Need help with first time turntable purchase!

[VeganJustin]

hi guys I would like to grab a decently cheap turntable and maybe more off craigslist (and maybe this thrift shop nearby) would appreciate some feedback

 

here is a link to my local craigslist if anyone sees anything worth grabbing that would be awesome

 

http://nh.craigslist.org/search/sss?zoomToPosting=&catAbb=sss&query=turntable&minAsk=&maxAsk=&sort=rel&excats=

 

 

thanks everyone! 

 

I don't need something perfect just something to play some of my favorite bands records

[allenh]

It really depends on your budget but looking through the first few the one that jumps out is

 

http://nh.craigslist.org/ele/4295519471.html

 

This one doesn't look bad

 

http://nh.craigslist.org/ele/4269777024.html

 

Or this one looks interesting but I can't really say how good it is as I've not tried one.

 

http://nh.craigslist.org/ele/4218638369.html

 

Ideally someone from in the US will need to tell you how good or bad the prices are though.

 

Avoid this one!

 

http://nh.craigslist.org/msg/4257329978.html

 

They are not worth the money and if the needle is dead getting a replacement will cost a fortune as it's specific to this small range of turntables.

[VeganJustin]

thanks for the reply. I am going to check out the thrift shop tomorrow and if that doesnt look promising then I will give either one of those first 2 a try. 

will also need the pre amp and speakers. any place I can find these decently cheap. 

I really don't have a ton of spare cash laying around but definitely want to get into the hobby. 

figured Iw ould start cheap and replace things as I go with better stuff

[allenh]

This has all been said many times on this board so have a look around for more inspiration but some generic points to look for are:

 

The sort of pre  you are talking about is a phono pre. A turntable gives out a different signal to a CD player or radio tuner or tape deck, and most modern amplifiers now don't have a phono pre built in

 

With an amp/receiver it will have a choice that says phono on the front and rca sockets on the back labelled phono if it has a built in phono pre.

 

Heavy for it's size is good in amp, speakers and turntable.

 

When we talk about an amp we are talking about a thing called an integrated amp which has its main pre (CD/Tape etc.) and power stages in the same box.

 

A receiver is an integrated amplifier and radio tuner in the same box

 

For hifi 2 speakers is all you need

 

An amp or receiver that has connections for more than just 2 pairs of left and right speakers and has an output for a centre speaker and or subwoofer is referred to as anything .1 so 5.1 or 7.1 etc  and is for audio visual use for DVD's etc.

It is not ideal for listening to records but will do the job.

 

Computer speakers are not hifi

 

anything with USB in it's name is bad.

 

 

 

With any of those turntables you can either go:

 

Older amplifier or receiver with phono preamp built in to speakers

separate phono pre amp to more modern amp to speakers

phono pre amp to speakers with built in amplifiers.

 

Personally I would go for the 1st or 2nd option but it depends on your budget and what is available.

 

Hopefully I haven't overloaded you with too much info but there are a million choices out there and many of them wrong.

 

Always spend what you are comfortable with and think about being able to upgrade if you want to further down the line.

 

Also remember it's not difficult to build up a very expensive collection of records in a short space of time and they are perishable so what you play them on and through is very important.