Good starter turntable

Serendipity

Looking to get into vinyl. What would you guys recommend?

strider

How much are you looking to spend? Do you have a pre amp or receiver with a phono input?

This thread is a good one to read.

Serendipity

Yes, my Onkyo TX-SR702 has a phono input and a phono pre-amp built in.

As for how much I am looking to spend, well, I'd like to see a few options first...

sucks2beme

Look at the flea market. There was a good one there.


Oops! looks like it has sold this afternoon.

mhardy6647

The longer I am around, the more convinced I am (to my astonishment) that the price/performance ratio of the venerable (and much-maligned) Panasonic/Technics SL-1200 MkII is probably impossible to beat.

http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/index.htm

You can do better; far better, but you'll have to spend a lot more to do it.
The possible exception is vintage: I'd certainly recommend a vintage belt-drive Thorens if you can find one locally in excellent condition for a reasonable price... but turntables have lots of moving and precision parts, and they do wear (and wear out). One of the few components that, IMNSHO, is probably worth buying new if one's serious about it.

hypertone

I Just picked up an old Yamaha YP-D6 and couldn't be happier. It's a pretty nice deck, definitely the best one I've ever had, but that's not saying much. I actually prefer direct drive. My old POS belt drive table always sounded slow and flat. There was no way to fix that as with belt drive you are stuck with the speed. I also just like the strobe.

Some people say direct drive doesn't sound as good. I think it all depends on the quality of the TT. They both can sound excellent. Belts break, but I'm sure the electronics that control DD tables can fail too. I've heard some DD designs can suffer from hum due to the magnetic field of the motor being directly under the platter. Mine is dead silent.

One thing I've learned is that good vinyl sound takes some patience, it's more than just buying a deck and plugging it in like you would a CD player. There are many mechanical factors involved. VTA, SRA, VTF, overhang....your table and platter must be non resonant, bearings must be smooth without play, your cartridge should be compatible with your tonearm, etc. And even then your TT will only sound as good as your phonostage.

bigaudiofanatic

Good deal

Serendipity

Sorry for the really dumb question -

Doesn't a record deteriorate the more times you play it? And how can I prevent this from happening?

I have played some of my CDs literally 1000's of times, literally, just leaving them in the CD changer and in "repeat" mode for 12-16 hours...

I guess if I do this with vinyl they would sound worse after each play?

mhardy6647

There was no way to fix that as with belt drive you are stuck with the speed. I also just like the strobe.

A number of belt drive tts (my venerable Philips AF-877 "Direct Control", for example) have pitch control.

You can make/print your own 60 Hz strobe disk. Google a bit. Just remember you need to illuminate with n AC light source (an LED driven by AC will work, as will a fluorescent or neon lamp, or even an incandescent light bulb).

Records will/can deteriorate but if you clean regularly (record and stylus), set tracking paramters properly (e.g., track at the cartridge's optimum weight, which is virtually never the minimum tracking weight the mfgr. specifies), and generally take good care of the records, they'll last for decades.

CDs are much more labile than records IME and IMO. A damaged record (scratched) will almost always still play with a click or pop; even a locked groove can be repaired if need be. Scratch the aluminum (data) side of a CD, and it's all over (at least in the physical region of the damage).

mhardy6647

One addendum to the record deterioration issue: although it is controversial, many folks suggest that it's a good idea to let a record "rest" for 24 hours between plays. This is a topic at least as divisive as double-blind testing or the benefits of exotic interconnects :-)

It is true, though, that, due to the small contact patch of stylus on record groove, the forces (specifically, pressure) exerted on the soft vinyl groove is tremendous, even though the bulk tracking weight is low. I tend to fall into the "better safe than sorry" camp and I at least don't go out of my way to listen to the same record more than once a day :-)


EDIT: This may be of interest...
http://www.micrographia.com/projec/projapps/viny/viny0100.htm