Ok I am ready to Take The Plunge.....

wingnut4772

hoosier21 wrote:

your original plan was a good one wingnut get the 300 TT, you do have to add a phone preamp, but for 500 bucks you will have a great sounding set up, enjoy

Ok. I just starting to get skeered .

hoosier21

I would do what blue said drive somewhere a listen to a TT setup and see what you think, is it something you really want to do or just something to try?

wingnut4772

hoosier21 wrote:

I would do what blue said drive somewhere a listen to a TT setup and see what you think, is it something you really want to do or just something to try?

Well............something I want to try and my roommate has a zillion vinyl records...

hoosier21

by all means try it out
some type of record cleaner would be a good idea, none of us took very good care of our records back in the day

Ricardo

Ok; here's a crazy idea; many people have thought about getting into vinyl, but don't know if it will be somthing they'd like, and just to try it you need to invest anything between $500-$1000, just to keep it conservative; of course you can spend many grands.

What if we have 10-15 forum members drop $50 each to buy a starter set, TT, phono pre and a few LP's and start a demo program? You get the "kit", play with it for a couple of weeks, and pass it on to the next. Too crazy of an idea??? I'd be in for it....

shack

HTrookie wrote:

Ok; here's a crazy idea; many people have thought about getting into vinyl, but don't know if it will be somthing they'd like, and just to try it you need to invest anything between $500-$1000, just to keep it conservative; of course you can spend many grands.

What if we have 10-15 forum members drop $50 each to buy a starter set, TT, phono pre and a few LP's and start a demo program? You get the "kit", play with it for a couple of weeks, and pass it on to the next. Too crazy of an idea??? I'd be in for it....

To much potential for damage and a turntable is very easy to get out of whack. Maybe if there were a couple of guys n a local area where it didn't have to be shipped it could be workable.

shack

Darla, Russ is right. Get a starter table like the Pro-ject III, Music Hall MMF 2.1 or Goldring GR-1.2. All are very good tables that could last you a lifetime if you choose. Any of these $300± tables are on par with tables costing much more in years past. They are easy to set up and will give you an excellent idea of what vinyl is all about. We at the forum tend to jump to conclusions that everyone will want to jump past the start to the ultimate end point, when in reality it is often the journey from the basics up the learning curve that is so much fun. Start simple see if you like it, upgrade when/if you decide that is the direction you want to take.

Dennis Gardner

My experience has been that vinyl investment is 3-5 times that of comparable cd gear. $500 invested right on a nice CD/SACD will yield much more than the same $$$ on TT rig and this doesn't take into fact that the LPs themselves in great shape are such a hit and miss voyage.

And this is from an old vinyl hound that still has his first LP from 1968.............I do like the current offerings from Music Hall, Pro-Ject and Rega.

My current spinner..............1984 Ariston RD-40 The last effort from Ariston to upstage Linn for leaving the fray.

shack

Dennis, I have to disagree to some extent. A $500 vinyl rig can sound as nice as a $500 CDP/SACD. I too have my first LP from 1967 as well as my first REAL turntable from 1970. The key factor is the shape of the LPs IMO. I bought an entry level table just to see how the whole vinyl arena had changed over the years and was very impressed with what can be had for a very modest sum. I will agree that as a general rule it takes more dollars once you get to certain levels, but even that has a lot to do with the esoteric and eccentric nature of the hardcore vinyl crowd.

Dennis Gardner

No problem with a disagreement Shack, I thought awhile about my trials before I put down my statement and I guess that what I was alluding to is that with all the trial and error of a proper setup, you rarely hit a homerun on your first at bat. This would not really include the turnkey tables that are on the market today, but I really went through alot of hassle getting phono/pre/arm/cart combos that worked well enough to overcome the inherent noise floor of the medium. Your rig really needs to sound great to override the hassle of the journey.

shack

I would suspect you would fall into the "hardcore vinyl crowd" category. I am not a fan of the hassle of turntables. I am a fan of the music that is readily available, has excellent sonic characteristics, may not be in print in CD/SACD format and at a fraction of what CDs cost (if even available).

A great example is a month or so before Christmas I went to the Goodwill near my office. It is on the edge of a fairly affluent residential area. I noticed the LP area was full of albums....well over a thousand. Upon further inspection it was obvious that is was primarily a single collection as they were individually numbered in a simple catalog system. With very little effort I was able to determine it was the personal collection of Dr. W. J. Julian. He was the longtime band director for the University of Tennesse Pride of the Southland Band. A well known and respected individual in the college music field. There were literally hundreds of excellent LPs in great shape. Mostly classical and marching band albums. For $60 I left with as many LPs that I could carry. Through friends I have come up with music for free that I would never imagine purchasing. They had no need for those "old records". I guess worrying about extracting the last level of noise from my rig is less important to me than increasing my collection of music. My vinyl journey is a little different from yours...and both are just fine.

pblanc

I agree with shack. Back in the early 70s vinyl was the only thing that sounded decent (except maybe for a high quality reel to reel rig). Even after Advent introduced the cassette tape player, LPs were still vastly superior to anything else. In those days spending $200 on a turntable and cartridge was a major investment for most folks. Turntables from that era are still widely available and they still sound better than CDs in my opinion.

I recently picked up a Philips 212 TT on ebay from a seller with good feedback. It came well-packed with an entry level Audio Technica cartridge and it works fine. I bought an NOS Adcom high-gain moving coil cartridge from underwood wally for less than $150 and installed it. I hooked it up with a cheap $75 phono preamp. Total investment for TT, cartridge, phono preamp = $400. Is it as good as a VPI TNT or Linn Sondeck? Of course not. Does it sound better than CDs? Hell yes.

reeltrouble1

Darla, that Project is no slouch be any means, it is very well reviewed as being a musically satisfying piece, they make a box to run it which is also recommended as a helping the synergy, is it the best table, well no, but it is a great way to get a new entry table with a high performance to dollar ratio, is it the best, no way, you can now spend a hundred grand on one of these, this table is supposed to be all that and a box of chocalates.

Other good tables are VPI, Rega, Music Hall to name a few, its like everything else lots of good stuff, the Rega tables are noted for their easy set-up, but none of this is rocket science.

RT1

zombie boy 2000

FWIW one just popped up on the 'gon for $125 sans the cartridge..
I've contacted the seller and he seems kosher.
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1173795700

The wife want it in green, so "no go" for me.

zombie boy 2000

Probably a worthless, stupid question... but Music Direct or Needle Doctor?
Which is the better vendor?

shack

I've never ordered from Music Direct. Needle Doctor has been very good to work with the times I've bought from them. Very knowledgable as well.

reeltrouble1

MD has been good to me. They once had an item on the demo list, I called on it to buy, they could not find it and sent me a new one at the demo price.

I have bought several things with no issues. They do have some folks that will offer some advice on audio gear who know which end to plug into the socket.

RT1

RT1

zombie boy 2000

Well.... I flipped a coin and went with Needle Doctor. Have a green Project Debut III and a Project phono box headin' my way:D

cmy330go

Take the plunge Darla!

The project Debut III is a fine table, as are the Goldring GR-1.2, and the Music Hall MMF-2.1

I did extensive research on all three of these tables not long ago for the HT system. I personally chose the MMF-2.1 due to it's more adjustable tonearm (VTA and Azimuth).

However I would currently take Shack's recommendation on the Goldring. Had the Goldring GR-1.2 been only $299 at the time I was shopping, I probably would have gone with it. Out of the box you can't adjust the VTA, but since it comes with basically a Rega RB-250 tonearm you can purchase an inexpensive kit that has spacers to adjust it.

Any of these tables are going to provide an excellent listening experience. Sure there are better tables to be had, but you would have to spend significantly more $$$. Any of these will allow you to test the waters, and if you decide that vinyl isn't for you, you'll be able to turn around and sell it with little loss. Of course the same applies if you choose to upgrade.;)

Just Do It!!!!!!!:D

cmy330go

shack wrote:

I've never ordered from Music Direct. Needle Doctor has been very good to work with the times I've bought from them. Very knowledgable as well.

I've dealt with Music Direct on a few things, and have zero complaints. Everyone I've talked to there has been very knowledgeable.

wingnut4772

What about the Music Hall MMF -7? What phono pre would go with that one?

reeltrouble1

Well hats off to BDT. You are moving up the chain a bit with that table, the Jolida, PS Audio, Dodd, Lehman, Creek and Acoustech are some phono-pre's to consider. You would need to determine if you are going MC or MM for your cartridge.

RT1

TroyD

I think the MMF-7 is a fine entry point. Other than that, next stop would be a VPI Scout.

I'd consider the Jolida phono stage, IMHO.

That said, don't forget about cleaning your vinyl.

BDT

BlueMDPicker

wingnut4772 wrote:

What about the Music Hall MMF -7? What phono pre would go with that one?

Get the PS Audio GCPH and Ronco the ****, you're done.

DarqueKnight

+1 on the PS Audio GCPH.

cmy330go

wingnut4772 wrote:

What about the Music Hall MMF -7? What phono pre would go with that one?

I couldn't be much happier with my MMF-7, and I'm only using a Parasound PPH-100. A new phono preamp is on my short list of future upgrades. I personally have had my eye on a dynavector, but I have also heard a number of good comments about the PS Audio.

Keep us posted!

reeltrouble1

The Acoustech is better!!!:) actually I never heard the PS audio. But the Acoustech PHP-1 is awesome.

RT1

shack

You guys are amazing (I still luv ya though). The lady starts looking at $300-$500 to test the vinyl waters and you've already got her up to a $1,200 turntable and a $1,000 preamp, and with a record cleaner and all the other stuff she's looking at $3,000 retail and around $1,500 used. Let her ease into it guys.

reeltrouble1

Hey ShackDaddy, just for the record, the Acoustech is 1500.00.

Wing is well aware and has driven a few fellows to their own Chapter 11.

She is the one that mentioned buying a 1100 or so retail table.

Wing, I think you would like the VPI SuperScout Master.

Rock on.

RT1

shack

Yeah Big Ted....but you guys are encouraging her. Given her profession we don't want her to have to turn to the dark side to feed her vinyl habit. She's a good cop now...we need to make sure she stays that way.