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

[Tardcore]

4 hours ago, Freki said:

Buy Tardcore's AKG Q701s.

My name is Tardcore, and I endorse this message.

[burnalive]

Got AT150MLX on an AT LP 120 and I'm ready to rip out the included preamp.  Does anybody have any suggestions on a preamp that pair well with it?  The cart is very bright and I would be looking for a  preamp that would provide better bass and possibly USB out for needle drops.  Thank you for your time.

Edited September 13, 2016 by burnalive

[circuit bored records]

5 hours ago, burnalive said:

AT LP 120

No

 

5 hours ago, burnalive said:

 I'm ready to rip out the included preamp.

No

 

5 hours ago, burnalive said:

preamp that would provide better bass and possibly USB out

No

[burnalive]

17 hours ago, yanquiuxo said:

No

 

No

 

No

Trust me brother if this shit existed on the internet already ripped then I wouldn't invest anymore money on this fuckin hobby haha.

[Thomas³]

You don't need USB to rip, just line in to your pc.

[allenh]

6 hours ago, Thomas³ said:

You don't need USB to rip, just line in to your pc.

This.

 

I struggle with why people want to use low bitrate USB of the type used in pretty much every turntable related USB to rip vinyl or record anything for that matter, it's utter shit.

Using any half decent Goodwill or other chairty shop sourced turntable and integrated amplifier or receiver you line in and out of the amp using the tape loop and treating the computer as a cassette deck. Then use some free software like Audacity to record it. Costs next to bugger all and does a lot better job than the majority of the USB devices, chances are your charity shop amp will have a half decent phono stage in it already as well.

 

You can make a perfectly good turntable out of the LP120 by ripping out all the audio electronics and rewiring the arm, so as you already have one it would be a suitable substitute and probably an improvement over the charity shop turntable in the above.

[allenh]

Double post

Edited September 15, 2016 by allenh

[Freki]

Looking for short interconnects. Schiit has some 6" and Monoprice has some 18". Any other options?

[Tardcore]

I like Blue Jeans Cable.  You can do custom lengths.

[LEUCISTIC]

Right hello again guys, Ive had my little entry setup a little while now  (Project carbon esprit, ortofon red, marantz pm5005, Roth oli ra1 speakers and AKG 550 cans) and I am thinking about upgrading a few bits and bobs in the new year.

I am guessing my speakers would be my weakest link so far? if so would a speaker upgrade be most worthy or going ortofon blue?

Any upgrade routes suggestions welcome for noticeable sound improvement.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2016 by LEUCISTIC

[slavikcc]

To supplement slinch's section under "Buying a turntable", I created a dedicated guide on the /r/vinyl subreddit with an ever-growing list of turntable brands/models to avoid, along with reasons why they should be avoided.   I also wrote it in response to the seemingly lack of centralized and in-depth guide and the spread of misinformation and bad myths out there.  My information also includes "all-in-one" compact stereo systems from the 70's to the 90's, stereo console wooden furniture, and vintage portable players. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/comments/5bh435/list_of_turntables_to_avoid_and_the_reasons_why/

Any feedback, suggestions, or questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[throughbeingcruel]

So I made it through about half this thread before my brain started overheating.

 

I'm looking to spend around $800 on a turntable, preamp/receiver (whichever is better), and some decent speakers. I'm not an audiophile who needs the best speakers and shit, I mainly want a turntable that won't fuck up my records and sounds good for the price. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[ajxd]

$800 is a bit limited for everything, unless you're buying used. I'd recommend the Debut Carbon (tons of people here use em). An integrated amp (lots of people like the Marantz PM series; make sure it has a phono channel). Speakers are kinda all over the place, if you can find Definitive Technology SM350s (for a while, clearance price of $180, typically $500 new), you'll be set. 

 

Don't forget to budget some money for accessories/cables. Speaker cables/interconnects/stands/etc..

[kannibal]

I would also recommend the ELAC speaker line from Andrew Jones. They seem to be gaining universal praise and they are priced very entry level. 

[Gumbo72203]

So, I need to get a new turntable.  I'm looking to spend in the $300 range right now.  Everyone keeps talking about the Pro-ject Carbon Debuts and Essential II's and the U-turn Orbits....  why should I get them?  What makes them better?  Why **Shouldn't** I get something like an AT 120LP?  I have to say, the curved tone-arm is much more appealing and I feel like it would be better suited to align with the grooves than something like the Carbon or Orbit which have straight tone arms with the cartridge angled at the end.  Or am I crazy? 

I've been scoping around a little bit.... and found some people recommending the Marantz TT42.  I know Marantz has a good reputation for their other stuff, and this is in my price-range but I can't seem to get any search results for it here? 

Also, this might be a silly question.... but for TT's with a built-in phono preamp, can that be bypassed?  I have an external BBE phono pre-amp right now that seems to do the trick for me; obviously you want outboard gear for customization purposes but I just didn't know whether the internal ones can ever be by-passed. 

 

Anyway, the U-Turn Orbit is my favored one right now because of price but if i can spend another hundred or 2 and get something DEFINITELY much better I'd like to do that. 

[Freki]

23 minutes ago, Gumbo72203 said:

 I have to say, the curved tone-arm is much more appealing and I feel like it would be better suited to align with the grooves than something like the Carbon or Orbit which have straight tone arms with the cartridge angled at the end.  Or am I crazy? 

 

Are you saying you know more than the engineers that have designed those tonearms?

[Gumbo72203]

2 minutes ago, Freki said:

Are you saying you know more than the engineers that have designed those tonearms?

No that's why I'm asking....   to me, it would appear that the s-shaped ones would be better than the ones that are straight and angled at the end, because that's what my Stanton has and everyone always says it's bad for the records. 

[parkinglot]

1 minute ago, Gumbo72203 said:

No that's why I'm asking....   to me, it would appear that the s-shaped ones would be better than the ones that are straight and angled at the end, because that's what my Stanton has and everyone always says it's bad for the records. 

they're probably referring to the lack of a counterweight and not the shape of the tonearm.

[Freki]

Oh boy.

 

But seriously, why not just go to a shop and listen to some tables? Your ears will tell you why you should spring a level higher than the AT120LP.  

[Gumbo72203]

3 minutes ago, parkinglot said:

they're probably referring to the lack of a counterweight and not the shape of the tonearm.

My Stanton has a counterweight.....  doesn't every turntable?  How else do you balance the force with which the stylus lays on the groove?  I've always been curious about that too, what the optimal weight is. 

[Gumbo72203]

3 minutes ago, Freki said:

Oh boy.

 

But seriously, why not just go to a shop and listen to some tables? Your ears will tell you why you should spring a level higher than the AT120LP.  

The only ones are an hour+ away, nothing here in Albany.  I wish I could just up and do that, buuuut i can't.  It would be much more convenient. 

[Freki]

With the AT, you're paying  for features and engineering that don't actually add to the quality of the sound (pitch control, electronic speed change, built-in pre-amp, etc.) Jump up to the entry-level Regas/Pro-Jects/etc and those features are stripped out in favor of build & design improvements that actually lead to better sound.

[Thomas³]

Your stanton does not have an angled headshell, you just angle the cart in it so you are not getting a proper off-set like you would with an angled arm.

 

Needs more angles.

 

You can get a Music Hall MMF2.2 for $300 on Amazon. I'd go for that.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Thomas³

[Gumbo72203]

12 minutes ago, Freki said:

With the AT, you're paying  for features and engineering that don't actually add to the quality of the sound (pitch control, electronic speed change, built-in pre-amp, etc.) Jump up to the entry-level Regas/Pro-Jects/etc and those features are stripped out in favor of build & design improvements that actually lead to better sound.

 

12 minutes ago, Thomas³ said:

Your stanton does not have an angled headshell, you just angle the cart in it so you are not getting a proper off-set like you would with an angled arm.

 

Needs more angles.

 

You can get a Music Hall MMF2.2 for $300 on Amazon. I'd go for that.

Ah, see... these are the responses I was looking for!  I was reading more about the Carbon Debut and how the tone-arm is carbon fiber to reduce resonances and the platter is wider....   things like that are helpful in making the decision.  Also the fact that it comes with the Ortofon Red cartridge and stylus I think is a bonus. 

This Music Hall looks just like the Pro-Ject as well, and has a cartridge built by Ortofon.... I don't like that the 33/45 switch is underneath the plate, and some people are saying the anti-skate on the Music Hall is weird and hard to set up.  Hmmm.  Food for thought I guess. 

[Thomas³]

Well, the Music Hall is built in the same factory and uses a Pro-Ject arm, so they are very similar. Anti-skate is no different than any project table.