Beginner’s Guide to Turntables & Hi–Fi *READ 1st PAGE BEFORE POSTING NEW THREADS / BASIC QUESTIONS*

[circuit bored records]

What's so bad about the LP60? I heard only good things about it (affordable, automatic playing, etc).

Of all the ~$100 turntable options it is probably the least of the evils. That being said, there is nothing about it that will contribute to decent sound quality. Plastic plinth/tonearm, no counterweight to set vertical tracking force, cheap cartridge/stylus and lack of interchangeability to name a few things. Some people argue that these factors will also contribute to and damage records over multiple playback sessions as well...

The way I look at it, think about how much money you have spent or will be spending on records relative to how much you're willing to spend on audio equipment. To me, it doesn't make sense to limit your turntable budget to the absolute cheapest options only to turn around and drop $100 on the latest few preorders from the main page. Take a little longer, save a little bit more, and buy something you aren't going to want to replace in less than a year.

[GreenBaron43]

Of all the ~$100 turntable options it is probably the least of the evils. That being said, there is nothing about it that will contribute to decent sound quality. Plastic plinth/tonearm, no counterweight to set vertical tracking force, cheap cartridge/stylus and lack of interchangeability to name a few things. Some people argue that these factors will also contribute to and damage records over multiple playback sessions as well...

The way I look at it, think about how much money you have spent or will be spending on records relative to how much you're willing to spend on audio equipment. To me, it doesn't make sense to limit your turntable budget to the absolute cheapest options only to turn around and drop $100 on the latest few preorders from the main page. Take a little longer, save a little bit more, and buy something you aren't going to want to replace in less than a year.

Is the LP120 a better option? Does it have all the things the LP60 lack?

[biodigitaljazz]

Is the LP120 a better option? Does it have all the things the LP60 lack?

It improves but only to a point. There are still better options around that price range.

I owned an LP 60. And I only ended up upgrading to a Debut Carbon so it waste of money. And it ruined a few of my records.

[allenh]

Ok! Thanks!

 

Would throwing the Rega RP1 in there change the outcome, or would you still say MMF?

 

Given the choice of the 3 you've mentioned I would go Rega but only because the arm on it is the best of the three and I'm looking at it from an upgrade path point of view which might not be what you want.

 

With the Rega you can take the arm with you onto bigger and better things which isn't so easy with the others and there are a lot more platter, sub platter, bearing and motor/psu upgrades available for the whole Rega line.

 

All that said though you need to listen to all three as what I've said might not matter at all to you and when you listen to them you might find to your ears one of the others is much better.

[allenh]

What's so bad about the LP60? I heard only good things about it (affordable, automatic playing, etc).

 

yanquiuxo covered it very well and I'd bet all those reviews are from someone who has a vested interest in selling this sort of inferior product or someone who doesn't know any better.

 

Vinyl is now a major bandwagon for the makers of this sort of crap to jump on so you can't really blame them for jumping on with both feet.

 

The good reviews on somewhere like Amazon for these and the rest of the cheap stuff will pretty much always fall in to this category because these things are relatively cheap, if you have never heard a proper turntable and are dipping your toe in to see what all the fuss is about with this vinyl stuff why would you spend more if you are not sure you are going to stick with it and all these good reviews make you think must be ok what's the problem? The problem here as has been touched upon above is that when you do hear a proper turntable and want to get rid of your cheap plastic item suddenly everyone laughs at you and tells you to throw it in the bin or you have to find some other hapless soul to rip off with it which isn't exactly cricket.

 

A good turntable is a mechanical engineering marvel and doesn't need to be expensive but it does need to be to a certain standard and why would you insult your records with anything less?

[GreenBaron43]

yanquiuxo covered it very well and I'd bet all those reviews are from someone who has a vested interest in selling this sort of inferior product or someone who doesn't know any better.

 

Vinyl is now a major bandwagon for the makers of this sort of crap to jump on so you can't really blame them for jumping on with both feet.

 

The good reviews on somewhere like Amazon for these and the rest of the cheap stuff will pretty much always fall in to this category because these things are relatively cheap, if you have never heard a proper turntable and are dipping your toe in to see what all the fuss is about with this vinyl stuff why would you spend more if you are not sure you are going to stick with it and all these good reviews make you think must be ok what's the problem? The problem here as has been touched upon above is that when you do hear a proper turntable and want to get rid of your cheap plastic item suddenly everyone laughs at you and tells you to throw it in the bin or you have to find some other hapless soul to rip off with it which isn't exactly cricket.

 

A good turntable is a mechanical engineering marvel and doesn't need to be expensive but it does need to be to a certain standard and why would you insult your records with anything less?

I'm looking at the first post in this topic and the prices have all been raised since it was posted.

[WalnutSoap]

Hello! One more question. 

 

I'm hovering between buying the Project Debut Carbon with 2M Red for £270 OR the Project Debut Carbon Esprit with 2M Red and an acrylic platter for £330

 

My question is - is the acrylic platter worth the £60 (Around $100) extra? I think it'd look cool, and I know there are some acoustic benefits, but is it an extreme difference?

 

EDIT: Bought the Esprit. #RAMEN4LIFE

[GreenBaron43]

I've done more research, and I've come across the Music Hall USB-1 and the Pro-Ject Essential. One question. Do any of those come with a pre-amp? And do they come with a stereo receiver as well?

[slinch]

yes, they all come with a stereo receiver, two sets of speakers, an audio rack, a chair, a raincoat, three pairs of shoes, a bike, a sports car, an apartment in NY and a private jet.

 

come on now...

[YouTwo]

I would love floor-standing speakers, but I just don't have the space.

Been looking at the Pioneer SP-BS22-LRs, but I'm afraid they won't have a strong enough sound, being an inexpensive pair of speakers.

I know I've seen people that say they are bad on this board.  But I've seen lots of good reviews a lot of other places.  There is a couple threads on Audio Karma about them and them seem very favorable.  

[fuckinandsuckinandtouchin]

I have them and they sound great. They are my first pair of speakers so I can't compare them to anything.. but I think they were a good first choice. Plus you can find them on sale easily. I paid $80 shipped from newegg.

[GreenBaron43]

What is a pre-amp and a stereo receiver anyways?

[circuit bored records]

What is a pre-amp and a stereo receiver anyways?

Please read the first post of page one of this thread. Thank you.

[GreenBaron43]

Please read the first post of page one of this thread. Thank you.

Ohh, I didn't see that earlier, there's so much info there.

[WalnutSoap]

Ugh so guys I'm gonna post this here and hopefully someone here can help me, because I feel like an idiot.

 

I just upgraded from my late 70s Sony semi-auto table to a Project Debut Carbon. Looks lovely, but I can't seem to set the damn thing up.

 

I get the whole counterweight/anti-skate thing IN THEORY, but setting it up is proving to be a nightmare. Here are the steps I've been taking:

 

1) Take arm out of holder, move to between holder & platter, flip cue arm down.

 

2) Twist on the counterweight until the arm is nice and straight and balances out.

 

3) Turn wheel back to 0, then to 17.5 which is the downward pressure from the 2M Red.

 

4) Attach anti skate weight.

 

 

Now here's the thing. That last step. After I attach the anti-skate, I can't position the arm. It just kinda... drifts. I'll put it in position over the record ready to drop, and the damn thing will just float wherever it likes. 

 

I'm sure I'm putting it on the correct notch (the middle one), so I have no idea what's going on. Am I missing a step? Do I have a faulty turntable? Any help would be much appreciated - I'm desperate to start using this thing. 

[Tardcore]

You need to twist the counter weight, not the marker wheel. The marker goes to zero when balanced because that is zero down force. Then you move the weight to the appropriate down force.

[WalnutSoap]

OH DUH. I'm a fucking idiot. Thank you - I'm gonna go try that out right now.

 

EDIT: All is good! I put a Mariachi el Bronx record on (first record I tried) and it sounded a bit distorted and scratchy. But then I put a Tycho album on and it sounded fucking glorious, so I'm gonna go ahead and say the MeB record was the weak link.

[GloatenFree]

Can someone help me out? I have a question here, but was referred to this thread.

 

I just need a little help.

 

Edit: Mainly I guess I don't necessarily need a 'portable' player, but something that's not complete crap to get me started and last quite a while. And assuming I'll need speakers, some that aren't gigantic and take up a lot of room. 

[Tardcore]

Can someone help me out? I have a question here, but was referred to this thread.

 

I just need a little help.

 

Edit: Mainly I guess I don't necessarily need a 'portable' player, but something that's not complete crap to get me started and last quite a while. And assuming I'll need speakers, some that aren't gigantic and take up a lot of room. 

 

 

Read the original posts to get started.  This stuff isn't rocket science but every link in the chain matters.

[slinch]

Not sure what your budget is, but if you need something that has a small footprint and if you care how your records sound, here's a nice combo to get you started:

 

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-5066-pro-ject-debut-iii-turntable-matte-black-demo.aspx

 

+

 

http://www.amazon.com/TC-750-BLACK-Audiophile-Phono-Preamplifier/dp/B000A36LQ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417558721&sr=8-3&keywords=phono

 

+

 

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Premium-Powered-Desktop-Speakers/dp/B000VKEFN2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417558813&sr=8-2&keywords=audioengine+a2

[GloatenFree]

Not sure what your budget is, but if you need something that has a small footprint and if you care how your records sound, here's a nice combo to get you started:

 

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-5066-pro-ject-debut-iii-turntable-matte-black-demo.aspx

 

+

 

http://www.amazon.com/TC-750-BLACK-Audiophile-Phono-Preamplifier/dp/B000A36LQ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417558721&sr=8-3&keywords=phono

 

+

 

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Premium-Powered-Desktop-Speakers/dp/B000VKEFN2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417558813&sr=8-2&keywords=audioengine+a2

I'd prefer to keep costs around a couple hundred dollars max.

 

I'm in a small bedroom, so basically always I won't have the volume on super high. I also don't need the BEST sounding setup ever, just something that's at the very least non-mediocre. And something that won't ruin my vinyl super fast and that will last for a bit and just get me started in the vinyl world.

 

Is that doable? 

[Eliminator Jr.]

I'd prefer to keep costs around a couple hundred dollars max.

 

I'm in a small bedroom, so basically always I won't have the volume on super high. I also don't need the BEST sounding setup ever, just something that's at the very least non-mediocre. And something that won't ruin my vinyl super fast and that will last for a bit and just get me started in the vinyl world.

 

Is that doable?

It is. My first setup was comprised of a 70$ turntable, 30$ amp (used) and speakers I've found on the streets. It did the job for years and sounded really good to me, the descent into vinyl craziness and hifimania ruined everything.

[slinch]

Is that doable?

Not really, sorry.

 

First thing out of the way, sound quality has nothing to do with volume or room size. A small room doesn't mean that you cannot get good sound or that you should buy cheaper equipment. It just means that you have to select more carefully.

 

Also, the best sounding setup will cost you $50k+. A non-mediocre setup will cost you $3k+. A mediocre setup will cost you $1k+. What I posted is just scratching the surface.

 

If you're buying new for a couple hundred dollars you have three options basically:

 

A: wait to save up more money

B: only listen to music from digital sources

C: pick the crosley in the color you like most

 

It might sound harsh, but unfortunately there's no shortcuts.

 

The only alternative is buying vintage. You can get a really solid setup for under $300, but you have to be really lucky to find a good component that actually works in a sea of old broken crap people usually sell.

[GloatenFree]

Not really, sorry.

 

First thing out of the way, sound quality has nothing to do with volume or room size. A small room doesn't mean that you cannot get good sound or that you should buy cheaper equipment. It just means that you have to select more carefully.

 

Also, the best sounding setup will cost you $50k+. A non-mediocre setup will cost you $3k+. A mediocre setup will cost you $1k+. What I posted is just scratching the surface.

 

If you're buying new for a couple hundred dollars you have three options basically:

 

A: wait to save up more money

B: only listen to music from digital sources

C: pick the crosley in the color you like most

 

It might sound harsh, but unfortunately there's no shortcuts.

 

The only alternative is buying vintage. You can get a really solid setup for under $300, but you have to be really lucky to find a good component that actually works in a sea of old broken crap people usually sell.

I doubt non-mediocre is $3k+.

 

Let me rephrase this... I want something that doesn't sound like complete shit. It doesn't have to be amazing, just tolerable. And you want to know how tolerable I am? I have a shit pair of TurtleBeach headphones that produce a static in the background constantly - very quiet, but noticeable. I'm not saying I want a record player that will do that, but I'm just letting you know how tolerable I am.

 

Like I said, I'm taking BABY steps, I don't need a crazy ass setup right now. I've inherited a crap load of records and want something to just get me started. I know for a fact that a setup to just get me started would NOT cost $3k+, that's just being unrealistic.

 

Sorry, I'm not trying to be a douche bag if I'm sounding like one, it just seems like I'm not being clear enough I guess. Hopefully that helps.

[GloatenFree]

It is. My first setup was comprised of a 70$ turntable, 30$ amp (used) and speakers I've found on the streets. It did the job for years and sounded really good to me, the descent into vinyl craziness and hifimania ruined everything.

That's basically what mine is at the moment, but it's too big and faulty.