Official "Help Me Choose a Turntable" v.2.0 Thread

[davestef132]

flea markets :] i have two extra turntables that sound great. both were like $5 at flea markets. and if they dont work, then i guess you lost $5, but its worth the shot. plus its fun finding old stuff at markets/thrift stores. got a technics turntable for $6. i bought my jvc bookshelf speakers at a thrift store for $8, sound great in my room. a realistic (radioshack) reciver/amp thing for $8 at a market, which is sweet because i can plug my turntable and my mac into into it at the same time and switch between the two. havent ventured into audiophile turntables though.

[chadhardbodies]

Hey guys, I'm a very new collector (although I'm proud to say I own a few gems). I got into this hobby because my girlfriend recently got me a Jensen JTA 460 for my birthday, what with me being a music junkie and all. It's a very affordable table, but since I've never really had any comparison I was hoping to get anyone else's overall opinion of this system. Also, when I do eventually upgrade, what would you recommend as a good new table for 200 or under (I don't have the best luck at garage sales)? Your help is greatly appreciated!

[necroscope]

Sorry if this has already been covered, but the thread is fairly long..

I'm looking for a decent portable suitcase record player, just something small.

I'm wondering if those Crosley's with the front mounted speakers are any good because I'm really leaning towards picking one up. The CR-40 is the one I'm talking about.

Any info would be appreciated. Specifically, I don't need it to rattle the windows, but can it get a decent volume going? And does it have an automatic cut-off when it gets near the center? I've got 5"s I want to play and I hate those.

[jryall]

Saw this one by Carhartt x Vestax in person while I was in Frankfurt last summer.

Looks kinda good for what it is. USB too!

Don't really know where you could buy one though.

[dangerben]

Saw this one by Carhartt x Vestax in person while I was in Frankfurt last summer.

Looks kinda good for what it is. USB too!

Don't really know where you could buy one though.

god... clothing brands making record "players"????

they claim you can use that table while mounted on a wall.... i really hope people don't think that is a smart thing to do...

my suggestion to everyone who asks whether these cheap and very clearly nasty tables are worth buying is to just save up a little more and buy an actual turntable created and built by a respected audio company.

end of the day its your call whether you want your record collection getting eaten up all because something was cheap.... or has USB *shudders*

[derekfulmer]

I have a Pro-Ject Debut III and really enjoy it. But, if I'm switching between LP's and 45s often, I get really tired of having to manually move the belt. The anti-skate weight is also a pain in the ass because it often slips off the arm. These two issues alone have me considering selling the turn table and getting a Tecnics or something with button/switch that changes between the RPM. It's only a thought for now, though.

Anyone else own this turn table and seem to have to same gripes?

[dangerben]

I have a Pro-Ject Debut III and really enjoy it. But, if I'm switching between LP's and 45s often, I get really tired of having to manually move the belt. The anti-skate weight is also a pain in the ass because it often slips off the arm. These two issues alone have me considering selling the turn table and getting a Tecnics or something with button/switch that changes between the RPM. It's only a thought for now, though.

Anyone else own this turn table and seem to have to same gripes?

just get yourself one of these

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=speedbox&cat=boxes〈=en that will end any issues you have with changing the belt around.

regarding the anti-skate slipping - i have the xpression iii and have not had any issues at all... if its a constant problem for you, you could try taping it down to the tone arm or gluing it into place... all totally stupid but worth giving a go if it saves further headaches...

[derekfulmer]

Thank you!!! Had no idea this thing existed!

[xjustinz]

Alright, I've read through this whole thread pretty much but am still kind of overwhelmed. Currently I run a crappy usb table into a home theater speaker system. I'm looking to upgrade my whole set up. For a turntable, I'm looking at the Rega RP1 (and I guess a Rega phono mini pre-amp?) but am unsure of what receiver and speakers to get. I've got a budget of about $500 for the receiver and speakers. I'd like tall floor speakers, but am open to all suggestions.

I know this kind of help has been asked for a million times, but am looking more personalized help so that everything works out perfectly. Thank you!

[avery]

i'm going to look at a pioneer pl-990 today from someone on craigslist. it has a built in pre-amp and i tried looking through this thread but i am technologically stupid. can someone please tell me what else i might need for this turntable? like speakers, right? anything else? it has its needle and cartridge and i'm at a loss for what else i might have to save up for. i'm kind of upgrading from a shitty record player that i've had for the last 10+ yrs.

[dangerben]

Alright, I've read through this whole thread pretty much but am still kind of overwhelmed. Currently I run a crappy usb table into a home theater speaker system. I'm looking to upgrade my whole set up. For a turntable, I'm looking at the Rega RP1 (and I guess a Rega phono mini pre-amp?) but am unsure of what receiver and speakers to get. I've got a budget of about $500 for the receiver and speakers. I'd like tall floor speakers, but am open to all suggestions.

I know this kind of help has been asked for a million times, but am looking more personalized help so that everything works out perfectly. Thank you!

You can save yourself about $100 straight off the bat by looking for a reciever/amp/whatever you want to call it that has a built in phono stage.

If you are buying the whole thing to listen to records it would be silly to not buy hardware that supported turn tables.

as for brands to keep an eye out for - i'd look at anything by cambridge, marantz, yamaha etc... go for a well known brand and you should hope that you will get a good product...

i have a yamaha as-500 which has a fairly nice phono stage cooked right into it. If you stumble across the as300/500/700 I really suggest trying it out. such a nice sounding amp and the 500 and up have a pure direct option that just pipes the turntables sound straight to the speakers... beautiful!

[xjustinz]

Alright, I've read through this whole thread pretty much but am still kind of overwhelmed. Currently I run a crappy usb table into a home theater speaker system. I'm looking to upgrade my whole set up. For a turntable, I'm looking at the Rega RP1 (and I guess a Rega phono mini pre-amp?) but am unsure of what receiver and speakers to get. I've got a budget of about $500 for the receiver and speakers. I'd like tall floor speakers, but am open to all suggestions.

I know this kind of help has been asked for a million times, but am looking more personalized help so that everything works out perfectly. Thank you!

You can save yourself about $100 straight off the bat by looking for a reciever/amp/whatever you want to call it that has a built in phono stage.

If you are buying the whole thing to listen to records it would be silly to not buy hardware that supported turn tables.

as for brands to keep an eye out for - i'd look at anything by cambridge, marantz, yamaha etc... go for a well known brand and you should hope that you will get a good product...

i have a yamaha as-500 which has a fairly nice phono stage cooked right into it. If you stumble across the as300/500/700 I really suggest trying it out. such a nice sounding amp and the 500 and up have a pure direct option that just pipes the turntables sound straight to the speakers... beautiful!

Thank you, that was very helpful!

[chadhardbodies]

Quick question (and I fully expect to be flamed for this), but humor me, as I'm new to turntables. What's so awful about USB? It's pretty clear that all the high end turntables lack this feature, but I'm just curious as to why USB tables are so frowned upon. Now to be clear, I'm just a broke college kid who wants something to play his records on. I don't have the budget or the space in my apartment for a whole sound system (though that would be great at some point later on)

[dangerben]

Quick question (and I fully expect to be flamed for this), but humor me, as I'm new to turntables. What's so awful about USB? It's pretty clear that all the high end turntables lack this feature, but I'm just curious as to why USB tables are so frowned upon. Now to be clear, I'm just a broke college kid who wants something to play his records on. I don't have the budget or the space in my apartment for a whole sound system (though that would be great at some point later on)

record players that have USB functionality as a general rule are shitty record players.

its not because of the USB output, its just that they skimp on the overall quality of the table because their target audience doesn't really know or care that its a bad table, not to mention that the USB output is just generally a bad output quality.

it'd be infinitely better to just run audio inputs (after the phono stage of course) straight into your sound card line-in.

TL;DR - its a tacky add-on to try and tempt you to buy a generally shitty product. cut out the USB shit and focus on a better tone arm or a better platter or just better anything... catch my drift?

[kannibal]

Alright, I've read through this whole thread pretty much but am still kind of overwhelmed. Currently I run a crappy usb table into a home theater speaker system. I'm looking to upgrade my whole set up. For a turntable, I'm looking at the Rega RP1 (and I guess a Rega phono mini pre-amp?) but am unsure of what receiver and speakers to get. I've got a budget of about $500 for the receiver and speakers. I'd like tall floor speakers, but am open to all suggestions.

I know this kind of help has been asked for a million times, but am looking more personalized help so that everything works out perfectly. Thank you!

Here's the good news! Used speakers can be very cheap. There really are some great used deals out there on great speakers. Check your local craigslist, and usually you don't need to jump on the first thing you see either, as great deals come and go. The same goes for an amp. You can find great vintage or more recent integrated amps with a phono stage built in for very good prices. The brands mentioned by Danger Ben are good reference points.

The RP1 is the BEST entry level table on the market. So that is a great choice, but i HATE the cart it comes with. The cart's not really that bad if you upgrade the stylus, but i would just recommend hunting for a great deal on the speakers and amps and getting a upgraded cart replacement with the extra money in your budget. You can always upgrade your speakers and amp down the road, but it's better to treat you vinyl better from the start. Hope this helps.

[kannibal]

i'm going to look at a pioneer pl-990 today from someone on craigslist. it has a built in pre-amp and i tried looking through this thread but i am technologically stupid. can someone please tell me what else i might need for this turntable? like speakers, right? anything else? it has its needle and cartridge and i'm at a loss for what else i might have to save up for. i'm kind of upgrading from a shitty record player that i've had for the last 10+ yrs.

The pioneer is a very budget turntable and i don't know that i would be much of an upgrade from anything. Although, i guess i can think of a few things i'd want less. Like crosleys or portable players. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I feel like there are great used deals on vintage tables and great resource on the web to care for them without spending too much time.

You will need an amplifier and speakers to complete your set-up. The Amp doesn't even need to have a phono preamp as the pioneer table has a built in one. craigslist can help you with both the amp and speakers. In fact, if you can find a great deal on some speakers and an amp, do that and put more money toward a turntable purchase.

[avery]

i'm going to look at a pioneer pl-990 today from someone on craigslist. it has a built in pre-amp and i tried looking through this thread but i am technologically stupid. can someone please tell me what else i might need for this turntable? like speakers, right? anything else? it has its needle and cartridge and i'm at a loss for what else i might have to save up for. i'm kind of upgrading from a shitty record player that i've had for the last 10+ yrs.

The pioneer is a very budget turntable and i don't know that i would be much of an upgrade from anything. Although, i guess i can think of a few things i'd want less. Like crosleys or portable players. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I feel like there are great used deals on vintage tables and great resource on the web to care for them without spending too much time.

You will need an amplifier and speakers to complete your set-up. The Amp doesn't even need to have a phono preamp as the pioneer table has a built in one. craigslist can help you with both the amp and speakers. In fact, if you can find a great deal on some speakers and an amp, do that and put more money toward a turntable purchase.

haha, thanks. ya. actually, the old record player was a crosley i bought 12-13 yrs ago when i couldn't find anything else and i didn't get around to replacing it until now. i'm not a huge audiophile so it's not a big deal to me to have something fancy, but after spending a lot of money on records, i wanted something a little better.

i got the pioneer last night and am pretty happy with it.

thanks for the simple explanation of what i need. for now, i have it hooked up to the aux inputs of a bose stereo my mother-in-law gave me last month. i'll look into the speakers and amp via craigslist or amazon after the holidays when i have more money.

[kannibal]

haha, thanks. ya. actually, the old record player was a crosley i bought 12-13 yrs ago when i couldn't find anything else and i didn't get around to replacing it until now. i'm not a huge audiophile so it's not a big deal to me to have something fancy, but after spending a lot of money on records, i wanted something a little better.

i got the pioneer last night and am pretty happy with it.

thanks for the simple explanation of what i need. for now, i have it hooked up to the aux inputs of a bose stereo my mother-in-law gave me last month. i'll look into the speakers and amp via craigslist or amazon after the holidays when i have more money.

Cool. Glad you are enjoying it, and glad to hear you have something to listen to it with.

Don't be afraid to poke around a bit and find out more info on turntables and what makes some better than others or ways to improve what you already have. I listened to vinyl for a long time knowing very little about turntables, but once i did just a little research a whole new and very cool and exciting world opened up. And don't believe the hype, while you do get what you pay for, you don't always have to spend a lot of money to build a nice playback system.

[madtired]

Saw this one by Carhartt x Vestax in person while I was in Frankfurt last summer.

Looks kinda good for what it is. USB too!

Don't really know where you could buy one though.

god... clothing brands making record "players"????

they claim you can use that table while mounted on a wall.... i really hope people don't think that is a smart thing to do...

my suggestion to everyone who asks whether these cheap and very clearly nasty tables are worth buying is to just save up a little more and buy an actual turntable created and built by a respected audio company.

end of the day its your call whether you want your record collection getting eaten up all because something was cheap.... or has USB *shudders*

I worked in a dj equipment store for a few years and there was an older model w/o the usb that sold really well, and we never got returns on it. Vestax is a reputable brand -- not the best but certainly better than numark/crosely, etc. This carhartt piece just looks like a special edition or something.

Besides -- this is marketed as a portable turntable -- not something someone would use at home for everyday listening.

[Shitty Rambo]

I have been getting a weird 'Wah' effect while playing certain 7"s.

In situations like this is it better to lighten up the tonearm weight or drop it? Seems like I have to mess with it for several minutes to make any type of improvement and than can't remember where the weight was at before I fiddled around with it.

[californiaflow]

Hey you guys,

I'm new to the whole vinyl collecting and I'm really starting to get into it. I was able to get an LXI SR-3000, which was sold by Sears and I guess made by Sanyo. It's an older model, as all the ones I have seen are a much taller stack and all digital. This is just a turntable at the top, a dial AM/FM radio, equalizer, and duel cassette deck. It has an odd sized headphone port on the front, so I managed to hook some Creative Zen speakers to it, and I have a wire coming from the speakers into my general audio system's AUX input (iPod dock, sub, 2 speakers.) The turntable has RCA audio output/input on the back, but the only speakers I am finding are standard speaker wire. Any tips on how I can get it properly set up?

Thanks!

[bearchuck]

Well, since this thread has come to a standstill and no one is answering questions, let's give this a whirl, starting from the bottom up.

californiaflow - I'm a little confused by your post and there's almost zero information on the web in regards that system you're talking about. However, I can tell you that your speaker wire should not be inserted into the AUX terminals. They should go to the clearly marked L + R speaker terminals on the back. The aux is a line-level input (not output, so there's no way you should be getting any sound through your speakers) for other equipment ... like a CD player, iPod, tape deck or even a turntable (if there's a pre-amp between the TT and the receiver). However, if that LXI SR-3000 was sold as a complete system, I'm betting there's a phono input. That's where your TT wires go.

Basic setup is pretty easy; turntable plugs into the phono input, the phono input goes through your pre-amp (integrated within your amp / receiver), the pre-amp boosts the signal before it goes through the amp, which in turn amplifies (duh) the sound through the speakers ... which of course should be connected to the speaker terminals.

ComaChameleon - a weird 'Wah' effect sounds more like you have "wow & flutter" issues or for some reason your TT isn't keeping a steady speed. Just google your turntable model and "speed (or pitch) issues" and I'm sure you'll find some helpful threads on one of those audio message boards (Audiokarma, VinylEngine, etc etc).

Generally speaking, tonearm issues in relation to tracking force have more to do with skipping or even distortion. You should increase / decrease the weight in accordance to the cartridge manufacturer's recommendation. Again, I would have to hear it firsthand, but I doubt that adjusting your tonearm is going to fix the "wah" sound. Is it a belt-driven TT? It's possible that you need a new one. When belts get old and stretched out, they slip, causing the platter to slow down for a second before the it catches and everything speeds up again. That will give you wah's out the ass.

Dangerben + Kannibal - good advice, guys.

derekfulmer - the counterweight on the Pro-Ject debut screws on. In no way should it slip off. Maybe you have it on backward. Try flipping your counterweight around so that the numbers are facing the cartridge, then screw it until the tonearm is balanced. At that point, hold the large section and twist the numbers until the 0 is at top.

thoughtriot - You've determined that your speakers are fine, so that's good. Stupid question, but do you have your balance control set properly? Otherwise, it sounds like you have a weak channel somewhere in your system. If your receiver is brand new, I doubt that's the issue. The Stanton has a built-in pre-amp, so maybe that could be the issue. If you had a a separate preamp or a receiver with a phono input, you could switch the button on the Stanton from "line" to "phono," plug it into your pre-amp or receiver and see if the problem persists.

One other thing you could check is the connection between the tonearm and the cartridge. If one of the wires is loose or a contact is dirty or showing signs of oxidation, that could be causing your problems.

letsmakekill - that's one of the weirdest things I've heard, and the fact that you can play a record perfectly one day and then the next day there are static issues makes diagnosing the problem even tougher. If I had to take a wild guess, sounds like an electronic issue somewhere in your system. A loose connection ... drifting caps ... a dodgey wire ... who knows.

For everyone out there will some sort of audio equipment issue, the first thing you should always do is isolate the issue to one component as best you can. Sometimes this takes extra gear, but hey - that's what friends are for.

In other words, if you think that your problem is in your receiver, borrow a receiver from a pal, set it up with your TT + speakers and see if it persists. If not, the issue most likely lies with your receiver. If the problem remains however, you know that your receiver is fine ... the issue is somewhere else in your system.

Again, it might be time consuming to swap out components, but in the end if you can better pinpoint the issue, it will make helping you easier for others.

[stillused]

Hello,

I just picked up a cheap Technics SL 220 for $10 over the weekend that didn't come with a headshell, cartridge, or stylus. I was wondering if it would be pointless to put a Shure M97xE cartridge on it or if I should stick with something cheaper since the turntable is on the lower end of things. Also, as far as headshells go is this a decent product?

http://www.amazon.com/American-DJ-TT-HEADSHELL-Turntable-Headshell/dp/B0002E51V2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079271&sr=1-1

I'm running it through an Onkyo tx-36 receiver and JBL speakers. Thanks for any information and helping me out.

[kannibal]

Hello,

I just picked up a cheap Technics SL 220 for $10 over the weekend that didn't come with a headshell, cartridge, or stylus. I was wondering if it would be pointless to put a Shure M97xE cartridge on it or if I should stick with something cheaper since the turntable is on the lower end of things. Also, as far as headshells go is this a decent product?

http://www.amazon.com/American-DJ-TT-HEADSHELL-Turntable-Headshell/dp/B0002E51V2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079271&sr=1-1

I'm running it through an Onkyo tx-36 receiver and JBL speakers. Thanks for any information and helping me out.

The M97xE is a great cart for the price on Amazon, and no one should ever waste their money on a cheaper cart, no matter what table they are putting it on. If you don't like the table, or it ends up being a dud, you can always move the Shure cart to your next table. I don't know about headshells, so maybe someone else can chime in on that.

[jryall]

Hello,

I just picked up a cheap Technics SL 220 for $10 over the weekend that didn't come with a headshell, cartridge, or stylus. I was wondering if it would be pointless to put a Shure M97xE cartridge on it or if I should stick with something cheaper since the turntable is on the lower end of things. Also, as far as headshells go is this a decent product?

http://www.amazon.com/American-DJ-TT-HEADSHELL-Turntable-Headshell/dp/B0002E51V2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079271&sr=1-1

I'm running it through an Onkyo tx-36 receiver and JBL speakers. Thanks for any information and helping me out.

I've had a Shure m97xE for a couple of years now and it's not bad but just a little weak, not punchy.

I've been much better off with a Ortofon 2M Blue which should be in the same price range.