Cinema Architects Open Day
Schedule
Sat, 15 Nov, 2025 at 10:00 am
UTC+02:00Location
Kramerville, Sandton | Sandton, GT
Advertisement
CINEMA ARCHITECTS OPEN DAY, SATURDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2025If you are planning on visiting us at our open day on 15 November 2025, we welcome you in advance. We would like to give a bit of background and why this is an important event. What follows is a long read. Make the most of it.
First, it is about vinyl records and attracting a younger generation. Does it mean the older folk are no welcome? Not in the least, but you have already accumulated a lot of experience dealing with turntables and the vinyl format over the years. Who is going to teach the younger generation the joy of vinyl records if we, the oldies, do not do it? We want younger enthusiasts to attend so that they can learn, see what is available, what can be done, and just generally enjoy the format.
What better way to get the younger generation involved in music than to get them to listen to vinyl? With new artists like Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and many others taking the music world by storm, now is the time for the old guard to play advisor to the younger generation. It is a metaphorical passing of the torch moment, so to speak.
For a few years now, music enthusiasts have become disappointed with how music is presented. Most of us have a huge “collection” of music on our mobile and/or desktop devices. I do too. I am in my early 60s and I have a massive collection of titles on Apple Music. Of this, maybe only about 10% was ripped from CDs I own. The rest are all downloads. If I miss a payment or cancel my Apple Music subscription, 90% of what is there, will be gone in an instant. There is just no sense of ownership. I don’t own the titles. Apple does, stored on some server they say is “somewhere in the clouds”, which is not true anyway. This is where vinyl records are different.
Playing vinyl records forces you to become intimately involved with the format. You must get the album from its storage, remove the plastic outer, remove the inner liner, remove the record, place it on the turntable, drop the arm, listen to one side, take it off, flip it over, and start all over again. This is the allure of records, something we took for granted years ago before we knew what streaming was. While you are playing your LP, take a look at the sleeve. The mere touch of the sleeve, opening it, and reading the liner notes, which I have done a zillion times before, never ceases to be special. And you end up listening to the entire album as the artist intended, not just a track or two.
The other day I visited a friend who has a very recent pressing of the Pink Floyd classic, Dark Side of the Moon. What grabbed my attention was that this release has a matt black finish on the gatefold cover. The tactile sensation was unbelievable. All others use a glossy finish. I must absolutely get a copy of this edition, even though I already own what can be regarded as one of the best pressings of the album.
When you attend the event, please do not expect ultra-expensive “high-end” turntables to be on display. Yes, there will be a Rega RP6, various Dual models, Musical Fidelity, an older Technics, and an even older Linn Sondek LP12 (for sale by a private owner). However, it is not about the turntable manufacturer; it is about the format. One of the worst and irritating traits I have noticed through the years if that when someone comes to a dealer, very enthusiastic about his late father’s turntable he has found in the garage, and asks for advice, the dealer will be quick to convince him to spend a fortune on one of their “audiophile” turntables instead.
Now, you the dealer, stop right there and think for a moment: Did you even bother to listen what this young enthusiast was asking you for? He came in there, probably nervous and feeling out of his depth, because he needs advice on how to get his late father’s old direct drive turntable, part of a 70-80s rack system, working again. What he needs are parts and advice – maybe a cartridge, possibly a belt, and a bit of guidance about how to set it up and get it playing. Who cares if it is not the latest and greatest in modern turntable design? Yet many dealers put off this young enthusiast right there and then, trying to get them to spend money on your product, money they don’t have, on a product they are not interested in right now. Many will make a U-turn, chuck the turntable in the bin, and continue streaming, their passion gone forever. Had you helped them with their initial requirement, you could have gained a client who would later buy your product. Talk about a bad salesman.
So, when you visit us on the 15th, we will not focus on getting you to buy another turntable. Of course, our range will be there, if you want to get a new(er) one. Instead, we will have a few hands-on guys available, younger ones like you, who will tell you how to get that old Pioneer PL-120 belt drive turntable going again (I am using it as an example as I had one too, way back in 1981). Technics? Yes! Excellent, and very underrated. Audio Technica? Absolutely. Seventies Japanese turntables – Pioneer, Akai, Sansui, Kenwood, whatever. It does not matter. What matters is that you get into the hobby of collecting vinyl records and enjoy it in the process.
On the topic of collecting records, yes, you can purchase pre-owned vinyl on the day. Roughly 75% of my collection is pre-owned. New ones? Of course. But we are not going to sell you a UHQR for an astronomical amount, more than your hifi is worth. In addition, we will show you how to take care of your records – brushes, sleeves, cleaning machines, and practical tips on holding your records – to get you started.
Come along and enjoy the day. Ask us questions, and we will do what we can to help you. You will never look at music the same way again.
Contact us on 084 531-8046, or [email protected].
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Kramerville, Sandton, South AfricaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
