About Ella
Hi, I’m Ella-welcome to my listening room! My start with vinyl is close to my heart: my now-boyfriend sold me a turntable I bought as a gift for my dad back in 2017-that’s how we met.
My current setup is the one I’ve had since 2023, and I’m up to 319 records. I love the pop girls (Taylor, Olivia, Sabrina), plus Laufey, Ariana, Chappell Roan, The Last Dinner Party, and Magdalena Bay-with Ghost as my curveball. I keep things fresh with a monthly themed vinyl wall, and there’s a permanent wall just for my signed favorites.
Highlights
Current Favorite Record
Pink Shimmer Variant Life Of A Showgirl
Current Favorite Artist
Taylor Swift
Vinyl Collecting: USA vs Australia
In the US
Record Store Culture
Massive selection with dedicated vinyl shops everywhere. Record Store Day is huge, with exclusive releases and long lines.
In Australia
Record Store Culture
RSD/RSD BF is really big in Australia now. We also have the edge of being ahead in time, so we technically get the exclusives before everyone else—my RSD videos tend to blow up because of this.
In the US
Pricing
New releases typically $25–35 ($38–54 AUD). Amazing thrift store finds for $1–5 if you’re lucky.
In Australia
Pricing
Typically, new releases are between $70–$100 AUD for your popular artists ($45–65 USD).
In the US
Pressing Quality
Mix of domestic and imported pressings. Easy access to audiophile labels and 180g vinyl.
In Australia
Pressing Quality
We get the EU pressings—whatever the UK gets is what we get for the main artists.
Example: the green/CBC pressing of Short n’ Sweet with the alt cover—Australia/UK got the more transparent version, the US got the more opaque.
It’s very rare we get true “Australian Exclusive” pressings (I’m lucky that Ghost has had a couple).
In the US
Store Exclusives
Target has tons of exclusive vinyl variants with unique colors and bonus tracks. Easy to grab during regular shopping trips.
In Australia
Store Exclusives
We’ll never have anything like a “Walmart variant.” They don’t ship to Australia, so you have to buy via eBay/Discogs or use a mail forwarder.
Friends are also a massive help when it comes to exclusives all around the world, as even EU ones sometimes aren’t available to us. I can buy from Urban Outfitters – but their shipping is $40AUD so it’s sometimes a deterrent from buying from them.
In the US
Shipping & Availability
Fast domestic shipping, reasonable prices. Most releases available on release day.
In Australia
Shipping & Availability
Availability: drops often happen at 2–4 am our time, so I sometimes miss signed/exclusive variants (bots don’t sleep). Shipping is… insane—from the US and even some EU stores. I’ve paid as much for shipping as the record, and being far away means things arrive slower.
Ask Ella
I’ve gotta thank Taylor Swift on this one. It was when Midnights released in 2022 and I saw people talking about the vinyl for the album a lot on TikTok – the algorithm kept doing its thing and I just became more intrigued. I already owned Halsey’s “Badlands” which I got for myself as the album was so dear to my heart – even though I didn’t have a player (but my boyfriend did). My parents ended up getting me the Moonstone variant for that Christmas, and then throughout 2023 I would start slowly getting a couple more. But then my birthday rolled around in September 2023 and I went and bought majority of Taylor’s discography in one day – and that was it. My dad gave me his old set up (as he had just upgraded his) and I finally had my own player in my office to listen to all my new stuff on! I started listening to new artists – music recommended by “VinylTok” and then boom, just after Christmas of 2023, I wanted to make my own vinyl content, right after buying myself a brand new player.
So the player my dad gave me as my handy down when he upgraded his system, was actually the player I bought him in 2017, the one my now boyfriend sold me. It actually felt like a very wholesome full circle moment. But it was very old, very scratched up (thanks Dad) and also very blue – not really my aesthetic. I like the minimalistic white theme. So that’s where I’m at now with my AT-LP70X.
These days I stick to what I need, I try not to go overboard with variants – there’s only a few artists I do this for anymore. I’ll always try to just stick to one variant if I know it’s not something I will spin as often – and I always try to get the most “fun” one if I can – but sometimes I do have to settle on a variant if it’s not accessible to me, being in Australia. But I will variant collect my fave artists to a certain extent – it just makes me happy!
I am pleased to say, I think I have a few prized possessions in my collection now. One of my earliest ones in my collecting journey was the pink RSD Valentine heart by Laufey. I scored this for $100AUD around September 2023, I would say just before she properly blew up. Only 1200 copies were pressed world wide and I didn’t realise at the time how valuable this item would become. This goes for hundreds of dollars now on Discogs, and based on sale history, I can see it once sold for over $1000AUD! So I’m very lucky to have this in my collection, since it’s so rare. I’m also a proud owner of a signed Sabrina Carpenter Short n’ Sweet Deluxe vinyl (on the jacket!). I would also say for me personally, having every single vinyl release made by The Last Dinner Party, ever, is my most proud achievement in my collecting journey – and I will continue doing this!
The first song that came to mind was Princess of Power by Marina – I do think it’s fitting though!
All the friends I’ve made. Such a massive part of it all is sharing the same experience with so many other like-minded people, and getting excited and sharing the joy in collecting. I also love that we all ah e each others backs when certain exclusives drop – I’m definitely known as the “The Last Dinner Party” girl, or the “Laufey” girl to some people, and it’s been the most wholesome thing waking up to messages saying something new has dropped, or that they’ve sent me a link to something, just in case I’ve missed it. I try and do this back to my friends too! It’s just one big wholesome family.
I think it’s inspired me to listen to music I wouldn’t have, prior to 2022. Try new music and new artists and just explore music as a whole.
Setup Tour
Setup Breakdown
Ella’s setup isn’t your typical audiophile stack – and we love it for the unique mix of old and new.
A Sony CMT-G2BNiP micro hi-fi with Sony speakers passed down from her dad anchors the system, paired with a clean white Audio-Technica AT-LP70X up front. The Sony pulls double duty as amp/CD/radio (hence the thriving CD collection) and drives the bookshelf speakers with an easy, lively sound.
Storage is the classic IKEA KALLAX, plus simple Amazon vinyl shelves and Kmart CD frames so she can swap themes and seasonal displays without redoing the whole room.
| Item | Model |
|---|---|
| Turntable | Audio-Technica LP70X |
| Amplifier | Sony CMT-G2BNip |
| Speakers | Sony SS-CG1 |
| Record Shelving Unit | Ikea KALLAX 8 Shelf |
| Wall Hangers | WPESI Shelf Mount |
| Cleaning Brush | Spin Chemistry Velvet Record Cleaning Brush |
Components
Speakers
Sony SS-CG1
Hand me down
Complete The Room
Ella‘s Collection
Build Images
