tradja
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2004
- Posts
- 369
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- 11
About 10 years ago, I bought a basic $99 Sony turntable so I could shop for $0.25 vinyl at garage sales and other such places.
I almost never listened to it, and recently, I've been considering getting rid of it. I really didn't understand the vinyl fans on this and other audio forums. I assumed that a very expensive TT rig probably sounded great, but it was still an esoteric and obscure realm of hobbyists and DJ's.
At the thrift store the other day, I overheard a woman trying to convince the thrift store owner (a friend of mine) to take her turntable. I heard him say, "...if it doesn't work, we can't really take it". I caught up with the women in the parking lot and asked her about it. She said I was welcome to have it, and while my wife was still in the thrift store I bundled the dusty old turntable into my car. Sure, I caught a bit of hell, but I got it home.
I don't know anything about TT's. It's a Dual CS 431 with a Shure 800E cartridge. Price: Free! Google was sparse: can anyone tell me anything about this TT? MSRP? Years of manufacture? Reputation?
I cleaned it up, and did some repeated tweaking of the tonearm "counterweight" and a small tonearm height adjustment screw, and I cleaned a record and played it.
Wow. Wow. Wow. So this is what the continued interest in vinyl is anout. Compared to CD, it is a full, rich, beautiful sound; amazingly realistic and natural. Theere is a realistic depth and instrument separation to the music that I haven't heard from my digital sources. I need to A/B the few albums that I have both on vinyl and CD: DSOTM, Beatle's White Album, some Dire Straits and Eagles.
This "dumpster" Dual just blows my bought-new Sony away, like two different media. The overall subjective "quality" of the music is so many times greater, but the Dual also has nicely extended highs and low bass, compared to the Sony. Listening thru speakers, I had an odd but distinct impression that my large-ish speakers were "full of sound", as if I was hearing a "larger", bigger (not louder) sound come from those black boxes.
If this dumpster TT sounds this good, how would it sound properly adjusted? Professionally cleaned? With a dedicated phono amp? Upgraded?
Of course I will still listen mostly to CD's, since most of my music is on CD's, and it is convenient, and my ~75 records are mostly dirty. But it is a nice treat after work. And best of all, my wife is similarly impressed.
To summarize this long story, I would encourage noobs like myself to not dismiss vinyl out-of-hand, and to seek out opportunities to hear a good (or better) rig (parents? eccentric old-school uncle? school? DJ friends?). Based on what I have heard, vinyl is still an audiophile medium for a reason!
I almost never listened to it, and recently, I've been considering getting rid of it. I really didn't understand the vinyl fans on this and other audio forums. I assumed that a very expensive TT rig probably sounded great, but it was still an esoteric and obscure realm of hobbyists and DJ's.
At the thrift store the other day, I overheard a woman trying to convince the thrift store owner (a friend of mine) to take her turntable. I heard him say, "...if it doesn't work, we can't really take it". I caught up with the women in the parking lot and asked her about it. She said I was welcome to have it, and while my wife was still in the thrift store I bundled the dusty old turntable into my car. Sure, I caught a bit of hell, but I got it home.
I don't know anything about TT's. It's a Dual CS 431 with a Shure 800E cartridge. Price: Free! Google was sparse: can anyone tell me anything about this TT? MSRP? Years of manufacture? Reputation?
I cleaned it up, and did some repeated tweaking of the tonearm "counterweight" and a small tonearm height adjustment screw, and I cleaned a record and played it.
Wow. Wow. Wow. So this is what the continued interest in vinyl is anout. Compared to CD, it is a full, rich, beautiful sound; amazingly realistic and natural. Theere is a realistic depth and instrument separation to the music that I haven't heard from my digital sources. I need to A/B the few albums that I have both on vinyl and CD: DSOTM, Beatle's White Album, some Dire Straits and Eagles.
This "dumpster" Dual just blows my bought-new Sony away, like two different media. The overall subjective "quality" of the music is so many times greater, but the Dual also has nicely extended highs and low bass, compared to the Sony. Listening thru speakers, I had an odd but distinct impression that my large-ish speakers were "full of sound", as if I was hearing a "larger", bigger (not louder) sound come from those black boxes.
If this dumpster TT sounds this good, how would it sound properly adjusted? Professionally cleaned? With a dedicated phono amp? Upgraded?
Of course I will still listen mostly to CD's, since most of my music is on CD's, and it is convenient, and my ~75 records are mostly dirty. But it is a nice treat after work. And best of all, my wife is similarly impressed.
To summarize this long story, I would encourage noobs like myself to not dismiss vinyl out-of-hand, and to seek out opportunities to hear a good (or better) rig (parents? eccentric old-school uncle? school? DJ friends?). Based on what I have heard, vinyl is still an audiophile medium for a reason!
