Manhattan Portage DJ Bag

When you hit the town looking to pick up some new records, it's nice to have an easy way of bringing them home that doesn't involve holding plastic bags.

The medium DJ back from Manhattan Portage does the trick. It's the perfect size for transporting a handful of records back your apartment.

It's available in solid colors ($45), with reflective tape ($49), made with vinyl material, and a line of limited edition bags with NYC graffiti ($70).

The one shown to the left is from our neighborhood here in NYC, the LES.

Here's what they say on their site:

The artwork consists of images found in some of Manhattan' s well known graffiti murals located in the Lower East Side neighborhood These limited edition bags provide every Porter with the traditional style and comfort of Manhattan Portage but with a new unique twist that few have seen before.

Our pick for entry-level: Pro-ject Debut III

A friend asks:

"I really want to get into vinyl and I'm looking for a decent, entry level turntable. What should I get?"

It's a great question and one we (and I'm sure many of you fellow vinyl lovers) get asked often. After inquiring more about needs, uses, existing setup, and budget, we find ourselves recommending the Pro-Ject Debut III most often. While it does start at a higher price-point than most of the entry-level automatic, DJ, and Crosley turntables, we think it's worth starting off with a solid model that you can upgrade and enjoy for many years.

The Debut III comes in two distinct flavors and here's how they break down:

Debut III
Available for $349 - $379

Made for:

Someone that wants to get started with a simple, solid turntable and have options to upgrade their pre-amp in the future. Also, for an extra $30 on the basic black model, you can have choose silver, yellow, blue, green, red, white, and piano black.

Thinks to know:

If your receiver does not have a "Phono" input, you'll need to pick up a phono pre-amp. I've this entry-level one from Music Hall which is available here for $150.

Debut III Phono / USB
Available here from Music Direct for $499

Made for:

Someone that wants the features of the Debut III, doesn't want to think about pre-amps, and has plans to convert their vinyl to MP3.

Things to know:

Since it comes with a built-in pre-amp, if you want to upgrade to a better pre-amp in the future, you may be better off starting with the standard Debut III and an entry level pre-amp.

If you have any suggestions on brands and models (that are generally available) at lower price points that you have found to work well, let us know in the comments.

LP Storage from Room & Board

Another great option for storing / displaying your vinyl collection - this time from Room & Board.

From the Woodwind collection, this solid cabinet looks great when filled with your precious vinyl. It is available in 4 finishes with options for knobs for the bottom storage space.

Four adjustable shelves allow you to customize the storage space and it is deep enough to hold most turntables (and it includes holes to manage cables. In the photo to the right, we see how this customer is using 3 cabinets for a really clean, simple setup.

Here's a bit about the line:

Our enduring Woodwind collection features solid, sleek pieces in strikingly simple shapes and useful sizes. Pair the two-door bookcase with single units to create a classic built-in look. Bookcases feature deep adjustable shelves for handling today's media components and your choice of knobs.

Priced at $949, they aren't exactly cheap but if you're looking for something that you'll have for a long time, this is a great piece.

Dimensions:
32w 17d 72h

Component Space:
25w 15d 20h

Wire Management:
2" round; bottom center back of open space; top center back of component space

Available here from Room & Board

LP Dividers from SUCK UK

Looking to organize your vinyl and add a little record store charm to your apartment? Check out this set of LP dividers from SUCK UK. The set comes with 30 unique dividers, inspired by dividers from a local record store, to separate your LPs. Each divider has a genre listed on one edge, A-Z on the other.

Be sure to check out the animation to see what the set looks like. Here's what they they say on their site:

Like having a record shop in your own home!
The smell of vinyl, the unfriendly sales assistant, the dog-eared record sleeve by some experimental band from the 1970s- just about every music buff loves their local record shop. So why not re-create the magic in your home with your own precious record collection? Lovingly scuzzed up to look authentic, there are 30 dividers in each set, doubling up as genre and A-Z. What true vinyl lover wouldn’t want to alphabetize and organise their Dolly Parton from their Marilyn Manson or their hip-hop from their prog rock? No food and drink by the records please though.

Available here for £20.00

Record shelf from Ikea

Here's another simple, affordable storage solution for you vinyl records from Ikea.

The Markor shelf has 10 individual shelves to keep everything organized and it should easily store  500 records. In the picture to the right, the owner added a backing to the shelves and legs.

The shelf measures in at 73 1/4" wide, 33 7/8" high, and 14 1/8" deep. At that depth, a Technics 1200 will just fit on the top but check the dimensions of your components if you plan on putting an of them on top.

Available here for $219.

Other record shelf articles:

• Vinyl shelving under $100
• Sefour vinyl storage unit
• DUAL record shelving