TURNTABLE SETUP Questions thread - don't start a new thread, ASK YOUR QUESTION HERE!

[yeahx]

  Record weight ash trays! I'm stealing this idea and marketing it to the hipster Crosley crowd!

Do pipes require ashtrays though?

 

[Anavel0]

Do pipes require ashtrays though?

Water bong record weights! This man is a genius!

(I'm done, I promise)

 

[yeahx]

Water bong record weights! This man is a genius!

(I'm done, I promise)

I was talking about this.
 


Okay enough of that. Back to questions about the record playing. Those VNYL subscribers probably have a lot of them.

 

[penmarker]

So I managed to snag a Daft Punk - Discovery vinyl today for my new Rega RP-1 table since I left my records at my hometown. The only other record I have here is a used Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly. I intend to test the table out using a new record as opposed to a used one that crackles and pops like firecrackers.
 
At first it sounded ok being played through my small speakers. I plugged in my headphones and was quite surprised as to how bad the turntable is compared to my old direct drive table. Considering the price is almost triple than what I had paid for the Marlux MX-86. Soundstage is very closed in, and the motor rumble is pretty loud 

 it sounds like you're inside an aeroplane during quiet passages. Then there's also the humming/buzzing but I gotta admit that's probably my wiring.
 
I did fix the grounding in the RB100 tonearm. The counterweight snub has a plastic end cap and the ground terminal is wedged between the snub and end cap. Somehow it got disloged and after repositioning it the humming reduced.
 
But then again, the Marlux did get a new AT440MLa, and the Rega RP-1 only has a Rega Carbon.

 

[BLACKENEDPLAGUE]

 
I was talking about this.
 


Okay enough of that. Back to questions about the record playing. Those VNYL subscribers probably have a lot of them.

 
Weed in a corncob
 

 

[DarthFader]

I just stumbled across this thread and I'm glad I did. Very informative.
 
Vinyl is far from my forte. I have an older turntable but it doesn't blow me away in terms of sound quality. I usually am listening to 24/96 lossless or higher. I'm wondering, as of mid-2015, what's a reasonable amount someone would need to spend to get a great sounding turntable that can go toe to toe with high-resolution digital? (If this has already been answered recently, point me to the location.)

 

[analogsurviver]

  I just stumbled across this thread and I'm glad I did. Very informative.
 
Vinyl is far from my forte. I have an older turntable but it doesn't blow me away in terms of sound quality. I usually am listening to 24/96 lossless or higher. I'm wondering, as of mid-2015, what's a reasonable amount someone would need to spend to get a great sounding turntable that can go toe to toe with high-resolution digital? (If this has already been answered recently, point me to the location.)

Please state your budget range. Although analog turntable can subjectively compete with hirez, below certain amount of money it is wiser to stick with digital - unless in the possession of  large vinyl library. 

 

[DarthFader]

  Please state your budget range. Although analog turntable can subjectively compete with hirez, below certain amount of money it is wiser to stick with digital - unless in the possession of  large vinyl library. 

$500 - $1500 (USD)

 

[analogsurviver]

 
$500 - $1500 (USD)

Unfortunately, this is THE most iffy territory for your purpose. If we are talking new equipment, comparable to hirez is more expensive. I will sleep it over and see what possibly could be put together for this amount - but closer to the upper price limit. 0:42 AM here ...

 

[DarthFader]

  Unfortunately, this is THE most iffy territory for your purpose. If we are talking new equipment, comparable to hirez is more expensive. I will sleep it over and see what possibly could be put together for this amount - but closer to the upper price limit. 0:42 AM here ...

Thanks, I appreciate it!

 

[rmullins08]

There are some nice value products in that range though.  VPI Nomad/Scout Jr./Traveler, Rega RP3, Music Hall MMF7.1

 

[analogsurviver]

  There are some nice value products in that range though.  VPI Nomad/Scout Jr./Traveler, Rega RP3, Music Hall MMF7.1

There are very few cartridges (alone, without the table and arm ) within this budget being capable of kind of keeping pace with good hirez.
 
It is wishful thinking putting on the above mentioned tables say Ortofon Red ( to stay within the budget) and hoping the combination will cut it relative to the expectations.
 
There is another aspect that needs to be mentioned. Record cleaning. After listening to what ultrasound cleaning does for the sound, I consider it Requirement #1. Even in DIY, it will set you back some 500 $/EUR. Any vacuum RCM is an interim solution and a sidestep in comparison.

 

[rmullins08]

I probably should have caveat-ed my post by saying the only vinyl setup I have listened to is my own.  It sounds outstanding to me, but without trying anything on the higher end I haven't had the feeling that I am missing out on sound quality.  What my ears haven't heard, the less likely I am to crush my wallet.
 
Completely agree regarding a RCM.  I have an ultrasonic setup that from a kit I found (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultrasonic-Vinyl-Record-Cleaning-Kit-Vinyl-Stack-ULTRA-Sonic-Spin-Kit-/161402849405?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25945c087d) that has made a huge improvement.

 

[DarthFader]

  There are very few cartridges (alone, without the table and arm ) within this budget being capable of kind of keeping pace with good hirez.
 
It is wishful thinking putting on the above mentioned tables say Ortofon Red ( to stay within the budget) and hoping the combination will cut it relative to the expectations.
 
There is another aspect that needs to be mentioned. Record cleaning. After listening to what ultrasound cleaning does for the sound, I consider it Requirement #1. Even in DIY, it will set you back some 500 $/EUR. Any vacuum RCM is an interim solution and a sidestep in comparison.

I appreciate this honest response. It's refreshing to see someone acknowledging that merely having a turntable won't magically sound better than a high quality digital set-up.
 
I have a related question: setting aside a cleaning device, what's the single most important factor for achieving great sound quality out of a turntable. I'm guessing it's the cartridge but curious to hear if that's true. Does it make any since just to sink all of my money into a major cartridge upgrade of my existing, low-cost turntable?

 

[Shaffer]

I appreciate this honest response. It's refreshing to see someone acknowledging that merely having a turntable won't magically sound better than a high quality digital set-up.

I have a related question: setting aside a cleaning device, what's the single most important factor for achieving great sound quality out of a turntable. I'm guessing it's the cartridge but curious to hear if that's true. Does it make any since just to sink all of my money into a major cartridge upgrade of my existing, low-cost turntable?

I know that it seems counter-intuitive at first, the cart is the least important part of the system. Think of the analog rig as a vibration reader, as that's essentially what it is. The cart has no way of knowing whether the vibration it's transmitting is driven by the noise of the motor, sticky bearing(s), the grooves on a side of a LP, airborne vibrations, and any number of other factors that excite the 'table.

No, a turntable won't automatically sound better than a CD player. There's enough variance in setup skill, alone, to make it into an absurd notion regardless of direction. Then, when we consider the actual hardware, the better of which is made to tolerances on the nano-level, and folks here are typically dealing with entry-level models saddled with multiple negative constraints, the odds of the LP sounding better decreases exponentially.