PRIVATE LIVES : Not Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll : The venerable turntable is still spinning, even as consumers keep buying CD players by the millions. And despite prices that can go into five figures, sales are again on the upswing.

A recent exchange at a big electronics chain store in Hollywood went like this:

Customer: Do you repair turntables?

Salesperson: Is it more than 5 years old?

Customer: Yes.

Salesperson: Was it bought here?

Customer: No.

Salesperson: Then we don’t repair it, because the parts are too hard to find.

Customer: How about new turntables--do you still carry those?

Salesperson: Yes, but we only have two brands.

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Sound familiar?

In recent years, this scenario has played out time and again. With CDs all but replacing vinyl, the turntable industry has gone into decline. Many manufacturers have shut down and parts often aren’t available.

But despite ominous predictions from the audio world, vinyl and turntables have not gone the way of the dinosaur. The market has shrunk drastically, to be sure, but like some stubborn and elusive marsupial that has made its peace with evolution, analog has clung on and refuses to die.

“There was tremendous shakeout and the industry hit rock bottom around the late 1980s, but now we’re seeing it edging back,” says Ivan Berger, technical editor for Audio magazine.

While record sales are minuscule compared to the hundreds of millions sold during vinyl’s heyday, they did increase 80% in the first six months of 1994 compared to the same period in 1993, climbing from 500,000 to 900,000 units, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America.

Some turntable manufacturers also report modest increases. After years of stagnant sales, Technics says, sales are up slightly. Audiophile Systems, which imports Linn Hi-Fi turntables from Scotland that run from $600 to $6,000, says sales this summer rose between 10% and 20%.

“It’s surprising,” admits Gary Warzin, president of Audiophile Systems, “and we don’t have a good clue as to why it’s happening.”

Clearly, the CD industry needn’t worry: In 1993, 20 million CD players were sold, compared to only 300,000 turntables, according to the Electronics Industry Assn. But today’s analog customers can choose from 41 manufacturers turning out more than 100 turntable models, according to Audio magazine.

They range from $100 for a bottom-of-the-line Pioneer PL-203AZ to $30,000 for a Rockport Technologies Sirius Limited Edition model. Technics, which sells more than 30% of the turntables on the market, says that its most popular model is the classic SL 1200 Mark II, which has been around for almost two decades and costs about $500.

The turntable is especially popular with deejays and, according to a study done by Technics, the United States has 6 million amateur deejays.

“There are still a large number of people out there who are avid vinyl collectors, and this customer doesn’t want a $50 turntable. They want a $500 turntable,” says Andrew Nelkin, assistant general manager of Technics, which is based in New Jersey.

Those looking for the most complete guide to audio can consult Audio magazine’s equipment directory published each October. The 1994 edition, which is just going to print, illustrates what happened in analog since last year: Turntable manufacturers jumped from 34 to 41. There are now 112 models to choose from, up from 110 in 1993.

“There are more and more companies in the field and the people who have stayed in are finding it’s a nice little moneymaker,” Berger says.

Consider Andy Payor, chief designer and owner of Rockport Technologies in Rockport, Me., which makes the most expensive turntable on the market.

Last year, he sold 25 of his top-of-the-line models, which retail for $30,000; audiophiles on a budget may want to consider Rockport’s $20,000 turntable. Payor sold just 12 of those.

“If cost is not an issue and you want the best possible performance, this is generally where you end up,” Payor says.

Those looking for a lower-end turntable can try chains like Adray’s, Robinson-May, Circuit City, Broadway and stores like Ametron-American Electrical Supply Inc. in Hollywood, to name a few.

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Customers willing to pay for better sound patronize stores like Brooks Berdan Ltd. in Monrovia, which stocks up to 30 different brands of new and used turntables that range in price from $700 to $15,000. The store also repairs high-end turntables.

Brooks Berdan, the owner, probably knows as much about the turntable business as anyone around today. He says there are lots of bargains to be found in used models since people began replacing their analog systems with digital equipment. Brands such as VPI, Rega, AR, System Deck, Linn and Oracle--some of which cost thousands of dollars new--can be purchased for between $100 and $400 and still provide years of listening pleasure.

When buying a used turntable, Berdan suggests replacing the cartridge or taking it to a good shop to make sure everything is calibrated and in working order.

Even better deals are available for those willing to haunt garage sales and thrift shops.

“You can go to garage sales and pick up classic turntables of the 1960s and 1970s for nothing, for $5 or $10; people are getting rid of them like they’re cancerous,” says Michael Fremer, senior music editor of Absolute Sound, an audiophile magazine.

Some good buys: models by AR (Acoustic Research) and Dual 1019 and 1219 turntables.

Finding parts for existing turntables can be more tricky. Adray’s, for instance, stocks an $8 Sony turntable belt but no cartridges. Radio Shack, on the other hand, carries cartridges.

One of the most popular cartridges is a Stanton 681, which costs less than $100 and has a stiff cantilever that deejays can use to scratch and back-cue. For the connoisseur, there are also exotic cartridges handmade in Japan, which can cost more than many people’s entire sound system.

In addition to Berdan’s store, other places that repair turntables include the Panasonic Technics Quasar Repair Center in Canoga Park and Ametron in Hollywood. Some mom-and-pop electrical shops also repair turntables, but those with expertise in the technology are getting harder to find.

Repairs can take a week or more, depending on the availability of parts. Ametron, which charges $45 per hour for labor, says it repairs all the models still being manufactured and some that aren’t, provided it can scrounge up parts. That can be tough for models more than 10 years old.

But analog fans say that the search is worth it. Loretta Milazzo, a paralegal from Eagle Rock who owns both a turntable and a CD player, grumbled at the price but recently spent $75 for a new cartridge rather than junk her turntable and get rid of her records.

“How many people want to drop their entire record collection? It’s like getting rid of your childhood,” Milazzo says.

The debate over analog versus digital has raged since the CD first began usurping market share from the LP, Peter Goldmark’s plastic creation developed at CBS Labs in 1948 as an alternative to less durable 78-rpm records.

M any audiophiles say that re cords have a warmer sound, although CD buffs disagree. Some also talk wistfully of the rituals that accompany vinyl.

“There is an aesthetic pleasure in cleaning a record, in handling the LP, that was missing from the 78 and CD,” Berger says.

“The artwork is big and bold and easy to read. The cardboard feels much nicer on your fingers than plastic. The liner notes are all there in the back, you don’t have to turn page after teeny little page. There’s pleasure in holding a 12-inch disc carefully by its edges that’s simply not there when you pop a button.”

That hasn’t been lost on those who market music. Blue Note Records, which stopped releasing LPs in 1990, changed its mind this year and reissued classic jazz recordings by Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter and Bobby Hutcherson on CD and vinyl to attract deejays, audiophiles and collectors.

The vinyl subculture also includes grunge rockers. Pearl Jam sold 50,000 copies of its latest album on vinyl. Sub Pop Records in Seattle issues everything on vinyl and many smaller labels have never stopped putting out dance, rap and alternative rock on LP formats.

Analog is certainly cheaper than digital: Garden-variety records cost about $9 each these days, compared to $5.99 or $6.99 in the early 1980s. But CDs cost an average of $14 to $16.

With the renewed interest in records, Fremer of Absolute Sound says he wants to write a handbook to teach young people how to handle records and turntables.

For instance, because each cartridge has its own configuration, installing it incorrectly makes for music that “is like seeing a movie out of focus,” Fremer says.

“Unfortunately, kids getting into this have no idea where to turn. They go to Radio Shack and the kid working at Radio Shack has no idea where to turn,” he adds.

“Now’s the time to show them how to do it right, because the (vinyl) knowledge is being lost. Otherwise this is going to be a short-term fad.”