Newbie needs advice on record players

[bkintellectual]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post on here although I have found this site very informative since I've recently gotten into disco. Along with my new found love for disco, I've become curious about records and am considering getting my first record player. I don't have any records right now, and I've never used a record player so this is all brand new to me, so hopefully I'm not asking too many basic questions. I was wondering if people could offer suggestions on what are some good record players for a first time user. I would also like to know what I should look out for and what the price range would be. My current stereo system is just a compact 2-speaker Aiwa CD/cassette/radio player so I'm not sure if I should get a record player with its own speakers or just plug into my current system. I definitely want to maximize the audio output from the record player since I want to be able to enjoy the difference in analog audio. I do enjoy transferring all of my music to my mp3 player so I'm probably going to want to be able to do that with my records, although my current player has a line-in jack that allows me to record directly from an external source without the aid of a computer. So perhaps a USB player won't be a necessity at the moment.

I look forward to your responses.

[canadiantire]

Welcome in bkintellectual,


This is a tough question to answer with precision without knowing the type of user you are.

There are quite a few used and new turntables still on the market.

I probably won't be too much of a help for an advice on a new turntable. I am sure that BrunoRepublic can be more competent to provide advice on the latest stuff.

I am from the old school so if I had to buy a turntable, I'd go for a used one. The problem with that is you've gotta find one from a reliable source.
A friend or a relative who wants to clean up his old stuff could be a good starting point for a cheap purchase. If you go down that avenue, make sure it's in shape before buying, especially if you buy a belt driven model. A worn belt won't lead you far and a mis-aligned cartridge (worn needle) may very well ruin your vinyls.



Don't want to buy used stuff?

Just to give you an idea of what is currently available on the market and the price tag of each model, a good starting would be to go see:

juno.co.uk/merchandise/turntables/

I know it's from U.K. but most of the stuff sold there can be found on this side of the ocean.

I believe there are some good ones around $200-$300 USD.

If you aren't sure if you will like this hobby or you think it will be for a casual use, you may want to go for models under $200, but get ready for compromises on long term reliability and durability...

Lastly, don't forget that your compact system will most likely require pre-amplification before entering into the "line-in".

In order to make it work together, you have 3 choices:

• Buy a separate pre-amplifier
• Buy a turntable which incorporates such pre-amplifier
• Buy a power amplifier equipped with a phono input (already built with the pre-amp

I hope that I haven't made you more confused with my erratic thinking and my bad writing skills

p.s.: if you scroll through this section of the forum, you will find that this topic has been widely discussed. You may very well find more precise information in there.

[bkintellectual]

Hi canadiantire,

Thank you for the welcome and for your response.

I'm not sure what type of vinyl user I'll be but I'm assuming I'll be a fairly regular user since I listen to my CDs everyday. I'm anticipating that the vinyl will get the same kind of usage.

I'm open to buying a used turntable especially if it'll help save on costs without sacrificing quality. I'm not sure if any of my friends have turntables, but it can't hurt to ask, and I'm hoping someone in my family will since they definitely owned them back in the day. I'm assuming garage sales are probably not a reliable source since I can't test and really have no guarantee it'll work. Is a belt-drive turntable preferable to a direct-system? Yes, I've started doing some research.

Thank you for the link, I see there are quite a few models out there, and it's nice to be able to put a price range on this, so it sounds like I'd have to save up to get something of quality. Although a cheaper new model will save me some money I'd rather invest in something durable that'll last me a long time and that won't harm my future collection.

Thank you for the preamp information as I was not even aware of that component. In my mind, I envisioned that all there was to it was a turntable and some speakers, so it's good to know that piece. How much do separate pre-amps go for? Also, what's the verdict on those all-in-one units that I've seen on Amazon: they have a turntable/cd/cassette player along with speakers. Are those any good or not the best way to enjoy vinyl? I'm not so concerned about CD/cassette playback since my current system has those, but those seemed to be the only turntables with built-in speakers.

You haven't made me more confused at all, but you have me thinking of all the different components involved. And I think your english is good actually.

Thank you, I'll certainly do a search and see what people have said to this question in the past. Thank you for your input!

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by bkintellectual

Is a belt-drive turntable preferable to a direct-system?

[/QUOTE]
Not really.

Originally Posted by bkintellectual

Thank you for the link, I see there are quite a few models out there, and it's nice to be able to put a price range on this, so it sounds like I'd have to save up to get something of quality. Although a cheaper new model will save me some money I'd rather invest in something durable that'll last me a long time and that won't harm my future collection.

You can't go wrong with a Technics 1200 for durability. Don't be put off by it's status as a DJ table; it was originally intended to be a consumer product.

Originally Posted by bkintellectual

How much do separate pre-amps go for?

Basic, but functional ones start at under $100, but the sky's the limit once you get into audiophile territory. There are a few newer tables which have them built-in (Audio-Technica makes one such model, I haven't used it myself, but someone here recently got one). Back in the day, almost every stereo system had a "phono" input, so there wasn't much need for a dedicated piece of equipment. Nowadays this has to be factored in, as most systems only have inputs for standard output (used by tape decks, CD and DVD players, and just about everything that isn't a turntable).

Originally Posted by bkintellectual

Also, what's the verdict on those all-in-one units that I've seen on Amazon: they have a turntable/cd/cassette player along with speakers.

They are complete garbage. Don't waste your money on one.

One other thing: in addition to the table and phono stage, another crucial component is the cartridge. The cartridge (including the stylus) is like the lens on a camera: it doesn't matter how good every other component is in the system, if the cartridge is crap (and almost any included cartridge will be) the sound will suffer for it, with distortion on sibilant passages being the most obvious symptom. You *don't* want a cartridge aimed at DJs; these are designed with durability in mind at the expense of sound quality.

The Shure M97xe and Audio Technica AT440MLa are very good cartridges for the money. However, great care must be taken to ensure that they are installed correctly. One unfortunate thing about standard cartridges is that the 1/4" of leeway that you have when installing them is a HUGE distance in terms of getting the correct distance and angle. The positioning of the cartridge is crucial to getting the best sound.

[Pickles]

Get a technics 1210 then if you later decide to dj ( likely scenario) then you only have to buy another one. they are indestructible and you can find good 2nd hand ones quite cheap...

[bkintellectual]

Thank you for your very thorough post! I wasn't aware that getting and using a turntable was this involved, so it's good for me to know that it'll require a little more work than a CD-based sound system.

I see that the Technics 1200 has gotten lots of good reviews from users on Amazon, and I wasn't aware that this model of turntable has been used by DJs for the past 30 years. That's certainly the sign of good workmanship. It's a high price tag so I'll definitely have to save up but at least now I know the range.

I did a search on Amazon and found quite a few pre-amps under the $100 range and some much higher as you alluded to. Are there any recommended pre-amps?

Thank you for the heads up on the cartridge, since I wasn't aware of that component and also for the suggested cartridges. I'm curious since you mentioned that a lot of care must be taken to install it, are there any guides on how to install one?