Priya Anand
Vinyl & Valves Editor
Based in Melbourne, VIC
Hello — I'm Priya. I ran a second-hand record shop in Fitzroy for the better part of a decade, which is a polite way of saying I have three thousand records and nowhere to put them. I listen to vinyl through valve amplification because I like the ritual as much as the sound, and yes, I know the measurements aren't perfect — I don't care, and I'll explain why on the page. If you want someone to tell you a turntable is "just a motor and a bearing," I am not your person.
40 published articles · most recent October 17, 2026
Hello — I'm Priya. I ran a second-hand record shop in Fitzroy for the better part of a decade, which is a polite way of saying I have three thousand records and nowhere to put them.
I listen to vinyl through valve amplification because I like the ritual as much as the sound — and yes, I know the measurements aren't perfect. I don't care, and I'll explain why on the page.
If you want someone to tell you a turntable is "just a motor and a bearing," I am not your person.
Articles by Priya Anand
USB vs S/PDIF for DACs: does the digital input matter?USB, coaxial and optical into a DAC: which digital input actually changes the sound, and when the difference is real versus imagined.- Qobuz vs Tidal for your record collection's digital halfQobuz vs Tidal compared for vinyl collectors who want a digital half that matches their records, not just a bigger catalogue.
Why a subwoofer makes a valve system sound more honestAdding a subwoofer to a valve amp system can tighten bass, cut distortion and let low-power tubes sing. Here's how to do it properly.- Tidal vs Qobuz vs Apple Music: which one actually suits a valve systemStreaming services aren't interchangeable once you're running valves. Here's how Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music actually behave through a warm front end.
Speaker matching to valve amps: sensitivity beats watts every timeWhy sensitivity, not power output, decides whether a valve amp and speaker pair actually works together — and how to read a spec sheet properly.- Your phone's volume slider is quietly re-encoding your musicTurning your phone down before a Bluetooth speaker or DAC often re-processes the digital signal. Here's what's actually happening, and when it matters.
- MQA is dead. Here's what that actually tells us about hi-res audioMQA's unwinding wasn't a fluke. It's a lesson in what hi-res audio actually needs from a format, and what was always marketing.
IEMs through a valve amp: the pairing question nobody asks properlyIn-ear monitors and valve amplification seem like an odd match, but output impedance decides whether it works. Here's how to actually get it right.- The turntable-first system: why the front end should eat your budgetPriya Anand on why vinyl systems reward front-end spending over amp wattage, and how to split a hi-fi budget so the stylus does the heavy lifting.
- Valve headphone amps: the desktop pairing nobody warns you aboutA valve headphone amp can transform a good pair of cans, but the wrong tube-and-headphone pairing will hum, hiss or roll off the top end. Here's what actually matters.
- Speaker matching to valve amps: why sensitivity matters more than wattsPairing a valve amp with the wrong speaker kills more good systems than any cable or footer. Here's how to actually match them in an Australian lounge room.
- DAC upsampling explained: what your unit is actually doing to the signalUpsampling and oversampling get lumped together and spruiked as a feature. Here's what a DAC actually does to your signal, and whether it's worth caring about.
- Valve amp power ratings lie: why 15 watts can sound louder than 60A 15-watt valve amp and a 60-watt solid-state amp aren't playing the same game. Here's what actually happens at clipping, and why the number on the box misleads you.
- One streaming library, six rooms: taming multiroom when every zone plays something differentRunning different music in every room isn't a firmware bug — it's how multiroom actually gets used. Here's how to set it up so it stays reliable.
- Streaming services and your valve amp: getting the pairing rightA vinyl-and-valves person explains how streaming services actually interact with tube amplification, and why the source matters more than people admit.
Why I still won't put a record player in the theatre roomA vinyl obsessive explains why the turntable and the Atmos rig want different rooms, different furniture, and different evenings entirely.- Sample rate and bit depth explained: what actually changes at higher numbersPriya Anand unpacks what sample rate and bit depth genuinely do to sound, and why chasing bigger numbers past 16/44.1 rarely buys what the spec sheet implies.
- Turntable and subwoofer in the same room? Here's how to stop the feedback loopA subwoofer and a turntable sharing a room can turn a great pressing into mud. Here's how to place both so bass and vinyl actually get along.
- Turntable in the theatre room: why vinyl and Atmos rarely mix wellVinyl and a dedicated Atmos set-up can share a room, but rarely share a rack. Here's why, and what I'd actually do about it.
- MQA is dead. Here's what that actually means for your streaming serviceMQA's collapse left a lot of confused shelves of "Masters" tier subscriptions. Here's what actually changed, and what to do about it.
- Where a vinyl system's money actually goes: spending in the right orderA former record shop owner on the real spending order for a turntable system, and where extra dollars stop buying you anything.
- Sealed vs ported subs with a turntable in the room: what actually changesPorted subs and suspended timber floors don't always get along with a turntable. Here's how sealed vs ported bass actually behaves when vinyl is in the signal chain.
- Network streamers and vinyl: why I finally stopped fighting the digital sidePriya Anand spent years dismissing streamers as beside the point. Here's what changed her mind — and what a good digital source actually does for a valve-based system.
Casting audio from your phone to your hi-fi: AirPlay, Chromecast and Bluetooth comparedAirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth all promise to get music from your phone to your speakers — but they work very differently. Here's what actually matters for audio quality.- How to build a vinyl front-end: where to spend and where to saveBuilding a vinyl system means making four spending decisions that compound on each other. Here's where the money actually moves the needle — and where it doesn't.
- Valve amplifiers and loudspeakers: how to make them actually work togetherValve amps are unforgiving of a bad speaker match. Priya Anand explains the real rules — impedance, sensitivity, topology — for getting the pairing right.
- Headphone sensitivity and impedance: what they mean for real-world listeningSensitivity and impedance numbers look simple until your expensive headphones sound terrible from a phone. Priya Anand explains what the specs actually mean.
- Subwoofer placement: how to find bass that actually works in a real roomGood bass isn't about buying a bigger sub — it's about where you put it. Priya Anand explains the practical art of subwoofer placement for real listening rooms.
- Valve, solid-state or Class D: how to choose the right amplifier topology for your systemValve, solid-state or Class D — each topology has real tradeoffs that affect what speaker you can drive and how it sounds. Priya Anand breaks it down honestly.
- Projector screen gain and acoustics: how to choose a screen that works with your speakersScreen gain, acoustic transparency, and placement aren't independent decisions. Here's how to choose a projector screen that works with your speakers, not against them.
- How to calibrate your home cinema with Dirac Live, Audyssey or YPAODirac Live, Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and Yamaha YPAO all promise to fix your room — but each works differently. Here's how to get the best from whichever system you have.
Audio Note Oto SE 35 marks 35 years of the OtoThe Audio Note Oto SE 35 arrives at £5,950 / $5,950 with a new power supply, in-house mains transformer and a reworked phono stage for the EL84 integrated.
McIntosh returns to all-tube integrateds with the MA2375McIntosh's MA2375 is an all-tube integrated with 75 watts per channel, a built-in MM/MC phono stage and headphone amp, and no digital inputs at all.
Audio-Technica AT-MCD1 cartridge: one-piece diamond stylusThe Audio-Technica AT-MCD1 cartridge pairs a one-piece CVD diamond cantilever and stylus with a dual moving-coil generator, priced at US$11,000.
Ortofon's MC Vertex: a solid-diamond cantilever arrives at the top of the rangeOrtofon unveiled its most advanced moving-coil cartridge ever at High End Vienna on June 4, 2026. Here's why the MC Vertex matters for serious vinyl listeners.
US vinyl revenue breaks $1 billion for the first time — and what it means for Australian record buyersThe RIAA confirmed US vinyl hit $1.04 billion in 2025 — its 19th straight year of growth. We look at what the milestone means for AU buyers.
Australian vinyl revenue up again in seventh year of growthARIA's 2025 figures confirm seven consecutive years of growth for Australian recorded music, with vinyl revenue rising 4.1% to A$46.3 million.
UK Vinyl Revenue Hits a 30-Year High, Market Tops £1.5bnUK vinyl revenue rose 19.9% to £174.7m in 2025, a 30-year high, per BPI data. Here is what it means for Australian record buyers and their systems.
Hellbender Vinyl opens a Philadelphia pressing plantHellbender Vinyl has opened a Philadelphia pressing plant built on its Softwax acquisition. Here's why an indie East Coast site matters for vinyl supply.
Bruno Mars named 2026 Record Store Day ambassadorBruno Mars is the ambassador for Record Store Day 2026 on April 18, with The Collaborations vinyl and 350-plus titles. Here is what Australian buyers need.