Vinyl Players/Turntable

[TYMSMNY]

Who, what, and where to purchase a decent unit? Just looking to play some music at home and/or the office (depends on where I end up leaving it)

Decent components, first one so nothing bank breaking.

suggestions?

[DENZILDON]

What's you budget? Turntable only?

[flipstah]

When no one wanted it, Value Village/Goodwill were full(!) of it.

Now that hipsters have heard of vinyl and touted its' superiority, prices have jacked up.

It's a long shot but I would try those first. Check if the needle is still there and it still spins.

My father and I restored a vintage Motorola turntable radio box that we got from VV for $20 and we love it.

While you're there, look at their turntable collection. That's how I got a Thriller album for $5 before he died.

Otherwise, audiophile places or Axe Music will have them but they're mostly for DJ'ing.

[dj_rice]

You can prolli find some used Technics SL1200 MK's on Kijiji for cheap. If you want quality, these are the way to go. But it may be a bit overkill for your needs so even some cheap Numark TT's will do the job. I believe Costco has a vinyl to USB turntable as well they sell from time to time


Not sure if I want to sell mine just yet so if I do I'll let you know.

[woodywoodford]

My current setup is what I picked up as a student, so it had to be cheap. Found the turntable on kijiji for $80 I think, but it was being sold at a little antique shop somewhere. Also good places to check would be garages sales, pawn shops, or maybe even flea markets. I also had to buy a ~$10 preamp off ebay (wall plug, radioshack only had battery operated), and then a cable to plug it into the auxiliary on my bose soundock. works a treat!

Also they sell the USB turntables all over the place for around $120 I think. Buddy uses one and likes it (they don't only do USB, that's just an extra option)

[TYMSMNY]

The USB ones let me connect to... ?? not too well versed in this category.

Budget is around $100-200 to start. I don't want to be replacing too many parts just yet. something simple that looks decent.

I just searched for Technics SL1200 on ebay.... way more than what I want to wet my feet with. definitely not a hipster yet.

I was browsing and ended up at needledoctor.com, heard pro-ject or music hall was a decent "first time" player. There are so many!!!!

[dj_rice]

http://www.axemusic.com/store/produc...th-USB-Output/

Numark TT USB $99



http://www.axemusic.com/store/produc...e-and-Slipmat/

$169, even good enough to DJ on :P



Basically you can play vinyl on these decks and transfer it digitally to your computer to listen onto as well.

[DENZILDON]

USB ones you connect to your computer for recording and using you comp speakers for playback.

For 100 bucks you can get a USB turntable. For $200 probably a Stanton or Numark belt drive turntable.

Go to axe music and check around there. You may also want to check out the clearance section. You can get good deals there if your lucky! That's where they also put the trade ins.

I got an Event Monitor there for $75 (was around $500).

[Offroad]

http://www.theinnersleeve.com/

[firebane]

Don't bother with USB stuff its just not the same. Keep your eyes peeled on Kijiji for good deals or go to a couple of the record shops like Melodyia and Heritage as they usually something they are selling as well.

I picked up a nice older Onkyo record playber circa late 70s for $160. Take into consideration that if you buy one you'll either need to pick up a pre-amp or an older receiver with a phono plug in as you won't be able to use it.

[DannyO]

What ever turntable you get, I would budget more for the needle, this will have a huge affect on how good the music sounds and how much damage it does to the vinyl.

I'm a fan of Ortofon Concordes myself and they have a wide range to choose from, around $100-150 will get you what you need.

[FixedGear]

Tons of bad advice here from people who obviously don't have a turntable. Basically, you are going to have to spend at least a couple of hundred of bucks if you want to get a solid turntable that isn't a cheap, plastic toy (like the USB decks that you see for $100 at London Drugs). My advice would be to look on Kijiji for an old deck from the 1970s or 1980s. These were built like tanks, made of metal and are very heavy, and won't flex and won't skip the record when you walk by on the floor. Someone mentioned looking for some Technics 1200s, those are good decks but very basic, which makes them great for DJs but not so great for listening to records at home. It would be best to get something that is automatic, so it will return the arm and stop spinning when the record is over. I have a Technics SL-1400, which is the step up from the SL-1200 mentioned above. Fully automatic and digital. I bought mine for about $200 from a guy in Airdire who repairs vintage electronics for a hobby.


» Click image for larger version

EDIT: and if you're concerned about money, records aren't for you. They generally cost about twice the price of CDs. I paid $40 for Kid A and Amnesiac (and expect to pay even more for limited editions or rare stuff - I just bought Hank III Straight To Hell for $80 shipped from New Zealand). Melodia Records on 17th is the best place for new vinyl in Calgary, Recordland in Inglewood is the best place for used.

[msommers]

Unless you're able to track down some of the old original vinyls and enjoy the classics, not really sure why you'd want a turntable.

Regarding a setup, get something that is full analog.

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by msommers
Unless you're able to track down some of the old original vinyls and enjoy the classics, not really sure why you'd want a turntable.

Regarding a setup, get something that is full analog.

Vinyl is great because it sounds better, has bigger (better) artwork, and puts some fun back into listening to music. There's something about the process of taking vinyl out of a sleeve, having to flip it over halfway through, etc. that is lost with the ease of digital music. It keeps me buying music actually, as I really do believe that all intellectual property should be free (and yes I do live by this as I publish science for a living, and like most scientists, I post all of my publications on the internet for free -- which is against the rules of most of the publishers of my work). But, records are worth paying for because I'm paying for the media and it has value. It's like a book, which I also think is worth paying for... But I also download PDF books for my iPad, and would never pay for that unless I had to.

Not sure what you mean by full analog... do you mean USB, or digital control of motor speed? I agree that you don't want a USB out, but the digital control of motor speed on higher-end decks is nice.

[MrSector9]

digital speed control is fine, it is any digital amplfication/modeling/etc that would be the issue and defeats the purpose of listening to vinyl in the first place by using the "sound" argument, Might as well listen to the music on an ipod with crap earbuds.

mass-loaded Balance 'table ($12,900) fitted with a Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm ($3500) and Brinkmann'a EMT-based moving-coil cartridge ($2500)

I do agree, vinyl is about the experience, listening to music is an event that has to be planned haha, not just throw it on and walk away.

[firebane]

Originally posted by MrSector9
digital speed control is fine, it is any digital amplfication/modeling/etc that would be the issue and defeats the purpose of listening to vinyl in the first place by using the "sound" argument, Might as well listen to the music on an ipod with crap earbuds.




I do agree, vinyl is about the experience, listening to music is an event that has to be planned haha, not just throw it on and walk away.

That looks similar to the one you see in Suits

[TYMSMNY]

I was just down at the record place in Marda Loop (sorry forgot the name). They had a few selections of players... namely an entry modern one is at about $450. It was a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. Couple of cleaned up vintage ones for about $250. Going to mainly use it for a nice jazz/blues collection.

So if my amp has a phono jack, I don't need a pre-amp?

Not too concerned about the cost of vinyl, just wanted a decent start up system without spending the big bucks. I don't mind upgrading parts down the roads should I get the mod itch.

I'll look on kijiji for some local stuff. What are some brands I should be looking at? Pro-Ject, Technic, ... or should I be looking at the components instead?

[MrSector9]

no if you have a phono input you do not need a preamp, only if you have a "line in"

[firebane]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
I was just down at the record place in Marda Loop (sorry forgot the name). They had a few selections of players... namely an entry modern one is at about $450. It was a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. Couple of cleaned up vintage ones for about $250. Going to mainly use it for a nice jazz/blues collection.

So if my amp has a phono jack, I don't need a pre-amp?

Not too concerned about the cost of vinyl, just wanted a decent start up system without spending the big bucks. I don't mind upgrading parts down the roads should I get the mod itch.

I'll look on kijiji for some local stuff. What are some brands I should be looking at? Pro-Ject, Technic, ... or should I be looking at the components instead?

Anything old :P But before buying anything check availability for parts etc for it. Don't want to spend money on something that won't be fixable or repairable.

[FixedGear]

you can't go wrong with a Technics deck, they're pretty much the gold standard for turntables. I wouldn't buy anything new, get a used vintage one on Kijiji or from the record store you were in today. $250 is a good price, see if you can talk them down though. Do you remember what the specific models were that they had?

It's too bad, I was trying to give away an extra turntable I had, I ended up selling it with about 300 records to recordland (moved from calgary to mexican border and had to sell most of my collection haha)