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Help deciding on an (re)introduction to vinyl

post #1 of 4
12/22/10 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys,

 

So I've recently taken to collecting some rare vinyl stuff that my local store has been acquiring, which got me much more interested in my turntable setup. I've had an Ion TTUSB turntable for a couple years; got it as a gift a while back and I've been using it since. However, after getting into mid-fi headphones/amps/DACs, I've come to realize how lacking the turntable really is. This has led me to start looking at what's out there as far as upgrades, which leads me to this post.

 

My big question is this- is it worth buying a nice cartridge upgrade for my Ion turntable, or would it be more worthwhile to buy a used vintage turntable with a good cartridge- specifically, I've found a Pioneer LP12D with a Grado cartridge for about $50. I'm unsure on what makes a turntable quality other than tracking precision, so I'm out of my element in this field. I'd be willing to spend up to $100 on a new TT, and the TTUSB that I have was around that price.

 

My phono stage is integrated into an older Denon receiver that I have, and it's a quality piece, but I do plan on getting a standalone unit down the road. Basically, if I can spend $100 on a turntable with less than stellar components but good potential for upgrades, that'd be perfect. I'm a college student so I rarely have a lot of money at a given time, which is why upgrades are always a useful thing!

 

 

Thanks for the advice!

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post #2 of 4
12/22/10 at 8:42pm
You can sometimes get a nice vintage TT for $100, but the Pioneer PL12 D was a pretty cheap TT even back in the day. I bought a nice Micro Seiki for $100 once, but I got lucky. The problem in buying a vintage TT is the were lots of great decks, but lots of crappy ones.

I don't know much about the Ion, but from a short google search I'd say it looks like a lot of vintage decks with a decent cartridge would be better. You might look for one of the wood-base Pioneer or Yamaha Direct drive decks, which were pretty good and can often be had in your price range.
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post #3 of 4
12/22/10 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the reply!

 

I figured the Ion wasn't worth putting money into, but I can't totally discount it since it's still allowing me to listen to my records! I'm just looking for a noticeable improvement for now, and down the road I can look into investing in a real hi-fi setup.

 

Thanks for the recommendation also, it's good to have something to look for when going through vintage turntables. Is the fact that they're direct drive what makes these better, or is it just that direct drive tables are usually higher quality? I ask because I found a wood base Yamaha in my area, but it's a belt drive. What should one look for when shopping for a quality piece?

 

Thanks!

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post #4 of 4
12/23/10 at 6:38am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dustin The Wind View Post

Thanks for the reply!

 

I figured the Ion wasn't worth putting money into, but I can't totally discount it since it's still allowing me to listen to my records! I'm just looking for a noticeable improvement for now, and down the road I can look into investing in a real hi-fi setup.

 

Thanks for the recommendation also, it's good to have something to look for when going through vintage turntables. Is the fact that they're direct drive what makes these better, or is it just that direct drive tables are usually higher quality? I ask because I found a wood base Yamaha in my area, but it's a belt drive. What should one look for when shopping for a quality piece?

 

Thanks!



The audiophile dogma is that belt drive turntables sound better.  Almost every turntable manufactured today is belt drive.  But IMHO the direct drive turntables made in the 70's and 80's were often better sounding than the mass-market belt drive ones, not because the technology was necessarily better, but because belt drive was often reserved just for the very cheapest decks during that era, at least where the mainstream TT makers were concerned.

 

That said, if that Yamaha wood-base looks to be in good shape, and the price is right, a local purchase is always best for a vintage TT versus having one shipped.  Get a decent new cartridge, though, unless you know there is a new one in there.  You can get a decent Grado, Ortofon, Audio Technica, or Shure for under $80.

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