Enjoy Taylor Swift’s Latest Album on the Best Material Possible – Forbes

Swifties around the world have been waiting months for the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD if you know the lingo). Alongside the teases, Taylor released a number of exclusive vinyl records, each with their own bonus track. For many fans (myself included), this was enough to finally spark a return to physical media.

Yes, after years of staring my kids in the face for collecting records, I gave in and started my own collection.

Since the digital music streaming revolution took off, I’ve left records, cassettes, and CDs behind. After all, my generation is the one that discovered the joy of skipping to your favorite song on an album, why would I go back?

It was only recently that I began to realize that by letting go of the physical, I was losing a connection to my music. I’m a child of the 80s who grew up with tape recorders and my parents’ stereo. I remember well the ritual of listening to an entire album. That’s been lost when you can go into any album like a sonic sniper, consume your favorites, and come right back out.

But having my Target-exclusive TTPD ghost vinyl in hand was only the first part. I needed a real system to play on (that’s another thing that’s been mostly lost: dedicated music hardware). But I didn’t want to grab some old junk from Goodwill. If I was going to start with Taylor, I was going to do it right.

That’s why I was delighted to see that Sonos offers an absolutely stunning set of turntables. It’s seemingly simple, all you need to listen to records is a turntable and a speaker after all. But what turntable and what speaker.

Platinum

The Pro-Ject T1 Phonos SB turntable is a beautiful, minimalist turntable. To eliminate unwanted vibrations, the base is made from CNC machined wood, manufactured so that there are no hollow parts. It is available in black, walnut or white. So whether you’re in your Reputation, Evermore, or TTPD era, you’re covered.

The solid construction extends to the glass top. Better than plastic or lightweight metal, the resonance-free platter is heavy and will not warp or bend, ensuring smooth playback. The tonearm is a single piece of aluminum, with excellent counterweighting. I also like the tonearm lever that lets you drop the needle smoothly. Speaking of which, the T1 Phonos SB comes with an Ortofon OM 5E moving magnet cartridge that delivers phenomenal hi-fi sound.

You also get playback options, with a 33/45 electronic speed switch and felt mat included. The built-in preamp lets you connect the included RCA cable (which also comes with an adapter for the Sonos Five speaker). The subplatter is belt driven with a steel bearing which ensures even more reliable sound.

It’s available in black, walnut, or white, so whether you’re in your Reputation, Evermore, or TTPD era, we’ve got you covered. The included dust cover is also a touch I appreciate (although I can already see fingerprints on the clear smoked plastic).

The speaker

The Sonos Five is a powerful speaker. It is the most powerful in the Sonos range, with six amps, three tweeters and three midranges. It automatically provides clear stereo separation with absolutely crystal clear vocal details (ideal for us Swifties). It can also work as a stereo pair, switching to mono as soon as you set it to vertical orientation.

The Sonos Five connects to the record player via an AC input adapter. Since the Five is also a fully functional Bluetooth speaker, you’ll want to make sure to select Autoplay in the Sonos app settings so that it activates every time you play a recording.

Other than that, setup is a breeze. You can change the EQ (which I know I should do, but I never do, the factory EQ settings are so good) and configure Trueplay audio which will adapt the output to the architecture of the real space in which the enclosure is located.

The sound

In a word? Transformer. I never really understood why playing digital music through my Apple Homepod Mini at full volume was worse than a record. After all, it’s just converting the music into a signal and playing it, right?

But I was wrong. I started with a record that I know very well: the TRON: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk (seriously, I must have listened to it 200 times) and I was amazed by the richness of the tone and the subtle separation of the different parts of the composition. . Rather than the bass taking over (as often happens when you play a song) or the horns drowning out the strings, it all simply came together to form the layered masterpiece that it is.

Which made me even more excited to listen to TTPD. Suffice it to say, Taylor Swift’s vocals shined on the Five through some of my favorite songs like “Florida!!!” » (I also love Florence + the Machine) and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” (Eras tour participants, IFYKYK). Even after a full weekend of listening to the album in my car and on the go, I found myself discovering subtle tonal shifts that simply weren’t occurring when playing through the speakers of the car (as fun as that can be). I was also impressed that even though I increased the volume (as some tracks simply need to be listened to at full volume), the separation of the sound was maintained.

And, yes, sitting down and deliberately listening to the entire album, without the ability to easily skip from one track to the next, made for a superior experience. Truly the best way to discover the master’s music.

Now hurry up and release TTPD: The Anthology on vinyl already, okay?

You can get the Sonos turntable set from the Sonos site for $948 (a bundle that knocks $50 off the total price). If that’s a bit too expensive, you can pair the Pro-Ject T1 with an Era 100 speaker for $682.

Believe me, it’s worth it.