record player help ......

joe2468joe2468 Posts: 3,049
edited July 2011 in Given To Fly (live)
looking into buying my first record player ...

i dont want to buy anything shitty. looking to spend about $300-$400 TOPS ..
i already own a 1000 watt Boston acoustics stero/theater system .. 7.2

any info would be great ...
have you seen the colors of my fathers eyes
Post edited by Unknown User on

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  • my pops bought me a rega P1, it's a belt driven machine but it sounds great and i havent had any problems. it's about the cheapest, nicest player you can find and i think it's right around your price range if not cheaper.
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  • RobbyD462RobbyD462 Victoria BC Posts: 4,812
    I have a USB turntable and I love it, bought it at Costco.
    I think it was like $100 or so.
    I sure you can find nicer more expensive record players
    but this one sounds good on my Bose speakers and did'nt
    cost a small fortune.More to spend on records!!
    Anyways good luck to you.
    At the end of the day better the Stylus the better the sound.
    Buy a decent record player and a quality Stylus.
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  • nicky-p38nicky-p38 Posts: 416
    I bought a technics sl-1350 cheap from craigslist. It is in great condition and is a pretty good turntable. AFter a new cartridge/stylus and a phono preamp (b/c my yamaha receiver doesnt have a phono input) I am around $150. I dont know much about new turntables but as Robby said, price and sound can vary greatly depending on cartridge and stylus.
  • joe2468joe2468 Posts: 3,049
    i dont know anything about cartridges and stylus ??? looks like i will be doing some research over the weekend
    have you seen the colors of my fathers eyes
  • jervin007jervin007 Posts: 3,182
    I bought my first record player around christmas. Its a Pro-Ject Debut III USB Turntable and I really like it. Easy to set up and sounds great.

    http://www.hometheater.com/convergence/508pro/
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  • ikiTikiT USA Posts: 11,057
    I've done pretty well at estate sales and auctions, and I have a few vintage units, (Akai, Dual, Pioneer tables, all from the mid to late seventies) that still work fine and were super cheap. Honestly, I've spent more money on the cartridges, than on the motor that spins the black circle.

    If you're going to go new, which isn't really a bad idea, I would look here, even if just to get an idea of what's available at what price points. If you spend 3 to 4 hundred dollars, you are going to get a nice machine. I'd avoid USB, but that's just my opinion. Just like anything...you get what you pay for. The more you get into it, the more you can and WILL end up spending. There are cartridges on that website that cost 8 thousand dollars.

    Does that receiver have a "2 channel" or "analog direct" setting? My Sony home theater rig does. You wanna employ that, to keep your signal pure, man. Unless of course you find some quad records at a yard sale.

    Good luck with it.

    Jay
    Bristow 05132010 to Amsterdam 2 06132018
  • joe2468joe2468 Posts: 3,049
    I've done pretty well at estate sales and auctions, and I have a few vintage units, (Akai, Dual, Pioneer tables, all from the mid to late seventies) that still work fine and were super cheap. Honestly, I've spent more money on the cartridges, than on the motor that spins the black circle.

    If you're going to go new, which isn't really a bad idea, I would look here, even if just to get an idea of what's available at what price points. If you spend 3 to 4 hundred dollars, you are going to get a nice machine. I'd avoid USB, but that's just my opinion. Just like anything...you get what you pay for. The more you get into it, the more you can and WILL end up spending. There are cartridges on that website that cost 8 thousand dollars.

    Does that receiver have a "2 channel" or "analog direct" setting? My Sony home theater rig does. You wanna employ that, to keep your signal pure, man. Unless of course you find some quad records at a yard sale.

    Good luck with it.

    Jay


    so your telling me just about every vinyl is only 2 channel ?? even the new stuff? i guess i never thought about that
    have you seen the colors of my fathers eyes
  • joe2468 wrote:
    i dont know anything about cartridges and stylus ??? looks like i will be doing some research over the weekend

    Im in the same boat, looking to buy a table and 500 is my max. I emailed the folks at needledoctor and they recommended some stuff. The Rega RP-1 is a favorite option of many ive talked too, but I've also been pointed towards an entry level Denon table they have on there. I think its a shade over 400, but it comes with an ortofon red cartridge which is a 100 cartridge. So you get a pretty good table with a good cartridge as well. Im thinking I may go that route unless I hear that its a poor table.
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  • ikiTikiT USA Posts: 11,057
    joe2468 wrote:
    so your telling me just about every vinyl is only 2 channel ?? even the new stuff? i guess i never thought about that

    Records are Mono, Stereo, or Quad. My understanding of Quad is it's just out of phase Stereo. Your surround receiver will decode it and present it as 4 channels.

    Does your receiver have a phono input with a screw for the ground wire?

    You may just want to get a blu-ray player...
    Bristow 05132010 to Amsterdam 2 06132018
  • joe2468joe2468 Posts: 3,049
    joe2468 wrote:
    so your telling me just about every vinyl is only 2 channel ?? even the new stuff? i guess i never thought about that

    Records are Mono, Stereo, or Quad. My understanding of Quad is it's just out of phase Stereo. Your surround receiver will decode it and present it as 4 channels.

    Does your receiver have a phono input with a screw for the ground wire?

    You may just want to get a blu-ray player...


    a blury player ??? what in gods name does that have to do with a record player :lol::lol: my receiver has a phono input along with a million others . .. i can also change it from 7.2 to 5.1 to 2.1 to 2 manually .. and i also have a bluray player ...
    have you seen the colors of my fathers eyes
  • kato78kato78 Posts: 61
    I highly recommend the Rega RP-1; I got mine a few months ago as my first turntable. Sounds great and looks beautiful. I also LOVE my Peachtree Audio integrated amp and really highly recommend that.
    It has changed my listening experience entirely.

    I would check out the Audiogon site if I were you; it's basically an audiophile's Craiglist (concept-wise ... not all the negative bits). I got my amp (still brand new in the box), my Totem speakers, my cables and another set of Audioengine speakers there. All in I spent less about $3600 (including power conditioner, pre-amp, etc) on what is an almost $7000 system. All I need to find now is some buckshot for my speakers : )

    Happy spinning ... let us know what you end up with!
  • Alpine BoundAlpine Bound Posts: 1,809
    joe2468 wrote:
    looking into buying my first record player ...

    i dont want to buy anything shitty. looking to spend about $300-$400 TOPS ..
    i already own a 1000 watt Boston acoustics stero/theater system .. 7.2

    any info would be great ...

    In that price range, I HIGHLY suggest a Rega P1... I own one and until I can afford a Rega P3-24, this will most certainly do! Best "budget" record player around IMHO

    EDIT: regarding what others have suggested (and this is just my personal opinion after doing tons of research about a year ago)... Denon makes crap TTs, Technics are more for a DJ, Pro-ject III is comparable to the Rega P1, but ultimately more people suggested the latter to me. Also, if you get a USB type TT, you are giving up sound quality for the ability to copy the music to your computer, which just wasnt a need for me.

    As far as a cartridge, the Rega P1 comes with one, and its the best one for the machine. No need to get a more expensive cartridge on a budget TT, because it wont really help witht he sound (until you upgrade)
  • joe2468joe2468 Posts: 3,049
    thanks guys ...
    i never would have thought a TT would be such a pain in the ass purchase .im going to do a little research in the next few days and make purchase by next weekend ..something tells me i will be going with the Rega p1 like most of your recommended .
    have you seen the colors of my fathers eyes
  • Music Hall makes great entry level turntables. I've had my MM-1 for years. The stylus and cartridge that come with them are just OK, but you can switch them out for less than $100 with higher quality. Avoid any TT that comes with a USB port. You can find these in Costco, Target, etc... Terrible quality. Get a real turntable, find a quality stylus, and then purchase separate software to record the music into your computer.
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