[babyoh]

Do you get to hear the downside of vinyl as well like the surface noise, pops and ticks, etc?

What's a good entry level hi-end turntable to get these days for a vinyl noob? VPI Scout?

Thanks!

 

[CrazyRay]

Downside to Vinyl? Are you kidding?
There is no downside to Vinyl.
Vinyl ROCKS!!
Buy records that are in good condition.
If you do not want ticks and pops, get a record cleaner.

 

[CrazyRay]

Music Hall - MMF-2.2 – Turntable — $449.00

Rega - P1 Turntable w/Ortofon OM5e Cartridge — $395.00

 

[mark_h]

/\ x2 on the Vinyl rocks!

 

[whaleyboy]

x3 - it rocks.

It is just fine to listen to vinyl through your headphone rig. The only problem at all is that you can't share the great tunes with friends or familly.

As previous posters said - new or cleaned records on a properly set-up turntable are surprisingly quiet in terms of background noise. I use either new or vacuum cleaned records and a dust brush before playing and I am amazed at how quiet the records are.

In addition - the album artwork is more fun in the larger (record) format but that doesn't really impact how they sound in your headphones

 

[babyoh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyRay /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you do not want ticks and pops, get a record cleaner.

Do I still need to get a record cleaner if I plan to buy only new reissue vinyl?

 

[Uncle Erik]

Again, vinyl rocks.

You will probably want to clean new records, too. I've had any number that come dirty from the shop.

And why limit yourself to new reissues? Most of them are wildly overpriced and a frightening amount aren't pressed well. The real magic of vinyl is buying used, dirt cheap. You'll save enough that a cleaning machine will pay for itself. Or you can just wash by hand in the sink, like I do.

My first table was a used Rega Planar 3. They're great decks and I had many hours of enjoyment with mine. Be sure to buy a used deck, too. 99.9% of the time, the sellers are selling a perfectly good (and usually babied) deck to fund an upgrade. Buying used gets you about the same quality as buying new, the seller will include accessories, and the price is usually about 50% of retail - without sales tax, either. So go used. You'll find lots of nice decks over at Audiogon.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Another vinyl lover here. I was very skeptical at first, but now I just love it. The new Cambridge 540p pre-amp I got just made the whole thing even better.

 

[tom hankins]

Vinyl kills through headphones! The rega entry tables sound very good. GO FOR IT.

 

[mark_h]

Second hand vinyl is the way to go, new stuff is silly money, I do buy new things but I have to limit what I spend some, come in at £30-40 maybe more (I have paid a lot more for things I really want). Not so bad if you get the download included in the price but that is rare. Most of my stuff is second hand and cleaned, there is a place near me that does it for 50p per record on a Keith Monks so I am happy.

I found it all very daunting at first the setup etc. There is always great advice from this forum and eventually it gets easier and you begin to recognize, what I like to call, the Magic Window™ where all is set up correctly and the music comes alive!

 

[Stevtt]

Second the motion on used. I picked up Joni Mitchell Blue and Greatful Dead Europe 72 in near mint condition at a record store today. The only things I have bought new are the Neil young releases. Expensive yes, but they sound great.

 

[powerslave]

Vinyl is awesome, i listen to it every night. Look for records that aren't scuffed up, you'll get lots of rice krispies with those. The GEM dandy LP cleaner works great and is pretty cheap. Oh, and yes, vinyl is great on headphones.

 

[BigTony]

As the voice of reason; yes you'll hear all the noise in all its glory, and it'll either annoy you or add to the 'vinyl' effect! Age of records won't help, many new lps i've bought have sounded bad, and replacing them doesn't always help. A professional cleaning station is a must - but thats not cheap.
When i play an album with no noise/clicks etc i always smile, but its kinda rare.. If your used to cd sound, vinyls imperfections will be irksome.

 

[flatmap]

Certainly the VPI Scout is a lovely 'table. I've had a Rega P3 for about 9 years and it is satisfying totally non-fussy (fussless?). There's a great many classic used decks to be had as well. If you've got local dealers, they sometimes have trade-ins and demos as well. The advantage there is that they can set it up for you at purchase. But, thanks to the internet, you can find everything you need to get it setup by yourself.

Budget for an appropriate cartridge, of course. Do you have a phono preamp -- perhaps built in to an existing receiver? If not, then that has to go into the plan as well.

 

[Suntory_Times]

Agreed with nearly everyone above, vinyl is very nice indeed.

Sadly I must say it isn't for everyone though.