[StealthyCow]

it has been sitting in my dad's garage since my brother moved away for college, and last night I was at a concert, long story short, I bought 2 records because I thought they looked pretty.

So I was telling my dad yeah now I can look at them money well spent and he told me I could take my brother's old record player and I was like k cool

problem is, record players are like lol and I have NO idea how to use one. I'm pretty sure it is

Amazon.com: Audio Technica AT-PL50 Belt Drive Turntable: Electronics

that, at least that's what the box says, and that's what it looks like, so I'm taking an educated guess here.

So could someone give me a very basic rundown? I mean I don't know the first thing about record players. My mom said as long as it has a needle it should work. I dunno if it has a needle. Or if modern players use needles. Or how I would go about acquiring said needle if it is not present.

 

[tom hankins]

Now adays the needle is attatched to a cartridge, but yes they still use them. First off before you get any sound out of the thing you will need a phonostage. Do you have a preamp, receiver, or integrated amp that has one built in in it? If you look at the bottom of the very end of the arm. (at the front of the table) there will be a small box type thingf attached. It will have a needle on it. It will tell you the make and model and then you can go from there to decide what phonstage will be needed. I am betting it has a budget MM cartidge on it.
Any old receivers around the house? They should have a phono input and will work. Post abunch of pictures of the arm and cartridge and help will come easier.

 

[lini]

t_h: The AT-PL50 has a defeatable phono stage already built in, so it can work both on line level and phono MM level inputs.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[gz76]

Ask your dad for help. He should know his way around a record player if you don't.

 

[blmelon]

just curious what concert you went to that was selling LPs? not enough do if you ask me...welcome to the best format for tunes boss.

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini /img/forum/go_quote.gif t_h: The AT-PL50 has a defeatable phono stage already built in, so it can work both on line level and phono MM level inputs. Greetings from Munich! Manfred / lini

This is great! So you are ready to go as long as you have a MM cartridge on there. (which is what I am betting it has)

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hankins /img/forum/go_quote.gif (...) So you are ready to go as long as you have a MM cartridge on there. (which is what I am betting it has)

It does indeed. Pretty safe bet anyway, though - as you'd hardly find an MC or MCHO on any turntable that costs below 100 bucks new, and crystal/ceramic systems have been out of fashion since at least 30 years...

However, I just hope the thread starter doesn't expect too much fom that little AT, 'cause just like many similar modern entry level record players (e.g. Denon DP-29f, Dual CS410, Sony PS-LX250 et cetera), an AT-PL50 will play records - but that's about it. I.e., the sound quality one can achieve with this kind of turntables can hardly be called "high fidelity". Compared to proper tables, these record players are more like what el-cheapo pc speaker sets are to proper bookshelf hifi speakers or studio monitors...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini /img/forum/go_quote.gif It does indeed. Pretty safe bet anyway, though - as you'd hardly find an MC or MCHO on any turntable that costs below 100 bucks new, and crystal/ceramic systems have been out of fashion since at least 30 years... However, I just hope the thread starter doesn't expect too much fom that little AT, 'cause just like many similar modern entry level record players (e.g. Denon DP-29f, Dual CS410, Sony PS-LX250 et cetera), an AT-PL50 will play records - but that's about it. I.e., the sound quality one can achieve with this kind of turntables can hardly be called "high fidelity". Compared to proper tables, these record players are more like what el-cheapo pc speaker sets are to proper bookshelf hifi speakers or studio monitors... Greetings from Munich! Manfred / lini

Hey.......He's got to play those two records on something.

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hankins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey.......He's got to play those two records on something.

Sure, I've certainly got no problem with that - and no offence meant, anyway. Nevertheless, I guess it could be helpful for a vinyl newbie to know what equipment class he gets with an AT-PL50, so that, in case he'd be disappointed with the sonic results, he wouldn't condemn/discount the medium per se and think that all those stories he might have read about how good vinyl records can sound were pure bu....it.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[tjohnusa]

Here is a link to a PDF of the users manual for this turntable: Audio-Technica - Microphones, headphones, wireless microphone systems, noise-cancelling headphones & more : AT-PL50 : Fully-automatic Stereo Turntable System good luck and hope you start to enjoy vynil. As posted above the quality of sound you will modt likely hear is not great. If you decide to get into albums you can get by for a reasonable cost or spend ALOT of money depending on where you want to go with this aspect of audio. I myself have a Luxman TT with a decent Ortofon cartridge and like the sound, cost me $135 off ebay and I also recieved another cart. and nice accessorie kit with it.

 

[double LL]

Hello Stealthycow,I have slowed down on my replys but I like it when hearing about people who have a new intrest in vinyl.I would recomend buying a better cartridge such as a Grado silver or gold.Buy a record cleanig kit and don't put too much pressure on the vinyl and don't put your hands on the vinyl grooves.Handle the lps from the edge to the middle.You will find out other things along the way,and I hope you stick with vinyl along with your other listening components.Think about buying a better built TT also.

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by double LL /img/forum/go_quote.gif (...) I would recomend buying a better cartridge such as a Grado silver or gold. (...)

Yeah, right - U$200 carts for a toy turntable that costs < US$80 new and onto which these cartridges wouldn't even fit. Excellent recommendation... *cough*

Puzzled greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[double LL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, right - U$200 carts for a toy turntable that costs < US$80 new and onto which these cartridges wouldn't even fit. Excellent recommendation... *cough* Puzzled greetings from Munich! Manfred / lini

OK ,I assumed that this TTs tone arm will accept a standard half inch mount,and if it will accept the weight of the cartridge to where the correct tracking force is obtainable,this TT won't sound bad.If it only accepts P Mount cartridges ,I am sorry for the recomendation,but a higher priced P Mount wouldn't hurt either.What does it matter if the price of the cartridge outweighs the price of the TT?When this person decides to buy a better TT he or she can put the better cartridge on the improved TT.I don't know anything about that persons TT other than the fact that it is a modern TT that is on the low price scale and I did recomend a better TT,so "cough" right back at you there buddy.Greetings from the East Coast USA.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I think he should do what it takes to get it spinning vinyl. A careful setup will give decent results, even with modest gear.

Almost everyone starts with a modest rig and works up. If the OP enjoys this 'table, he will stick with vinyl. Getting people started is the important part.

 

[lini]

doubleLL: Aside from the fact that there also are P-Mount versions of the Grado Silver & Gold, the point is that an AT-PL50 is an absolute rock bottom entry level turntable (the only even worse option would be something like that: elta GmbH: Produktdetails 1237), which supports no other cartridge than the one that's already integrated into the fixed custom headshell and which also doesn't offer any adjustment possibilities. So nothing against the Grado Silver and Gold in general or against putting a comparatively expensive cartridge on a comparatively cheap turntable in general - but in the specific case of an AT-PL50 (and quite a few similar models of the same class, as mentioned above) it just makes no sense...

The links to the description and picture of the AT-PL50 on Amazon and to the manual were given above (although the latter didn't work for me), and I'd think that anyone who has at least a tad of experience with record players should be able to identify a "toy class turntable" at first sight. So I could only figure that you didn't even bother to waste one glance in order to check what the talk was about - hence my rather sarcastic reply...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini