[heidimilk]

OP,
This an excellent and affordable time to get into vinyl.

Manufacturers are making easy-to-set-up TTs these days, specifically targeting consumers such as yourself.

But you hav to do the research (whats à cartridge?-lol )

1. Check out the TTs by VPI, MoFi, and maybe others like Pro-ject. They are great entry level (but are advanced- now in their 2nd/3rd generation) but ALSO INCLUDE a built-in phonostage/phono preAmp AND headphone OUT with volume control. For around a $ grand or less.
Also Check out websites: MusicDirect, Soundstage.com, AcousticSounds.com, AudioAdvisor, etc.

2. If u get a regular TT without a built-in phonostage or HP out, you also have good options.
A. Schiit Lyr 3 is a 1 tube amp for about $400 that you can put a DAC module in, AND a phonostage module. AND it already has a HP out.
B. See similar products via search. Again, at the websites above.
C. E.g., see the MicroMega (eg, MyDAC ) products and iFi products, both excellent manufacturers for their budget prices. Similar to Schiit.

You are all set our Swiss friend, just do the research and pull the trigger !
And let us know what you decide.

Hello There!

I don't want to buy a single unit, I'll just spare some money again and wait until I get a nice mid-range setup.
What do you think about the Thorens TD-170 with a 2M red cartridge and a Pro-Ject Phono Box S2?

As for now I am really unsure what Amp to get,
I can't import anything, so many amps fall of the list of possible ones.
Are amps like the Yamaha A-S301 any good, or is it advisable to get an amp for the HP's separately?

Hope you can help me and thanks in advance!

Edit: are speakers even worth it?

 

[fotomeow]

Thorens have a great reputation.

Many people still seek out the vintage Thorens from the 70s and 80s. They are classics in the US. I don’t know about the modern quality of Thorens-probably good, but IMO I would research them first.

The Ortofon Red cartridge it comes with has gotten a lot of +++ reviews. But remember, it’s only a $100 cartridge. I had a Red, and then bought the Blue. IMO, get the Blue and forget about the Red. Everything is better on the Blue, huge difference. If you are spending $750 on a TT, then you should plan to spend a little more on your cartridge to easily and significantly improve sound.

The Pro-Ject S2 has a lot of functions and is quite affordable for $399. It looks good for entry-level. But once you can upgrade, try to get “separates”, separate DAC, separate phonostage, etc- the quality will be better.

This system will get you going. Keep in mind how to balance the costs of the equipment. Eg, IMO, I would spend a little less on the TT ($500), get a good/better cartridge, spend a little more on DAC/phonostage ($600).

The goal is to have a BALANCED system In terms of the amount of money you spend in the quality of the products. For example, the Project does two or three things, not just one thing. And the more functions that are put in a device, the less quality each of those functions have.

An extreme example, Just to illustrate my point, would be buying a $5000 turntable and only spending $1000 on the phone on stage and deck. The sound quality would “bottleneck” and be reduced as the signal travels from the turntable to the phonostage stage. In which case we just wasted $5000 on a turntable.

consider the entry level Pro-Ject TTs
They have been making them for years and are an excellent value for under $400. That would also free up some money for a better cartridge and have more balance with the sound quality of your system from one component to another.

The Pro-Ject TT would have good synergy with the DS2 you like. Mixing and matching components is fun, but not the best and easiest way to get good sound, therefore it might be best to stay with one brand as you start using TTs.

 

[heidimilk]

Thorens have a great reputation.

Many people still seek out the vintage Thorens from the 70s and 80s. They are classics in the US. I don’t know about the modern quality of Thorens-probably good, but IMO I would research them first.

The Ortofon Red cartridge it comes with has gotten a lot of +++ reviews. But remember, it’s only a $100 cartridge. I had a Red, and then bought the Blue. IMO, get the Blue and forget about the Red. Everything is better on the Blue, huge difference. If you are spending $750 on a TT, then you should plan to spend a little more on your cartridge to easily and significantly improve sound.

The Pro-Ject S2 has a lot of functions and is quite affordable for $399. It looks good for entry-level. But once you can upgrade, try to get “separates”, separate DAC, separate phonostage, etc- the quality will be better.

This system will get you going. Keep in mind how to balance the costs of the equipment. Eg, IMO, I would spend a little less on the TT ($500), get a good/better cartridge, spend a little more on DAC/phonostage ($600).

The goal is to have a BALANCED system In terms of the amount of money you spend in the quality of the products. For example, the Project does two or three things, not just one thing. And the more functions that are put in a device, the less quality each of those functions have.

An extreme example, Just to illustrate my point, would be buying a $5000 turntable and only spending $1000 on the phone on stage and deck. The sound quality would “bottleneck” and be reduced as the signal travels from the turntable to the phonostage stage. In which case we just wasted $5000 on a turntable.

consider the entry level Pro-Ject TTs
They have been making them for years and are an excellent value for under $400. That would also free up some money for a better cartridge and have more balance with the sound quality of your system from one component to another.

The Pro-Ject TT would have good synergy with the DS2 you like. Mixing and matching components is fun, but not the best and easiest way to get good sound, therefore it might be best to stay with one brand as you start using TTs.

Good point on getting a balanced system.
I guess I'll spend some more time on research the next few weeks to really find something good that works well together.
Have a nice evening and greetings from Switzerland!

 

[heidimilk]

how can I delete this message?

 

[heidimilk]

The Ortofon Red cartridge it comes with has gotten a lot of +++ reviews. But remember, it’s only a $100 cartridge. I had a Red, and then bought the Blue. IMO, get the Blue and forget about the Red. Everything is better on the Blue, huge difference. If you are spending $750 on a TT, then you should plan to spend a little more on your cartridge to easily and significantly improve sound.

I'm thinking about buying the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB (with the red one already attached).
Do you think it is worth it to directly buy the blue one, or is it something I can look forward to for a future upgrade?

 

[fotomeow]

The Debut Carbon is a worthy player and a good choice. Their Debut line has been very successful for Pro-Ject, and you can often find them on sale.

IMO, I would just go for the Blue cartridge. Or use the Red for a little while, then upgrade -if you have the patience (but I dont!). It would be hard for me to use the Red since I know the Blue is 2-3 times better.

Changing your cartridge is the most economical way to improve sound at this budget level. In the US we say that “crap runs downhill”. In this case, meaning that since the needle and cartridge are largely determining your sound quality (SQ) since they are at the “top” of the sound hill, and your HPs are at the bottom. Use a crap cartridge and you will hear crap. Use a good cartridge and you will have good SQ, generally speaking.

Remember, the SQ only deteriorates or changes as it passes from one component to another to your ears. SQ does not get better as it travels to your ears. So you want your source to be as clean and clear as the rest of your equipment in the chain. That is the “balancing” of equipment that I was talking about.

 

[UntilThen]

I'm enjoying both vinyl and digital with my Rega Rp8 with Apheta cartridge and Yggdrasil dac.... but vinyl has that something special when I do sit down and play my mint LPs.

 

[heidimilk]

The Debut Carbon is a worthy player and a good choice. Their Debut line has been very successful for Pro-Ject, and you can often find them on sale.

IMO, I would just go for the Blue cartridge. Or use the Red for a little while, then upgrade -if you have the patience (but I dont!). It would be hard for me to use the Red since I know the Blue is 2-3 times better.

Changing your cartridge is the most economical way to improve sound at this budget level. In the US we say that “**** runs downhill”. In this case, meaning that since the needle and cartridge are largely determining your sound quality (SQ) since they are at the “top” of the sound hill, and your HPs are at the bottom. Use a **** cartridge and you will hear ****. Use a good cartridge and you will have good SQ, generally speaking.

Remember, the SQ only deteriorates or changes as it passes from one component to another to your ears. SQ does not get better as it travels to your ears. So you want your source to be as clean and clear as the rest of your equipment in the chain. That is the “balancing” of equipment that I was talking about.

I'm probably going to buy the blue one directly and sell the red one. Do I only have to change the stylus or the whole cartridge?

 

[heidimilk]

I'm enjoying both vinyl and digital with my Rega Rp8 with Apheta cartridge and Yggdrasil dac.... but vinyl has that something special when I do sit down and play my mint LPs.

That setup is a bit out of my pricerange, as I also need to buy some good HP's. But I am really happy that there are so many people enjoying vinyl here. I think it's a bit like a Grand Piano vs a Digital one. Of course you have to tune the grand every 6 months, but It's totally worth it when you then play on it.
Greetings!

 

[fotomeow]

I'm enjoying both vinyl and digital with my Rega Rp8 with Apheta cartridge and Yggdrasil dac.... but vinyl has that something special when I do sit down and play my mint LPs.

2 general aspects of vinyl that I like mentallyand sonically. The fact that sound from vinyl is a purely mechanical process.
Super mini vibes that the needle picks up from the microscopic LP grooves. No digital 1s and 0s. No DAC, no 16/44, MP3, 24/192, or DSD or upsampling/downsampling to worry abou or waste the precious brainwaves that I have left in my skull.
And vinyl DEMANDS your attention, keeps me “in the present” cuz I know in 20 minutes I’ve got to flip the disc.just makes me appreciate it more

I'm probably going to buy the blue one directly and sell the red one. Do I only have to change the stylus or the whole cartridge?

Change the whole cartridge. It shouldn’t be difficult compared to TTs costing over $1000, which are more technical.
FYI, you can just change the needle in cartridges, but the cartridge itself is engineered for best sound at that price level. Eg, the needle is not the only thing that determines SQ, it’s the cartridge too: type of material, weight, mass, density, etc

That setup is a bit out of my pricerange, as I also need to buy some good HP's. But I am really happy that there are so many people enjoying vinyl here. I think it's a bit like a Grand Piano vs a Digital one. Of course you have to tune the grand every 6 months, but It's totally worth it when you then play on it.
Greetings!

Ya, there is a learning curve with vinyl and all its equipment, science, accessories to tweak. And it’s good fun!

 

[heidimilk]

2 general aspects of vinyl that I like mentallyand sonically. The fact that sound from vinyl is a purely mechanical process.
Super mini vibes that the needle picks up from the microscopic LP grooves. No digital 1s and 0s. No DAC, no 16/44, MP3, 24/192, or DSD or upsampling/downsampling to worry abou or waste the precious brainwaves that I have left in my skull.
And vinyl DEMANDS your attention, keeps me “in the present” cuz I know in 20 minutes I’ve got to flip the disc.just makes me appreciate it more


Change the whole cartridge. It shouldn’t be difficult compared to TTs costing over $1000, which are more technical.
FYI, you can just change the needle in cartridges, but the cartridge itself is engineered for best sound at that price level. Eg, the needle is not the only thing that determines SQ, it’s the cartridge too: type of material, weight, mass, density, etc


Ya, there is a learning curve with vinyl and all its equipment, science, accessories to tweak. And it’s good fun!

Thank you very much for all the nice and helpful advices!

 

[fotomeow]

Cool.
You probably know in the US that LPs , TTs, have become big business once again.
Sales in the Billions of dollars. Refurbishing old LP-making plants, etc.
but you mentioned or implied that vinyl is not as big in Switzerland or Europe,

Is that right? Curious about the vinyl culture there.

 

[heidimilk]

Cool.
You probably know in the US that LPs , TTs, have become big business once again.
Sales in the Billions of dollars. Refurbishing old LP-making plants, etc.
but you mentioned or implied that vinyl is not as big in Switzerland or Europe,

Is that right? Curious about the vinyl culture there.

It's not really big here as the people don't have time for such a hobby (and many, especially young people, don't have the attention span to really listen to music).
But I think it'll come again, just think about what would happen if electricity was gone. Records would be the only playable medium...
Do you think it is better to spend 800.- on HP's and 200.- on speakers or reversed (I feel like I can get more if I go for HP's)?

 

[serman005]

Are you looking for open or closed headphones?

 

[heidimilk]

Are you looking for open or closed headphones?

Open, and with rather relaxed sound.(recessed highs). My budged is max. 1000.- if I don't buy speakers with it.
I thought of the LCD2Cs but I am not completely sure.