Vinyl Manual (Haynes Manuals): How to get the best from your vinyl records and kit

One of the nicest books I have ever owned. Written with love in praise of the'Vinyl' genre of audio/sound media, I cannot seriously fault this unexpectedly high quality product from the famous Haynes Guides series. Beautifully produced on a semi-gloss high quality grade paper, this hardback publication can sit easily amid other glossy arty books to grace the coffee table.The subject matters are partitioned into chapters with much history and even more high quality photos and illustrations relating to sound recording equipment from the very earliest days to the contemporary studio and all techniques in between. Emphasis is given, of course to the many attributes of vinyl as these discs became collectively 'nouned' from wax cylinders via shellac to vinyl and a look at how cds now emanate mainly from both analogue and digital forms of recording. Perhaps because of my dotage, I would have liked a nod or two more in the direction of my kind of music (from earliest jazz to big band swing as well as Country music (that had also enjoyed massive popularity via vinyl sales). The author's comparative youth reflects rather more of his music taste (rock and onwards.,), though he is forgiven for his very well produced labour of love.

It’s a must for any Vinyl fan, it covers the history and more technical aspects of setting up a system. It is my go to reference point in my book collection. An interesting read if you love Vinyl like I do.

With my first stereo at aged 7 in 1973, I have been in / around HiFi since then and now have what many might call a "reference" system. I was pleased with this book. It contained a lot of basic information and even went a little further in some areas (e.g. a peek at some really hi end turntables). The format could have done with some really striking illustrations (e.g. of a cartridge or perhaps a stylus tracking a groove) but instead, the book decided to use words to describe the concepts. There was little mention of the Belt Drive system or floating sub-chassis... Some interesting recommendations for sound checking vinyl also made for nice reading. At the back end of the book however, a lot of time was spent on DJ-ing and even more for digital mixing, which diluted the book (IMHO). Nonetheless, it is a great read and recommended.

100%

Amazing book husband was totally impressed with his Christmas present

Nice unique gift for a vinyl lover.

Ok i am old school (really wish ages should be in reviews) age 59. Think this is for people not around in the 60/70/80's even 90's. Its well but together but lacks in detail and is all over then place on facts. Perhaps I know it all, and could have helped put this together. For a Haynes manual its lacks more depth, in 5 parts or more. 1 - History ok, but not one photo of magnified grooves and how the styli works in the groove. 2 - Jumps from first vinyl with Quad?? no short mention of cassettes, MD,CDs or why they took over. 3 - There are some very good moderatly priced decks (Hi Fi and DJ) available, from £100 - £300, but this had lots of photos of £2000 plus decks !! (Same with speakers) and for the DJ just a beloved Technics , again expensive model. 4 - When I am on company forums the big problem is new folk not understanding what line/phono out puts mean and same when connecting to line/phono in. Not a mention of this except to buy an expensive amp ?? with phonos. There is really no need for a top 20 best selling LP of all time at the end taking up pages. Lets see more gear recommendations instead. The DJ section is fairly good, but no mention of the mistakes a lot of starter DJs make re levels and kit choice. 5 - nothing on replacing belts/cartridges/fault finding/ cleaning with correct fluids ,buying an ultrasonic cleaner etc etc Ps I am not a Hi Fi snob, and did buy the book, but if this was a car manual I would be in big trouble !!

Love this book. Everything you need to know about vinyl.

The Vinyl Manual is framed as one of the Haynes series, best known in the early days for automobile maintenance instruction manuals, but now covering pretty much everything you can think of. It's a nicely bound book, with lots of illustrations. The book starts out with a summary of the history of records, then dives into turntables (how to buy, how to set up, things to look for, etc), followed by a look at vinyl of the past decades, then finishes with a look at vinyl collectors and collections, and the passion for collecting. There's a lot of information in the book on DJ equipment and DJing, which I thought a little out of scope for a basic vinyl book. Also, the information here, while not dated excessively, is also not really current (no mention of today's state-of-the-art turntables, for the most part, for example). The discussion on tonearms and cartridges is also a bit too high-level for what I would want from a book like this. The book is not really going to be useful to anyone who knows audio equipment and vinyl already. I fall in that category, and read through the book start to finish without learning anything new, but for a beginner in the vinyl field, I would see some value in this volume. Overall, a bit too simplistic and too high a level for most people who know anything about records already.

Un prodotto editoriale simpatico e azzeccato, molto divulgativo, ma piacevolissimo da sfogliare anche grazie a un editing fresco e accattivante, corredato da belle immagini, appetitose e 'invoglianti'! Gli argomenti trattati spaziano da storia e tecnica del vinile, a cenni di strumentazione audio, tecniche di mixaggio dj e discografie di massima, suddivise per genere musicale, il tutto appunto a livello di 'cenni', ma sempre gradevole. Un'ottima idea regalo!

Very accurate and informative. Great coffee table book.

A 2017 release to suit beginners or those interested in the vinyl resurgence. A lot of unnecessary info for advanced vinyl collectors or enthusiasts such as Dj’ing and where to shop for vinyl. It reminds me of a picture book you might find in a library when at high school. Having said that this is probably a decent book for beginners. I could have kept my money and bought a vinyl record instead.

An excellent book for all vinyl lovers.