Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[McTaggart]

Right. I've had enough of this. Seeing all sorts of music that I want in record form and not at all as cds has kindof pissed me off. So I'm in the market for a record player. I honestly don't know if the home theatre system thing that we've got (it's a sony thing with free red and white audio in at the back will work for an amplifier). Although I wouldn't like to spend too much I'll probably end up tempting myself to replace my current ok stereo with a whole new system. The very upper limit If I go all out will be around $600 (somewhere around 450 US).

What brands would you reccomend? Any specific examples? Actually, I'm pretty much sold on replacing my entire system now.


This decision may also have been due to the fact that I saw The Lyre of Orpheus/Abotoir Blues on vinyl and it was very, very gorgeous.

also: woah?! 33 + 45 = 78. Is there a reson for this?

[JodyAnthony]

Ive also been looking for a record player to play all my old punk 45s. if anyone can suggest something in the $25 USD range, let me know.

[missscenester]

check out ebay you guys.

[thermodynamics]

i recently bought a record player at my local goodwill. i don't know if you have one of those around. i got it for 20 bucks and changed the cartridge with a new one, and now it actually plays well. i got lucky finding a direct-drive turntable for that cheap. apparently people underestimate the value of items they donate.

so, i would check there and at other used electronics stores, tho at those stores, a decent rca or technics direct-drive turntable goes for $150-$250

mctaggart, something like this would probably give you a better sound, tho it is a little more expensive. jus MAKE SURE that whatever you buy has a "universal cartridge" [aka, the assembly where the needle atteches to the swing arm.]. most old needles are out of production, so unless you feel like paying 75 bucks on ebay for one needle, it's best to get one that fits the universal ones still in production.

my 2 cents.

[McTaggart]

Ebay's all well and good if you know what you're after. I'd buy a camera from there because I know what I'm after and I know the industry pretty well. I have virtually no idea when it comes to audio equipment. I'm still trying to find a toms hardware for audio...

I'll dig around in second hand places, see if I can turn up anything promising.

[thermodynamics]

basically, take a record and either speakers or headphones with you when you go out to somewhere like goodwill and just plug it up and play the record. if it doesn't play well, move on to the next one.

as far as the technology, i would recommend direct-drive over chain-drive and belt-drive. it puts less wear on your records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_player#Turntable_technology


when i get electonic equipment, i ALWAYS try it out first. try before you buy.

good luck with hunting.

[El Opium]

I have a Sony PSLX-250H direct drive turntable. It's a pretty recent model that's worth about $80 new. It's bottom of the line and I don't like it much anymore. The mechanism (or me) messed up a couple weeks ago and dropped the needle direcly onto the mat, which busted it. One of the record shops in town has a sweet looking Pioneer PL-518 direcet drive turntable sitting in it's window. I would totally buy it, but it's is roughly equivalent to my net worth. If I ever make insane amounts of money I will buy a Rega Planar Three. Thrift store turntables are great for your first buy but make sure you look it over carfully and overhaul it before use.

[thermodynamics]

yeah, i don't think he is wanting super-audiophile quality, but rather just a dependable, decent turntable. and yes, you will have to clean all the dust/dirt/grime off with rubbing alcohol. yes, you might have to change the cartridge. but, it is still cheaper to buy midrange or high end used than low end brand new... well, in certain scenerios i guess.

the laser turntables are fucking amazing. and 10 thousand dollars. my uncle said he might get one. he is a real fucking audiophile. of course, he has the 8 thousand dollar tube preamps and a sound-proofed, acoustically enhanced media room.

too bad he lives in flordia and i live in tennessee. sorta makes me want to be a doctor too.

although he did jump on the whole laserdisk craze... that's wasn't the smartest move... and now he has over 100 laserdisks.  eh. they'll make good coasters.

[Bastardous Bassist]

of course, he has the 8 thousand dollar tube preamps

I don't care what anybody says, tubes sound worse!  Okay, let me revise that.  Tubes don't reproduce the sound as well, if they sound like tubes.  Transistors are amazing, because they reproduce the sound perfectly without any of the distortion that tubes give you.  Some people like that distortion, though, and call it "warmth."  I say that it's just non-linearity in the intensity of the signal.  If anyone ever finds out about me buying home stereo equipment with tubes in it, you are free to smack me down.

Also, my uncle is also an audiophile (a mere five hours away from me), but he was a civil engineer, so you can do the engineer thing, if you want to make that kind of money.

[McTaggart]

After digging through boxes and boxes of old (like, 1960's) slides and other crap I've managed to find both an old tape deck and a record player that looks in pretty decent condition. The small problem here is that it seems to want 125V power and mains here is 240V. Other than that it's got these black and white stereo out connections that look like RCA standard ones except one isn't red. Would it work if I put these straight into the line in on my stereo or would I need a preamp? The machine itself doesn't mention anything about a preamp so I doubt it's got one built in.

[Rubby]

Put the black one into the red plug. They're the same wires, just older.

Edit: The line in on your stereo should be amplified so it should work, but it might not. Most of them are, but if yours isn't then you will need a preamp. If you still have the budget stated in your first post then you should be able to find a decent stereo amp at a second hand shop for $100-$200. You probably shouldn't bother paying for something cheaper than that.

[McTaggart]

Awesome, not I just need to get to Dick Smith and find a transformer... Hey it's late night shopping tonight.

Thanks.