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Records: I need to play them
Nekx
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've always wanted to start a record collection, and last month I took the dive. Problem is, I have absolutely no knowledge on anything concerning record players. Coworker of mine says Denon is the go-to brand, but I haven't a clue and would like to hear the opinions of good ol' PA forumers. So, any suggestions?
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EDIT: Also, what is your current set-up? Does your receiver have a phono line in?
This is my setup.
The receiver was around $300 I think and the record player was about $225. They're both fully refurbished though.
Well, they're generally a lot more aesthetically pleasing, and for the price, they're going to sound a ton better. They're also WAY more solid than those all plastic pieces of shit you're going to pull off of Amazon.
You have a phono line-in on your sound card? Never seen that. Without knowing exactly how that would work (does it have a ground?) I can't recommend anything.
Anything except for those wonky record players in those little wooden boxes with built in speakers should do you well. I had one of those once and it sounded terrible and the mechanism for actually playing the record was cheap and worked very strangely.
Basically had the same result for different models of that type and all were garbage.
I run the vinyl only label Short Forest (url is down, atm) and have pressed my own records. There's a whole bunch of marketing shit out there that will promise you better audio fidelity if you do this or that. Most of it is Monster Cable type nonsense. You can get a good turn table for a bill and some good speakers for another bill. Splurge a bit if you can and get a table with a USB adapter for those times you pick up a vinyl only release.
Most needles and cartridges follow a pretty standard format. I've never had an issue finding what I need online.
For a receiver I also recommend a Denon unit from the late 80s / early 90s. These are also dirt cheap on craigslist and usually offer a line level that can feed into your computer. (then all you need is audacity to do some pretty decent rips from clean vynil). Make sure it has phono input and read a couple of reviews online to check the sound quality. I actually ended up with a TEAC unit off of craigslist along with a Harmon/Kardon unit for <$100 combined.
For speakers I would also recommend going the used route and relying on online reviews. There are people out there that buy high end audio equipment like it is going out of style and sell it 5-10 years later REAL cheap. A $150 set of used high end book shelf speakers will sound scores better than a new pair of $150 towers.
What area are you in? If you are in the Seattle area Hawthorne Stereo on Roosevelt is the place to go. They sell a wide range of used gear from $5000 towers to $50 bookshelf speakers and are really knowledgeable about old gear.
There are also a ton of web resources out there when looking for used equipment and spending a little time and money on well researched used gear will yield a far better system than any of the new equipment you are likely to find.
sherwood doesn't seem to have any turntables available on amazon at least, but they have a receiver with a preamp that looks pretty good for the price, and i'm happy to vouch for the brand. you'll need one, a sound card line-in isn't going to do the job.
personally i started with a usb turntable and ditched it very quickly. the hassle of using something like audacity to actually rip the music and turn it into good-sounding individual audio files with metadata etc just isn't worth it, unless you're dealing with ultra-rare stuff. spend more on a better turntable and you won't be sorry.
that said, you might want to go for an el-cheapo unit to start off, just to see if it catches and to figure out how much you really want to invest. i did that. it served its purpose. you can get a plasticky unit with an in-built pre-amp for buckleys these days, which means you can start spending money on the real stuff - the records. it's not going to do the music the greatest justice, but at the same time you might find yourself happy with something basic to spin a few old thrift-store specials on
My problem is that I don't have my manual, can't find a website for the maker, and the needle itself has no discernible markings to help me figure out what size I need. There are many choices.
Hold on for a moment!
I'm sorry but your use of the word "high end" does seem a bit wrong. I'll go with that with a bit of luck it's possible to pick up a good set of 2nd hand speakers for $150 but they will not be high end unless you're extremely lucky. The term "High end" may no be well defined as such but it's more or less in the realm where cost is not an issue.
For some high end customers even looks are not an issue:
Here is a link to a site that covers high end audio: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/
And here is a picture of one of the more outlandish turntables around:
Like with most things there is such a thing as diminishing return so a speaker costing $100.000 will not be 100x better than one costing "just" $1.000 nor will it be 1000x better than a $100 speaker but there will be a remarkable difference. I'd say new high end stereo is found somewhere around what an average family car costs and it goes up from there. The rich have many pleasures.
Fortunately going DIY may make things much cheaper but that is not for all to build stuff with good results but speakers is an area that is easier than most. Should anyone be interested then here is a good place to learn more: http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/FAQ/Speaker/
If you're serious about getting into record collecting and wanting a proper setup then I highly recommend spending some time on hifi websites and maybe buying a few copies of magazines like "Stereophile" and similar. It will give you and idea of what you're getting into.
Most proper turntables will need a separate amplifier to make the signal from the stylus into something that matches the signals you get from CD players and the like, such and amplifier is often called a phono-stage or a phono-amplifier. Worth noticing here is that there are two types due to the fact that there are two types of pick-ups/cartridges (Moving magnet(MM) and moving coil). Most equipment priced for mere mortals will be of the moving magnet type and if there is no specification of type then 99% will be of the MM-type.
It used to be that the phono-stage was build into virtually all stereo amplifiers/receivers but that stopped like a decade ago so look out when you go shopping.
Then recommend something else.
You're recommending things way beyond where the OP wants to go at this point or ever for that matter. It's like this was a car thread and he asked about buying a Honda Civic and you're telling him all about Bugattis. Stereophile is overkill for what he wants.
OP, I'd suggest you scrape together another $200 so you can purchase a used receiver as well, something with a phono amp so you don't have to buy one separate. That should suit your needs perfectly for now. What city are you in? Maybe we can help you find some place to go?
Have you tried here...
http://www.needlefinder.net/ ?
Yeah, "high end" is probably not the right word if you're looking at audiophile systems that cost as much as a car....
How about nice? Or high end for the person looking to spend <$300 on a stereo.
I think you misunderstood my thinking and besides I'm not the one that started with the term "high end" :-)
In no way am I suggesting anyone here put together a shopping list based on what is in Stereophile, but knowing there is virtually no limit to what some people put into their stereo setup and reading a bit about the whole scene is certainly not gonna hurt when starting out.
To use the car analogy the OP did not ask about a Honda Civic he asked what he could use to transport something in a cheap and proper fashion which is a much more open question which is why I provide the background info.
I don't follow. Are you saying those crazy expensive toys are not high end? Then if so what is?
He meant that what he was speaking of was not high-end compared to the pieces and articles you were showing off.
And yes, the OP clearly stated a price limit so my analogy stands.
Do you have any real recommendations for the OP?
Your own ears?
Seriously. Audio Beat's a rip off. I just clicked a random article and a guy tried to sell a 2K turntable that was mostly made of aluminum on the basis that it has three legs instead of four and three legs are more stable than four so that equals better sound.
Please.
Yup. They don't even have a listing available for my brand of stereo.
Like I mentioned. The company I bought mine from ceased to exist sometime around the late 90s. I'll double check to see if the arm or cartridge had a different manufacturer but I'm pretty sure there's nothing specific on there.
What's the brand out of curiosity? Did you try calling around to local hi-fi stores to see if they might know? Take the cartridge into them or something to look at? I really doubt it's a proprietary format.
The only local stereo shop I have around here is car stereo only.
Honestly, it looks like many record needles out there. I did order a replacement a while back that looked just like it but it didn't fit. Basically, that's where I'm at and I'm all "just get as many as you can just in case".
And no, not the TechWood that comes up in Google when you Google TechWood. :P
Also, for $300 or less, there's a lot of options. Look on ebay/craigslist, or audiogon. A few popular brands are Dual, Technic, and Thorens.