Record Players

Morgenstern

Hey, I didn't know whether to post this in here or in G&T, but does anyone here collect viynl records? I've been thinking about getting a record player for some of the old records I've found and collected over the years, plus a lot of my favourite bands release material on vinyl as well.

Does anyone know of what to look for when it comes to record players? What brands are better than others, etc? What one should expect to pay for a good player? New or used?

Thanks in advance.

Count Funkula

The gold standard in turntables is the Technics SL-1200 series. They are the turntables used by DJs in clubs around the world for over 30 years. They are built like tanks and have excellent sound quality. However, they are quite pricey at $550 each. (DJs usually buy two, for home use you would only want one)

http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/technics_dj/prod_intro_sl1200mk2.asp

The features that make them great (and good things to look for in any turntable) are:

Aluminum platter (stable, solid, keeps down vibrations)
Direct Drive (starts and stops instantly, keeps speed constant, more reliable)
Quartz-Locked Pitch adjustment (lets you accurately beat match for easier mixing)

You can find these used, and since they are so solidly built, they would probably be fine. A lot of people buy these, thinking just having them will make them an instant professional DJ, then dump them cheap when they realize that it requires dedication and work, much like playing a musical instrument. So, eBay or used sections of music stores may be your friends here.

You can choose from hundreds of different brands and types of styluses (aka cartridges, needles) depending on what you want.

This is a good place to start:

http://www.stantondj.com/v2/cartridge/index.php

Reckless

The SL-1200s are excellent, but somehow I don't think the OP's gonna need anything near that advanced.

I've got a turntable I picked up at RadioShack a while back for ~$100 and it's not the greatest, but it certainly performs the job of playing my vinyl collection well when I'm in the mood to hear something other than an .mp3.

Grenn

I think it's more important to have a decent Amp than turntable -- as a good turntable will always sound bad through a poor amp.

But, that said I do like Pro-ject turntables, they're pretty stylish: http://www.project-audio.com/

Fletchsm

I purchased this Turn Table a year or two back. Can play 45's, 33's and 78's incase you run into any of those. I have it hooked up to my computer with a RCA to 1/8th jack and am able to listen while I mess around on the computer and also I am able to record stuff to digital if I want too.

I think with the preamp it has you can just use head phones with it too, just with an adapter for the RCA. But I am not entirely sure on that.

Count Funkula

I agree that the SL-1200 may be overkill, but if the OP can find a nice used one at a decent price, he/she won't regret it. I myself have a cheap knockoff with belt drive, but I would love to have the real deal someday.

Djeet

Assuming this is for music appreciation and not DJ-ing, with some patient hunting at flea markets, garage sale, craigslist, Ebay, or at vintage audio/speaker repair shops, you could save some bucks and get a nice used piece. I picked up a Pioneer PL-518 in great shape (with a new basic cartridge and intact dust cover but no rubber feet) a few years back for about $80. Check to see that the platter is more or less level and the wires (including ground) are in good shape.

If you do get a vintage turntable you will need an amp or receiver that has a phono stage (you can amplify through a non-phono input but it will sound terrible if you can hear it at all). Some of the modern turntables have the RIAA equalization built-in and those don't need a phono stage.

Personally I like the look of pre-80's vintage gear, but it's not for everyone.

Richard M. Nixon

I've got one of these and it is highly adequate to my casual listening needs. They run about $200CAD at Bestbuy, or did last year when I got it. Amazon has them for $66.

More generally, if you're buying a new one, look for one that has a built-in preamp. The RIAA forced record player manufacturers in the 60s/70s to gimp the amplification so you had to get a receiver with a phono-specific input. The one i linked above has a switchable pre-amp

edit: Djeet beat me on the phono thing. He explains it better.

Lawndart

Going in the opposite direction, you may want to considering picking up an all-in-one record player that'll allow you to easily record songs off of your vinyl records onto CDs.

If you're a hardcore audiophile or already have an easy method of making digital or CD copies of your vinyl-only songs, that may not work for you, but for me it was a cheap and space-saving option when I had to replace an old-school record player.

MushroomStick

How about one of these? $11,000 for the cheap one. But they use lasers!