My recent foray into vinyl has yielded the following. Description of a recent convert inside.

[buddy]

On Friday my dad and I were going to pick up a used turntable at one of the local stores that had vintage sales after we were done work (thanks to forums like this, I wouldn't have dropped $350 on a brand new one that would be utilizing very similar technology, tech indiscernible to someone like myself). Coincidentally (or perhaps even deeper) my dad was having lunch with a colleague who happened to casually bring up LPs and collecting (he has amassed a collection of something like 2500 records) and had just purchased a table made out of welsh granite. My dad responded that it was weird he were to mention this, because later that day him and I were going out to look for one. As you might expect, someone who was collected as many records as he has would probably have more than one table, and he offered one of them to my dad. As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to hear that I wouldn't have to spend the ~$200 I was going to on a 'new' one and would get one for what turned out to be $40.

 

Here is a picture of the Pioneer PL-S70 that I picked up, hooked up to my dad's old receiver, a Pioneer SX 2700. I went out with a few friends that night and came home to find my dad had set it all up for me (I was very confused until I applied sober thought the next morning as to how it went from being in the basement to set up on my dresser, but that's my dad for you).

 

I also purchased from my dad's colleague speakers he had made himself, that sound pretty good. Here is a picture of those. The masking tape I had to throw on the back because I am finding that with some of the bass-heavy records I have since purchased are blowing the backs of the speakers off. This seems to work right now, and for a student on a budget aesthetics are at the bottom of the list in terms of set-up priorities. For 'homemade' ones, they sound great. They are being balanced on a pair of Mission speakers my dad was using with his CD player in the basement, but I found that one of the speakers made a weird rattling/rumbling sound when songs with bass were being played so they are currently doing nothing.

 

Since then, my dad has given me the few records he managed to keep (he used to have a turntable before my mom got rid of it), including some Rolling Stones greatest hits (one of which is green!) and Their Satanic Majesties Request with some cool 3D picture on the front, a Paul James Band LP that is addressed to my dad's house back in college, and another autographed Tears for Fears album. Honestly, I think he's just as excited as I am about my new found interest.

Some recent picks ups I made (recent being used casually, this was my first pick-up and I was weirdly excited) include Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Trophies, Deltron, Endtroducing and just to break the combo, We Are The Same by The Hip. The Raekwon effort is pretty cool as it came on purple vinyl, and Trophies came on a yellow one. The little things get me excited.

 

Anyway, I am beyond excited about my new listening station but had a few questions for some of the more knowledgeable/enlightened members of the forum:

1. Everything I had hooked up works fine and the sound is pretty good, but is there anything I should have looked at, especially the TT? I am not sure if tables are suppose to do this or not, but upon each revolution there seems to be a bulge on the mat that raises the record and consequently the needle. There is never any playback distortion while this is occuring, but when I first saw it I freaked out thinking some of my freshly opened vinyl had already become warped somehow. Does this happen/is it normal? What can be done to fix if this if it even needs to be fixed? 1A. Is there anything else I should look at inspecting on the table that is known to be worn/anything particular to the PL-S70?
2. Is the set-up I have managed to put together decent quality? The price was definitely right but is there anything I should look to maybe upgrade when the time/funds become available? I read on here about the dangers of the new ceramic ones and how they really mess up records so I don't expect any damage to come directly from my set up, but maybe it could happen with some unintentional user assistance.
3. Are there any big no-nos when playing records? I can't afford to regularly buy new ones because I have irreparably damaged them, let alone ones that can't be replaced.
4. Are the Mission speakers worth taking somewhere to get fixed? The homemade ones work fine, but I imagine the Mission ones if working properly will provide a bit better sound. Does anyone have experience with getting speakers fixed in regards to cost?
5. I live in the GTA, and was wondering if anyone on this forum knows of places to get LPs on the cheap. I was really excited about my first pick up on the weekend, but can't feasibly spend $170 weekly on 6 records. Even thrift shops/used places. Really, anywhere. I have regularly perused discogs and have found a lot of info on there, but most of the records seem to be around the same price as if I were to find them in a store, and then + shipping.

Anyways, thanks for reading. And to the dad's out there, have a happy father's day; your kids may not always overtly appreciate what you do for them, but they definitely do. 

[circuit bored records]

1. This is somewhat normal for some slipmats/turntables, although you may be dealing with some warped records. Make sure your TT is absolutely level, and then look into a record clamp.

2. Not sure if you mentioned what cartridge is on your table (The cartridge is the body thathouses the stylus or the needle) ... If you aren't sure how to tell feel free to post a pic but most of the time the cartridge will have a brand name and model number on it somewhere. Changing your cartridge is the easiest way to upgrade your sound and get the best bang for your buck IMO.

3. The best advice is don't play dirty records as they can damage your stylus. For now just look at the records under bright light and if you can visibly see smudges, fingerprints, etc, don't play them. Look into a record cleaning option like the spin clean. Or it you want to invest in something nice a vacuum record cleaning machine is the best option.

4. Don't know, never heard of mission speakers. I would guess no.

5. Goodwill? I've found some good stuff there but then again I'm in LA

Lastly, enjoy the music!

[thirdfromthesun]

Congrats on your first table dude!

 

You need to seriously adjust your speaker placement though, a picture of your setup taken further out would totally help.

 

I agree with pretty much everything yanquiuxo said regarding your questions.

[mikeburns]

mission speakers are ok... not sure the model you have but some sound really really good (mid to hi fi), might just be worth getting them serviced at some stage as it may be a minor fix. If they are a decent model they will definitely sound better than the home made ones by the looks (they look like car speakers - 6x9s or something similar).

 

Because they are bookshelf speakers you wont get the big bottom end you may prefer from hip hop, as bookshelf speakers are normally paired with a sub woofer, but for a first setup I think they will be fine. I wonder if the bass is causing them to distort?

 

You may need a new turntable mat if it isnt flat (a slight amount of movement is fine and normal though) and if it is causing any woofer pumping (low frequencies associated with warps coming out of your speakers as vibrations with no sound). Hopefully it is just that and not your vinyl...

 

Otherwise remember to hold records by the edges and if your not competent with dropping the needle carefully then use the arm assist lever. Always put records away in their sleeves when not playing to avoid getting any excess dust on them or accidentally scratching them.

Store them vertically and not leaning too much to avoid warpage. You are beginning to build a nice collection by the sounds of things, vinyl generally holds its value pretty well so long as your records are well cared for!

 

A spin clean or vacuum cleaner may need to be kept in mind if your going to buy alot of second hand vinyl (which can be pretty grubby) but if your buying brand new or from a reputable store that cleans their second hand vinyl before selling then you should be sweet without one (although a carbon fibre brush will be useful in keeping them clean and dust free).

[mikeburns]

also just make sure when your dad set it up that he applied the correct weight to the cartridge (a quick internet search on the cartridge should give its optimum weight) as if it is too heavy it can cause damage to the cartridge and your records, otherwise your records will be fine for many years to come!