Hi everyone. I just got a few old records that my parents used to play for use when we were kids. Im new to the turntable game. Id like to purchase a turntable and whatever else I would need to start playing records. Ill probably use bookshelf size speakers for now. Im not looking for anything really great or expensive but I do what them to sound nice. What turntables should I be looking at, and what else will I need to go with it?
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first turntable.
- Thread starter ryan_289
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Designdweeb
Super Member
Hi! Welcome.
So we can 'match' our suggestions to your situation, send us some basic info.
What equipment are you going to use with the tt? Brands and model numbers help.
What are your tastes in music?
How are your going to listen, some of us are more critical listeners than others.
What is your budget?
Do you want something to grow into, or something to keep forever, or a toe in the water to try it out?
To stretch your budget, is used OK?
Where are you located? The local members can be a big help!
So we can 'match' our suggestions to your situation, send us some basic info.
What equipment are you going to use with the tt? Brands and model numbers help.
What are your tastes in music?
How are your going to listen, some of us are more critical listeners than others.
What is your budget?
Do you want something to grow into, or something to keep forever, or a toe in the water to try it out?
To stretch your budget, is used OK?
Where are you located? The local members can be a big help!
Ok all I have right now is a Technics SA-5160 reciever. Ill have to buy everything I need. Yes i am plenty ok with used equipment. I figure thats the best way for me to keep the lowest budget and get some decent stuff. Im really looking to get something that sounds nice but mostly just trying to get started. Ive looked at some older pioneer turntables on ebay but I just dont have a clue!
bobaloniny
newt
Depending on where you are, I guess, may decide whether you would ebay, or check local classified(craigslist etc). If you were int he sticks ebay may be the way to go, but..if you were near a good sized town/city..then wouldnt mess with ebay( shipping charges, cant hear it cant see much of it..etc etc) as far as brands and models go we all have our preferences here but bang for the buckwise you should be able to find a technics sl-q2 or sl-d20 with a working cart for in the neighborhood of $50. These tables have an excellent rep for rocksteady speed, and they just keep going with very few maint issues, imho not the cutest of decks, but a good solid performer, and man they made millions of them.
Designdweeb
Super Member
Ebay shipping can be a big gamble, so if you can find something in good shape on CL or at a yard/garage/estate or church sale, you would be less likely to have a bad surprise.
That's not to say any TT would need at least a new stylus, or maybe new lube, or new connectors, or belt if it's a belt driven model.
Read a lot on these pages and on the other related sites. You can get an idea of what to avoid, or what to grab and run with, so you can see the differences between 'lowfi,' 'midfi' and 'hifi' levels of build quality.
When you see offerings listed on CL or somewhere, ask us to help you choose.
Have fun, too.
That's not to say any TT would need at least a new stylus, or maybe new lube, or new connectors, or belt if it's a belt driven model.
Read a lot on these pages and on the other related sites. You can get an idea of what to avoid, or what to grab and run with, so you can see the differences between 'lowfi,' 'midfi' and 'hifi' levels of build quality.
When you see offerings listed on CL or somewhere, ask us to help you choose.
Have fun, too.
sloober
Super Member
I'd say hit CL and garage sales. I do a search for turntable and record player in the general area. Sometimes they are listed in furniture. I have found 3 tables in the last year, and spen about 55 bucks. I got lucky and scored a HK ST-7. I may never want another TT as it is so good. John
hookem1969
New Member
I had way worse equipment when I was just a young lad and I still enjoyed the music. If you are on a tight budget, be patient and hit the garage sales like the advice that was given. And yes, CG is a great place to get locally.
I am just happy to see the new generation discovering what we had when were young. Our generation abanonded LP's for eight tracks,cassettes and cd's but now we are back again to really hear the music again!!
And yes all you need is some speakers and a TT to get started. Some midsize vintage Polk,JBL,Klipsch,Infintiy just to name a few, would serve you well.
There are other good brands out there so just look. And beware of the white van speakers. I have even seen these on CG. Just google any speaker that may catch your eye and there should be some info on them. Last, make sure that the rubber on the surrounds are in good shape, and be sure to test them before you buy if you can...
melofelo
Addicted Member
a humble pioneer pl12d or pl 512..will get you up and running for peanuts..
they tend to have few problems and are sturdily constructed..
add a decent budget cartridge for £25 or thereabouts and source a replacement belt if the original is stretched..
that will give you a pretty decent sounding entry level analog source for very little money..
with a few cheap(or free) tweaks..the sound wont be too shabby either...
I don't know anything about your receiver, but one of the first things you should do is verify that it has a phono input on it. Probably the easiest way to do this is to rotate through the input selector (the dial or knob or buttons that allow you to select what you want to play through your speakers) and make sure there's a selection that says "Phono" or something like that.
Unlike tape decks, tuners, or CD players, a turntable usually requires not only the standard left and right RCA-style plugs, but most require a grounding plug. This usually takes the form of a plastic thumb screw next to the phono inputs on the back of the receiver. Your turntable, along with the RCA-cables that allow you to get audio from the turntable into the receiver will also have a thin wire (usually with nothing special on the end of it) that you need to connect to that grounding terminal.
If your turntable doesn't have a phono input, you're not out of action, but you'll probably need to buy a phono pre-amp that will go between the turntable and whatever input you use on your receiver.
If there's anyone in the responders who knows his turntable, it'd be nice to know whether you know if this receiver has a phono input.
Unlike tape decks, tuners, or CD players, a turntable usually requires not only the standard left and right RCA-style plugs, but most require a grounding plug. This usually takes the form of a plastic thumb screw next to the phono inputs on the back of the receiver. Your turntable, along with the RCA-cables that allow you to get audio from the turntable into the receiver will also have a thin wire (usually with nothing special on the end of it) that you need to connect to that grounding terminal.
If your turntable doesn't have a phono input, you're not out of action, but you'll probably need to buy a phono pre-amp that will go between the turntable and whatever input you use on your receiver.
If there's anyone in the responders who knows his turntable, it'd be nice to know whether you know if this receiver has a phono input.
Okay. sorry Ryan. I should have Googled your receiver before I scared you with that previous posting. It looks like a vintage receiver, so you should be okay in terms of having a phono input.
Sorry if I confused you.
Just be sure to hook that grounding strap on your turntable to the grounding terminal on the back of the receiver or else you'll have a nasty hum playing through your speakers whenever you select the phono input.
Sorry if I confused you.
Just be sure to hook that grounding strap on your turntable to the grounding terminal on the back of the receiver or else you'll have a nasty hum playing through your speakers whenever you select the phono input.
bobaloniny
newt
seems receiver should be fine for whatever. As far as speakers..thats kinda touchy because thats the link to your ears. Best thing is to define what your budget is, and then maybe firure from there. One thing you should bear in mind is that 3 way is nice, but dont discount a good 2 way speaker, another thing is there are millions of minor names avail for cheap all over, and they are a big gamble actually for the 10 or 20 bucks, especially if you cant listen before buying. If you have to buy ears unheard, then should stick with trusted names, im sure you could find some earlier advents or AR for like 50 maybe less (but may need some work). Thing is as I said..come up with a budget number and tell us that, then Im sure we could come up with a bunch of likely candidates.
I was hoping to spend b/t $50-$75 on a turntable. (not sure if thats realistic or not) Thats what I noticed about ebay, there are plenty that go in that range but the shipping is way high. I havent started looking for speakers yet. I figure ill get the turntable first then concentrate on the speakers.
Way back in the day (in the late 70s) there was a company here in Michigan (and maybe in other midwestern states) called Tech HiFi. They had a great catalog, artfully put together), and in it, they said that if you wanted to, you could build your system incrementally so that you could focus on getting quality goods.
They said that, at a minimum, you could buy a good receiver and a pair of headphones and you'd be set to listen, at least, to FM.
When you consider your turntable price, don't forget that you may also need to get a cartridge. Early this year, I got a Shure M97Xe off Amazon for $45 (normally I think the price was about $160).
One other thing about the Tech HiFi catalog: they recommended spending half your budget on speakers. And a good portion on your cartridge. That's because that's where the most important things were going on. The cartridge converts the potential mechanical energy in the grooves in the vinyl to electrical energy to be amplified, and the speakers essentially do the inverse: convert the amplified electrical signal back into mechanical energy through the speakers' drivers.
Between them, those two elements, cartridge and speaker, will have the most impact on the quality of the sound your system produces (assuming you have a fundamentally sound turntable that's capable of maintaining a steady 33 1/3 rpm rate of revolution).
And, really, to judge speakers, the best thing to do is to go around to all your friends and listen to their systems. Try to determine which system sounds best to your ears (as I don't believe that there's an absolute standard by which you can "judge" speakers - eventually it boils down to personal preference). So, take the same recordings to all your friends' places, buy them some beer, and make them listen to your LPs so you can get a feel for what different systems sound like and what you like about those systems.
Then try to find speakers that sound like what you like.
See? It's all very easy.
They said that, at a minimum, you could buy a good receiver and a pair of headphones and you'd be set to listen, at least, to FM.
When you consider your turntable price, don't forget that you may also need to get a cartridge. Early this year, I got a Shure M97Xe off Amazon for $45 (normally I think the price was about $160).
One other thing about the Tech HiFi catalog: they recommended spending half your budget on speakers. And a good portion on your cartridge. That's because that's where the most important things were going on. The cartridge converts the potential mechanical energy in the grooves in the vinyl to electrical energy to be amplified, and the speakers essentially do the inverse: convert the amplified electrical signal back into mechanical energy through the speakers' drivers.
Between them, those two elements, cartridge and speaker, will have the most impact on the quality of the sound your system produces (assuming you have a fundamentally sound turntable that's capable of maintaining a steady 33 1/3 rpm rate of revolution).
And, really, to judge speakers, the best thing to do is to go around to all your friends and listen to their systems. Try to determine which system sounds best to your ears (as I don't believe that there's an absolute standard by which you can "judge" speakers - eventually it boils down to personal preference). So, take the same recordings to all your friends' places, buy them some beer, and make them listen to your LPs so you can get a feel for what different systems sound like and what you like about those systems.
Then try to find speakers that sound like what you like.
See? It's all very easy.
What about a Technics SL-1800? Found one of those on Craigslist the guy wants $80 for. Problem with Craigslist is that I live in a town of about 25000 ppl and all of the craigslist main pages are at least an hour away. This one I found is above Fayetville. The $80 dollars gets more expensive then!
The SL-1800 is a good table from around 1978. Its full manual which means you will have to place the stylus on the record and then, at the end, you will need to lift it off. No big problem with that. If its in good condition, that price is ok. Try to find out what cartridge it has.
I think Kermit Z makes an excellent point. You may want to get an auto turntable. Or at least a semi-auto turntable that will, after the disc finishes, pick up the arm and return it to its cradle.
Dirty Harry said that a man's gotta know his limitations, and I know my limitations require a full-auto turntable.
Dirty Harry said that a man's gotta know his limitations, and I know my limitations require a full-auto turntable.
