[EhJayKim]

Hey,

I mostly lurk these forums...

anyway, I started listening to Vinyl in the music library at my school and I realized it's really fun. At least for me, it's a totally different experience than CD's, DAP's, etc. So I was thinking that I kind of want to buy a record player, but do you guys think it's worth it? I don't have much money to spend right now and I do have access to a few players as it is. I have read most of the threads on here about getting into vinyl and I'm not looking for something expensive that is going to sound as good as my CD set up (I would want to spend 100 or less).

Would I be best off just keeping an eye out for something good on craig's list or in a thrift shop and if something does come up then get it...but if not, then it doesn't really matter?

Thanks,
A

 

[infinitesymphony]

Keep an eye out for good deals, save your money, and meanwhile enjoy the vinyl at the library.

 

[Thermionic]

Big, big subject this, to play records properly you probably need a budget about ten to twenty times more than the figure you mentioned.

But you could put together some old / vintage stuff for possibly $100 that might at least give you a taste of what playing records was / is like.

When I was at school I only had pocket money to spend, and my new Acos crystal cartridge that I just paid £2.50 for looked pretty sick to in comparison to an Ortofon magnetic at ten times the price. But that Acos cartridge in a cheap Garrard auto changer sounded OK. And you know, now some forty years later I rather miss the admittedly rather raw sound of crystal cartridge, small valve amp and single 8 Inch speaker in a bass reflex box.

If you have some practical skills (or develop them) you are ahead. There are loads of old record decks about in varying condition. Perhaps you could find something like a Garrard Lab 80 or similar, they made lots of different models. I only mention the 80 as it was something I really wanted when I was at school and it was reasonably well thought of at the time (this was in the heyday of LP records). The modern vinyl enthusiast will of course scoff as he/she has probably spent thousands on their modern esoteric bits and bobs. But if you approach this in a spirit of fun and are willing to learn and make the odd mistake along the way, you could probably put together something quite reasonable with your budget.

Read old Hi-Fi magazines and get a feel for what was once good. If and when you find a turntable or auto changer you probably will need to give it a bit of TLC (tender loving care) The main bearing and motor will probably need oiling and other things may need sorting out. Sowing machine oil or similar is OK, and if you have spent only a few dollars then it will not be a disaster if you can’t get the beast going properly. And you will have learn some valuable lessons for the next time. To state the obvious though: be very careful of any of the mains wiring and if in doubt get someone who does know what they are doing to check things over You will of course need a pick up cartridge with a stylus in good condition (the cartridge will probably come with the TT, you just need to find out what it is). Shure Bros made many a good mid range moving magnet cartridge. The M44E comes to mind or the much better though more delicate (and probably too delicate for an auto changer) M75E was well liked years ago. Something from Stanton might also fill the bill - say a 500A which is still available and cheap. The good thing about Sure and Stanton is that they are still very much in the cartridge business and will be able to supply new styluses for almost anything. I suppose you could look at one of the many 'DJ' or USB turntables around, but they are probably above your budget.

Next thing would be to find an amplifier with a headphone output and a ’magnetic cartridge’ input. This probably describes most amplifiers made in the 1970 and 80s. Tuner amplifiers are not liked and are very cheap (well at least over here). I bought a Yamaha for £40 some years ago, it was in near perfect condition and it still works well, looks good and would be probably just the sort of thing you might look for. It has two headphone outputs and I think about 50 Watts per channel for speakers, oh and the tuner is not bad either. Naturally these things are old and are living on borrowed time and such equipment should have all the electrolytic capacitors replaced. But this is something you could do once you have learnt about electronics in general and how to use a soldering iron.

My schoolboy interest in audio started a life-long interest in Hi-Fi and electronics and I became a radio amateur etc. Using a soldering iron to me is rather like using a knife and fork, as you don’t notice that you are using it. I of course make most of my cables, fix all of my equipment when it goes wrong, and people bring me their electronics to fix (which can be a nuisance at times!).

Just a few ideas, loads of people with have others, but good luck.

 

[lini]

EJK: 100 bucks are a rather tight budget, if you need everythings from table over phono pre-amp to accessories and replacement parts (e.g. record brush, replacement needle for the cartridge...), but it's doable. Of course, you can't really expect to get one of the sought after models in very good condition for below US$ 100, but there are lots of proper middle-class old- & youngtimers one can usually get for some 50 bucks. For example, there are loads of middle-class direct drive Technics tables like the SL-QD33, which do the job just fine. Models like this are also pretty safe to get via ebay, 'cause they don't require a lot of transport precautions and are pretty tough as well as not very heavy - which all helps to minimize the chances of arrival in bits and pieces... Cartridge-mounting is T4P/P-Mount which really was a good plug & play approach and is very convenient especially for beginners, as one doesn't need to know a lot about adjustment and the only tool required is a small screwdriver...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Sarchi]

I agree. Best bet would be to score an older Thorens 'table, put a new Ortofon or Grado cartridge on it, and build a budget MM stage like the Bugle. But I can't see doing all that for under $250.

 

[socrates63]

As lini said, $100 probably won't be enough if you need to buy other stuff (e.g., phono preamp) in addition to the turntable. Budget vinyl cleaning supplies will also set you back $20 and up. At least, get a record brush.

Having said that, you can get a good sounding vintage turntable on the cheap. I paid under $50 for mine on craigslist. Getting a vintage receiver with a built-in phono preamp may also save you money over getting a new phono preamp.

Check out memepool's Low Budget Vinyl Source thread for a list of recommendations.

 

[LFF]

Vinyl is an expensive hobby but very rewarding.

If your budget is tight, I suggest your hunt down vintage equipment. Avoid EBAY!!!! Ask your family members if they saved any of those "old" turntables. In most cases you can get one for free.

The only thing you would have to buy would be a new cartridge. I would suggest a Shure or ATMLa440. That would run you about $60 - $100.00 depending upon where you get it.

You can make an LP cleaning brush out of some velvet and some DIY cleaning fluid for cleaning old dirty records. If you really want to make them spick and span then you make a DIY record cleaner.

You could have a nice entry level set-up including a cleaning machine without spending upwards of $200.00.

Ask your relatives, go to salvation army stores, go to goodwills, go to flea markets and swapmeets. You'd be surprised what you can buy for a few bucks.

 

[EhJayKim]

Thanks for the help...I'll be keeping an eye out. And thanks for the memepool thread.

-A

 

[jellybones]

I'm selling my entire rig if you want to buy everything together..hassle free.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/ro...sories-269276/

 

[Uncle Erik]

First off, yes, you should absolutely get into vinyl.

$100 can do. Check out Craigslist and your local thrift/junk stores. You might be able to find a deck for cheap or free. A tip: gather up a bunch of old clothes/etc. and donate them at the local thrift. Then give the manager a piece of paper with your name, number and a note saying that you're looking for a record player. You will get a call sooner or later. Also, do a little homework into the manufacturers and various rigs - you'll want to be able to recognize a good one when you spot it.

Check out garage and estate sales. A lot of times, record players will get put out for cheap. Probably not high-end stuff, but you can find something decent.

Sleuth around for old TV/electronic repair places and old independent eletronics sales places. Go in and ask if they might have an old turntable in the back. Sometimes they do and might even give it to you as "junk."

Once you have a deck, here are a couple of resources:

Garage 'A Records: Phonograph Cartridges and Needles, Record and Vinyl Accessories, Turntable Parts and Accessories and More!
Needle Doctor

Garage-a-Records has lots of budget stuff to get you going and the Needledoctor has cartridges for just about anything.

You'll also need a phono stage. Instead of a standalone unit, use the same sources to get a big, heavy old receiver from the 60s through the early 80s, before CDs were released. Again, familiarize yourself with the brands. (More info here: Tuner Information Center - Vintage Stereo Tuners) These can also be had for cheap or free and virtually all of them come with a built in phono stage, often a very good one. Some of the old receivers have nice headphone output, as well.

You don't really need to buy anything for cleaning records. You can make your own pad out of velvet and concoct a cleaning fluid from handsoap, or various recipes on the Internet. After I gently scrub, I give it a good blast with the sprayer in the sink and pat dry with a lint-free old t-shirt I keep specifically for records. Haven't damaged a record yet and they all benefit from a cleaning.

Good luck and get into vinyl. You'll love it.

 

[double LL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EhJayKim /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, I mostly lurk these forums... anyway, I started listening to Vinyl in the music library at my school and I realized it's really fun. At least for me, it's a totally different experience than CD's, DAP's, etc. So I was thinking that I kind of want to buy a record player, but do you guys think it's worth it? I don't have much money to spend right now and I do have access to a few players as it is. I have read most of the threads on here about getting into vinyl and I'm not looking for something expensive that is going to sound as good as my CD set up (I would want to spend 100 or less). Would I be best off just keeping an eye out for something good on craig's list or in a thrift shop and if something does come up then get it...but if not, then it doesn't really matter? Thanks, A

Vinyl is making a small incremental comeback every year.When I was 20 years old back in 1983 I heard about the first cd players that were coming out.I thought this is it for vinyl and that was that,but I was wrong.The sound from a high quality LP on a quality TT will match or beat a cd .There's always pros and cons on both sides,and cds have the advatage because there are no clicks and pops unless the cd has a deep scratch.The vinyl has the advatage because of the natural sound it seems to have.The best way to make a comparison between vinyl and cds would be to look at a great hand painted picture and a high resolute photographed copy of that picture.The real thing always seems better,being that a needle riding on vinyl seems more natural than a laser picking up info from a cd.So go ahead and keep the turntables spinning,and the artist will keep their brushes moving.Double LL