bluewaterpig Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hi everyone, I'm totally new to the boards. I'm a professional musician and started collecting vinyl about a year ago. I totally fell in love with it and want to get a bit more serious. I have a pretty simple question, but let me start by saying I did read the sticky thread about buying entry level turntables. I figured at almost two years old, I'm sure there are new models out there for suggestion. Here goes... My current turntable was a gift, a Jensen JTA 460. It suits my basic needs but there's one thing really bothering me. It's playing records a bit too fast, causing playback pitch to be about a half step too high. Besides noticing a slight difference in sound, this bothers me because I can't play along to any records. Jensen has offered to service it and try to repair the issue. This made me think about buying a new unit altogether. This model was about $80. I don't need something that produces killer Hi-Fi sound quality, nor do I need it to posses the ability to convert records to a digital format. I really just want something that is dependable, plays at the correct speed, sounds decent through its built in speakers, and is under $200... So is it worth sending in for a repair or should I look at getting a new unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 the problem is that many of the issues that result in sub-par audio also result in extra wear and tear on your records. Once you start to accumulate a large collection (even 100 LPs could run $2k easily), it becomes more difficult to justify some of the lower-end solutions that simply do not have the features or build quality to run smoothly and issue free. There are not many solutions in the under $200 price range and nobody worth listening to is going to recommend anything with built in speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 the problem is that many of the issues that result in sub-par audio also result in extra wear and tear on your records. Once you start to accumulate a large collection (even 100 LPs could run $2k easily), it becomes more difficult to justify some of the lower-end solutions that simply do not have the features or build quality to run smoothly and issue free. There are not many solutions in the under $200 price range and nobody worth listening to is going to recommend anything with built in speakers. Sadly this is very much the case and your Jensen falls into the Crosley category I'm afraid which is not a good thing at all. The fundamental thing with vinyl unlike digital is that it is mechanical not electronic and therefore good physical engineering practice is much much more important and where these cheaper plastic turntables fall down badly. You don't need to spend a fortune as you can do it on a very tight budget with 2nd hand equipment but this does need a fair amount of research and physical searching around in thrift stores and garage sales etc. Plus a good amount of luck as you could buy something that is worn out and not know. If you are bitten properly by the vinyl bug though as soon as you hear what a proper turntable can do you will be saving your pennies for something nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouTwo Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I actually had this as my first turntable too and had the exact same problem with the speed (and sound). It's probably not worth getting fixed. If you have a receiver and speakers already, for under $200 I would check out the U-Turn Orbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewaterpig Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Everything you guys are saying makes sense. I absolutely already know that there are few reasons to try and justify built-in speakers. It was more of a novelty for me, and for some reason hooking up a set of nice speakers took all the "magic" away from playing a record. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone, but in any case, I completely understand. I have some nice speakers already, so that can open up some room for a higher quality turn table. Now that you guys have revealed that a sub par piece of equipment can actually damage your vinyl over time, it's going to be eating away at me, so let's talk about how I can get a decent setup going. With speakers already taken care of, I guess I need a nice high quality turntable...suggestions for models that won't break my wallet? Edit: This U-Turn Orbit looks like it's exactly what I need... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Read the Beginners Guide. Stickied on front page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Keep the Jensen around for cleaning records, thats what Im doing with the one I got for Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewaterpig Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Read the Beginners Guide. Stickied on front page. As I mentioned, I already did and I found it very useful but I was hoping for more recommendations than the short list in there. I ended up buying an Orbit by U-Turn...maybe they're just great salesmen but everything they described sounded like exactly what I was looking for. The ability to upgrade down the line is great too. Now to find out why on earth anybody would pay over $1,000 for a cartridge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Now to find out why on earth anybody would pay over $1,000 for a cartridge... Usually because they can. That said you can pay a whole lot more than $1000, when you get into the high end $1000 is entry level for a cartridge but by then you are way into the law of diminishing returns and it's Hotel California time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Why pay more than $1,000 on a car, apartment, speakers, suit, bike, anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Why pay more than $1,000 on a car, apartment, speakers, suit, bike, anything? Why indeed, those plastic battery powered cars made in India are just fine and dandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STÖNCÜLD Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I would suggest trying to find a hifi shop in your area that sells vintage equipment that they have inspected and/or refurbished. You can easily get a quality used turtable for under that price. Goodwill and thrift shops can be a crapshoot if you don't know what you are buying as far as being worn out goes. As far as buying something new, you are probably not going to get anything as solid as a used vintage turntable in that price range. I bought a really nice Rotel quite a few years back for really cheap that was awesome, point is there is good quality, well taken care of used gear out there for good prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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