Record Player Help (Update!)

LukinFan

Update:

So, about a month or two ago, my girlfriend gave me her father's old record player from the 1970's (I'm guessing). I plugged it in and it sounded horrible. After doing a little research, I realized that since I had an old player and a new receiver, that I needed a pre-amp. So I ordered one and hooked it up. The volume sounded much better, but it still sounded bad. The only other thing that I could think of was maybe the needle. I ordered one off of Amazon and it finally arrived today. I installed it - and it sounds incredible! I'm very happy!

I want to get back into vinyl but I need some record player suggestions. Something reasonable with decent sound. Any suggestions?

Ray J. T.

Coming from someone who was a DJ for many years my opinion is very biased, as there is no better turntable than the Technics 1200! Not a very cost effective way to go as production for them was ceased back in 2010, and with that being said the value on them have gone sky high. Panasonic is currently bringing them back, but from what I see they are coming back with a ridiculous price tag. Since then there have been some very good manufacturers coming out with some very good hifi stereo turntables, like Pioneer and Denon. They are more geared towards DJ use, but meet all the standards of what make a great turntable. Never used one personally, but from what I have read the Audio Technica turntable gets some very good reviews, and comes with a pretty good price tag, as well as pretty easy to find. I believe Amazon has them for a good price. Here is a quick reference guide in what to look for. http://coloredvinylrecords.com/blog/anatomy-of-a-good-turntable/ Hope this helps. Feel free to hit me up with any questions or concerns as to what to look for.

Doink317

I've always heard good things about U-Turn, and they don't seem overly expensive either. http://uturnaudio.com

I myself use an older Audio Technica turntable. Looking at Flea Markets is another option to find decent tables for not overly expensive too.

mfc2006

Grabbed an awesome Pioneer receiver at Goodwill for only $15. It was the same exact one that my Dad used to use, which is really cool!

As for the turntable, my wife bought me a great Sony turntable for Christmas a couple of years ago. I hooked it all up to some used speakers and it hits hard.

Ray J. T.

Doink317 said:

I've always heard good things about U-Turn, and they don't seem overly expensive either. http://uturnaudio.com

I myself use an older Audio Technica turntable. Looking at Flea Markets is another option to find decent tables for not overly expensive too.

I have heard some really good things about the Audio Technica. How do you like it?

2-feign-reluctance

ATLP120 - essentially a Technics table. Plays records nicely & the lights are pretty. I'd steer clear of any audiophile tables unless you've got the amp/reciever & speakers to get the benefit. Also, don't put any crazy expensive cartridges on whatever you buy. Unless you have the system to reap its benefits.

Ray J. T.

2-feign-reluctance said:

ATLP120 - essentially a Technics table. Plays records nicely & the lights are pretty. I'd steer clear of any audiophile tables unless you've got the amp/reciever & speakers to get the benefit. Also, don't put any crazy expensive cartridges on whatever you buy. Unless you have the system to reap its benefits.

Best cartridges and stylus I have ever and will only use are the Shure M44-7's! Best sound, best quality and they will never skip on you as that is part of their design to be skipless. Not cheap, but used and balanced properly they will be the only ones you will ever own and use. Buy once, cry once.

tempo_n_groove

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable w/acrylic platter $600
Pioneer 8500-II amp $250
Pioneer 8500-II receiver $150
Sony Disc Changer $150
Martin Logan Motion 15 speakers $700
8ga speaker wire $50

$2000 setup. You can go cheaper though.

nuzzer1

I have the Pro-Ject DC and absolutely love it...the ATLP120 is apparently an easier set up / less manual.

I use a Behringer Pre amp ($30) into Sonos Connect ($350) / Sonos ($400 for a set of play 1's) Surprised how much I like Sonos...easy set up and the sound quality is solid!

juddboz80

All depends on your budget, if your looking for cheap look into vintage tables that you can get great deals on if you look around and then always upgrade parts. Some vintage tables sound great depending on they are.

If you have $500 to spend look into rega rp-1 table, that's what I bought after a $20 table from garage sale find. But it's all about your budget and what you want to spend, look into the forums at www.audiokarma.com, lots of people there with great advice on all stereo components!

mcgruff10

tempo_n_groove said:

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable w/acrylic platter $600
Pioneer 8500-II amp $250
Pioneer 8500-II receiver $150
Sony Disc Changer $150
Martin Logan Motion 15 speakers $700
8ga speaker wire $50

$2000 setup. You can go cheaper though.

Damn that s killer!!!! Where in the house is this? Living room?

LukinFan

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Veddermb

I have a Rega RP1 (abut $450 CDN) which is a great table. I later upgraded it with a Performance Pack (which is an upgraded cartridge, drive belt and mat) which is about $200 extra.

tempo_n_groove

mcgruff10 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable w/acrylic platter $600
Pioneer 8500-II amp $250
Pioneer 8500-II receiver $150
Sony Disc Changer $150
Martin Logan Motion 15 speakers $700
8ga speaker wire $50

$2000 setup. You can go cheaper though.

Damn that s killer!!!! Where in the house is this? Living room?

My playroom!

SVRDhand13

Doink317 said:

I've always heard good things about U-Turn, and they don't seem overly expensive either. http://uturnaudio.com

I myself use an older Audio Technica turntable. Looking at Flea Markets is another option to find decent tables for not overly expensive too.

I've had the Orbit for 2 years and I highly recommend it. Pairing it with Kanto yumi speakers.

benjs

Rega RP-1 with the Performance Pack. Absolutely love it. Paid about $500 CDN all-in (which was a steal).

F Me In The Brain

AT-LP120 / Belari Pre Amp VP130 / Audio Engine 5 speakers
Small setup but sounds great - the pre-amp is not needed, but was suggested to improve sound.

Dankind led me through this...got it @ TurntableLab for just under a grand if I recall.
Extremely happy with the purchase and got some Sennheiser HD 518 cans for around $50.

I know there is more expensive/better equipment but this is entirely sufficient to light shit up and get some loud music in.
Good luck Roger, show us what you end up with!

mcgruff10

tempo_n_groove said:

mcgruff10 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable w/acrylic platter $600
Pioneer 8500-II amp $250
Pioneer 8500-II receiver $150
Sony Disc Changer $150
Martin Logan Motion 15 speakers $700
8ga speaker wire $50

$2000 setup. You can go cheaper though.

Damn that s killer!!!! Where in the house is this? Living room?

My playroom!

that's killer!!!!

Suziemay

I love my Project Carbon Debut DC Esprit SB. It's the same model as the Project Carbon Debut but is upgraded with an acrylic platter and built in speedbox. I love having the acrylic platter and not having to fuss with a slip mat. http://www.turntablelab.com/collections/turntables-for-listening-alpha/products/pro-ject-debut-carbon-dc-esprit-sb-turntable-white

I also got the Audio Engine A5 powered speakers so that I didn't need to get an amp. And because they were white to match my turntable http://www.turntablelab.com/collections/audioengine-speakers-alpha/products/audioengine-a5-powered-bookshelf-speaker-system-white-a5-w

This will need a pre-amp. I got this one: http://www.turntablelab.com/collections/pro-ject-alpha/products/pro-ject-phono-box-mm-phono-pre-amp

And just because I was in a spendy mood, I also got this so I could stream through my speakers through bluetooth: http://www.turntablelab.com/products/arcam-miniblink-bluetooth-dac

I remember needing to get extra cables to hook something up to something else but I don't recall what cables I needed.

Zod

I really like my Denon DP-300F. It sounds great. It's the low end of audiophile grade tables. It's main advantage over all the other low end audiophile tables is that it's an automatic. Manual's bug me. I have the attention span of a fruit fly, so the last thing I need is to leave my record player stuck in the outloop.. lol.

The downside of the denon dp300f is that the stock cartridge isn't very good. If you buy one you need to upgrade the stock needle/cartridge. I bought mine in a bundle with an Ortofon Red Cartridge. Sounds great!

http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP300F-with-2M-Red-Package

edit: It's still $400 bucks though. If that's above budget, I'd say the next best one would probably be the Audio Technical lp120. I think it's around $200 (give or take).

tempo_n_groove

mcgruff10 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

mcgruff10 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable w/acrylic platter $600
Pioneer 8500-II amp $250
Pioneer 8500-II receiver $150
Sony Disc Changer $150
Martin Logan Motion 15 speakers $700
8ga speaker wire $50

$2000 setup. You can go cheaper though.

Damn that s killer!!!! Where in the house is this? Living room?

My playroom!

that's killer!!!!

Thank you Mike!

PJ_Soul

Any of the Denons here. I personally very much favour the automatic. I can't stand having the the record keep spinning once the album is over. If you consider this, and you can afford it, go for the blue or bronze cartridge, but I have the red, and that's great too.... though I wish the offer had been available with the blue when I bought, because I definitely would have gone that way.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Automatic-Turntables
(edit: Zod already recommended this, but I think they have added the blue and bronze since then)

timmay44212

If you are looking for a good starter, the audio technica LP60 is good for the money, however you won't be able to upgrade it with a cartridge. If you have the extra cash, go with the LP120. It's a great turntable. I have friends that have the uturn tables and they love them. I have a Dual turntable myself and it's a great piece. If you want to go the budget route, visit flea markets. Every flea market I've been too has had some solid name brand units.

PJ_ROCKS

I picked this up last year, AT-LP120-USB ... love it!

AO253126

Has anyone who owns the AT-LP120 tried the modification to remove the pre-amp? I've been considering it based on the comments I've read here, here and here, but I haven't attempted it myself yet.

I'm just looking to gather more feedback on whether it's worthwhile and any other tips for novices who want to try.

toolfan2305

U turn is phenomanal

cedwhatev

If you're looking for a cheaper route, I have the Pro-Ject Elemental turntable, with Audioengine A2+ Powered Speakers, and Art DJ Pre II Preamp. Fantastic starter set-up! All bought used, paid around $300 USD.

2-feign-reluctance

AO253126 said:

Has anyone who owns the AT-LP120 tried the modification to remove the pre-amp? I've been considering it based on the comments I've read here, here and here, but I haven't attempted it myself yet.

I'm just looking to gather more feedback on whether it's worthwhile and any other tips for novices who want to try.

Yeah, you can fuck it up pretty easy doing that mod. Beware. Unless you have surgical sodering skills don't bother. I bought a Marantz dedicated 2 channel reciever and the records sound amazing running through it.

AO253126

2-feign-reluctance said:

AO253126 said:

Has anyone who owns the AT-LP120 tried the modification to remove the pre-amp? I've been considering it based on the comments I've read here, here and here, but I haven't attempted it myself yet.

I'm just looking to gather more feedback on whether it's worthwhile and any other tips for novices who want to try.

Yeah, you can fuck it up pretty easy doing that mod. Beware. Unless you have surgical sodering skills don't bother. I bought a Marantz dedicated 2 channel reciever and the records sound amazing running through it.

Cool, thank you. I'm currently bypassing the built-in pre-amp as well and running it through the phono-in on my old Sony receiver. I am by no means an audiophile, so it sounds decent enough, but I just wonder if I'm missing something. I should try the built-in pre-amp and see if I can hear the difference.

dankind

AO253126 said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

AO253126 said:

Has anyone who owns the AT-LP120 tried the modification to remove the pre-amp? I've been considering it based on the comments I've read here, here and here, but I haven't attempted it myself yet.

I'm just looking to gather more feedback on whether it's worthwhile and any other tips for novices who want to try.

Yeah, you can fuck it up pretty easy doing that mod. Beware. Unless you have surgical sodering skills don't bother. I bought a Marantz dedicated 2 channel reciever and the records sound amazing running through it.

Cool, thank you. I'm currently bypassing the built-in pre-amp as well and running it through the phono-in on my old Sony receiver. I am by no means an audiophile, so it sounds decent enough, but I just wonder if I'm missing something. I should try the built-in pre-amp and see if I can hear the difference.

Huge difference between built-in and external.

I decided a while ago not to remove the built-in, though. It's an easy enough job, but the needle drops that I've heard lose some warmth in favor of brightness.

And my ear favors warmth over brightness.

Of course, none of the needle drops I've heard are using tube preamps/receivers--and being a warmth guy, I do--which might make up the difference. Still, not going to chance it for now.

LukinFan

I never knew record players cost so much - thanks for all the great info everyone!