So, record players...

[dajahew1]

By the way, I have two turntables (nothing flashy, a PL-340 and a Philips hifi) and there's this record which the hifi will play all right but which gets always stuck on any groove on the Pioneer. By "stuck on any groove" I mean that it's not the usual faulty bit of record, rather the needle gets stuck on whatever groove you place it on - even the empty ones at the beginning. The disc itself seems to be in good shape, so why could this be?

The tracking force on the tonearm might be too low. I'd suggest you avoid this turntable, as having an extremely light tracking force can damage your vinyl. If you can adjust it, do so and see if it fixes the problem.

[mono]

Thanks a lot! The arm can be adjusted, so I'll check that!

[mono]

By the way, I have two turntables (nothing flashy, a PL-340 and a Philips hifi) and there's this record which the hifi will play all right but which gets always stuck on any groove on the Pioneer. By "stuck on any groove" I mean that it's not the usual faulty bit of record, rather the needle gets stuck on whatever groove you place it on - even the empty ones at the beginning. The disc itself seems to be in good shape, so why could this be?

The tracking force on the tonearm might be too low. I'd suggest you avoid this turntable, as having an extremely light tracking force can damage your vinyl. If you can adjust it, do so and see if it fixes the problem.

Hmmm... it looks like it'll track fine at 1,5 tracking force, except for this record, which plays only with the arm set to 4. I'm beginning to think it must be badly warped, but it does look fine... I guess I'll have to hunt another copy down... Thanks a lot!

[dajahew1]

Can the cheaper players do any harm to treasured vinyl?

It really depends on what turntable you have and if the tracking force can be adjusted. If you have a turntable that looks like this:



...then I'd be worried. You can't adjust the tracking force with these turntables so they could be putting as much as 5 grams of tracking pressure on your records which will trash them pretty quickly.

If your turntable looks like this:



...then you should be fine, provided you adjust your tracking force to a decent value. It depends on what cartridge you have, but if you don't know your recommended weight then I'd aim for 1.5 - 2.5 grams.

The reason tracking force is important is because a force that is too high can damage the grooves in the record, but having it too low can also do just as much damage - if it's too low then your stylus will "bounce" around in the groove, damaging the groove wall. Typically, cheapo turntables have a tracking force that is too high.

I paid £120 for my turntable - it gives me the basics (adjustable counterweight and anti-skate) and means I have the peace of mind that I'm not damaging my records.

[noby]

...then you should be fine, provided you adjust your tracking force to a decent value. It depends on what cartridge you have, but if you don't know your recommended weight then I'd aim for 1.5 - 2.5 grams.

You should always look up this value, since it's definitely available. Running higher than the carts' specs say already isn't good for the records, and also a lot worse for the cart itself too. I have my AT-120e at about 1.75 grams, which is at the upper end of its range (1.5-1.8 iirc). If you really can't find those specs anywhere, then put it as low as possible so that it sounds good.

[Aerial Boundaries]

I'm planing on getting a Stanton T-52 for roughly £130. This is what it looks like:



What do you guys think?

It looks basically like a modern ripoff of the Technics 1200 in terms of its layout, though it is belt-driven.

Bear in mind, this is for listening purposes, not DJing.

Anyone got experience with Stanton?

[noby]

@Aerial Boundaries: Well... it doesn't look terrible but not very good either. Then again I don't know the specs but it looks very plastic and not very good build quality (and I doubt it comes with a good cartridge).

Here's some better entry-level ones to consider:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PRJ-22956-Essen ... 003IZX92U/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PROJECT-DEBUT-3 ... 005777XC4/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PROJECT-DEBUT-C ... B00843A8HK (2M Red is a good cart)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technica-ATLP12 ... 00BIIRT98/

[hexagon son]

Can the cheaper players do any harm to treasured vinyl?

It really depends on what turntable you have and if the tracking force can be adjusted. If you have a turntable that looks like this:



...then I'd be worried. You can't adjust the tracking force with these turntables so they could be putting as much as 5 grams of tracking pressure on your records which will trash them pretty quickly.

If your turntable looks like this:



...then you should be fine, provided you adjust your tracking force to a decent value. It depends on what cartridge you have, but if you don't know your recommended weight then I'd aim for 1.5 - 2.5 grams.

The reason tracking force is important is because a force that is too high can damage the grooves in the record, but having it too low can also do just as much damage - if it's too low then your stylus will "bounce" around in the groove, damaging the groove wall. Typically, cheapo turntables have a tracking force that is too high.

I paid £120 for my turntable - it gives me the basics (adjustable counterweight and anti-skate) and means I have the peace of mind that I'm not damaging my records.

QFT! I endorse this message. There is a debate about high end turntables and hi-fi's regarding playback quality though. DD creates more background noise but is more accurate, bu belt drive give a a cleaner sound but is not as accurate with playback. I'd go with the SL IMHO.

[hexagon son]

Also, just for vynil nobbs, I think the the anti-skate function needs to be explained more thouroughly. Most people dont know its purpose.

[noby]

DD creates more background noise but is more accurate, bu belt drive give a a cleaner sound but is not as accurate with playback. I'd go with the SL IMHO.

That completely depends on how the direct-driven mechanics work. The SL-1200 for an example afaik* does it with magnetic force, so there's no direct contact between the the motor and the platter, so there's absolutely minimal rumble from the motor. Yes, even less than belt-driven TTs. I can't hear a thing from my MK2.

(* no source I've found explains this in in detail, but that's how I've understood it)

[hexagon son]

DD creates more background noise but is more accurate, bu belt drive give a a cleaner sound but is not as accurate with playback. I'd go with the SL IMHO.

That completely depends on how the direct-driven mechanics work. The SL-1200 for an example afaik* does it with magnetic force, so there's no direct contact between the the motor and the platter, so there's absolutely minimal rumble from the motor. Yes, even less than belt-driven TTs. I can't hear a thing from my MK2.

(* no source I've found explains this in in detail, but that's how I've understood it)

I will agree generally but I was kind of referring to set ups that cost more that $10,000.

[Ottomatik]

I'd like to buy a Pro-Ject Debut turntable (the cheapest one) but I don't know that much about vinyl and I heard that a preamplifier is absolutely necessary. Is it true? Which ones do you recommend?

[WeHadNormality]

I'd like to buy a Pro-Ject Debut turntable (the cheapest one) but I don't know that much about vinyl and I heard that a preamplifier is absolutely necessary. Is it true? Which ones do you recommend?

You'll have to use a mixer or an amplifier with a 'phono' setting on it.

[ChipSuey]

Now this is my kinda thread.

Here's a TT I've been keeping my eye on for a while now, for anyone looking for an audiophile quality product on a Crossley budget: http://www.uturnaudio.com/. I've been waiting on reviews of it, because I'm not actually sure if it's even shipped yet (they used kickstarter to fund it, more than met their goal, but had some sourcing/manufacturing delays, which can be expected with this type of thing).

But they're asking 150$ for it, which is more than reasonable. It's a fully manual TT (no auto return) and comes with an Ortofon Omega cartridge (I have that exact one on my own TT, it's damn good for 30$).

So if you're in the market, I'd recommend checking them out.

Oh, and for the record I've got an Onkyo TT from the mid-80's (I can't remember the model number)-it's a direct drive/auto return model, and it's served me well for a good while now. I run it through a Yamaha pre that a buddy gave me. I used to have a Marantz solid state pre (with the glowing blue lights!) but the speaker outs blew out so it was basically just taking up space. I'm sure I could have gotten it repaired, but I just gave it to my electronic wizard buddy and told him to have fun.

[futureling]

I have the crappiest old Sony turntable ever. It plays everything about a half step slower than normal. Time for something new.

I actually used to buy two copies of treasured vinyl, one for play, and one to stay shrinkwrapped. Kinda dumb move.

[Morti_Viventear]

Avoid ceramic stylus and preamplified turntables by any mean (Crosley, Ion, Pyle and other cheap brands). The extra weight needed to ''amplify'' the sound and the ceramic stylus are known to harm the grooves of the records. Also, USB usually means cheap integrated preamp (there are few exceptions like the Pro-ject carbon USB) and shitty sound. If you buy something used, try to avoid direct drive tables that have been owned by a dj (even if it's a 1200 built like tank). The extra pressure applied on the motor resulting from cueing back and scratching for years may affect the torque and the the pitch of the player. Not to mention the rumble of the motor.

You can easily get a new or used entry level audiophile table for less than 350 $ these days. Look for brands like Rega, Pro-ject or Music Hall (I would not recommend the LP60). Just make sure to change the stylus if you buy used. I've been using my 1200 to listen to my records for years before buying a Rega P1 (customized) and a tube amp a few months ago and I will never use a Dj table + mixer combo for audiophile purpose again.

I hope it makes sense (sorry for my English).

[histeria36]

http://www.sonic.net/~marcs/musichall/mmf21.jpg

I've got a music hall mmf 2.1 with a yamaha a520 amp and some pioneer speakers.
While there are many better record players out there. For the price the mmf was ideal and I think its good enough not to damage any of my vinyl.
My friend has a rega rp3 http://www.rega.co.uk/product_images/RP ... NO-MAT.gif with a cambridge audio a500rc amp and handmade speakers.
After listening to hers that's what I want next

[jcnporter]

I don't have a turntable, but for any hi-fi on a budget (I tend to spend mot much more than £2-300 on any separates), I've always found What Hi-Fi magazine to be spot on regarding amps, speakers and CD players and Richer Sounds always make a point of doing good deals on their recommendations.
Luckily for me my dad's a hi-fi enthusiast and I managed to inherit his old Arcam amp and CD player (partnered with my old Tannoy Mercury speakers) a few years ago when he bought a home cinema system.
I realise many on here are musicians, but I wonder is the likes of a Technics or Stanton a good idea if only home listening? How do they compare so similar priced 'normal' turntables?

[fujee]

When I get some money together, I am going to get a pro ject turntable as my one probably isnt doing my records much good! its a cheap deck - ever since getting into vinyl properly I stopped using it. Thankfully I never used it that often.

This is the one I am thinking of:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PROJECT-DEBUT-3 ... s=pro+ject

Also gonna get a new amp and speaker package from richer sounds, time to up my hifi game.

[todieisfun]

I'm planing on getting a Stanton T-52 for roughly £130. This is what it looks like:



What do you guys think?

It looks basically like a modern ripoff of the Technics 1200 in terms of its layout, though it is belt-driven.

Bear in mind, this is for listening purposes, not DJing.

Anyone got experience with Stanton?

i have this exact one and i am not satisfies with it at all. it you don't have a mixer with a ground you'll get a lot of crackle and buzzing which will ruin your listening experience. im not impressed at all by the sound quality. i would suggest staying away from this one. it's cheap in price and for good reason