Break out the vinyl! Need a turntable

Mule · 05-14-2008, 09:32 AM

Get a nice Thorens and a moving coil cartridge. Your stuff will sound better than ever!

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I bought my son a USB turntable and we converted all of my old volyl to MP3's. He does this for neighbors/friends and charges a few bucks per album. works pretty well and had noise reduction...

IROC · IROC's Garage

Uhhh...what happened to my post?

Here's what it was supposed to say:

A recent article in the local paper talking about a resurgence of listen to music on vinyl has stirred the old analog juices. I have a lot of old albums, but no longer have a working turntable. Plus, there's a place here in town that sells new vinyl.

I'd like to get another turntable, but have no idea what to get. I'm not looking for top-of-the-line, just something decent. No interest in the new USB variants. I was kind of hoping to pick some gem up from ebay, etc. for less than $150 or so. A lot of this stuff is olde and my main goal is something that works well and is reliable. Sort of like a Toyota - not too many frills, just a good basic turntable.

What's the scoop of belt drive vs direct drive? What about linear tracking? Stuff to avoid?

IROC · IROC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mule

Get a nice Thorens and a moving coil cartridge. Your stuff will sound better than ever!

I saw a Thorens on ebay. It was a TD-185, I think? Decent?

Mule · 05-14-2008, 09:51 AM

As long as it works you CAN NOT go wrong. Quiet, accurate & bullet proof. Make sure they ship it properly. Remove the platter & lock down the suspension.

KFC911 · 05-14-2008, 09:54 AM

Unless you're looking for a Nakamichi Dragon or something, I'd check the online audio sites like audiogon.com, etc. and see what's available used. I'd take "my" turntable/cartridge that I've had for 25 years over anything new that's reasonably priced (...it's not currently hooked up, but NOT for sale

).

ps: Although you might "get lucky" on ebay, I've been burned there with an amp I purchased once (Paypal covered me), and I no longer buy audio components there.

IROC · IROC's Garage

I'm definetely leaning towards used. I saw that Denon makes a new model and then was stunned to find out that the cartridge isn't even replaceable!! Scary.

I forgot about audiogon. That's where I bought my Rotel CD player years ago...

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

You get more value buying used.

Audiogon is nice, but I'd try a local high-end store selling stuff on consignment which has check out the goods

KFC911 · 05-14-2008, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kach22i

... but I'd try a local high-end store selling stuff on consignment which has check out the goods

They have gone the way of the dinosaur in my area

Mule · 05-14-2008, 10:10 AM

I looked at ebay. They had a few priced pretty well. Just like a 928, spend a little more going in & get something clean, with a good cartridge. You wont be sorry. Remember, on a turntable system, the 2 things with the most influence on what you hear is 1 cartridge & 2 speakers. Not necessarily in that order.

rouxroux · 05-14-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC911

Unless you're looking for a Nakamichi Dragon or something, I'd check the online audio sites like audiogon.com, etc. and see what's available used.

Huh? The Nak Dragon is a cassette deck

Any old good turntable with an adaptor for USB will work just fine.

HardDrive · 05-14-2008, 10:14 AM

For audio quality, go with a belt drive with a good tone arm. I have direct drive turntables used for DJing, Technics 1200s and a Vestax PDX2000s. The direct drive produces awesome power, but it can also produce some low end rumble. Not an issue when you are banging techno music in club, could be an issue for audiophile applications.

Try and track one of these down on E-bay, Vestax BDT-2500.

HardDrive · 05-14-2008, 10:17 AM

BTW, I wouldn't shy away from these new USB model. That solves a LOT of issues. You don't need a pre amp of any kind. You basically eliminate the analog wiring. Most are going to come with editing software as well.

For the record (get it, har har....), I use Cool Edit for my audio editing. I love it because it is simple.

KFC911 · 02:57 PM

The "Dragon" cassette deck was just one of the line:

edited: pic removed...that wasn't the "Dragon" tt, I'll post it again...

IROC · IROC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mule

I looked at ebay. They had a few priced pretty well. Just like a 928, spend a little more going in & get something clean, with a good cartridge. You wont be sorry. Remember, on a turntable system, the 2 things with the most influence on what you hear is 1 cartridge & 2 speakers. Not necessarily in that order.

That's the plan. I checked out ebay, but the choices seemed to be everywhere from a $10 thing that "was last plugged in when Disco was king" to some sort of monolithic Linn Axis stuff for major $$. Something like an old Technics SL-D2 is what I had in mind.

+1 on the speakers. Most important thing, IMHO.

herr_oberst · 05-14-2008, 10:21 AM

It is easy to research, and I highly recommend it. For some reason, everyone who has an old-slash-vintage TT is coming out of the woodwork hoping to cash in on this trend.

Find a few on ebay that you like, then google the blogs - audio people are just as friendly and eager to help newbies as the people on this forum. You can get a good table at a decent price but you have to know what you are doing.

I highly recommend vintage, not new.

Thorens
Kenwood
Pioneer
Yamaha

those four would be a good place to start,
lots of models with various features in all kinds of price ranges.

One-fifty will get you a nice table, with a serviceable cartridge.

This is not the time for an impulse buy.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

A turntable is a SOURCE which makes it the most important piece in the system.

Kind of like the engine in a car.

IROC · IROC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

BTW, I wouldn't shy away from these new USB model. That solves a LOT of issues. You don't need a pre amp of any kind. You basically eliminate the analog wiring. Most are going to come with editing software as well.

For the record (get it, har har....), I use Cool Edit for my audio editing. I love it because it is simple.

My receiver has phono inputs - does that mean I do not need a preamp?

I'm sort of an old-fashioned two-channel "mid-fi" kind of guy. I have no desire to capture old vinyl albums on the computer, etc., unless there is some real value in doing that. I'm just wanting to play around and enjoy the warmth and more musical qualities of vinyl.

scottmandue · 05-14-2008, 10:23 AM

Just a little place I found online, no association but lots of stuff to drool over... new tuntables starting at $99.95:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Turntables

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Just a little place I found online, no association but lots of stuff to drool over... new tuntables starting at $99.95:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Turntables

NeedleDoctor is an excellent place, I've purchased many things from them.

An alternate would be:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/#

I've also purchased things from them.

Nothing low-end from The Cable Company, but good people - gave them even more business.

http://www.thecableco.com/prodListing.php?cat=103