new vinyl, or simply enjoying spinning your record collection at home. With Record Store Day 2025 landing this Saturday 12th April, our editorial team (and a few special guests) have spent all week celebrating all things turntable and vinyl-related.

Our Vinyl Week special has been packed full of fascinating features and useful advice, from handy tips on collecting records, whether the weight of a vinyl record makes an impact on sound quality, why hunting for old vinyl can be more rewarding than buying new re-issues, and even a fresh perspective on how using a turntable differs from CD and streaming.

Some of the world's top turntable manufacturers have shared their favourite records with us, which included personal stories on how an album or track made an impact on their lives and how they design turntables.

We've published reviews on three very different turntables, including the unique Audio-Technica Sound Burger, while our editorial team has offered advice on how to set up a turntable correctly to get the best performance, and what to look for when choosing the right spinner for you.

We've also explored a more sustainable future for vinyl, brought real-life insights from independent record store owners on current buying habits, and run down the 20 best turntables we've reviewed in the past 50 years.

You can stay updated with all the latest features, advice and reviews by heading to the Vinyl Week hub, or simply check out all the links below. We're also posting exclusive videos and images on our social media (as we dig into our 50-year magazine archive), so head to Instagram and Facebook for some turntable treasures from the past.

As ever, thank you to our readers who have commented and shared their vinyl collection and turntable memories so far. Vinyl Week may be over soon, but we all know we'll be spinning records for the rest of the year...

Reviews

• Audio-Technica Sound Burger (AT-SB727): not just a novelty; this is a charming, fun concept with plenty of appeal
• Vertere SG-1/Xtrax high-end turntable: spectacular in appearance, engineering and sound quality
• Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT turntable: an easy-to-use record player that successfully balances performance, features and affordability

Features

• My most valuable record: What Hi-Fi? staff reveal their most precious vinyl possessions
• The 20 very best turntables of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime
• We asked 8 of the world's top turntable designers for their favourite records – here's what they said
• Is 180g vinyl worth it? We asked several hi-fi manufacturers if a record’s weight can impact sound quality
• Unsurprisingly, our readers own a lot of vinyl, but cost and quality are now big concerns
• 5 special edition record players that demand to be seen and heard
• I have listened to my favourite music on vinyl, CD and streaming – and the differences go far beyond sound
• We reveal 10 top music journalists’ most treasured vinyl records: Tom Petty, Motörhead, The Doors, plus some big surprises
• Old is gold: why I massively prefer buying old vinyl to new
• We asked three record store owners what young people are buying – and their answer wasn't Taylor Swift
• Now that vinyl record sales are on the rise, is there a more sustainable way to manufacture them?
• We pick 9 of the best Record Store Day 2025 releases – Sam Fender, De La Soul, Waxahatchee and more
• I interviewed three independent record store owners – and they have one big piece of advice for vinyl newbies
• From voice to vinyl: how records get their groove

Advice

• Best turntables 2025: top record players tested by our expert reviewers
• How to store records: 9 tips for keeping your vinyl tip-top
• Buying your first record player? Here are 8 questions you should ask yourself
• I’ve just planned my Record Store Day – here are 4 tips for shopping success tomorrow
• 9 tips for new or returning vinyl fans that will help you on your record-collecting journey
• How to spot fake records: 10 tips to avoiding counterfeit vinyl
• 13 of the best turntable accessories to elevate your vinyl experience
• How to set up a turntable correctly and get the best sound
• How to easily add a turntable to your music or TV system
• How to choose the right record player for you
• Best high-end record players: from Linn to Michell to Technics – ultimate premium turntables tested by our review team
• How to change the cartridge on your turntable
• Best Bluetooth turntables: top wireless record players tried and tested

In celebration of our annual Vinyl Week, which this year begins on 7th April ahead of Record Store Day on the 12th, we want to know all about your record collection.

We're all of course familiar with the (prepare for the cliché) 'Vinyl Revival', and news stories abound about how popular the old analogue format has become, but have we reached a bit of a saturation point now? Has this popularity had a detrimental effect in terms of availability and prices? And has the availability of hi-res streams changed how people feel about vinyl?

We would love to get feedback from our readers on all of that.

So, how big is your vinyl collection? Have you been collecting for decades or are you a relative newcomer? And how have your vinyl-purchasing habits changed in recent years?

If you're buying more or less than you used to – why is that?

Are you buying vinyl new or second-hand, and where from? And how do you feel about 'Special Edition' records?

And this might be a controversial question, but do you actually listen to all of your vinyl, or are there some records that you've bought purely for the pleasure of owning them? We won't judge.

If you can give us some insight into any of these topics (and/or some general thoughts on the lay of the vinyl land), we will be very grateful – and the best, most interesting responses will make it into a feature that we'll be publishing during Vinyl Week.

You can post your thoughts in the comments section of this page, on our social media channels or directly on our forums, and we'll dig into your responses towards the end of the week.

Thanks in advance for your contributions!

You can now read the accompanying feature: Unsurprisingly, our readers own a lot of vinyl, but cost and quality are now big concerns

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