[MontanaJustin]

Hi - so I'm looking to get my vinyl set-up up-and-running, and here is my plan. Please let me know if I'm going about it all wrong, or if you have suggestions on what I might tweak, or what should be done first, etc.

As always, any and all feedback is extremely welcome

Current vinyl set-up:
Dual 1019 (inherited from my father, who bought it new back in the day - it's seen little use over the years)
Shure 75EC cartridge
Original? (read - old and dirty) stylus
Whole rig sitting on top of my stereo amp/CD player, which are sitting on the floor (wooden suspended type)
100 or so LPs (great recordings, mostly classical, but all old/dirty in the original plastic or paper sleeves) plus another 200 in storage

Immediate plans:
clean the stylus with a paintbrush
build a strong shelf (attached to studs) for the turntable
level it
buy cleaner ( Mobile Fidelity Record Brush and TTVJ Vinyl Zyme Gold Record Wash )
buy 100 sleeves ( TTVJ 12" Polylined LP Inner Sleeves )
buy phone-stage amp (TCC TC-750 Phono Preamp) $49.50


In a few weeks plan:
buy new cartridge (Shure M97xE) $79.00
buy new stylus??? (SAS-STYLUS 1) $97.00

 

[Skylab]

I wouldn't clean the stylus with a paintbrush. Buy a stylus cleaner kit - TTVJ sells several. And you only either need to buy a new stylus OR a new cartridge, not both. I'd go for the M97XE myself.

The TC-750 is a great phono preamp for the very small amount of money it costs.

 

[MontanaJustin]

As always, thanks for the good advice. I'm planning on ordering that phono amp today, and I just found someone selling the Allsop Orbitrac kit, which should be a good start for getting my records going.

Maybe I'll be joining Team Vinyl before too long...

 

[MontanaJustin]

Yee-haw! Just ordered the TC750 Phono pre-amp for $34. Next up, some cleaner and some quality one-on-one time with all of my old records.

Skylab, I'm going to go for the new cartridge (Shure M97xE) and then some sleeves and a stylus cleaner kit...

 

[Skylab]

And you will be in vinyl heaven!

 

[Voltron]

Hey Justin-

I've got lots of vinyl if you want some more source materials to check out once you are up and running. Have fun in the meantime!

Al

 

[MontanaJustin]

Man oh man(!) would I love to take you up on that offer...I just realized you were in S.F.! That's fantastic - I've just begun my (lifelong

) hunt for records, starting with accousticsounds.com.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MontanaJustin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Man oh man(!) would I love to take you up on that offer...I just realized you were in S.F.! That's fantastic - I've just begun my (lifelong ) hunt for records, starting with accousticsounds.com.

I can't listen to the all at once, so I am happy to share! You really have to try Vinyl Solutions in San Mateo that Todd and Tom of TTVJ visited and loved. Of course, you could spend a week in Amoeba (SF & Berkeley) a couple hours in Recycled Records (SF) and Rasputins (Berkeley) just to name a few local vinyl sources. I'd meet you sometime at Vinyl Solutions sometime--half way between us and on/neea the Cal Train.

 

[episiarch]

The Mountain View Tower Records has recently reopened as Rasputin's, BTW. I haven't been there yet but was planning a visit tonight.

It's right near my house, so if you guys go, you have to call me.

 

[MontanaJustin]

Well well well. We'll have to starting visiting the local dealers, then

Al, I'd love to meet you at Vinyl Solutions some time (Michael, hopefully you'll be able to join us). And a Rasputin's here on the Peninsula - that's great!

Maybe some evening next week could work, we'll have to figure something out. I'm already beginning to rediscover some beloved albums with my TT, and that's without a phono stage-amp!

 

[MontanaJustin]

Hmm, Vinyl Solutions is only open 11-7...

Maybe that would be better to visit on a weekend, saving Rasputin's for a week-night? Ahh, who am I kidding - I'll go anywhere, anytime - if need be, on a lunch break!

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MontanaJustin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Al, I'd love to meet you at Vinyl Solutions some time (Michael, hopefully you'll be able to join us).

You guys are bad influences. I gave up vinyl so I'd have room in the house for a wife.

But it's cool that Rasputin's is now open where Tower used to be. It's in the neighborhood and easy to pop by and have a look, and I know you guys are interested.

So here's The Rasputin Report.

Gentlemen, we have vinyl.

And I'm not talking about one bin that you can flip through in 60 seconds. We're talking, hmm, I'm going to say sixty to eighty linear feet of bins, admittedly not all of them full, but lots and lots of vinyl.

A few laserdiscs too - those you could flip through in under a minute - but hey, laserdiscs.

And more than ample used and new CDs as well, and not just some turkey's rejected CDs. Good stuff.

I bought Keith Jarrett's Sun Bear Concerts, the whole 6-CD box set, in pristine shape. And Francoise Hardy, "La Question."

And, I admit it, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, The DBQ 25, 25th anniversary reunion. In vinyl. I was only flipping, just evaluating the selection so I could report to you guys. There it was. What was I going to do, just leave it there?

Just so you understand, the turntable stays in storage. This album goes in there with it. It has to. There's no room in my life for vinyl, you understand? No room.

The wall behind the cash registers is where they keep the limited-edition DVDs, you know, the ones in the metal boxes 'n stuff. Right behind my cashier were two limited-edition Voltron DVDs. No fancy titling or anything, just the face, the Voltron face, taking up the whole front of the box, right in front of me when the cashier moved out of my line of sight.

I could feel you looking at me, Al. Stop that. I've bought enough already.

Hey, I forgot to see if they have any Vazelina Bilopphoggers.

 

[MontanaJustin]

Hah... Michael, I feel your pain, I really do. But good move on the Brubeck in my opinion. I'm getting up-and-running on vinyl much faster than I thought myself: phono-stage, in the mail; cleaning kit (w/ free force gauge thrown in), in the mail; many of my records turned out to be RCA living stereo, and other great recordings; money left over for a new stylus and record sleeves, though they may have to wait "just a bit" as something new has just come up on the horizon, which I won't tell you all about until I learn more...
Alright, have to head off to work - I'll see if I can fill you all in w/ more details before the end of the day.