Want to start a vinyl rig, overwhelmed by information

[DBrim]

Most of my music that I listen to was made in the 60s-80s, and most was originally released on vinyl.

I want to start a vinyl rig, and somewhat cheap in case I don't like it. I'm almost positive that I will, though.

Here's a few considerations:

1. I'm in a tiny apartment and share a bedroom. This setup needs to be small.
2. I need storage. I need some sort of floor shelving (low profile so it doesn't fall over) to keep records in, and I want to put the turntable and whatever else I need on it. It needs to have as small a floor profile as possible.
3; I'm scared of setting it up, and there's some limitations to it. I know everybody says "go get a used turntable locally", but it's not that easy. Here's why:
* I don't have a car. If I went to a local thrift store I'd have to carry it back.
* I'm not sure if I want to go through the trouble of setting up a cartridge. I want this to be simple. I don't want to scare myself away with setup.



Anyhow, I need to know the correct workflow, too...

Turntable-->?-->Amp-->Headphones?

I have Denon AH-D2000 headphones, and a Corda Move that I don't really want to use for this rig.

I suppose I'd be willing to spend up to $500 or so for all of the components I need (inc. shelving).

Thanks in advance!

 

[robm321]

Get a turntable that comes with a cartridge. Set up is easy and the cartridge is matched with the table to avoid searching for a synergy match.

Pick up a phono preamp. They come as small as a remote control and can be had cheap.

That's it.

I loved the Music Hall MMF 7 starting out - very easy and sounded great, but I just looked it up and the prices have gone crazy. I think the lowest model is now beyond your budget. So, I'll let others recommend brands and models.

... oh and if you're feeling ambitious get yourself some decent interconnects (2 pair) - maybe get a DIYer around here to make them for you in order to fit in your budget.

And congratulations! If you stick with it you will definitely be rewarded.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Have you visited The Vinyl Anachronist yet? There's a lot to read, but you'll learn a lot. I remember a few years back, when I started getting serious about a deck, I was overwhelmed by the amount of choices and kept sliding around between a number of turntables that all seemed good. I managed to catch the flu around then, and used a couple of (legitimate) sick days to read all the Vinyl Anachronist columns.

Shortly after, I settled on a used Rega Planar 3 offered locally. That turned out to be a great choice. I loved it and passed it along to a friend when I upgraded. My friend is still running it and it's still dead solid and sounds great.

You might be able to find a Planar 3/P3 in your price range, but you'd be cutting it close. One advantage is that if you use Rega cartridges, they mount perfectly to Rega arms - no setup required. You can also (I think) cut out a lot of the alignment if you use a P-mount cartridge. I don't know too much about those, but someone here should and they'll comment on them. The Rega P1 is within your budget and comes with a cartridge, but I think that a used Planar 3/P3 is a better choice. An important part of the Rega sound comes from the glass platter. Also, the RB300 is one of the best arms available at any price. Further, there's a cottage industry of mods and upgrades for these decks. You can upgrade the subplatter, motor, counterweight, everything. I nearly went all out on my Planar 3, but the total cost of upgrades was about the same as a used Gyrodec I stumbled across, and I had really been wanting a suspended table. Anyhow, read up and pay attention to the other vinyl nuts here. There are several good paths to follow - the Rega is just one of them.

Having a good stand is important. If you have tools or access to some at school or with friends/family, you might want to take a crack at making your own. You can even rent tools from the Home Depot. It's not that difficult and you'll be able to get what you want. There are a number of plans and designs out there. If that interests you, let us know and you'll get recommendations. Also, some people have had success stacking Ikea tables on each other.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Having a good stand is important. If you have tools or access to some at school or with friends/family, you might want to take a crack at making your own. You can even rent tools from the Home Depot. It's not that difficult and you'll be able to get what you want. There are a number of plans and designs out there. If that interests you, let us know and you'll get recommendations. Also, some people have had success stacking Ikea tables on each other.

I built 2 of these. They are very easy with minimal parts... and most importantly sound as good as very expensive ones. Highly recommended!!

I built a version with foam in between 2 boards to minimize vibrations. You can see a picture if you click on my virtual setup in my signature (I still need to paint it)

 

[Bobsama]

From what I've heard, the Rega Planar 2 & Planar 3's are good. My uncle has a Planar 2 as a backup table. He uses a Grace RB-707 and Shure V15VMR with it. His primary table is a Pro-Ject 2 Xperience with Shure V15VxMR.

 

[DBrim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you visited The Vinyl Anachronist yet? There's a lot to read, but you'll learn a lot. I remember a few years back, when I started getting serious about a deck, I was overwhelmed by the amount of choices and kept sliding around between a number of turntables that all seemed good. I managed to catch the flu around then, and used a couple of (legitimate) sick days to read all the Vinyl Anachronist columns. Shortly after, I settled on a used Rega Planar 3 offered locally. That turned out to be a great choice. I loved it and passed it along to a friend when I upgraded. My friend is still running it and it's still dead solid and sounds great. You might be able to find a Planar 3/P3 in your price range, but you'd be cutting it close. One advantage is that if you use Rega cartridges, they mount perfectly to Rega arms - no setup required. You can also (I think) cut out a lot of the alignment if you use a P-mount cartridge. I don't know too much about those, but someone here should and they'll comment on them. The Rega P1 is within your budget and comes with a cartridge, but I think that a used Planar 3/P3 is a better choice. An important part of the Rega sound comes from the glass platter. Also, the RB300 is one of the best arms available at any price. Further, there's a cottage industry of mods and upgrades for these decks. You can upgrade the subplatter, motor, counterweight, everything. I nearly went all out on my Planar 3, but the total cost of upgrades was about the same as a used Gyrodec I stumbled across, and I had really been wanting a suspended table. Anyhow, read up and pay attention to the other vinyl nuts here. There are several good paths to follow - the Rega is just one of them. Having a good stand is important. If you have tools or access to some at school or with friends/family, you might want to take a crack at making your own. You can even rent tools from the Home Depot. It's not that difficult and you'll be able to get what you want. There are a number of plans and designs out there. If that interests you, let us know and you'll get recommendations. Also, some people have had success stacking Ikea tables on each other.

Thanks for the link. I've read the first seven articles and will continue to go through!

I have access to some tools at work (drill press, hacksaw, metal lathe), and can use those to help me make whatever kind of stand. The stand that robm321 posted looks pretty doable to make, but holding LPs on it would be difficult, which is something that I'd want to do.

If I buy something like a planar 3/p3, what other components would I have to buy other than the turntable/cartridge/arm?

 

[nwatts88]

Hi there. I have seen very small profile turntables and they are in the Pro-Ject RPM series. I've seen older RPM 4 units as well as recent RPM 5 tables on ebay for around your price bracket. Note that I don't own any of these, so I can't comment on their quality. I have the cheaper Debut 3 and am very pleased with its performance after a cartridge upgrade. This is the pro-ject site: Pro-Ject Audio Systems

 

[Catcher]

I know exactly how you feel. I bought a TT about 2 weeks ago and before buying it I felt overwhelmed. Its actually a lot easier than I thought though. I've seen second hand turntable stands that have a record storage space underneath. Apart from deck/arm/cartridge you need a phono stage. One of the Project or Rega starter decks actually has a phono stage built in but I wouldn't like to go down this route in case you wanted to upgrade later. It also means your getting less deck for your money.
I've noticed Thorens 160s go for ok money on ebay. Something like this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THORENS-TD-160...3A1|240%3A1318
I was very lucky, I posted my dilema on another forum and someone else who lived in London said he had a hardly used mint condition Linn Basik/Akito and he'd come round my flat and set it up for me all for £200! The arm alone was going for more than that on ebay.
Once you hear vinyl through your headphones you wont regret the trouble.
Good luck anyway. I am loving vinyl.

 

[DBrim]

I just filed my taxes and I'm getting a decent return for once. Basically this means we can round up on my budget by a bit... $500 is still my target but I can go higher if I need to.

Okay, so does that mean I need:

Turntable --> Phono Stage --> Amp? --> Headphones

Do I have that right? What about receivers, are those only for speakers?

Sorry for all of the endless questions.

 

[robm321]

Oh, I assumed you had an amp... yes, you have it right.

Receivers are essentially preamps and amps in one box, and they are mainly for speakers.

 

[DBrim]

I have a corda move but it does not seem well suited for a set-up like this. It's also not immune to GSM speaker buzz, which would drive me crazy.

So, I've seen a few recommendations for turntables (planar 3, Music Hall series - MMF 2.2? - which gets bonus points for coming with a cartridge and being available online, others?)

What about phono stages and amps? Budget still in mind, of course.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I started out with a NAD PP2 phono preamp. It sounded good and worked great, but went off to another member when I caught a bug telling me that I wanted tubes in my phono preamp. They run about $125, and you'll find reviews all over. It's on Stereophile's recommended component list, too. For inexpensive cartridges, I like the Grado Black and the Shure MX97E. Both offer a lot of performance for the money.

It sounds like you have all the tools you need to build your own stand. I think you should.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I tried looking around locally and couldnt find anything for a while. I had no clue what was what and didnt know anything about cart setup and stuff. I then decided to get a new Rega P1 in a local store and had the guy set it up for me. I have since learnt a few things, and have taken an active interest in sourcing used vinyl and record cleaning and trying stuff out.

I think its a great start since you can reap immediate benefits and can decide if you want to invest more time into vinyl after you get a chance to go through all the stuff you need to do to get it to sound decent. You also get to learn about the various components and do's and don't with a hands on approach. Cleaning and maintenance might seem like a chore, but if you see it as a hobby and a way to spend some time, its actually fun. I spent an hour trying to scrub and steam and vacuum three pink floyd records yesterday without a cleaning machine and could only marginally reduce the surface noise. But it was still worth it cos its atleast listenable now. But at the same time I found excellent copies of a few classic albums and its a great feeling to be able to listen to a 30-40 year old record free from pops and clicks.

If you are unsure about the whole thing and arent confident on setting stuff up yourself then I suggest you go the same route. If you are able to find an old turntable locally and think you can handle setup, give it a shot. I probably would've if I found anything other than a Magnavox turntable locally, I wasn't willing to go the ebay route for this. Oh and a new 540p will be here soon

 

[nycbone]

You can also find lots of useful info here:
Vinyl Engine | The Home of the Turntable

 

[powerslave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I started out with a NAD PP2 phono preamp. It sounded good and worked great, but went off to another member when I caught a bug telling me that I wanted tubes in my phono preamp. They run about $125, and you'll find reviews all over. It's on Stereophile's recommended component list, too. For inexpensive cartridges, I like the Grado Black and the Shure MX97E. Both offer a lot of performance for the money. It sounds like you have all the tools you need to build your own stand. I think you should.

I second the PP2, works really well and there are currently 2 on ebay bidding right now, 1 in the $30 range right now.