I'll admit that the first time I heard records were coming back into fad, I thought people were crazy. I mean I know that the distortion you get from listening to an mp3 file vs. an analog source like a record or cd, some would say is like putting a steak dinner with peas and mashed potatoes into a blender together and then drinking it vs. eating it on a plate. But at the same time vinyl is hard to store, impossible to keep clean of dust, much more expensive to buy and buy equipment to play, forces you to sit through filler songs and makes you flip or change the record every 20 minutes or 4-5 songs.
From a convenience standpoint, it is like driving and maintaining a Model T Ford vs. a Toyota Corolla. However, there is just something very 'vintage' and cool about a record player spinning a black shiny record. When forced to hear the whole album with vinyl, I actually find some new great songs I hadn't heard when putting together a playlist of best hits from a band.
So there are a couple choices ... Amazon, where you can be sure to save $5-$10 on the prices of brand new records and hope that the seller is legit or not storing the records in a hot room or improperly. EBay ... again, you save money but are generally buying a pig in a poke because you must trust the seller's grading and it could be coming from a thrift store smelling of mildew and warped. Or, your local record store where you can look at the record album or in the case of In Your Ear, they have a set up where you can actually play and test the record for snaps, pops and crackle so common on vintage vinyl.
The only suggestion I'd have is that there is no grading system and few notes written on each record, so if you don't have time to test it out, it can be hard at first glance to tell if a $20 copy is NM or VG++ ... or if a $10 copy is VG or VG+. The same is true for the pressing ... is it a first press, second pressing, recent used pressing, etc.
The store is cavernous and was intentionally (I think) left to look like a record store from the 1970's with that light green and yellow paint, fluorescent lighting and pegboard racks. If you are buying vintage vinyl, it sort of adds to the experience. Warren itself is a hipster-y waterfront village ... very vintage feeling and worn. Paint peels off most buildings, on a day with grey skies it is eerily empty and feels like of like a small town from a Rob Zombie movie. However, you'll find hipstery little restaurants with hand crafted cocktails, 'curated' oysters and farm to table offerings throughout ... and a great vinyl store.
The counter guy was very helpful, not pushy and friendly. Often there is a propensity for vinyl store employees to act snooty and all knowing but I found just the opposite at In Your Ear. Clearly the employee was very into music, knowledgable about the equipment and willing to chat a bit about it.
I saw several record players here, mostly vintage. There were some Technics, Audio Technica and other vintage names lost to the 1980s and 1970s cleaned up and (presumably) in playing order. Old, used equipment is sometimes better than buying new stuff and I assume the store is great because they will help you balance the tone arm and set up a system. Good luck getting that at a Best Buy.
Overall, this is a great place for a vintage vinyl collector to come and browse for a while. I spent 3 times as much time and money in here as I intended but walked away with 2 very playable copies of some damn good albums in their original form. Anyone who has heard a 1968 Rolling Stones album will know the difference between a bass heavy modern 2017 re-issue and remaster, meaning the sound arrangements were changed around to accommodate modern equipment and tastes vs. the original. Also, a lot of newer vinyl comes from an electronic copy vs. the originals which were made from an analog tape which came right from the soundboard or mixer. Listen to the modern re-issue of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and you'll hear two electronic gliches/skips on Starman and one other track. Not there on the original I can assure you. read more