Top products from r/Vinyl

We found 1,575 product mentions on r/Vinyl. We ranked the 3,045 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top comments that mention products on r/Vinyl:

u/foridamaniscrazy · 1 pointr/vinyl

Ok. I like a challenge. at 125 we can definitely put something together that will work, and will hold value and allow you to upgrade over time as you have more cash and get more into collecting. Obviously sound quality won't be audiophile grade, but shouldn't be awful either with these recommendations.

First on the turntable unfortunately there is a guy in Easley who buys up all the good used turntables fixes them up and sells them at a profit and everything he has up is way too expensive for our system, so it limits our options. However there's is this guy who has three decent turntables listed at 80, 60, and 60. Negotiation is key. I'm sure you can get him to 40 on one of them, 50 at worst. So definitely reach out to him here:

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6148700648.html

So let's call it 50 with him to be safe. Leaves us with 75 bucks for an amp and speakers.

For amplification a used receiver with built in phono stage is going to be the wat to go. Way cheaper than other options, and the older phono inputs tend to sound pretty damn good for the cost.

So for amps let's try to get one of these options:

First of all there is a great budget choice posted for 45 here:

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6168112055.html

This is a realistic brand which was radio shacks in store brand in the 70s and 80s. They are actually considered to be decent receivers especially if you are on a budget. This one is rated for 16 watts per channel of power. Not going to blow you away, but as long as your room isn't huge it should b eplenty of power. Back in the 70s when this was made manufacturers used to underrate their power in the specs, so I'm sure this will have more than enough power for you. also it comes with speakers!!! They may be junk, or totally shot, but if you test them and like the sound then boom we are up and running with a complete system for under $100 bucks! Also his ad has a please just get these out of my house vibe to it. I'd email and offer him 20 he might take it. If he does take it you can clean this unit up and it will look like an awesome vintage piece. A guy did a thread on restoring one of these on audiokarma. Check it out:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/realistic-sta-77.132892/



Now if that doesn't work out here are a few others you can try to negotiate down on one of these:
https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6168138120.html Totally acceptable onkyo unit. Has the phono input built in. Should sound good


Same deal with this option..reputable brand, built in phono input. If you don't get the realistic get whichever of these can be negotiated lower.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6135965324.html

So at 50 on the turntable and hopefully no more than 30 on a receiver that leaves us 45 dollars to spend speaker shopping. If by chance you get the combo with the speakers and they sound decent to you, and you still have 45 left in the budget you should definitely consider getting a new cartridge, anytime you buy a used turntable there is a decent chance the cartridge and stylus are not gonna be in great shape. Amazon sells this one for 40 bucks, and it's a great starter unit.
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-Magnet-Phono-Cartridge-AT95E/dp/B004NRVUMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498163940&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+cartridge

But if we need the money for speakers just deal with whatever cartridge/stylus comes used, and make the new one linked above the first upgrade to your system when you have the money. Ok in the speaker category 45 bucks or less we have:

These are decent pioneers, far from top of the line, but if truly in great shape as the ad says they will sound good. They are listed at 50, I'd offer 20 and see where it goes, should be able to get them for 30 bucks.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6183805769.html

If that doesn't work out go back to the guy with the turntables, he has a few sets that can probably talked down under 45 bucks that look OK too. The Marantz speaker set he has should be decent.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6148700648.html

So there you go, whole system built and ready rock for 125 or less, if you actually build one using these suggestions or something close to it please takea pic and post it I'd love to see how you did!


Also wanted to alert you to one possible great deal that maybe you should investigate.

This guy is selling a Denon DRA 685 and two speakers (one of the speakers has a busted cone though) for 20 bucks. I'd bet he could be talked down to 10. He says some of the inputs in the back aren't working, but talk to him, if the phono input is working then hands down buy this one. This is the exact receiver I have in my system, and it is awesome. Tons of power (100 watts per channel) and the phono stage sounds so damn good to me. This is one that will likely not need upgrading for a long time if in fact the phono input is working.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ele/6137338370.html

Keep in mind whenever you buy used gear always insist on testing before buying, and doing a quick google search on any piece of equipments model number should easily get you the specs, and at least a few opinions on if it is any good.

Happy hunting and I hope you do get into this hobby it's addictive and tons of fun!












u/lpdigging · 2 pointsr/vinyl

600 is a very healthy budget, for that much money there are definitely new options that would sound good, but for that much cash you can build a truly great sounding used system.

To start with the turntable any of these options will sound good:

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/6188873401.html

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/ele/6209473596.html

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/6199166746.html


Of all those the technics is probably my favorite, it will sound great and has every feature you need. Remember when buying used turntables it's quite likely you will need a new cartridge and stylus unless the one on it has been really well preserved. I always recommend this audio technics cartridge to newcomers:

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-Magnet-Phono-Cartridge-AT95E/dp/B004NRVUMI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499626272&sr=1-1&keywords=audio+technica+cartridge

It's a decent one, and not expensive. Perfect for getting started and leaves you plenty of room to grow if you really get into this vinyl thing and want to upgrade down the line.

For receivers try one of these options:

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/6195309171.html

This little unit should sound great. NAD is a quality brand, it has a built in phono input, and even though it's only rated at 25wpc it will get plenty loud, NAD receivers from this era underrate their power. It's. A little over priced for what it is, but I'm sure you could negotiate it down. Most importantly it has a phono input built in so you won't have to mess around with a phono preamp at all, you can just plug in the record player to the phono input and everything will work right away


Same with this unit

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/6202165765.html


This is a cool looking pioneer vintage unit, I have a very similar model, and it sounds great, I'm always a little wary of these cause they are so old they tend to have problems, but they look really cool and do sound fantastic an no preamp needed.


As far as speakers go let's say you drop $300 total between turntable and receiver that leaves you with 300 for speakers which used can buy you some awesome stuff. Speakers are the most important link in the audio chain so you want to make sure you do as well as you can here great sound.


https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/6209536848.html

These wharfedales should be great. Very well thought of and it's a speaker company with a very good reputation. I'm sure these would sound amazing with the other components suggested. They are listed at 340, talking him down to 300 should be easy and really he should let them go for 250.


https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/ele/6205702900.html

This is a great pair of speakers, but he is way high asking for 400, he should let them go for 200, don't pay over 250' these would b ejust as good as the wharfdales, hard to say which is better I've never owned either.


https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/ele/6191152902.html
Another great bowers and Wilkins pair again a little too high 200 would be my max on these.


Any mix of these components will make an absolutely awesome sounding used system but your budget is pretty healthy so I wouldn't totally discount buying new either, I almost never buy new gear so maybe someone else can chime in and suggest a nice system that can be built at 600 new. One good thing about buying used over new is that if you choose to upgrade later most of this stuff will hold its value and can be resold for the same or close t what you paid for it, saving you some cash long term.

As always when buying used always insist on having the gear set up for testing before you buy so that you can make sure everything works before you fork over cash for it.

Good Luck!









u/GeneralissimoFranco · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Why not spend the $50-$100 its going to take to put a headshell and decent budget cartridge on the Gemini? That's cheaper than a night out, and you'll get a lot of hours of enjoyment out if it (setting the turntable up, tinkering/learning, and playing records). Even if you upgrade later, it's better than letting the Gemini collect dust or throwing it in the dumpster and raising the amount of perfectly serviceable and fun e-waste rotting in our landfills.

Edit: You will need to fix the speed adjustment slider and buttons on at least one of those though. That's very important for a record player.

Audiophiles are very picky and tend to invest a lot in their equipment (especially if they're buying brand new high end manual turntables, which is what this subreddit has a fetish for). Yeah the Gemini and the Sony look like shit if you sit them next to a brand new Rega, but why should you care?

Your Sony is cheap to buy, very simple and cheaply made, therefore to an audiophile it must be bad. It is also nearly impossible to tinker with (which is probably what is causing your dissatisfaction). That being said, it plays records and plays them pretty well. Your new turntable(s) won't give you much improvement in audio quality, but it will give you a ton of room to have fun with the hobby.

The Gemini is what is referred to as a Technics SL-1200 clone or Super OEM, and your assessment of it is mostly correct. It looks almost like an SL-1200, and it functions almost like one, but it has NONE of the refinement. Nice price though. It's actually pretty comparable to an Audio Technica AT LP-120, which costs a lot more than $15. Like I said, the Gemini probably won't give you much in terms of an audio improvement over the Sony. It will require a phono preamp if you don't have one yet (the Sony has a built-in preamp, the Gemini does not).

Changing headshells is a huge part of the fun of vinyl, and definitely something you want to get into if you're wanting to get technical with the hobby. The AT95e is one of the best budget cartridges and the Ortofon OM10 is the other. Since you specifically said you want to tinker, I would not buy the preassembled cartridge. I would buy a seperate headshell and an alignment protractor and do the installation myself. It's slightly cheaper than spending the $60 for the ready to install kit, and you'll learn more that way. If you're intimidated, there are A LOT of youtube guides on how to do this.

The Ortofon 2M Red and Shure M97xe are slightly classier budget cartridges, but they won't offer a big performance boost over the good budget option (the Ortofon Red sure is pretty looking though...). You'll need to spend >$200 on a cartridge before you start to see a significant upgrade over the budget options.

edit:
Quick links -

Budget headshell - https://www.amazon.com/ADJ-Products-TT-HEADSHELL-Turntable-Cartridge/dp/B0002E51V2

Alignment protractor - https://www.amazon.com/Turntable-Phonograph-Cartridge-Alignment-Protractor/dp/B079ZBLJ4M

AT95e - https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-At95e-Phonograph-Cartridge/dp/B004NRVUMI/

Ortofon OM10 - https://www.amazon.com/Ortofon-Super-OM10-Phono-Cartridge/dp/B000CCEQM4/

Ortofon 2M Red - https://www.amazon.com/Ortofon-2M-Red-Phono-Cartridge/dp/B000WMCEKK/

Shure M97xe - https://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B007ZC2EYQ

AT LP-120 - https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/


u/mytoesarewarm · 4 pointsr/vinyl

If you're only seeing large dust particles on the surface but not hearing much in terms of popping and crackling, then I'd go with just a basic carbon fiber brush like this AudioQuest one. If you're new to vinyl and don't already have one, it's a good thing to pick up anyway. It's good practice to brush each side before each spin. While these types of brushes won't clean a truly dirty record, they'll help your clean records stay clean.

If your records are noticeably loud and noisy then you'll probably have to go the route of wet cleaning. I see kits like this one a lot but I don't think they're really worth the money. You can do a better (and cheaper) job with:

  • Microfiber Cloths - Run them all through a cycle in your washing machine (just water, no detergent) to get rid of any fuzz.
  • Isopropyl Alcohol & Distilled Water - Put a solution of 1 part alcohol and 2 parts water into a spray bottle. You could even use as little as 1 to 4, I don't think it makes a huge difference. Make sure to get 90% plus alcohol and avoid any types of additives like menthol.

    You can lay one cloth flat to set the record on, spray it down and scrub around lightly with one of the cloths (it can help to dampen this with the distilled water). Personally I like to then dry the record with another cloth, spray it down with just distilled water to rinse it then dry again and repeat on the other side but you can find a method/system that works for you. If you're being super particular about it then remember to flip and replace the cloth the record is on so as not to contaminate the side you just cleaned. Also if you're worried about getting your labels wet, car applicator pads like these actually cover a label almost perfectly and they can also be used in place of a microfiber cloth to scrub the record, they work great.

    If you plan on sticking with vinyl for awhile though it's worth it to save up for a SpinClean. I was a skeptic for a long time but I'm glad I finally got one, it really is worth the money. It does a good job, it's well built and it's stupidly easy to use. If $80 seems too steep for a yellow plastic trough (which it really is, unfortunately) there are cheaper models such as this. Doesn't have a lid and comes with different cleaning fluid but it doesn't seem like a half bad option.

    Whichever option you go with always make sure you're putting your newly cleaned records into clean inner sleeves. If they were dirty in those sleeves it's very likely those sleeves are dirty too. Also remember to keep your turntable mat and stylus clean.
u/cbear_28 · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I was in your position not too long ago. I really wanted to get into the hobby but didn't have enough money to buy anything decent. The first thing I did was look for a job. This is easier said than done but once I found one I was surprised as to how quickly I could make money. One of the first things I bought was a nice pair of headphones. I bought the Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT, but the cheaper version without bluetooth looks just as good. I also started to collect records. It did feel pointless at times with no way of listening to them but I still appreciated the artwork. After that I decided to buy some nice bookshelf speakers, the Edifier R1280T's. Although the price was cheap, I absolutely love these speakers. Even though I didn't have a turntable yet, it made listening to Spotify more enjoyable. Additionally, I knew that I would have a nice pair of speakers for whenever I could afford a turntable. These speakers have two inputs so I can have both my PC and turntable plugged in at the same time which is really nice. Once I had enough for a turntable I had a little trouble picking out the right one. I almost settled for a lp60 but I'm glad I didn't. For me, it was between a U-turn Orbit, AT lp120, and Fluance RT81. All of these are great turntables but I ended up choosing the Fluance model. The wood look, large number of features, and good reviews made this the best turntable under $300 for me. That's my story! Please don't buy anything cheaply made. It won't sound any better than Spotify will for you and will be a little disappointing. Also, don't give up on trying to sell the PS4. I gave up video games around 6 months ago and I've had so much more free time to work and enjoy other things! Good luck!

u/Mike_Rotchisari · 1 pointr/vinyl

To start off with, here are a few things to read to get you started:

  • The Vinyl Guide
  • The Cheap Setup Thread

    Basically you don't want a turntable that has anything built in like speakers or a pre-amp. These are added at the expense of quality components. You will need an amp, and possibly a pre-amp if the amp you get does not have a phono input on it already. When buying a turntable, you might as well get something nice, because the upgrade itch comes hard and fast. If you already have speakers, I would recommend just using those for now. Remember though, speakers are probably the most important part of your sound chain. I would recommend keeping an eye on craigslist for something awesome. No rush, but pounce if you happen on a deal.

    As to what amps do. Turntables output at a very low volume. The pre-amp boosts the volume and equalizes the sound to a "line-in" level. Basically, the same output that a CD player would do. After that, you need to boost the volume to a listenable level. This is what a regular amplifier does. In order of importance, a good pre-amp can work wonders. As for regular amps, they are one of the least important parts of your signal chain as long as it isn't absolute shit and can drive your speakers. They are just boosting volume.

    For maintenance, there isn't too much once you get it set up and playing. Change the stylus when needed is pretty much it. Maybe the occasional lubrication once every year or two, but I've been fine so far. The only maintenance I could really think of you having to do would possibly be to spray some Deoxit if something isn't working quite like it should, but that isn't a problem. A quick search will get you taken care of there.

    In Myrtle Beach, this Toshiba might not be too bad, especially if you could get it for $65 instead of $75.

    Back home, this Pioneer PL-4 would be a nice buy as well for around $50. It also doesn't say Technics in the listing, but here is a Technics SL-1950 for $100.

    Considering everything works as it should, I would get the Technics SL-1950. It has more documentation on the internet, and a much better chance of help from people familiar with Technics if you have any questions. See if you can haggle to around $85-$90, but it is still probably worth the $100 if they won't budge. Note that any used turntable you buy should probably have the needle replaced as well.

    As for an amp and receiver, I would recommend getting something from the 70's with a silver face by Japanese companies that you have heard the names of before. Marantz, Yamaha, JVC, Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, etc. all made some excellent receivers. Here are a few examples of the look I am talking about. These will last a lifetime and will rock most anything you put into them. Unfortunately, with your budget and location I didn't see anything that will fit the bill.

    Until then, I recommend you rock something like this pre-amp for $15, and this amp for $36. Start saving and then cruise craigslist, flea markets, and antique malls for one of those vintage beasts.

    Holy shit, I just realized I sent a wall of text your way. I think that will get you headed in the right direction though.

    tl;dr: This turntable, this pre-amp, and this amp, is right at $150, and possibly less depending on your negotiating skills. Use the speakers you have for now. Buy a new needle for whatever deck you get.
u/PurpleMoustache · 22 pointsr/vinyl

Here’s why:

It actually DOESN’T sound good. Normally, I’m the kind of guy who goes “if it sounds good to you, it sounds good to you”, but Victrola/Crosley/etc brand turntables have incredibly INCREDIBLY cheap components, cheap speakers (that are part of the unit, which I’ll explain why that’s bad in a second), and a bunch more stuff, crammed in an ugly form factor for like $60.

Let’s break all that down:

Cheap components - depending on the model, the Victrola is either $60, or $110, frequently on sale for much less. We must also keep in mind the laws of economics, these machines are cheaper to make then they sell for. Let’s give a conservative estimate of $70 for the 8-in-1, and $40 for the 3-in-1.

The Audio Technica AT95E NEEDLE, not even a whole turntable, not even the cartridge it goes onto, just the needle costs $35, and that’s a cheap entry level needle.

Now ask yourself: if buying a needle is nearly as much as the whole turntable costs to make... how good are those parts? Probably not that great. In fact, the needle on most cheap turntables use ceramics, rather than diamond tips. Ceramic needles not only are harsher on records, but have a poorer quality sound overall.

Then we look at the motor, we need an even speed for playing back records, and with quartz crystals or belts, that’s fairly easy, but those systems are $$$, so we have a cheapo motor that can’t handle a constant speed leading to “wow and flutter”, fluctuations in pitch and sound caused by speed differences. Now, unless you have a really really high end deck, some amounts of wow and flutter are to be expected, but the Victrola has a high amount.

Then, the tone arm. Generally speaking, the needle shouldn’t be pressing down on a record more than 3-4 grams or so, depending on the needle/cartridge you are using. Because these things are portable, they need a solution that doesn’t get goofed up when you move it, so weight from the tone arm varies BY UNIT to 10+ grams. That’s CRUSHING your record, and actively wearing out the grooves. Now, yes, records DO wear out over time, but that’s after hundreds if not thousands of plays.

And lastly, the speakers. These are contained IN THE UNIT, meaning if you are playing loud, they are shaking the whole unit, and thus the needle, and thus reducing the sound. As well as the fact that these speakers are usually quite small, and as stated before, quite cheap.

The rest of the buffalo- So that’s just the turntable! Then you’ve crammed a cassette deck, a CD player, a radio (am and fm with antenna), a aux in, and a Bluetooth receiver in there, and you have to assume the cost of those parts are as cheap as well, so you really have a $20 turntable, $10 CD player, $10 radio, $10 cassette deck, $5 aux input, $10 Bluetooth chip, and $5 for plastic assembly and now you’re realizing you’ve paid $110 for a $70 Machine that promises too much and can’t fulfill much of what it claims to do very well.

Ugly- And then this is down to personal taste: dude, that shits just ugly. Faux wood paneling, a “retro” design that never really existed, disks and buttons everywhere. I’m not saying the LP-120 looks good, but it’s leagues better in comparison.

So that’s why it’s dumped upon.

So why would you spend $110 on a $70 machine, when you could save up about $100 more, and get a DRAMATICALLY BETTER MACHINE. Yes, it's made in China like the rest of the Victrola/Crosley tables, and yes, it has a plastic body, BUT!

It has:

  • A proper Quartz Lock mechanism keeping the speed constant

  • A good, starter quality needle and cartridge (the above mentioned AT95E), with the ability to CHANGE IN THE FUTURE (you can't do that on a victrola)

  • A tone arm weight you can set yourself, making sure weight distribution on your records is at needle manufacture recommendations

  • MUCH higher quality audio components, leading to a crisper sound

  • USB out, so you can record your records

  • and a built in pre-amp, so all you need is a pair of cheap bookshelf speakers, and the table, and nothing else.

    Or, how about only $60 more, and you could get a U-Turn Orbit. It's belt driven, so if you wanna run a record at 45 RPM you'd have to move the belt, but still, DRAMATICALLY better than the motor driving a Victrola, and again, DRAMATICALLY better parts for audio. Sure it's missing a Phono preamp, but that's only $13.

    In short: why would you buy a $70 machine for $110 if you could save up a bit more and get something so so so much better
u/k8haldrup · 4 pointsr/vinyl

That is a very thoughtful idea for your son! I've been collecting vinyl since I was that age and thank my dad for my interest at a young age.

Unfortunately a lot of inexpensive turntables are poorly made and not only do damage to records but sound quite poorly. If you are unsure of his interest in vinyl and think it might not be worth it in the long run to pay for a more expensive one, then it will most likely be fine. Upgrading is fun and will teach him more about the hobby.

If you think that his interest in vinyl will grow it might be worth it to spend a bit more money for a better sounding record player. If you are trying to buy new, maybe take a look at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT-LP60-Automatic-Driven-Turntable/dp/B002GYTPAE. This is a pretty good sounding record player for under $100, although since there is no counter weight, you do not know how much force is being applied to the record. Having the option to adjust the tracking force will produce the best sound from your records and keep them in the best condition possible.

My advice would be to consider his interest level in vinyl before you make any big (over $100) purchases, but IMO buying an older used record player would be a better bet. You could scour some local thrift shops/ Goodwills for a couple months and one is likely to turn up there. You could also check eBay/Craigslist/etc.

As for the speakers, if you go with the Jensen, it has 2 speakers built in but also has the option for external speakers without needing an additional preamp. So those should work fine with it. The AT LP-60 has the option of using either an external preamp to play your speakers or using the built-in phono preamp on the turntable.

If you end up getting a used turntable you will likely need to buy an external preamp. Check out the sidebar for more info, hope this helps!

u/PolycountEr · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Sidebar links are a great starting point. You've got a good grasp of the beginning points.

I would recommend going with a setup that consists of a Receiver/Amplifier, Passive Speakers, and a Turntable. Yes I left out Phono Stage Amplifier, but I would personally pick a receiver that has it built in.

For a receiver if you want to go for new my two cheap but very well featured options would be the Onkyo TX-8020 and the Onkyo TX-8220. These do have built in phono inputs. Compare the features for yourself to see what seems good to you.

If you want to go used, check out eBay and do a search for "stereo receiver", You can go with anything you think is good as well as looking into the reputation of the brands/models, though it becomes hard to find reviews of old hifi equipment. Almost anything from mid-90s and before will have a phono input that will save you the phono stage purchase.

For passive speakers a very cost effective and something I use in my setup are the Dayton Audio B652 bookshelf speakers. These are decently loud and have great sound.

For a turntable going with new ones will be more expensive and you should look at the recommended ones from the sidebar as they explain it there best. If you're going used, look on eBay for "turntable" and find something that is claimed as working well and is also a recommended brand from the sidebar links. In general something decent is 100% going to have an adjustable tonearm weight, all these new bad turntables always lack this.

One last thing you didn't explicitly ask for, but you should be knowledgeable about is cartridges. You will most likely want to buy a new one for a used turntable. I would say the most cost effective cartridges are found in the range of $50 to $150, do thorough research on installing cartridges and setting them up correctly and you should be on your way to great sound.

u/schuylercat · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Hi.

Is it as simple as unscrewing the old one? - Nope. You have a little setup work to do, but it's not that hard.

I have a ground wire issue: the wire does not stay grounded for longer than 10 minutes. It is currently connected to the ground screw that is on the back of my receiver/amp. Thanks. - I don't understand this. It sounds like the ground wire is open somewhere. Time to take that table apart!

edit: also, what is the best way to ensure I have the TT at the correct weight? - This is: http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SFG-2-Stylus-Tracking-Force/dp/B00006I5SD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334162008&sr=8-1

edit 2: I am open to having the TT professionally repaired. There is
a store in town that can handle such tasks. I am unsure of how much they would charge or what is reasonable, however. - No help here. You gotta call them and hope for the best. Make CERTAIN you get feedback from other customers before handing your table over!

BTW - I LOVE the Dual 505-2. Best looking dual table ever, IMHO.

Good luck!

u/Z3ROGRAV1TYx · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hey, so I picked up a Phillips AF-777 turntable. It is in very nice condition, but the cartridge (Stanton 680EE) sounds very flat and undynamic. It is worn down looking (Not really the needle by just the actual cartridge). I assume it hasn't ever been replaced or maybe once. So I was thinking about replacing it. I cannot go above $100. (So under $100) I want to achieve a Hi-Fi sound. I am currently using a Cambridge Audio Azur 640a v2 and a pair of Vienna Acoustic Bach. I saw the Shure M97xE, but am open to other suggestions on the under $100. (The M97xE is $100).

_

Now you may be thinking, what am I using for a phono preamp? Well I had a Kenwood KR-720 I was using, but seeing I picked up the Cambridge, that replaced the Kenwood. But the CA 620a v2 does not have a phono stage. I was looking for a good Hi-Fi quality phono preamp under $100. I looked around and saw this.. ART DJPRE II. It is $38.. and it seems to cheap to be good. But who knows, that's why I am here. I was also looking around on my CL and Ebay, but there hasn't been anything that I've seen.


I want a clean, non-distorted, accurate sound, with a bit of fun and great dynamics. Dynamics are important for me! If it matters, I plan to play music from Disco to Jazz to Vocals to Acoustic to Pop to etc. I enjoy lot's of kinds of music, so I like an all around sound.

__

I have been trying to get help with this for a while, and have not recieved any help with purchase advice! I appreciate ANY help avaiable here! Thank you!

u/sharkamino · 1 pointr/vinyl

Turntable:

U-turn Orbit is $40 more for the cue lever and lacks adjustable anti-skate. Less importantly, it lacks a removable head shell and the counter weight is slide with set screw instead of a dial.

Fluance RT85 is a much better value than the RT84 for only $50 more for a $100 better cartridge. However both are out of stock. The RT82 $299 is available in black and has the same optical sensor speed controlled motor with auto stop as the RT85 for lower wow and flutter and speed variation specs than the Orbit and many other new turntables under $500. The RT83 is not worth $50 more for the same quality level but newer cartridge. Fluance plans to sell the acrylic platter as an upgrade for around $99 when they can make enough to keep the RT85 in stock.

Phono stage:

Schiit Mani sounds great with my RT82.

Some Phono preamps also have a built in headphone amp. Bellari VP130 $275. Cambridge Duo $299.

Receiver/Amp:

Make room for the Onkyo AVR-3803 with class A/B amplification if you can for whole room listening. You already have it, costs nothing, and it is better than the SMSL AD18 class T digital amp. If it already has a phono input, you can upgrade to the Schiit Mani later. For wireless streaming audio add a Dayton Audio WBA31 Wireless Wi-Fi, Airplay and Bluetooth Receiver for $35 for better streaming over WiFi or optionally Bluetooth. Or an Alexa Echo Dot or Input for streaming music via voice control as well as Bluetooth. If also using the Onkyo with a TV you can add a center speaker for better movie and TV dialog and side speaker for movie and TV surround sound.

If you want something slimmer, Stereo PIONEER SX-S30 Elite $499.99 $329.99 or Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 $299 or AV MARANTZ NR1509 Slim 5.2 $549.99 $299.00.

For something more compact, Emotiva A-100 $249 and it does have good headphone output so you may not need a separate headphone amp for around $100. Add an A/B switch if adding a second input such as a wireless audio receiver.

Or for a similar price of the AD18, the Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier $135. It is a clone of the discontinued Emotiva BPA-1 that the A-100 replaced. Add a headphone amp. Add an A/B switch if adding a second input such as a wireless audio receiver.

AD18 does not have TRS inputs. It has RCA, USB and 3.5mm inputs.

If you have to go with a digital mini amp, Topping MX3 is a bit better, however the headphone output on it and the AD18 are only basic and not that great.

Speakers:

C-Notes are much better than the Edifiers.

The Mirage Omnisats 1PB-1 may be ok to start with. They seem to be small satellite surround speakers. Or add a subwoofer if keeping them.

Speakers on sale for under $200:

u/GothamCountySheriff · 2 pointsr/vinyl

The LP-60 is considered the very bottom of entry-level turntables. It's not murder on vinyl like the BSR tables (though some here might disagree), but it isn't a "hi-fi" turntable by any means. But if you do decide to go that route, you will need speakers and a way for the sound to be amplified to those speakers.

There are generally two types of speakers: passive and powered. Passive speakers will need an amplifier (in the form of a receiver, integrated amplifier or separate pre-amp/amplifier) to send sound out to the speakers. Powered speakers will have their own built in amplifier.

In addition to speakers and amplifier, turntables need a specialized phono preamp. The phono preamp converts the signal from the turntable into a line-level signal that most audio equipment can handle. It also add equalization called the RIAA Curve to compensate for some of the limitations of the vinyl medium.

The LP-60 has a built-in phono preamp, so that part is taken care of. What you will need next is to decide on what type of speakers you want. There are good powered speakers, like Audio Engine, but they can be fairly spendy. Some people use powered monitors designed for mixing music, but I find that they aren't "musical" and can be fatiguing over long listens. You can also get a cheap 2.1 system, but the sound quality will be lacking.

I would recommend going the passive speaker route. If you have a local craigslist, your best bet is to find a decent '90s era receiver. Equipment from the '90s, especially older home-theater units, are the best value in audio gear right now. They aren't desired by collectors because of their plain look, but they were manufactured at a time when quality and power output standards were high.

If you get one of those receivers, I would then recommend getting a pair of these Pioneer BS-22-LR speakers:

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-BS22-LR

http://www.stereophile.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs22-lr-loudspeaker

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/a-great-bookshelf-speaker/

http://www.budgetphile.com/2013/10/budget-speaker-review-pioneer-sp-bs22-lr.html

They routinely go on sale for $99 (and sometimes $89). Keep an eye out at the big retailers and usually within a month one of them will have them on sale and the other will follow suite suit.

If you don't want to go used, then I would recommend the Sherwood RX-4105. It's inexpensive and proven:

http://www.amazon.com/RX-4105-2-Channel-Remote-Controlled-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B0002EPWC0

Both the speakers and receiver are available at most big box and online retailers (Walmart, Best Buy, New Egg, Amazon, Target, etc.).

If you thin you are fairly serious about vinyl as a hobby, I would step up the turntable to a U-Turn Orbit and get the Sherwood RX-4109 receiver (with built-in phono preamp) instead:

http://uturnaudio.com

http://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX-4109-Stereo-Receiver-Black/dp/B000MBUSD6/

u/TehMooMoo · 1 pointr/vinyl

In this case an all-in-one player would be just fine.

If nothing is priceless, the player doesn't need to last many years, and sound quality isn't the most important thing, go for an all in one. The Crosley's with built in speakers would probably work well enough.

These won't have the best quality or durability, but if you need something quick and easy, with external speakers (they might sound a bit better than the internal speakers) you can look into this or this. I don't have personal experience with them, but they might work well for the cause.

If you're looking to spend a bit more, an LP60 or Sony PSLX300USB might work better. I've used the Sony before and it works pretty well. It has an automatic play feature so it's really easy to use and setup. You'll just need a stereo receive and speakers which might cost a bit too much depending on how much you're willing to spend.

If you were looking to get into records, I'd definitely recommend something better, but there is no reason a Crosley won't get the job done.

I'm very sorry to hear that, and I hope you and your family are doing the best you can at this time.

u/jaredisthegreatest · 1 pointr/vinyl

So I'm moving to college in NYC in the fall, and I've been faced with the issue of how to fit my turntable in my dorm. I didn't want to lug my whole stereo setup there as it would take too much room, but it was looking like I had to. Until just now!

I got this speaker as a graduation gift so I had a speaker to connect my phone to in the dorms. It looks (and is) tiny but the sound quality is honestly pretty great - good stereo image, clear highs, low lows, etc. If I turn it up about halfway and leave it on my bed I can feel the bass vibrating through my mattress. Naturally it isn't up to par with, say, a vintage amp paired with some great speakers and there isn't an EQ on it (or at least I haven't discovered one), but sacrifices ya know?
I connected my turntable's stereo jacks to the preamp I already had for my existing setup (found here), then ran an [adaptor cable](https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1465788718&sr=1-4&keywords=stereo+to+aux is the one I use) to the aux input on the speaker. Works like a charm!

I thought this would come in handy for anyone moving to an area with little space (like a dorm) who still wants to hold on to their record collection. Happy listening!

u/murpes · 1 pointr/vinyl

Excellent choice on the BS22s! They're fantastic speakers. I bought a pair for what I expected to be a temporary, transitional set, but I enjoy them so much I now have no intention of replacing them.

That Lepei amp will get the job done. It's not really an "audiophile" amp, meaning if you're going to sit there with a frown on your face and listen to test tones and not music, you'll notice some of its limitations. But in that price range, there's little else that will drive your speakers with reasonable fidelity. It's kind of designed for casual listening, not critical listening. A lot of people that do critical listening assume everyone does, and neither has anything to do with enjoying the music. Your speakers have a more meaningful impact on the quality of sound that the amplifier does. The Pioneer speakers are a tier or two above the Lepai amp in terms of quality, but I'd rather have that than the inverse.

For around $100, there's this Parts Express amp. It's a pretty generic amp; you can find the same guts in a different case from other companies for about the same price. I have no direct experience with this amp, but I suspect it would be quite an upgrade from the Lepei. Someone else made an excellent recommendation for a Yamaha integrated amp.

Another variable being the outputs on your turntable. Most turntables put out a signal that's far too weak for even an amplifier to handle, so they need to be "pre-amped" along with some other processing. Some turntables have this built in, some don't. Likewise, some amps have this circuitry, some don't - most modern amps don't, including the Lepei and Part Express amps mentioned here. In this case you'll need a pre-amp that sits in-between your turntable and amplifier. This one is a popular budget choice, and one I can personally recommend. Some forum-searching will reveal others.

The mentioned powered speakers are another option, especially when getting more bang for your buck. Down the road it can be limiting - you can't upgrade your speakers without buying an amp, too. There's also the whole pre-amp question with these as well. Still, they're a great way to get busy listening to your records.

There's a lot to consider and it can seem overwhelming, but don't let that interfere with the fun of spinning the discs. A lot of us around here enjoy music and dicking around with equipment, and love offering our opinions on both.

u/ic2drop · 1 pointr/vinyl

Everything I have looked into store wise around San Antonio is pretty slim on the pickings. Austin probably has a better variety and selection, as it is more of a "hip and cool" town. Looking around online, vinyl seems to range from severely expensive to suspectfully cheap. If I can avoid buying online, I will.

The console is a wonderful idea, I think, but your correct that shipping costs + console costs would be better spent on the system itself. Honestly, it is more of the final piece that would be purchased after anything else. I would rather have a system that I am proud of that fit to a console, than have a system that fits a console before developing it's sound. The designer who makes it can also make it to spec, as they are hand crafted, and said he can go up to 36" in height for speakers.

In regards to that cartridge, my friend also recommended this as a replacement. He mentioned it would have better tone, lifespan, and be easier on the records themselves.

Collecting the proper amp, pre-amp, speakers, and turntable itself are certainly taking a front seat to all of this. It's just been so long since I've been in the audio game that it feels like I have learn it all over again.

Delayed Edit: My cousin has this Denon amp that he is willing to throw my direction. Everything I read about it though talks about the home theater aspects. Thoughts?

u/bookfancier69 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Think of a turntable as a lens on a camera. A good lens on a crappy body will help a lot but there is no benefit at all with a cheap lens on a good body. The turntable is the first thing in the signal chain, you are going to be limited with the LP60X so I would go with the following and save the rest of the money for a better turntable down the road as nothing is really going to make much of a difference until then.

These bookshelf speakers are great value. Not the nicest looking ones but do some research as they have great reviews. Best $100 speakers out there IMO.

I would look into getting a used vintage receiver with a phono stage on craigslist, should be able to find a very nice one for around $100-150 and combined with the speakers above I think you will be very pleased.

Start to build a system not limited to one format as that way your money will go a lot further as everything will be able to work together.

u/Skrynnovich · 1 pointr/vinyl

Ideally, you want to spend the most money towards obtaining better speakers. You can't improve upon the sound of your source, but you can lose less detail; the speakers are the culprits that lose/alter/affect the most of your sound's detail/musicality/etc. So naturally, this is what you want to spend the most money on (cheap speakers with cheap components really dull down the music). The best NEW budget speakers you'll find are $80 Micca MB42X's.

As a rule of thumb: used audio equipment is usually cheaper and better than new items at the same price range.

As far as turntables go, the LP60 does need to be upgraded. When looking for a better turntable, you really want to have tracking weight adjustment, anti-skating adjustment, and the possibility to upgrade cartridges (the part that houses the needle and interprets grooves into analog audio signal). The LP60 has none of those. My go to recommendation would be to look for a used Rega Planar 3 or P3 on eBay (~$350), those are some quality tables with lots of room for upgradeability (installing upgrades to the Rega can make it come close to $3,000+ TTs).

For a phono preamplifier, on a tight budget, I'd recommend a Cambridge Audio Azur 540p, which can be found for ~$50-60.

Increasing your budget up to $500 would put you together a setup that would definitely sound FAR better than an AT-LP60!

Wish you two best of luck, and enjoy the music!

u/Dandw12786 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Well, that depends. Many people here swear by going used. I'd probably be among them, but after scouring my local Craigslist and pawn & thrift shops in my area, I decided it wasn't worth my time and the money I was dumping on gas everyday and just ordered a brand new one. I'd recommend at least checking out craigslist before jumping to a new table. There is a great guide in the sidebar called "The Cheap Setup Thread". Take a look, it has some GREAT info.

If you want to go new, there are quite a few options:
For bottom of the barrel in price and functionality, there is the AudioTechnica LP-60. This is pretty bare bones, and not a lot of people recommend it. It's about $90 on Amazon right now, but I've seen it anywhere from $70 to $120.

The pros are: it's cheap, automatic (hit play and the tone arm will lift up and set down on your record), and has a built in preamp, so you can just plug into any receiver or even a pair of computer speakers and go. There's a little bundle with the player, a small t-amp, and pair of halfway decent bookshelf speakers on amazon for $170 under the "Frequently bought together" part of the page.

Cons: A few. I had this for about a month and returned it to Amazon because I was unhappy. It's a halfway decent table, but has no adjustable counterweight and no upgradable parts. It is what it is. If you have a record in fine shape, it'll play it just fine. If your record is a bit scuffed, or maybe pressed a bit off center (as was the case with a couple I had), the sucker will skip and skip to no end. When this happens on a regular table, sometimes you can adjust the counterweight and fix the problem. That's not an option here, if you've got a bad record, you're stuck.

Next level up would be the LP-120 from AudioTechnica. This is what I've got. I upgraded the cartridge right away with the Shure M97xe since the stock cartridge requires a pretty heavy tracking force. This is the next model up from AudioTechnica, and it's miles better, but it's over three times the price if you want to upgrade the cartridge. However, you've got a lot more room to upgrade, adjustable counterweight and anti-skate, and still a built in preamp so you can plug into whatever receiver you have, or again, even just a pair of computer speakers. Still not a lot of love for this guy here, but pretty much everyone here, when pressed, will admit that it's a way better option than the LP60, and will admit that it's not a total waste of money.

The last one I've heard a lot about (but have no experience with) is the Pro-Ject Debut. From what I hear, this sucker is awesome right out of the box, no need to mess with cartridges or anything. I don't think this has a built in preamp (I could be wrong), so you'd need a receiver with a phono input or a separate phono preamp, which you can find on amazon for around $20.

In short, you get more out of a turntable with either more money (when buying new) or more effort (when buying used). Check out the sidebar guides and search /r/vinyl for previous discussions, as mine is by no means an exhaustive list, simply two tables I have experience with and one I've heard great things about.

Enjoy! And by all means, if your Crosley isn't driving you insane, stick with that for awhile and save up/look around and get what you want. Take it from me, if you settle for something less than you want, you'll regret it later.

u/I_Am_Legacy · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I will admit your budget will be quite hard to work with. Never the less. You will want a Turntable that have a built in pre-amp unless you go vintage, but someone else will have to help you with that as I do not know anything about vintage TTs.

You will also want some active speaker/s, these speakers have a built in receiver so everything will work, you'll have volume control and so on.

Because your budget is in dollars I am guessing you are American, you could try and wait until the black friday deals kicks off, I know you can get some great stuff at heavily discounted prices.

Alternatively you could get the turntable and a receiver with a headphone input so you could listen through headphones. My receiver has a 6.5 mm input so it was just a matter of getting a 6.5mm adapter for a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Maybe a second hand receiver like this, https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8020-channel-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00EE18O7W/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541538031&sr=8-8&keywords=Turntable+receiver is worth looking at?

I think waiting until black friday is a good thing to do first. You may even be able to pick up a better turntable, maybe the Audio technica LP 120 for less, I think it was selling at $170 in some places last year looking back through the posts, and at that price you cant beat it, and it still has a built in pre-amp.

I'm sure they'll be other people on here who will help you too. Just reply if you want to ask anything.

u/rpbtz · 2 pointsr/vinyl

The cheap player might do some damage when playing them over time, but there's not much you can do about that one until you can afford to upgrade. Mind you all record players do this, but the cheaper ones will be harder on your records over a shorter period of time.

In the meantime, I'd recommend getting a record cleaning brush (this is just an example, you can buy whichever one you prefer) and use it to gently brush dust and dirt off the record. Even new ones will often have some paper residue on them from their sleeves.

A good idea would be to also buy some polylined innersleeves (again, an example, but these are amongst the best - you can find cheaper ones, just make sure they're polylined and not just plain paper sleeves). Often new (and used) records come in cheap paper innersleeves. These does not prevent static buildup (quite the contrary) and can cause some nasty scuffs on your records over time as well as leaving fine paper residue in the record grooves.

Finally, you can buy some plastic/PVC outer sleeves. These are not strictly necessary, and often they protect the album cover more than the actual album. But they'll keep your covers looking nicer for a longer period of time and reduce the risk of damage in case you spill stuff or, God forbid, your record room floods. There are several types of these and which ones you should use is essentially up to personal preference. Don't store your records directly in these without their cover or sleeve though, as some of these outer sleeves can leave plastic residue on the discs over time.

There are also record cleaning equipment. This is most often used for used albums, but are also good for new ones. I'd recommend googling around for information about that and see what you think is good enough as record cleaning is a new hobby in itself and people can't seem to agree entirely on best practices.

I hope this helps a little bit :)

u/chickadeeshits · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I have just purchased my first turntable, a Technics SL-B2, from eBay, and it will be here in ten days. So now I have ten days to put together a preamp +amp +speaker set-up-thing that really freaks me out. Which leads me to my questions for y'all...


Option 1

Right now I have these things in my amazon cart. I'm really just trying to get my feet wet with this stuff (without breaking the bank), but I don't know if these things go together/would work as a whole. My main worry is the fact that I have no idea how to do a ground wire... I'm relatively confident that I could connect the TT to the preamp, and the preamp to the amp, but from there I'm lost (any advice would be welcome).


Option 2

This is a craigslist entry somewhat-local to me (about 1.5 hours away), that came up when I typed in "phono receiver". Is this a preamp, amp, and speaker all in one? Is it too good to be true? How would this then connect to the TT?

Background

Having already purchased the record player, I'm hoping to keep the rest of the set-up below $120, and preferably closer to $80. I understand these are very slim margins, but my hope is to start with the bargain-basics, and to then (hopefully) upgrade piece-by-piece with the coming-Christmases and Birthdays.

Also, given that I do plan to upgrade my set-up in pieces, I'm leaning towards Option 1 because it seems it would be easier to swap out parts over time...

Overall

I'm just hoping for general advice, well wishes, whatever y'all can give me. I've done a lot of research but without all the parts in my hands I just can't visualize putting it all together, and could use y'all's experience. Really, I'm just itching to finally play some records!

Please help! And thanks in advance:)

u/AM_key_bumps · 2 pointsr/vinyl

OK. Here we go.

At your price point and experience level we should stick with solid state. tubes are more expensive and potentially temperamental. your speakers are solid, vintage big box bangers. Your room may not be too huge, but you need to push a decent amount of air to get those speakers to sound good. So you need at least 50 watts per channel.

Vintage: when in doubt, go pioneer. they sound great, look awesome and are built like tanks. I would recommend either an SX-750 or SX-780. Anything lower on the food chain might not be able to get your speakers going, and anything higher is going to be out of your price range. The 780 is a slightly later model and might cost a little less, but with no real difference in performance (IMHO). Unfortunately, getting a specific model means looking on eBay. Some folks have gotten burned buying receivers on eBay, I myself have been very lucky. Just make sure the unit has been recently serviced, and that the seller has a positive feedback rating AND SELLS A LOT OF ELECTRONICS.

If you do not want to go eBay, that means thrifts/yard sales/flea markets. Just look for something clean that has the WPC you need (at least 50 as indicated above). Look for the usual suspects, Pioneer, Marantz, Sansui, Technics. Also keep an eye peeled for Sony, Harman Kardon, Kenwood, JVC, Aiwa, etc.

2 things to keep in mind when looking for a vintage receiver:

  1. Is it silver faced? It seems silly to judge a receiver on looks, but remember that silver facing was the style in the 70s, which was the golden age of hi-fi. When the faces started to turn black was when shit started to go down hill with consumer audio. Is every silver receiver good and every black one lousy? Not at all. But is this a good way to quickly get an idea about a receiver? Definitely.

  2. Is it heavy? This is another good method for quickly judging vintage audio gear. In general, light weight means bad.

    New: a great new receiver in your price range is the Onkyo TX-8255. Has the 50 WPC your speakers crave. Also has a built in phono preamp (which you need for spinning records) which most modern receivers lack. As it is new there is no sweating shady eBay sellers, or worrying about it dying 3 days after you hook it up. But most importantly, it has a decent, neutral sound. Amazon has it for around $200

    http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8255B-TX-8255-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B001AMSPQI/ref=zg_bs_667846011_15

    Another nice new receiver that might fit your needs is the Sherwood RX-4105. At 100 WPC you will be banging it nice and loud. It will require an external phono preamp, but at $120 you can afford one.

    http://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX-4105-Stereo-Receiver-Black/dp/B0002EPWC0/ref=sr_1_24?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1313428014&sr=1-24

    If you go with the Sherwood, get this phono-pre, the Artcessories ART DJPRE II . You will not do better for under $100.

    http://www.amazon.com/ART-II-Preamplifier-Outputs-Switchable/dp/B000AJR482/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1376331900&sr=1-2&keywords=artcessories
u/doitswitchfakie · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Hey! Stoked on your purchase! Curious though, did you mean LP120?
But hope I can help answer your questions!

  1. I tend to not, the main dust cover is plenty imo.
  2. A stylus brush, a wet anti static record brush, along with the one you have in your post. Basically just cleaning tools. Another good buy is one of these record sleeve packs. Once you start collecting, its best to replace the paper sleeve a new record would come with or an old sleeve from the thrift store. Keeps the records in their best shape. Lastly, one thing ive been eyeing is one of these. Seems to have some pretty good reviews.. haha
  3. Stick er on the turntable, turn it on and use the wet brush for a few rotations. NEVER move the brush in terms of side to side motions, always let the spinning do the work. This video has some tips on cleaning, give er a watch
    Hope my answers help!! Enjoy your new turntable!! Whatcha listening to??
u/colorvinylguy · 9 pointsr/vinyl

as others have said, its worthwhile to upgrade to a turntable with an included dust cover. this will significantly cut down on dust on the tt.

some dust is inevitable, short of a white room. no one has really answered your question about maintaining a clear playing space or how to clean the stylus/records though. here's some more info.

---

cleaning the stylus

i use one of these.

however, if you want to go the inexpensive route, i dont recommend any alcohol based cleaners because it can degrade the connection of the diamond/ceramic/etc. tip to the cantilever. instead, you can use a magic eraser. dont go out and buy that mr. clean shit either, its a rip off. buy it in bulk for cheap and clean your whole house while you're at it! just keep in mind that this shit can and will snag on to your stylus and, if you're not careful, ruin your whole day with a bent cantilever.

if you want to go the alcohol route, make your own liquid. be sure to use distilled water(80%) and a mix of isopropyl alcohol(20%). i did this for a time with out any problems, but its not ideal. apply it with a stylus brush. APPLY THE SOLUTION DIRECTLY TO THE BRUSH. NEVER DIRECTLY TO THE STYLUS.

i even hear some people use contact lens cleaner.

if you be fancy...give this stuff a try. a good buddy swears by it, but im a cheap shit and can't speak to its quality or performance.

---

cleaning your records

you have many options here.

  • least expensive - hand held cleaners.
  • more expensive - spinclean
  • even more expensive - squeaky clean.
  • "pro grade" cleaning options such as loricraft, okki nokki, or smart matrix, etc.

    if you're just starting out, i would just go with a hand held cleaning solution for now. plenty of youtube videos online on cheap DIY cleaning methods as well.

    ---

    cleaning the platter and plinth

    i do this at least once a week. more if i'm spinning a lot. use a microfiber towel. NO WATER. water attracts more dust, and doesn't belong near sensitive electronics. remove the platter if you are able and be sure to wipe it thoroughly before using again. clean under the platter as well. DON'T wipe off any exposed bearings that are oiled/greased as doing so could harm the equipment over time.

    ---

    record storage

    if you live in a very dusty place, it might be worth it to invest in some outer sleeves for your records. for the most part though, as long as you keep everything clean you should be just fine. many people get by just fine without them.

    ---

    enjoy your new tt! :)
u/checkerdamic · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Dump the Numark, but the other three will work fine. They aren't top of the line but will definitely get the job done. The transaudio TT does not come with a headshell or cartridge so you need to factor that in. You might be able to talk the sellers down to $100. Make sure you demo absolutely everything when you check them out: TEST TEST TEST. If you can't demo it, walk away. Also, they make some apps to check the speed of TTs: RPM, iRPM, RPM calculator. They aren't 100% accurate so if it says 33.2 or 33.4, you're probably fine. If it says something like 32 or 35, the speed is off.

Also, the Technics SL-D3 /u/RecipeForIceCubes posted in Grand Rapids is a good table, but it's like 50 miles away so that's up to you.

Next you will need a preamp: a fairly cheap one is the ART DJ PREII for $49 on Amazon--if you want to buy a cheap preamp for under $20 you could but it will be something you should upgrade ASAP when you can.

Right now you are not necessarily focused on a huge sound upgrade since you will be plugging the TT into that Panasonic all-in-one you have. Just make sure you have a TT that you can begin to build a setup around down the line and once the rest of your system has outgrown the TT you can upgrade it.

Good luck.

u/lucastimmons · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I did it in 2017 when I hit 365 albums. I tried for one a day, just whatever I felt like listening to. Some days I did 2 or 3. Some days none if I didn't have the time.

Do you have them catalogued on Discogs? You can do an export as a CSV and open that in excel or google sheets to keep track. Using the random button on discogs helps a lot too if you can't decide.

It was neat. A couple of times some songs convinced me to reconnect with some old friends. A couple albums I decided I just wasn't into any more and turned off after a couple of songs.


If you're really into keeping them in good shape, this is also a great chance for you to change the inner sleeves to something better and to give each record a cleaning.

It's also a great way to decide if you want to sell any of them.

Have fun and enjoy it!

u/primoface · 3 pointsr/vinyl

KC vinyl hunter reporting in :

Most of the cl postings linked here are over a month old and therefore are likely gone already. Here (like everywhere else I assume), about 80% of cl posts go unclosed even when they sell. It never hurts to check but just don't be surprised.

I also don't think any of the linked receivers would be much of a good deal, you could pick up a 90s receiver at one of the goodwill stores around town pretty easily (usually). The pioneer 780 is a good one, but I suspect it's no longer available. Not sure if its the same guy or not but I inquired about a SX780 in columbia a while back and just never got any response, might be worth trying.

In all honesty I'd consider taking a trip down to the hippy store "It's a Beautiful Day" by westport, in the back vinyl room they have a pretty significant selection of vintage audio stuff in solid condition. Most usually come with a replaced belt and a new cart, and I've seen some ok turntables there as low as $50 but they tend to have a few receivers in stock. The turntable guy isn't always there (Jason? I'm bad with names) but he has his name and number posted on the wall by the vintage equipment

If you want to go with a new turntable... Brothers music on Johnson drive had some (NIB) Uturn turntables last time I was there, you can get AT-LP120 at probably a few of the other stores in town if you want to go that route. Or obviously those can be ordered online.

Unfortunately we seem to be suffering pretty heavily from the vinyl boom here from a vintage equipment perspective as anything that's remotely a good deal on CL gets snapped up in less than an hour. For the love of everything that is holy, stay away from Vinyl Renaissance in westport... home of overpriced hipster bullshit.

For speakers the ole Andrew Jones Pioneers are pretty much a steal at their price of only $99


The store linked above in the West bottoms (this) might be a solid place to check, I've never been there. There's a few other similar small stores around but you can probably expect to overpay a little bit since they'll have done a little maintenance n the tables they have. There's one other store I knew about down there but I can't remember what the name was... I'll see if I can find it.

u/2518899 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Disclaimer: I've read through the sidebar threads, but I have probably missed something. I also know NOTHING about electronics.

I have purchased the following things:

turntable: Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable

soundsticks: Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 Channel Multimedia Speaker System with Subwoofer

It seemed like if I hooked the soundsticks to the turntable I wouldn't be able to get stereo? I got this because it seemed like an easy setup. The turntable has a built-in preamp. I couldn't figure out how to connect these though.

So then I got:

receiver: Sony STRDH130 2 Channel Stereo Receiver

Here's the user manual for the Sony receiver.

Still couldn't figure out how to connect the soundsticks.

So. Sigh. I got these:

bookshelf speakers: Fluance AV5 Powerful & Dynamic Two-way Bookshelf Speakers for Home Theater & Music Systems

And now it looks like I need wires??! And "banana plugs"?? And why do the banana plugs come with so many pairs?? Do I need 12-pair? Why?

I am obviously not an audiophile, but I like the sound of vinyl, and I just want to listen to some records (jazz, classical, pop, folk, etc.).

What sound I do? Should I return some of these things? What do I need next to connect these things and play music?

Thank you in advance for your help!

u/Youre_Government · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Thanks! I really love the way the Orbit looks with the wood finish plinths as well, but I knew I was going to want a natural finish cabinet, so going for contrast made more sense to me. Plus they were like an extra 90 bucks.

The speakers are a great deal at $100. Knowing what they sound like, I might have even shelled out another 50 for them. If they cost $200, I would maybe start thinking about looking elsewhere. They don't have the epic clarity and separation that you can potentially get from something like the Audioengines that can run 4x-8x times the price, but I certainly wouldn't say they're murky, even at low volume. At around 40% volume, they start to reach their full sound quality. At around 75%, they have no problem filling the 300ish square foot space that mine live in. They are front-ported, and they also look pretty great with the front covers on:https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-R1280T-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B016P9HJIA

u/SirNarwhal · 11 pointsr/vinyl

You can get a Spin Clean which uses proper fluid (not soap) to clean your records and doesn't submerge the middle of your record and ruin it. It also includes microfiber towels and brushes to dry and also to get out any embedded dirt from grooves.

Or if you're cheap like me, you can just use microfiber cloths and anti-static spray like this and just spritz your microfiber towel/cloth with it like 2-3 times and give your record a quick wipe. Gets rid of any static that built up in the pressing process and taking your record out the first time, which 1) prevents it from picking stuff up and 2) gets any excess vinyl out of the grooves so you won't have any issues.

If you have a TON of money to blow, get a VPI machine, which is basically a bit like a mix of the Spin Clean or just some anti-static spray in that you wet the record with special fluid, spin it around on a special turntable while it's locked in, and then vacuum dry it. If you're lucky, places nearby may even have a machine. I have a shop where if I buy like $20 worth of stuff they clean a record for me for free or if I want, it's $1 a record to get cleaned and the results are amazing.

Hope that helps!

u/billybombill · 3 pointsr/vinyl

I have an SL-B3 (belt driven, but similar to the D3) with a M97xE, and I'm very happy with how it sounds. Unfortunately I currently don't have a way to hook up my Q701's to it so I can't comment on the sound signature with them combined. The Vali will probably add some nice warmness to the sound so my experience would sound a bit different anyways. I'd imagine it will sound pretty good though :)

I don't think you can go wrong with either the 2M Red or the M97xE, I've heard people say that the the 2M has a brighter sound, while the Shure's high's are rolled off. I can't say I've ever been able to hear them side by side though to confirm this.

And yes you will need a preamp to boost the turntable's phono output up to a line level signal. The ART DJ II is pretty good for the price.

u/BW4LL · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I own this table and its a tank!

I have this carbon fiber slip mat that helps bring down static.
http://www.sleevecityusa.com/sleeve-city-carbon-fiber-turntable-mat-p/dm-232.htm

I have this headshell
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001GVJA1C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419565880&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

This cartridge.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007ZC2EYQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1419565950&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

The shure m97xe is a decent beginner cart and it's very neutral sounding in my opinion. I listen to a wider variety of music and it does a decent job highlighting each sound. You can also upgrade the needle down the road to the Jico SAS which I hear is amazing.

I'm sure others can recommend some other carts for you but I only wanna talk about what I own.

Also you're gonna want a record cleaning brush. The audio quest is a great little brush that I've had for almost 2 years now and is great to use before you spin a record.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006VMBHI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419566312&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40


Any other questions be sure to ask. I know a bit of the technical stuff on this table and I'll do my best to help.

u/ljoly · 3 pointsr/vinyl

I finally found a console table worth sharing with you guys.

I moved to a new place back in March and I haven't had anywhere to set up my turntable. I convinced my boyfriend that this wall was lonely and (since it's in our living room) it would totally get a lot of use. I know my collection isn't super huge, but it's great for me at the moment. I'm planning on actually plugging it all in this weekend at some point when I have more time, since this was the final piece of the "we have too many devices in our living room" puzzle.

Got the furniture from Etsy. Super smooth transaction, great shipping. It's all made by hand and I can't recommend it more. It's literally perfect for our space (the shop owner even customized the length for me). I'm in love with it.


u/Buck_j · 4 pointsr/vinyl

Yes, you will need a phono preamp with an Orbit Plus and your receiver. I recommend this one. It is very highly regarded in audiophile forums in its price range. I would not recommend going any cheaper.

That receiver and those speakers are perfectly adequate to get you started, both are considered good entry-level options. Pairing a subwoofer with those speakers will provide a marked increase in sound quality on the low-end. I would recommend doing so. I recommend this sub, as it is a fantastic value and will serve you very well.

Here is some information about hooking up a subwoofer to a stereo receiver that does not have a dedicated subwoofer output. Hint: just use speaker wire in the "B" terminals.

Looks like you have yourself a decent starter setup which should serve you well. Have fun.

EDIT: get your speakers off the damn floor. Either get some stands or a platform to isolate your turntable from vibrations caused by the speakers if you want to put them on top of your shelf (platform probably isn't terribly necessary with bookshelf speakers unless you play your music very loudly).

u/Meph616 · 1 pointr/vinyl

I remember doing some research on this sub before buying mine, some good reviews for the Behringer 4400 was tossed around frequently. So I got that. It did its job, but it had a pretty weak output honestly.

I then did some more digging and stumbled across the ART DJPRE III Phono Plus. I got this one because the gain/output was adjustable, and I've used one similar in my local record shop and liked that feature. Plus it has the function of hooking it up to my computer via a USB port and transferring some of my records I don't have digital copies of.

If the USB function doesn't sound necessary then I'd look into the DJPRE III which looks to be mostly the same minus the USB.

Volume wise if I plugged in my iPod with the Behringer it could be at '45' on the amplifier while I would have to max out to '70' to have a similar volume output. Now with the ART my records are audibly as loud as my digital files. Clarity wise I have a modest system so it's clean along with being powerful enough for my needs. For reference I have a Project Debut Carbon turntable, Sony STRDH750 for my receiver, and ELAC B6 "bookshelf" speakers (bookshelf in name only, they're large but fantastic for the price).

u/HenryTheElephant · 1 pointr/vinyl

I use a LP 60 :

http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT-LP60USB-Automatic-Turntable-USB/dp/B002GYTPB8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419546229&sr=8-2&keywords=LP+60

Alot of people here don't like it and think it is shit but it is a great player to start out on. I have never had any problem and the it sounds great. Other people say it skips but the only time it has ever skipped for me is when I play very rough records on it.

Alot of people go with the LP 120:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419546351&sr=8-1&keywords=LP+120

The next time I upgrade (probably this year) I will get this player. Unlike my LP60 the 120 has a better counter weight for the arm which will give better sound and it has a slider to actually speed up or slow down the records more. I just don't have the money for it right now so that's why I have the LP 60. The difference in price is from $109 to $250 and I don't have that cash right now. I do believe that I am going to upgrade my preamp to this though:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0049P6OTI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419505895&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

It should give me better sound and more control over my bass and treble then I have now and it is only $15. I also do plan on getting better speakers when I move in May.

u/WhollyJeans · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Cartridges are like cars ...everybody has a favorite. Some for the technical aspects, some for the "musicality" of the cartridge and some just 'cause itsa ____ (fill in the blank of your fave cartridge maker).

A very good cartridge that works for your price range and would compliment your TT is the Shure M97xE. It runs about $75:

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB

I have one on my Technics SL-D2.

As you are new to the turntable business and you're going to mount your first cartridge, here are two good resources in what goes into setting up your table:

http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm

http://www.turntablebasics.com/advice.html

At a minimum you'll need a cartridge alignment gauge ...a stylus force gauge is also very handy for making fine changes to the tracking force. Patience and time are needed to mount a cartridge but you will be rewarded for your efforts. You can download some free alignment guides off the internet and print them ...but I wouldn't trust them. Turntable Basics has an excellent gauge; I have one and it is by far the easiest most accurate gauge I have ever used. I grew up when records and turntables were the way you listened to music. Getting your cartridge properly mounted and aligned to your tonearm is probably the most critical job in setting up and optimizing your TT. And with vinyl, your TT is the star of the show. It's where the music starts. Vinyl is a very analog medium. How accurately the stylus tracks the groove of the record will determine how good everything else is gonna sound.

You can do this.

u/reddust174 · 1 pointr/vinyl

I'm getting my dad a turntable for Christmas to play all his old records he's had boxed up for years. He's not big into music so it's mostly a nostalgia gift.

I know he has an Onkyo TX NR626 receiver at his house and I found online that it has a phono jack which I think means a preamp isn't needed? Not entirely sure what a preamp even is. I want to keep it cheap since he might even say to just return it. I'm looking at the Audio Technica AT-LP60 and it says it has a preamp installed. My real questions are:

  • Is this equipment compatible? I think so but would like to confirm. Is anything else needed to make this work? I'm looking for as "plug-and-play" as possible.

  • Since the receiver has a phono jack would I be better off with a cheaper TT without losing audio quality? If so, recommendations? Basically, since the receiver has a phono jack I want to make sure I'm not wasting money buying a TT with a preamp when I don't need one.


    Any help would be appreciated - thanks.
u/doombot11 · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Speakers should be most of your budget as they have by far the biggest impact on sound quality. I built my entire system for around the same amount, and incidentally also considered the RP6.

I went:

u/FullForceHi-Fi · 1 pointr/vinyl

Yeah, unfortunately you're not alone. I've had family members buy Logitech stuff and it not work out the box only to replace it with another set that didn't work a few days later. Logitech even sells speakers with fake tweeters that can just be pulled out.

If you want recommendations just a little over the price of those logitechs, here's what I'd get:

Micca PB42x $109
I've heard really great things with price to value on this set. It's got a proper crossover and should sound pretty great.

Edifer R1280T $99

My friend has a set of these, and he really likes them I haven't heard them for myself yet, be he recommends them for the price, and I trust his judgement!

I'm a college student as well, so I understand budget determines most things right now, so if those don't work for you I'd recommend just exchanging the logitechs for a hopefully new working pair.

u/BTsBaboonFarm · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Yeah, the LP60 definitely has draw backs and may not take the best care of your records. With a collection that size I'd definitely upgrade the table, and probably go to speakers rather than the soundbard. If $300 is your budget, that can still work. What Id recommend in that range is:

Turntable: - U-Turn Orbit Basic for $179

Phono Preamplifier: - Art Pro DJPRE II for $33

Speakers: - Edifier R1280T for $99.99

This would be a really nice entry level, truly functional, setup that would give you some really nice sound and take good care of your records. For ~$320 after shipping, that's great deal for all new gear.

u/sampsans-ape-spray · 2 pointsr/vinyl

A lot of newer Altec speakers are computer speakers. Which isn't necessarily bad, but a lot of them are just cheap small things meant for gaming and such. That said, vintage speakers might be good. I don't know much about the particular model you have. A quick google sent me here. Might be helpful: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/altec-model-83.46545/

I can't vouch for them myself, but there are $100-ish powered speakers to be had. These are sometimes recommended around here: https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00NXAEPDC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1475027797&sr=8-8&keywords=powered+speakers

There's also these, that look really nice, though I don't know much about their quality: https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-R1280T-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B016P9HJIA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1475027797&sr=8-6&keywords=powered+speakers

I have Mackie CR4s, which are a bit more at $150. They're decent.

If you have a relatively small room and/or just want a minimal setup, powered bookshelf speakers are a good way to go.

If you have a large room and want to do lots of future upgrading, getting a receiver/amplifier now would be fine as well.

For me, I decided to stick with the bookshelfs, as my next upgrade with be a second table and a full receiver/floor speakers for my office. That way I can keep my current setup for the living room. :)

u/Featherskill · 2 pointsr/vinyl

You might consider a tracking force gauge like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SFG-2-Stylus-Tracking-Force/dp/B00006I5SD

Too much force can damage your records, but not as much as you think, and it would take quite a few spins and have to be pretty heavily weighted.

The deeper/wider grooves on the record are the bass notes, and with too little tracking force you may not be getting the needle deep enough to get the most bass out of your records.

That's why I'd suggest getting a tracking force gauge. Once you balance the tone arm and put on the cartridge/headshell you can use the tracking gauge to keep your counterweight honest. Just because you set it at 1 1/4 doesn't mean it's accurate. Your cartridge has a recommended tracking force that should be easily googled if you don't have the manual it came with.

You also want to make sure your stylus isn't tilted too far left or right. There are tools for that as well and it's a huge pain in the rear, but paying attention to these things will bring you hours of vinyl spinning pleasure with minimal wear to your precious records.

The end.

u/enoatarisolo · 1 pointr/vinyl

I think I've gotten these issues resolved for the most part (see the other comment thread), but this is still really good advice. It turns out the tone arm was badly misaligned, but I fixed it. I have the counterweight up to 5 right now and that fixed the pitch control and sensitivity issues as well. There's still some sibilance but far less than there was initially. This may be related to my (lack of) amp/speaker set up or the fact that it's a DJ table.


The Orbit sounds like a cool table! I wish I had known about it before I got the Stanton. I think for now, this is still a move up from the Numark, for me, anyway. As an aside, a friend of mine was getting truly great sound out of one of these the other day. Apparently his entire set up cost about as much as my Stanton.

u/Killobyte · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I'm looking to upgrade my receiver and speakers, but I want to know if what I'm thinking of getting is actually an upgrade. Currently I have my table, a Technics SL-235, going into a pre-amp, which goes into a Sony CMT-BX5BT that I got for free. I'm looking to replace it with some gear from the cheap setup thread, namely a Fentac Tripath 2020A and some Dayton B652 speakers. I know I could probably do better used, but I live in a semi-remote area, so my craigslist listings are usually pretty slim pickings, and what I've seen there lately has either been super cheap or $300+. Would this actually sound any better? I know I'll lose some functionality that I have now in the receiver, but all I ever use it for is pushing my record player, so I won't miss any of that stuff. They only thing I'd maybe miss is the headphone jack, so if you have any suggestions on how to resolve that let me know :)

u/1spartan95 · 3 pointsr/vinyl

What exactly do you have? There might be some adjustments you could do, knowing what tt you're working with could help.

Edit: I saw it's a Crosley. Yeah, sorry man, those things just aren't good. I'll say what the other guy said too, if an album's skipping, don't listen to it anymore, nothing will make that Crosley track it without grinding it like a millstone. It won't hurt your records that play fine that much, unless you use it for years. Check your local Craiglist for vintage turntables, if you post a link to your craigslist I bet some guys here would be glad to help you out with picking one. Check with old people you know, they might have some stuff they're willing to give away, I got the receiver and speakers I'm using right now from a man at church, and another guy gave me a Kenwood tt that would work fine with a new belt and stylus. I hope you can find a kickass setup, but in the meantime, just enjoy what you've got.

EDIT DOS: while I'm giving out advice, I suggest you pick up one of these . They're cheap, and they're great for getting dust off of your records, which can put pops and crackle in them. I always use it before I play mine, just a quick clean.

u/bootbox · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon - $399.00. I don't like the cartridge options on this one so if it were me I'd get the cheapest cartridge option, sell the cheap bundled cart, and buy a new one. The table itself gets really positive reviews though, everyone was pretty stunned when this came out for this price. Carbon fiber tonearms used to be mostly attached to $2000+ tables.

Amp: While it's tempting to recommend vintage gear here, it cost me a nice chunk of time, money, and research to get my all-vintage rig up and running, and there are very nice modern options that will match the modern table better and sound incredible, all with no hassle.

I like the Marantz PM5004 - $449.00. Great brand, great specs, and a built-in phono pre-amp. You can always get a better pre-amp if you want to upgrade to a low output, high end Moving Coil cartridge in the future, but this will sound great and you may feel no need to ever upgrade.

Cartridge: I've heard a handful of $200.00 and below cartridges in my time and this $69.00 cartridge is my favorite so far - Shure m97xe. It's cheap and sounds incredible. It gets brought up a lot, but it's wildly popular for a reason.

That leaves $83 for speakers and wires. You can go a bit low here and get these nice Dayton 6.5 inch bookshelfs for around $30.00, or spend a bit more than your budget and get the $149.00 Pioneer SP-BS41-LR in this price range. They were designed by famed speaker designer Andrew Jones and get great reviews.

u/Mr_Soju · 2 pointsr/vinyl

No prob. Happy to help. /r/vinyl is pretty much a joke and a karma farm. Genuine posts asking for help are met with "Sidebar" and everything else is like "look at my vinyl wall of albums I don't listen to." It's weird that a subreddit doesn't exist to talk and discuss gear.

Get an account on Audiokarma and cruise around there. The folks know their stuff and are very helpful.

If you have anymore questions, let me know. Speakers are where things can get nutty. Like I said, those "baby advents" are very good and a steal. Also, these Pioneer Andrew Jones Bookshelf speakers are great. I have a pair of these. They go on sale often and drop down to $80 or $90.

Here's my setup for reference and well-over a decade of collecting. Dream big.

https://i.imgur.com/we3iZIi.jpg

Let me know how everything turns out! Good luck!

u/Metalsmith · 1 pointr/vinyl

Both are belt driven, have S type tone arms and pretty similar AT cartridges.

I do think the Fluance has a slightly better cartridge but It's still something you could upgrade in the future. I think they may preform pretty similarly. I've never been a big fan of the "DJ" style that the Music hall has, so the Fluance wins in the design category for me. The Music Hall does have a pitch adjustment, if that is important to you.

If I had to decide between the two it would be the Fluance. The looks and the slightly better cartridge win it for me.

If you could sway another 50 or so bucks and like the looks of the "DJ" style tables you could look into the Audio Technica AT-LP120

u/explosivo563 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Everyone will probably bash that table. Honestly you need to check craigslist. You can find a 10x better tt for the same price used. Direct drive technics with a p mount was perfect for me as a beginner. Consult this chart for value and specs for technics. http://vintagetechnics.co.uk/turntables.htm

For speakers, you can likely only afford a lepai amp and some bookshelves. It's best to buy them seperately so you can upgrade down the line. I use the micca mb42x and they are amazing for $80.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E7H8GG2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422380371&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=41-MULbHU8L&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

If you are really strapped for cash or just want more budget for the TT, the Daytons are $40

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002RMPHMU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422380443&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=415%2Blb1v0JL&ref=plSrch

Amp http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0049P6OTI/ref=pd_aw_sims_3?pi=SS115&simLd=1


And if you save a bit more and can't find a good used model or just can't wait to buy new, the u turn is much better than the lp60 at $170. Just need a preamp.

http://store.uturnaudio.com

u/The_BallCrusher · 1 pointr/vinyl

Like people have said vinyl is a for those who love to tinker, and to hunt for that new record or upgraded component. If you just want to be able to listen to great sounding music and not worry about the stuff in the middle, download some FLAC files, buy a nice USB DA converter and enjoy, there is noting wrong with digital audio. If you still want to see what its all about, surf the craigslist list, get a turn table. then get a $30 pre-amp from Amazon, and a small headphone amp. the one i linked to actually has a built in USB DA converter so you can get your good sound card too. That will be the cheapest way to get in to vinyl, for just over $200 if you end up having to pay a high price for the turntable on craigslist list. those components i linked to with a decent vintage turntable and your nice headphones will sound great.

Pre-amp: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-PP400-BEHRINGER-MICROPHONO/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1422075043&sr=8-4&keywords=phono+preamp

headphone amp: http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-111567-Desktop-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00KVVX2QW/ref=sr_1_23?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1422075678&sr=1-23&keywords=headphone+amplifier

u/mjmilino · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Here are my tips:

  1. Get some sort of record cleaning device. Could be a Spin Clean, could be a Squeaky Clean, or something more expensive than that. But get something. Once you have it, make sure you wet clean your records within a week or two of getting them. They'll sound better and it's worth it.

  2. Now that you've cleaned your new or used record, why not put it into a nice anti-static sleeve. I'm a sucker for the MoFi sleeves, but just find something that works for you. If you're wondering why you'd want to spend another $20 right now it ends up being $.40 per record.

  3. And once you've put that record in a nice anti-static sleeve you should put the whole thing into a nice poly outer sleeve to protect the jacket. Again, you can get a bundle of these (30 or so) for $5 at your local record store or find any number of places online. But the point is that if you're going to spend $15 - $30 for a new LP it's probably worth an extra $.50 total to protect it. People do things differently, but I put the jacket in the outer sleeve and plop the record in the anti-static sleeve inside the outer sleeve behind the jacket.

    Store those well-protected records vertically and out of the sunlight and you should be good to go.
u/gatesphere · 1 pointr/vinyl

I am! I'm using the ART USB Phono Plus and I love it. It is admittedly overkill, though -- internally it has the same preamp circuit as the ART DJPre II.

I grabbed the USB Phono Plus over the DJPre II because the Phono Plus also has a USB output and a built in headphone amp. My setup didn't have a headphone output and I wanted to listen at night without waking the neighbors. The USB output is also a plus because I like to digitize some of my thrift finds for kicks, and I want to be able to do that even after I eventually rip out the built-in preamp (haven't done that quite yet, but I've been inside my TT -- looks super simple, even with my rusty soldering skills).

I'm really impressed with the ART, though. It has great sound for my price range. Much nicer than the built-in preamp to my ears.

u/daviskokoy · 1 pointr/vinyl

With $300, I will try and suggest a setup that will be an easy, no frills setup for casual listening.

You could get the Pro-Ject Debut III (a predecessor of the Debut Carbon) for a cool $200 thanks to a BF sale that Music Direct is running.

Next, I highly recommend this pair of bookshelf speakers available on Amazon for $99.

You'll need to shell out a couple bucks for a preamp to get sound from the turntable to the speakers, but you can get great sound out of an affordable preamp like the Pyle Pro PP999 for less than $15.

Best of luck finding a setup that suits your needs!

u/badger28 · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I can try, but I'm terrible at reviews. The formatting can change if someone can think of something better.

Item Name:ART DJPRE II Phono Preamplifier

Item Type: Pre-Amp

For $49 USD this little pre-amp isn't bad for starting out. Don't get me wrong the amp isn't terrible and probably one of the better ones you can find for under $50. I'd only use this to start out and see if you will stick with records. Other than the Cart this will be one of the first things I'm going to upgrade. the downsides of the device are it does not have a power button so it is always on and has a pretty bright light. Also the Wall wart is kinda big.



Pros:

  • Cheap
  • Small
  • Easy to use


    Cons:

  • No power switch
  • Light is always on and bright
  • Wall wart is a little big for my liking


    Rating

    7/10
u/calipilot227 · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Nice receiver! I love the look (and sound) of the old 1970's-era Marantz receivers. Now for some suggestions:

1.) Get rid of the Discwasher. It is completely ineffective and can actually grind dust deeper into the grooves. Consider replacing it with this:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT6012-Record-Care/dp/B0009IGAPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343346910&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+record+cleaning+kit

2.) Invest in a carbon fiber brush for cleaning light surface dust before each play. Use it dry, in between wet cleanings. I use one by Audioquest, and it does an admirable job. It is available here:
http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-LP-record-clean-brush/dp/B0006VMBHI/ref=pd_cp_e_0

These two items are the cheapest and most effective upgrade for any vinyl system.

3.) Consider upgrading your turntable. Something like a Pioneer PL-12D will vastly outperform your Sony deck, and it can be found on eBay sometimes for under $100.

4.) New speakers (but you know that already).

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. And good for you for taking the first plunge into vinyl :-)

u/hikingmutherfucker · 4 pointsr/vinyl

Ok more money on speakers than source components is usually a general rule.

I just found this and freaked out then posted in another thread on amp versus preamp + amp versus receivers.

Unless you want surround sound or a radio tuner just get a good integrated amp used or otherwise. At your price point?

Cambridge Audio Topaz AM10 Premium Integrated Amplifier with Phono Stage for just $349 fuck that is a good deal.

http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Audio-Premium-Integrated-Amplifier/dp/B003VSFPGW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396975785&sr=8-1&keywords=cambridge+audio+integrated+amplifier

Orbit, Carbon or RP1???

The Pro-Ject deck is great. The Pro-Ject Debut iii last year's model is on sale at MusicDirect for exactly $299 as well. I have this turntable and find it to be excellent and balanced and built solid like a brick wall.
But I wonder with the finicky little anti-skate weight and the changing speed by removing the platter and moving the belt if always suggesting the entry level audiophile choice is the right recommendation to be making to new folks.

I think the MusicHall USB-1 and/or the Audio Technica ATLP120 are totally underrated in these parts, easier to setup and have built in phono preamps as well not that you need that with the Cambridge amp.

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Hall-Turntable-USB-output/dp/B004EDXCFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396975985&sr=8-1&keywords=music+hall+usb-1

or

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396976017&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+at+lp120

Those are both around $250. What you get is changing the speed with a button without having to move a belt around and easy to use pitch + anti skating controls, removable headshell for changing out cartridges easily and finally yes a cueing lever. They are not built quite as solid as the U-Turn or the famous Debut decks. But they are not cheapo and feel substantial if you ever spent time with them.

So that is $599 so far plenty of good money to buy a pair of decent speakers.

You can come in under budget and get a Stereophile magazine recommended pair of Klipsch Synergy B-20 bookshelf speakers for $179 on newegg here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780029

That is a good deal.

Or you can max out your budget and go for my favorite small speakers the Paradigm Atom Monitors:

http://www.designeraudiovideo.com/paradigm-monitor-series-7-atom-monitor.html?gclid=CM2D6PKt0b0CFTMV7AodOm8Arg

$199 each.

Or finally finally a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers at $349 a pair which I have recommended before and tend to get high praise:

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15476-wharfedale-diamond-101-bookshelf-speaker-pr.aspx

That is my view on building a total under 1k system capable of playing lps.

You got options man but the Cambridge Audio Integrated amp is golden.

u/RealDiels · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hi guys, I'm relatively new to playing records. I've had a turntable setup for a year or so, but don't get to use it that much.

My question is, how do you control static pops and clicks? Even on the records I buy brand new, I still get pops and clicks and my turntable sounds nowhere near as good as playing music from my iPod to my receiver. I have:

  • Infinity Interlude Il60 speakers
  • Harmon Kardon AVR325 Receiver
  • An 80s Kenwood preamp (not the best, I know, but I don't think it should be that weak)
  • A late 80s Technics home turntable, not one of the nicer professional type ones

    I replaced the cartridge with this Audio Technica cartridge, hoping it would help out, but it didn't help much at all. I realize it's a cheap cartridge, but so is my preamp and turntable.

    I have used this record washing contraption and this anti static brush, but niether seem to keep the dust off of my records, and pops and clicks develop way too quickly.

    I love spinning some vinyl, but when the sound quality doesn't compare to digital music, it really turns me off :(

    What do you use to keep your records fresh and clean, and what can I do to control dust and static on my records so I don't ruin them?
u/aleguiss · 2 pointsr/vinyl

How often? Every time you wish to play it.

How hard? It depends! I inherited my grandfather's and my father's record collection when I started collecting. Some of the records were very dirty, so I bought a SpinClean to get rid of the dirt.

I've cleaned all my records with it at least once (even the new ones), and after that I just brush with a carbon fiber brush before I put it on the turntable (to remove static and light dirt, paper linen, etc).

Cleaning with the brush while the record is spinning is easier, but it does not get rid of static, and sometimes it generates more of it (i live in a very dry city), and the same goes for the dust (they cling on the record because of the static).

TL:DR: you should always deep clean your records once (the SpinClean is awesome for this). After that is just keeping them clean with a carbon fiber brush, and that is super easy!

u/dmcnelly · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Depends on your budget, really.

Looking to spend under $100?

A lot of people like the Shure M97xE, given it's reasonable price and excellent reproduction.

The Grado Green1 is another solid choice. Grado makes an excellent cartridge.

The Ortofon OM 10 is an amazing cartridge. Unfortunately, the replacement styli are rather expensive.

Not looking to spend more than $50?

The Audio Technica AT 91ECD is a great cartridge. I had one, and it was quite nice. My only complaint is that the universal mounting made it bottom out on occasion.

The Ortofon Omega is another good budget choice. Needs a little heavier tracking force than I'd like, but it sounds quite good.

There's also the trusty Red Ed cartridge. You'd want the elliptical version, for better tracking.

Money no object?

Clearaudio Goldfinger.

u/jimbob_9245 · 1 pointr/vinyl

My mom upgraded her stero setup a couple years ago and I incorporated it with our TV system so the audio from our TV plays out of the stero. She had a turntable with her old receiver that still works, but isn't compatible with our new stero. After doing some research, I think the issue is that we need a preamp to connect the old turntable to the new receiver (I guess the old receiver had one built in). Would it just be easier to get a new turn table? (the old one is probably over 20 years old) even though it is still functional? Am I right about needing a preamp? I was looking at this preamp. I know my mom likes the "warm" (not sure how to describe it) sound of vinyl records but she is by no means an audiophile and doesn't listen to records very often so I don't need anything to premium. I'm looking to get this all set up for her for mother's day, and I will be paying for it (I'm a student in highschool) so I won't be able to afford anything too expensive. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Here's some pictures of her old reciever, the turn table, the connections that the turntable uses (it doesn't have a power plug?), and the new reciever that we plan on plugging it into.

u/chilighost · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I'm wondering if I can get some help/advise in regards to speakers for my Fluance RT81 that is currently on order. I have narrowed it down to these two sets: Fluance Signature Series Bookshelf Speakers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A5UB4JU/ref=twister_B01BKWQW3A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Klipsch R-15M Bookshelf Speakers: https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-R-15M-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair/dp/B00LMF41IY/

Both seem to be passive speakers so I would need an amp as well apparently. I don't plan to connect them to a AV receiver - just the turntable and speakers. Can anyone recommend a good amp for this setup? I found this one on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/ART-DJPREII-Audio-Turntable-Preamplifier/dp/B000AJR482/) which seems to get decent reviews.

I am new to vinyl but I want speakers that have some good bass to them (without a sub) since I won't be connecting to a receiver. Which of these speakers will provide the best highs and enough bass?

Any recommendations would be helpful - thank you!

u/teeravj · 5 pointsr/vinyl

I own that receiver! WOW! I actually can help someone on the subreddit for once :3

I love it honestly. It was simple to set up, and also has a lot of holes for breathing so no overheat. You need a preamp though to use a turntable with it. My AT-LP60 has a built-in one so no need for me to have one. Bluetooth works great from my laptop and phone. Long-range as well. 2 Speaker Sets. Good Balance and you can adjust the treble and Bass if need be.

I bought these speakers with it and the cables connect fine. No need to order extra really.

u/arcella12 · 1 pointr/vinyl

So I just received my first turntable today and set everything up and I love it! However, I have noticed a lot of distortion when the music gets loud across all levels. It becomes very difficult to differentiate each layer. I feel like my tracking weight and anti-skate may be the culprits but I can't figure out the perfect combination of the two.

My setup is as follows:

  • Turntable: Fluance RT82
  • Preamp: ART DJPREII (grounded to turntable)
  • Receiver: Denon AVR X2100w
  • Speakers: Bowers & Wilkins 683 s2 Tower Speakers

    I'm really hoping I didn't accidentally damage the stylus during setup because it did accidentally fall into the rubber mat. The sound is great when the music is at a quieter point so I don't think it would be that, but I could be wrong. Any help is appreciated!
u/Melonfresco · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hey guys!
My girlfriend is a music lover and her birthday is coming up so I wanted to surprise her with a new turntable. Her old Crosley turntable crapped out recently after only on year of use.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to this kind of stuff, but after doing a bit of research these are the items I have decided on.

Audio Technica At-LP60BK Turntable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008872SIO/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Micca MB42 Bookshelf Speakers
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IUIV4A/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=AFKH6OU9WWNFS&psc=1


The main issue I am having is picking an amplifier. It seems that I would need one in order to properly connect the turntable and speakers. These are the two I am looking at now, but I'm not sure if they are compatible with my set up or will have enough power. Any recommendations on which one I should pick? My budget is pretty tight.

Seeduck Lepy Mini Amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HRR5AWQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?smid=A1MZW54YOZT6K2&psc=1

Pyle Home Mini Amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0071HZ5EQ/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I would appreciate any help, thank you :)

u/Elstir19 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Needing help with new set up for my wife’s Technics SL-BD20

17 years ago my wife and I got married and moved into a new house and my wife’s old Technics SL-BD20 turntable never got unpacked. We had small children at the time and not much room.

Now the kids are older and we still don’t have much room, but she’s always been a big fan of vinyl and as a Christmas present I’d like to get her up and running again!

I considered buying a new turntable (the LP120), but she’s always cherished her SL-BD20 turntable, so I am pretty set on keeping this turntable. If she really gets back into vinyl we can upgrade in a couple years.

And I want to keep the whole process as simple and straightforward as possible since I really have no clue what I am doing!

Today, I plugged in the turntable and everything appears to be functioning as it should.

She has a Sony LBT D108 stereo with direct phono hookup and some large-ish Sony SS-D110 speakers. I want to ditch these and figure out a smaller set up for the time being.

I’d like to keep the footprint as small as possible and as I am a woodworker I may even build her a cabinet and shelf unit to house everything.

So from my research it appears I need a pre amp and some powered speakers. And a new cartridge. And probably a new belt to have on hand.

I was wanting to spend about $50 on the pre amp. From doing a little research this seems to be a good one: ART Pro Audio DJPRE II https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AJR482/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1MCQTNZBUHMQG&coliid=I3A0D31NILP92W

Another $25 on a cartridge: Audio-Technica AT92ECD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006HO3L/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1MCQTNZBUHMQG&coliid=I3N3SNC9BX4PUV&psc=1

And then perhaps some smallish powered bookshelf speakers for around $100 or perhaps a bit more if it makes sense. I could really use some suggestions on speakers.

I’m looking to maybe spend a couple hundred bucks total to get her back to listening to vinyl.

Sorry, I am a total noob and have zero experience with stereos etc. Will I need any other adaptors or speaker wire or anything else?

u/Wraith8888 · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Very important. The paper protect just fine, but leave paper dust on the album, especially as they age. The poly are not stiff enough for my taste in that they wrinkle up when you are trying to slide the record in. The best is the poly lined paper. Best of both. The Mobile Fidelity are widely considered the best. The paper is actually sealed in between layers of poly preventing any paper dust at all.

u/gregers007 · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Welcome to the club and happy birthday.

As for speakers, I’d recommend Micca MB42X any day. At $90/pair, they’re a great buy.

Micca MB42X Bookshelf Speakers With 4-Inch Carbon Fiber Woofer and Silk Dome Tweeter (Black, Pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_i_1k.3Ab6RQV1X5

But you’ll definitely want to head over to r/zeos and do a little research before committing. Audio can be an expensive habit, so you might as well get the best bang for your buck.

u/sirms · 1 pointr/vinyl

Welcome!

First off, "vinyls" isn't a word. The plural of vinyl is vinyl. Someone is sure to point that out to you so it might was well be me. But it doesn't really matter. It's just a way for people who are really into it to raise themselves above you.

Ok, cheap set up. Here's my turntable. Don't let anyone in this sub tell you that you need anything more than this. This is fine. This does the job. It won't hurt your records and it's really easy to use.

As for an amp and speakers, the ones I use I got from my parents. They hadn't used them in years. I do hear good things about this thing. For speakers I would just recommend the cheapest thing you can find above desk computer speakers. That should do the job.

Have fun!

u/Saint_JohnKuhn · 1 pointr/vinyl

i have had one for nearly 2 years and love the fucking thing. i have the grado black cartridge. no cue lever, it would be nice as i'm a little nervous letting friends drop/raise the needle. i've been using it for so long that im confident that i can drop/raise safely.

I have my uturn running to an art djpre preamp running to powered AudioEngine A5 bookshelf speakers. Super simple setup that sounds great

u/RoyTheGeek · 1 pointr/vinyl

Buying accessories for my turntable:

So it seems I'll be picking up my new turntable (used Philips F7112) on Friday, but now I'm getting stuff that I need on Amazon. Along with the ART DJ Preamp, I'm getting this 50 pack of anti-static inner sleeves: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LQSFKY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AOZWLI7UMXLIU&psc=1

I'm looking for a good brush for the records and one for the stylus. Do you have any recommendation for those?

Also, since I don't have a place for my records, I was looking at buying something like this: https://www.amazon.com/DII-Foldable-Container-Nurseries-Organizer/dp/B01ERHPMZ4/
Will something like that work for storing records?

Thanks! :)

u/MCHammer666 · 1 pointr/vinyl

I have 2 Audio Technica LP60's in my apt along with an older Technics SL. None of them have anti skating feature and play anything I put on there. Flexi disks, 10", 7", 180g, 160g, you name it. If I were you, I'd go with an AT-LP60. You can find it here on Amazon along with some speakers like this. That is the minimum amount of equipment needed to get into vinyl. The whole package is about 200USD so that's still within your budget and more importantly it's all new equipment. As time goes on she can upgrade individual components and add more equipment such as a dedicated preamp, carbon brush, cork board mats, etc. That's what I've been doing for the past 3 years and since then I've gotten a fairly decent setup. You just gotta be frugal and hold out till you find what you're looking for. Hope that helps, best of luck

u/tiggyspawn · 1 pointr/vinyl

Great turntable! I'd also recommend getting one of these, which is super handy in keeping the dust off your records once you get started!

RE Amps:

You don't really need that pre-amp if you buy an amplifier with a "Phono" input. This serves the same purpose as a pre-amp, namely, converting the turntable's signal into something the amp can work with.

Something like This, for example. Many modern amps also have multiple inputs for your iPod, CD player, and whatever else you need, which is great! :D


Those pre-amps are useful if you already have an amplifier which does NOT have this phono input, which is often the case with modern stereos.

u/sweatsauce47 · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Look at the Audio Technica LP60 ($100). Its the only turntable ive ever had, but from what Ive heard its pretty good for a beginner. If u just want something to listen with them on this would work pretty well but u might have other people telling u to just save up more and buy the LP120 ($300).

u/DeweyCheatem-n-Howe · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Not a problem. My biggest recommendation is always "try before you buy" - any CL seller should be willing to demo the unit if asked, and that should protect you from needing to worry about fixing stuff.

A few recommendations:

Audio-Technica LP120 for $150 - a new table, usually $300, two steps up from the C100 or the 120's little brother the LP60. Has built-in phono preamp. Fully manual (no push button to play or autoreturn features).

Another LP120 for the same price, price "negotiable"

Yet another LP120 for $140 (yes it's weird that so many are available, but it's a solid table)

Pioneer PL-50 for $75. Needs a belt, but belts are crazy easy to put in. $15 for a belt on Amazon. Would need a preamp - I'd drop $50 on the ART DJPREII. This is the table I'd get, frankly; I love Pioneer tables, I love the look of these (veneer) wood plinths, and just... I love this table for a very reasonable price. You MIGHT need to replace the stylus - not the cartridge, just the stylus - but you were considering upgrading the cart with the Crosley anyways.

u/Turquoise_HexagonSun · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I'd recommend the venerable Shure M97xE.

This is the go-to cart for many beginners for several reasons; primarily because its sound signature doesn't particularly emphasize any frequency and tames sibilance well. The stock stylus is more elliptical than most at 0.2 mils while most ellipticals are 0.4 or 0.3 mils. This means that the Shure can track deeper into the groove and subsequently tracks better than other carts in its price range (I've personally verified this). The stylus also has a flip-down brush built in making the cartridge appropriate for most tone arm masses (light to heavy). Brushes not only sweep dust away but help damp tone arm vibrations. There is also a healthy selection of after market styli, so when it's time to replace your stylus you can get a stock stylus rather cheaply or you can splurge and get a nice shibata replacement stylus.

It's just a good sounding, affordable cart that works well on a wide range of tone arms.

u/MiEsAmericano · 3 pointsr/vinyl

My setup is literally two pieces of equipment. It seems expensive, but if you sell some textbooks to amazon, you can easily knock about a hundred fifty bucks off the total cost. This isn't audiophile equipment, but it's solid, it's a good place to get started, it's relatively cheap, and it'll sound a million times better than whatever you'd get at best buy or urban outfitters for the same price.

Speakers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051WAM64/

Turntable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002S1CJ2Q/

Of course, if you can, go vintage.

u/araspion · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Hi there,

I'd like to upgrade my audio setup, which is OK, but not great. Here's what I currently have going on:

Turntable: Pro-Ject - Debut Carbon DC (Black)

Speakers: Audioengine A2+ Premium Powered Desktop Speakers - Pair (Black)

Preamp: BEHRINGER MICROPHONO PP400

I think the Pro-Ject is OK for me right now, but I'm thinking about upgrading my speakers, and potentially purchasing a receiver (as opposed to my preamp into speakers set up right now). I've started buying some cassettes, so would also love to buy a cassette deck at some point and also be able to plug it into my receiver.

Anyone have any tips? I am admittedly still a bit of a novice, so any advice much appreciated. :)

I also have a couple of these: Audio-Technica AT95E/HSB Headshell/Cartridge Combo Kit (AT95E Cartridge and AT-HS10BK Headshell) lying around the apartment. Is it possible to replace my Pro-Ject needle with one of these bad boys / if so, anyone know of a good explainer for how to do it?

Thanks!

u/2xlpizzas · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hey Guys, I'm trying to create a some-what cheap and MODERN set up for myself with multiple use (but limited channels in the receiver, so I found a receiver with Bluetooth option) and high convenience... Am I missing anything? Or is there anything I should add?

Cheap Bluetooth w/ Limited Channels Receiver

Turntable, and I really love this one.... Really Jacks Up Price

Speakers that come with wire, but adding a spool from amazon anyways...

Wire and Plugs

Do I need anything else? Hi-Fi amp or something? The turntable comes with a phono-preamp and the speakers look decent and are at my price range. Any tips on how to set this up as well? Including the best way to use the plugs or if I should get different plugs.

With the current prices of this post, the overall price is... $462.88 USD and W/O the turntable, it is $213.88 XD

Replacement Turntable that is affordable which puts the new price at $298.88

u/Holtbyism55 · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hello,

I'm getting my first turntable and speakers soon and wanted to make sure I was getting everything I needed. I'm planning on getting a Crosley C100a-SI with these speakers. Is that all I would need to play my records? I've lurked around the sub a bit and I think I'm fine but I wanted to make sure. I know these probably aren't the best speakers or turntable but I'm okay with that to start out. Thanks for any help and any suggestions as a first-timer would be great!

u/kb3pxr · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Okay, The best option would be TT -> Preamp (if not built into the receiver) -> Home theater receiver. Since you want to avoid the home theater receiver you will either need the whole kit. Easy Option: Turntable -> Pre-Amp -> High End computer speakers. Since some high end computer speakers have RCA aux inputs you are set.

Your second best option would be a second receiver (with a second set of speakers) for the turntable. Many receivers (especially vintage) of any decent quality will have the Preamp built in to the phono input. Unfortunately this will likely be outside of your budget (especially brand new) or time frame (especially used).

If you have good speakers on the home theater system and can turn off all the special processing, I suggest using a phono (rare) input on it or a pre-amp and a AUX input on it for the time being.

Phono pre-amps aren't that expensive on the low end and this example also includes a low pass (subsonic) filter to help protect your speakers: http://www.amazon.com/ART-II-Preamplifier-Output-Switchable/dp/B000AJR482/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1450557220&sr=8-4&keywords=phono+preamp

EDIT: changed Amazon Smile link to standard Amazon.

u/JimboLodisC · 3 pointsr/vinyl

Out of the ones I've seen recommended in this sub:

> "I just need something."

  • ART DJPREII - $49

    > "I want something decent."

  • Pro-Ject Phono Box MM - $79
  • U-Turn Pluto - $99

    > "I want something really good."

  • Pro-Ject Phono Box - $129
  • Schiit Mani - $129
  • Emotiva Audio XPS-1 - $179

    ***

    I've personally had my eye on a Schiit Mani but might save up for a Tube Box S. I play guitar so anything tube kinda draws me in. I still need to mod the preamp out of my LP120 so I don't fully know how well my Klipsch's preamp is performing. If it's good enough then I can save up for the Tube Box S.
u/xDedalusx · 1 pointr/vinyl

In addition to a Spin Clean, I have 2 other recommendations. First is a roller-cleaner like this and the other is Mofi inner sleeves.

I clean everything I buy in a Spin Clean first. Once the records are sparkly clean, I put them in the MoFi inner sleeves to keep them clean and static-free. At that point, there is very little dust or anything to deal with when I pull them out, and what is there the roller pulls right off in a couple swipes.

I never need to use my carbon fiber brush anymore... as in never... I don't even know where it is these days. And I very very rarely need to use my Groovewasher anymore either.

Good Luck.

u/KFCConspiracy · 1 pointr/vinyl

Personally, I think that's a terrible suggestion to not worry about your speakers. There are some really bad speakers out there. And some great deals to be had on used tables...

Some speakers can be really bad. Also, I'm assuming your record player won't be your only source of music? Your other sources will suffer from the lack of spending on speakers. You can get some really nice stuff speaker-wise for 100-200 bucks if you look around on craigslist and ebay. And your turntable doesn't have to be brand new.

If you're cool with used look for name brands that are known for good speakers. B&W, Boston Acoustic, Polk, Advent, JBL to name a few. Google the model number of whatever you find, see what people on the interbutts think about the speakers. If you have to have new speakers, these are OK for 89 bucks, but there's better stuff out there... That's pretty much the minimum of what I could recommend; you can spend more to get better, but those are OK to start.

u/thereisnoenemy · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I bought my speakers and receiver off of craigslist, so that is where its up to you how much you want to spend I know Pioneer, Realistic, Kenwood all made some great receivers in the 70's that could be picked up for pretty cheap, just make sure they work. when it comes to new I got nothing for you, but somebody might help you with that I know there is a Marantz receiver I keep seeing posted with setups its a modern day one. Speakers again how big of a room you working with, you don't need some huge loudspeakers bookshelf are a good area to look at these are good ones to get new nice sound.

u/wake_the_dead · 0 pointsr/vinyl

This turntable is probably the cheapest thing you can get NEW that has all of the bells and whistles that most serious vinyl listeners would recommend. Anti skate, adjustable counterweight, pitch slider.

Pyle as a company is not known for making the best products, however it has a 1 year warranty which is more than enough time to: a) figure out if you even enjoy vinyl, and b) save up for a turntable upgrade.

With this amplifier and this phono preamp you still have 50 bucks or so for some speakers.

As I mentioned, Pyle is not known to be the best company and you will undoubtedly get more bang for your buck buying used gear. But if you're broke and just wanna listen to your records with a bare minimum "listen to your records half decent without damaging them" system shipped straight to your door, the Pyle stuff is your best bet.

u/clandark · 1 pointr/vinyl

Probably going to get buried in here, but what the hell. I bought my first turntable a year or so ago, that being the very stopgap budget buy of an AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Stereo Turntable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GYTPAE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

A short while ago, probably around its year anniversary it started to play at funky speeds and after buying a replacement belt and trying the manual speed adjustment it became apparent it was never going to play my records at the right speed again.

I've started a new job and am a couple paychecks in and I am now searching for a new turntable in the region of $400. I've been drawn to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC and was wondering if that would be a purchase that I'd be happy with for a decent amount of time. I won't call myself an audiophile, but I have started a modest collection of records and want to be able to play them on a quality and aesthetically pleasing turntable. Basically I'm asking if this turntable is worth the buy, or if I should think about a different one in the same price range (or even splurge and buy the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit DC at around $600).

I'm open to hearing anyone's experience about these Pro-Ject record players (turntables?) as well as any further counsel on a different option.

Also, I bought these Bose powered speakers with the Audio Technica record player (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CD1PTF0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and wanted to know if they would pair well with a record player in the $400 price range.

Thanks to anyone who reads this and gives me a response, I didn't expect for it to be this long when I started typing.

u/AllDayCarry · 1 pointr/vinyl

I live in Canada so the prices for me fluctuate a bit than for Americans when ordering onlien, I recently picked up the Pioneer SP-BS22's, my tt is still in transit so I haven't had the chance to demo them much, but from what i hear they're pretty well received, the reviews i've read seem to point out they sound a lot better than the price would lead you to believe. They go for about $120 on U.S sites.

But if that is too much, these Micca speakers have a pretty good following, and at a mere $50, they definitely a steal!

http://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B009IUIV4A

u/TheSavs · 1 pointr/vinyl

I need help...(scroll down for TL:DR) My turntable needs to get louder and have more low end. My receiver is usually blaring when gaming or watching TV at "-10 db" however when I play my turn table at the same setting it is quieter. Not silent or really low mind you, but not quite as loud. When I turn up my receiver higher to compensate it will eventually go into protection mode and turn itself off (no bueno, I know).

Here is my setup:

Turntable: Technics SL-1300
Cartridge: Shure M97xE
Receiver: Denon AVR-391
Pre-Amp: Behringer PP400

Speakers:

Front Bookshelf Speakers: Panasonic SP-BS22-LR
Rear Speakers: Polk TL1
Center Speaker: Polk TL1 Center
Woofer: Pioneer SW-8MK


So, as you can see, for speakers I have a 5.1 speaker set up. I can run my turntable in Pro Logic, Multi-Channel Stereo, Stereo, Direct (whatever that means), Virtual, and DTS Neo. I am not really sure what would be best but I would like to use a setting that also uses my subwoofer as it is it's own powered speaker. Is that ok for the receiver to split it into Pro Logic or something else from the analog signal or not? As far as my connection I have the RCA cord coming from my pre-amp and connected to my "Dock" RCA input which is 1 of 3 RCA inputs on my receiver (Dock, Sat, DVD). Also my turntable is grounded to my preamp.

I am at a loss of what to do as it's never quite loud enough for my liking. I don't need it to be breaking windows but I would like to be able to rock out once and awhile.


TL:DR I guess what I'm asking is what setting should my Receiver be on and would a new pre-amp increase my volume?

u/benexhale · 1 pointr/vinyl

I definitely won't claim to be an expert, but i recommend getting a cheap cartridge to start off with if you're new to vinyl. Something like like an Audio Technica AT 92ECD (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006HO3L/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details) it's super cheap, but still a really solid starter cartridge.

u/SmokinCigars · 2 pointsr/vinyl

I have found the best way of cleaning my vinyl is with the Spin-Clean. At first I was skeptical about buying a piece of plastic at what seems to be a pretty high price. I figured I would give it a try and if it did not work I would just send it back. The Spin-Clean worked very well to my surprise. All my new and used albums gets cleaned by the Spin-Clean before it hits my turntable.

It is almost like a bath for records. The tub holds the water and the cleaning solution. The record is then spun on two rollers between two nice and tight velvet pads. The pads are just like the velvet cleaning brushes people are recommending. So when you are spinning the record in the tub both side are getting cleaned at the same time.

You would think that the record would get even more dirty by putting it in a tub of dirty water. The special formula cleaning solution binds to the dirt and sinks it to the bottom. They say that you can clean about 50 records with each tub. I find this not to be accurate, (I buy alot of used records that are dirty as sin) I get about 20-30 albums cleaned before I have to switch out the water. The solution goes a long way. You only need 3 cap fulls for each bath. I just bought a new replacement bottle (32ozs) of cleaner and it states only use one cap full for cleaning. That stuff is going to last forever.

I have tested albums by listening to them before and after and you can hear a major difference. I would 100% recommend this to any collector.

u/jbrown5217 · 3 pointsr/vinyl

About a month ago I decided I wanted to upgrade my system.

I was using the Monoprice 25 Watt Hybrid Tube amp hooked up to their 4-inch 2-way bookshelf speakers. I then had an av selector a friend gave me that allowed me to easily change inputs between a projector, for watching movies, and my TurnTable. The TurnTable was connected to a Behringer Microphono PP400 phono preamp and I was using a Kenwood KD-52FB TurnTable with a Sumiko Pearl Cart



My new setup (which unfortunately can't be ideally setup for listening to music) is now using the Cambridge Audio CXA80 integrated Amplifier, a pair of Amphion Helium410 bookshelf speakers, and a U-Turn Orbit Custom. My custom has the upgraded Acrylic Platter, the Grado Black Cart, and the cue lever, I also choose the white color to match the speakers. I am still using the Behringer Microphono PP400 phono preamp in this setup, but that will also be upgraded sometime soon.


One last addition that you see and is less relevant for this sub, is a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ which I wanted a housing for so I ended up buying this kit, which came with some other useful stuff so heh. On the Raspberry Pi I installed Volumio so that I can conveniently play all my digital music easily as well.

Anyway that is my new setup thanks for reading!