Vinyl Review

Simply the musings of the records that I have bought, are for and listened to. Sharing my thoughts of each record with details on the matrix ID’s, the store I purchased them from and my overall impression of the record when played back on my own equipment.

The intention is that the rambling of a single person will somehow help people choose whether or not they should purchase a record along with the thoughts on purchasing second hand records.

There are sites that go into much more detail and offer what I shall call “stronger opinions”. My aim is to just provide my own personal opinion, unbiased by any external factors.

“Do yourself a tremendous favour and go to a record store today. The relatively mild exertion of getting off your fat, computer-shackled ass and venturing out to find the object of your desire, the thrill of moving through actual space and time, through row upon row of records, and the tactile ecstasy of fondling the quested treasure—all this will augment and enrich the mental associations the music invokes in you for the rest of your life.”

Grinderman

A neatly arranged flat lay of several vinyl records with varied, vividly printed album covers, each record half-exposed to reveal labels with legible serial numbers and pressing details. They are organized on a smooth, neutral gray surface, with small handwritten-style tags placed beside each sleeve indicating store names and purchase dates. Cool, diffused studio lighting from above evenly illuminates the scene, minimizing reflections while emphasizing textures of cardboard sleeves and glossy vinyl. The composition follows the rule of thirds for a balanced, editorial look, with sharp focus across the entire frame. The atmosphere is orderly, expert, and archival, perfect for a professional site documenting detailed vinyl reviews and sources.

Who Spins Vinyl Review

This site is an idea I had and decided to put together for no other reason than because I can. My name is Phil, I own a small computer support company in Dorset and I like listening to Vinyl.

I don’t pretend to be an expert or even a lifelong lover of Vinyl. In fact I only rediscovered music in 2024 and did not start collecting with any purpose until late 2025. I am however very nerdy and love getting into the details so have applied a lot of my personal aptitudes to making sure what I have performs the best is possibly can.

I am rebuilding my childhood collection whilst discovering all new music I would never have considered before. Listening has become part of my world and I find it both enjoyable and an essential part of maintaining good mental health, as it makes you slow down in a world that is busy all the time, and often unrelenting in the toll it takes on your time, and your wellbeing.

A tightly framed, photographic close-up of a vintage jazz LP’s runout groove area, with razor-sharp focus on the etched matrix numbers, stampers, and faint pressing plant symbols in the deadwax. The rest of the black vinyl gradually falls out of focus toward the edges, creating a dramatic shallow depth of field. Subtle, controlled side lighting rakes across the surface from the left, accentuating the micro-texture of the grooves and the fine scratches of a well-loved record. The background is nearly black, isolating the subject for a forensic, almost scientific mood. The overall aesthetic is precise, technical, and archival, perfectly suited to a professional site emphasizing matrix details and pressing identification.

“For me it all started with two turntables and a mixer.”

Paul Oakenfold

An overhead photographic image of a dedicated vinyl review workspace: an open record sleeve displaying full artwork and tracklist, the matching vinyl record on a soft microfiber mat, and a small notebook-like card listing store purchased from, pressing info, and condition grade. The surface is a light oak desk with visible grain, minimally cluttered with only a carbon fiber brush and an aligned row of record storage boxes in the softly blurred background. Natural, diffused daylight from a nearby window evenly lights the scene, highlighting the textures of paper, cardboard, and vinyl grooves without glare. The composition is clean and modern with generous negative space, creating a calm, methodical, and professional atmosphere ideal for reviewing and cataloging records.

“My father was my first inspiration. He had an incredible stereo and a turntable, and I was told not to touch it. But I’d go back and touch it anyway. I gained a respect for the turntables when I was a kid. When I was a teenager, I came up with a ‘cueing system’ to work the turntables because they didn’t have it at that time.”

Grandmaster Flash

A high-end turntable in photographic realism, captured at eye level, with a freshly cleaned vinyl record spinning slowly on a brushed aluminum platter. The tonearm is precisely positioned over the lead-in groove, and the record’s label shows crisp typography, catalog number, and subtle wear around the spindle hole. The turntable sits on a dark walnut console with a small stack of records in crisp outer sleeves neatly aligned beside it. Warm, directional lighting from a nearby lamp creates soft highlights on metal surfaces and delicate reflections on the record’s surface, with a gentle falloff into a slightly blurred background of organized shelving. The mood is focused, refined, and audiophile-oriented, conveying meticulous attention to sound and pressing details.

“If I was a billionaire, and had my time all over, I would invest all of my money in setting up a factory to produce vinyl records again.”

Roger Daltrey

How I grade my records

I have a certain personality type. I like things to be precise where I can. When I grade my records I don’t use the grading that is supplied at time of purchase

Mint for a cover will be relevant of age. You cannot expect a 50 year old record to be truly mint. The same goes for the sleeve. That said, once a record has been played once, it cannot be called mint. Mint is unplayed. The needle, the cleaning, exposure to your space, it all stops a record being classed as truly mint.

VG. + is where a lot of my items lie. A good quality cover, sleeve and a played but unmarked record.

VG is the same as above but the vinyl itself might have a little pop and crackle.

Good + is where minor marks on the vinyl show but make so difference to the playback.

Good is as low as I can go. anything below this is a hard listen. Even at good levels, you have to love the music being played to overcome the flaws in the records condition.

I apply a 90 percent rule. If 90 percent of the record meets the criteria, then it gets that grading. Anything over than that, then it gets bumped down. I use a small sticker system on my records to indicate the quality. Just in case I forget how it sounds or to avoid a lesser record when I am showing off my listening space to friends.