My mom just got a turntable. She's near retirement age and isn't too savvy with doing internet research. I know she knows nothing about vinyl collecting and turntables, but loves trying new things and learning. She bought her setup with the help of AI. Based on the photos she sent me, I believe she got the Audio Technica AT-LP120XUSB Direct Drive Turntable and Audioengine A2+ speakers.
With her birthday and mother's day coming up, I want to assemble an "accessory kit" for her to kind of guide(?) her (she can at least ask AI what each thing is for, instead of not knowing what more there is to this). I know a lot of these will be overkills for a newbie in terms of improving sound quality. The point is to get her to continue to engage with this hobby. No budget.
I'm not an expert in turntables/vinyls, so I wanted to post here and get some advice. So far I figured I will get her inner/outer vinyl sleeves, record/stylus brush, and a turntable mat. I'm also considering the Hudson Hi-Fi strobe/alignment mat and cartridge alignment kit, and a vinyl level.
The strobe mat is 2-sided. The alignment side does the same thing as the kit. Is there another tool that just helps with speed calibration? I want to avoid as much confusion as possible for her.
Which vinyl level is the easiest to read and most intuitive? I've struggled with telling if the bubble is in the middle with regular levelers and I'm sure she would be in the same boat with a bubble leveler.
Are there other accessories you would recommend I get her, for the purpose of guiding her to learn about more aspects of turntables/vinyls? Thank you guys so much!