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Buying a Record Player (1 Viewer)

LukeWilliam

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Joined
Feb 3, 2011
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Real Name
John Wilson
I am looking into getting a record player sometime soon. I have done a fair bit of research on the web.

I read this post on Yahoo Answers and it scared me a bit:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100713141536AAbGstt

I already knew to stay away from Crosley, but I don't want to scratch up the records I have. I have some old records that I got at Goodwill for next to nothing that I'm not so worried about, but I have some new records of new music such as a 180-gram 33 of Minus the Bear - OMNI.

I don't want to be ruining my new vinyl. I know not to skimp on the player, so I'd be willing to pay between $200 - $300 on a player. What are some good options? Also, I don't really care to transfer my music to mp3, I just want to listen to the vinyl, so I could do without. My main concern is being able to listen to my vinyl safely and at a decent audio quality. Not necessarily 320 kbps CD rips, but still enjoyable.
 

MarkMel

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Messages
2,020
Look on ebay for a Thorens - TD160, 165 or a 147.


you can find a good one in your price range. You can also find a lot of info regarding the care and feeding of a vintage thorens online.


It will most likely come pretty well set up but you should go through the steps to do so anyway. It's not really hard to do and you will have a much better turntable than if you spent the same amount on a new one.


I got a TD147 off of ebay a couple of years ago and it's been rock solid and sounds very good.
 

LukeWilliam

Auditioning
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Feb 3, 2011
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John Wilson
Thanks for the info, I'll look into that. There is a record shop in town I am kind of praying has one of them models, that would make my day.
 

CB750

Screenwriter
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Nov 20, 2008
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Real Name
Bill
As someone who grew up in the age of vinyl you need to know the cartridge that you use is just as important if not more important than the turntable. Some of the things to look for in a turntable are.
  1. A tone arm that can be balanced and weight adjusted to meet the specifications of your cartridge.
  2. Adjustable speed control to fine tune your exact record speed, usually in the form of a strobe light
  3. Dampening device to lower stylus to your record.


Because a Phono Cartridges is also a electromagnetic device they are much like speakers that each can impart their own coloration to the music. We all tended to try out different Cartridges and different brands had a very loyal following. I remember having Audio Technical, Shure, Pickering, and Stanton in my collection. My favorite was made by Audio Technica followed by a Shure V-15.

You also need to realize that if you use one of these older Cartridges you may have problems connecting it to a modern HT Receiver, While my Integra has a phono input it does not have a phono pre amp built in.
 

Philip Hamm

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 23, 1999
Messages
6,874
Originally Posted by LukeWilliam Another good option is the Audio Technica AT-120 USB table. You don't have to use USB with it, it can function as a regular table.
 

Ruz-El

Fake Shemp
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2002
Messages
12,539
Location
Deadmonton
Real Name
Russell
I picked up a Rega RP1 last night, and love it! Insanely easy to set up since it's designed for beginners, and sounds amazing. $400 cdn means it's a little expensive, but considering what other Regas cost, and the how great it sounds, I'm more then pleased. Here's a review (not mine) http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/turntables/rega-rp1-720000/review
 

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