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More Turntable questions (1 Viewer)

John-Miles

Screenwriter
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Nov 29, 2001
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Hi,

I saw a thread sort of going on this but i did not want to hijack that thread, ive recently started picking up some of my favourite albums on Vinyl, more for the collectibility (ive always had the itch to collect anything and everything)

Anyway now that i have a few i want to be able to listen to them, but i dont have a turntable.

im not necessairly looking for something to break the bank here, but i dont want cheap crap either. bottom line for me is i want something that will damage the records as little as possible and still keep a reasonable price range.

Any advice?

My set up right now for audio is an Onkyo NR905B with Paradigm Studio 60 fronts, and Studio CC-690 center channel, PSB alphas for the surrounds.
 

Ed Moxley

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Ed
You can spend about as much as you want to, on turntables. You might can find a deal on a very good one, on your local craig's list. I've seen several on our's. Some brands to look for are Thorens, Dual, Pioneer, Denon, Technics, and Grado, just to name a few.

Here's a site to find new ones, in different price ranges. Can get the cartridges here too:
http://www.needledoctor.com/
Good luck!
 

John-Miles

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 29, 2001
Messages
1,220
Do you have any advice on what exactly to look for in a turntable? cause honestly im not up ont he lingo, i dont know what brands offer what feature, etc.

Mainly i dotn like to walk into a purchase based solely on price, for example i know with a DVD player the chips make a difference, both fro audio and video decoding, and i at least used to be up on which chips were top of the line and offered the best performance.

But for a turntable all i really know is it spins a record and the needle transfers the bumps int he groove back tot he sound processor, but im assuming there are different types of arms and needles and cartridges all of which offer different benefits ont eh longevity of your records and the sound reproduction?

i know alot of albums are wither 33 1/3rd rpm or 45 rpm, but are there some records where are another speed? do i need a turntable that offers more speed options?

and im sure there are a million and one thigns im totally unaware of, but any help is appreciated.
 

Ed Moxley

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The only feature I know to look for, is a cueing lever, so you don't have to set the arm down on the record by hand. Oh yeah, maybe a Moving Magnet cartridge too. Maybe someone else knows of other features. My TT is from the 70s, and nothing really special.

Old turntables used to have the 78 rpm speed too, but I haven't seen a newer TT with that speed, in many years. 78 rpm records aren't popular anymore, except as collector's items.

Yes, there are different arms for them, but usually for the very expensive audiophile tables. The only TTs I've ever had, came with an arm, cartridge, and needle to begin with, and that's what I used.
 

Philip Hamm

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Jan 23, 1999
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6,874
The Audio Technica turntable featured in another recent thread is terrific. You can get a nice Denon for about $300. You may find something nice on your local craigslist. There are a zillion options. I'd say avoid the ultra-cheapies.
 

Al Roeth

Agent
Joined
Oct 3, 2002
Messages
29
You really can't go wrong with the Rega P3(Planar 3). Read some reviews and I think you'll find it is the perennial recommendation for "best bang for the buck".

It will compete with the more esoteric units, but not break the bank(depending on your budget).

Now, the real issue you may face is... do you have a phono stage, and if so, do you have a phono stage with enough gain? Many modern receivers do not have any phono stages, and if they do, they are usually low gain. If you have the latter, you'll want to look at a moving magnet cartridge or perhaps a high output moving coil. But even with the high output MC cartridges, you'll need to check the specs on your phono stage to see if you have enough gain.

If you don't have any phono stage, they can be picked up relatively easily new and used. Creek makes well regarded units, and if you don't mind spending $200-300, you can find the very very well regarded Pro-Ject Tube Box stage.

Good luck.
Al
 

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