allenh

I can't remember if the 640 has any loading settings inside but the preamp level is possibly correct and the bluetooth too high, have you tried any other sources like a DVD or CD?

Trouble is the OP said he is set on direct drive otherwise that would be a decent suggestion.

Stumbled on it a week or so back and have ordered 5 out of the 6, one was a pre order and one was sold out.

I forgot to mention there is one flaw with those AT120's and similar, the on board phono pre amp is very poor so provided you don't use that the rest is fine.

Well if your dead set on direct drive then the Technics 1200 or 1210 are the baseline by which all others are measured but I must admit I can see nothing wrong with the LP120 for the money. There are also quite a few other versions of the LP120 with other makers names on eg. Lenco and in different colours and finishes but they are all basically the same. The AT isn't made by AT, it's just badged up so there are others offering the same turntable with a different name on it. There are quite a few cheaper variants though so be careful of those as some are quite poor and a little research will go a long way, Sorry I can't be more specific on makes as what's available in the US will be different to what's available here in the UK. As to a receiver, firstly make it an amplifier not a receiver and as I say read Slinch's thread as it gives lots of info, colour wise Silver has been back in for a while so you should have no problem there.

That's not an unreasonable request and good point Jase definitely emphasise the quality over price.

I've nothing against direct drive, I have quite a few DD turntables which include the ubiquitous 1200 but a lot more belt drive. There's lots of threads, conversations, arguments etc. etc. about direct versus belt drive but the bottom line is if DJ'ing then those reasons come into play and direct drive and an SL1200 or similar are a must but if not then in general belt drive is the way to go. If you look after it the belt will last for years and years, if you want the thing to stop then let it stop don't help it. Records are perishable and need handling with care so stopping or pausing the platter especially with the needle still in the groove are not a very good idea, unless of course you are being paid to spin said vinyl and can replace it when you've worn it out. As to what to buy Slinch has a very good beginners thread pinned to the front page of this Forum called DONT BUY A CROSLEY! EVER! Beginner’s Guide to Hi–Fi Have read in there, it will answer a lot of your questions and then you can narrow things down a bit more.

That stylus is very common so ebay or a google search will turn up lots of choices.

Just ordered the 3 LP bundle, yes $70+ with shipping to the UK is expensive but I'm not convinced I will get them all elswhere as banquet only have the more common colour and I've missed things like this before. Also it's £15 at Banquet for 1 LP so £46 for the 3 works out about the same as 3 here but would still have shipping added.

That is a shit, if you've connected it all back in fine it could be a crossover fault, dead capacitor etc. I guess you need to get back onto your supplier but avoid the urge to throw a few FFS's into them and try for the sympathy angle.

Its probably even worth money in that state

Make some time for London, there are loads. Try these links for some lists http://londonist.com/2012/04/top-ten-record-shops.php?showpage=3#gallery-1 http://www.timeout.com/london/music/londons-best-music-shops If you start in Berwick Street along with Sister Ray there's Reckless records, around the corner there is Phonica in Poland Street and a bit further up Oxford Street and behind there is On the Beat in Hanway Street. The rest are all a walk or a tube ride away and you can't miss Rough Trade East in Brick Lane or Honest Johns in Portabello. I also remember there being quite a few in one area in Paris but just can't remember where

Just bought the 2nd press of this on all clear vinyl and am listening to it now. I also own the original but didn't have any of the extras so thought it worth the money.

A couple of photo's of a glue mask taken off a record this morning.

^ that's insulting to sledge hammers

Your Sony should produce more power into 4ohms than it does into 8ohms. Sony quote 80w a side into 4ohms, I would have hoped for more than that with 70w a side into 8ohms but it will still do the job. I found the instructions on the Sony website and it's got a built in phono amp so that's a plus as well. You can find the instructions at the link below https://docs.sony.com/release/STRAV570.PDF I have to say though the Technics is way better looking and probably sounds better, I found a site quoting 70w a side into 4ohms for that so now you can see which sounds better into those speakers.

+1

Ok if those figures are what the maker quotes then that makes sense, I was expecting with the 600w rating I was seeing with a quick google search that they would have a very low sensitivity and would be difficult to drive but 93db as donnelltech says is pretty high and yes the 300w rms rating is quite probably quite hopeful for any length of time.

Some of the PA power amps if well designed and intended more for studio use are very very good, as a rule the cost is kept down to compete with the rest by not having very expensive cases and controls, if a circuit is good and the electronics are of sufficient tolerance it will do a good job. The biggest parts costs in most high end solid state power amplification is the fancy metalwork (case and heatsinks) and the power supply. I had a German made one, can't remember the make but it really could hold it's own given a decent pre amp. People over here now go mad for the old H&H AM 8/12 mono blocks as these are superb, not powerful but very sweet sounding, BBC designed and meant to drive the LS 3/5a speaker, they have always been a sweet little amp and used to cost peanuts because they were frowned upon as just PA rubbish but the last two parts of the above statement have finally caught hold enough to push the price right up there.

Always try and get the RMS output of the amp as close to the RMS rating of the speakers. So if their power rating is accurate you will need a pretty big amp to drive them properly, I don't know them but know their type and how difficult this sort of thing can be to drive well. I have seen 600w ratings bandied about, is this a Maximum figure or an RMS figure? If it's Maximum I would expect your Technics will be fine but if it's RMS then it will not be very happy and will get hot and bothered trying to drive them.

Agreed on more than one level, putting a radio reception device in the same box as an amplifier makes it very difficult for that amplifier to reject the unwanted RF signals from the radio reception device. And receivers are generally multi speakers which are great for what they were intended for i.e the noises made in a film but sadly music is a secondary function for them.

Also The Marantz does seem to be a bit of an industry standard so definitely a good starting point.

It depends where you are as what's available and it's price differs depending on where in the world you are but if pushed phono pre's I would recommend at a reasonable price would be be both the Cambridge ones, the better of the two the 651p is a lot better for not a huge price uplift and I would recommend the Rega Fono MM. Anything thing that has USB in it unles its from someone like Rega I would avoid as phono pre amplification and RIAA curve equalisation probably won't be it's primary task. The solid state Project ones I have heard I have not been impressed with but that may be personal preference and the Project valve (tube) ones I have heard I have liked very much.

Very pretty and very Clearaudio right down to the Satisfy tonearm, I'd say pretty much the only Emotiva thing on it is the badge but then they wouldn't be the first to do that and better to copy and paste than make an expensive mistake.

Listening to this now, tried to take a photo of it glowing in the dark but it didn't work too well so you will need to use your imagination, that or some mind altering substance.