How to buy a turntable?

[Dominick22]

Thanks for all the info guys. I will have to self educate as I am unfamiliar with terms like stylos.

Tonepub,
As far as the phono preamp goes...will the one built into the Emotiva UPA-1 be sufficient or should expect a need for an upgrade in that area?

Thanks,
Dominick

 

[RichTeer]

As far as the phono preamp goes...will the one built into the Emotiva UPA-1 be sufficient or should expect a need for an upgrade in that area?

Thanks,
Dominick

I'm not Jeff, but permit me to chuck in my $0.02 anyway: I've not actually heard the UPA-1, but I would guess that its builtin phono stage is probably not that good. So "it'll do" for now, but you'd probably want to upgrade it sooner rather than later.

 

[Dominick22]

Hmmm, that is disappointing...

 

[tonepub]

Thanks for all the info guys. I will have to self educate as I am unfamiliar with terms like stylos.

Tonepub,
As far as the phono preamp goes...will the one built into the Emotiva UPA-1 be sufficient or should expect a need for an upgrade in that area?

Thanks,
Dominick

If you're starting with a budget table and cartridge, give it a try and see what you think.

This all depends on how obsessed you want to get with vinyl.

I'd always suggest to listen to what you have, evaluate and then decide if you want to move on before you just assume you'll have to spend more money.

 

[twich54]

If you're starting with a budget table and cartridge, give it a try and see what you think.

This all depends on how obsessed you want to get with vinyl.

I'd always suggest to listen to what you have, evaluate and then decide if you want to move on before you just assume you'll have to spend more money.

Dominick, good advice from TonePub here....and for that matter , throughout the thread.

Good Luck with you journey !

 

[slowGEEZR]

I agree with Dave and Jeff, get your feet wet and see if you like it or not. For me, I went with the least expensive VPI. Since I bought that table, I've heard a great many more expensive tables at RMAF and at different dealers and now I have the hots for a Grand Prix Monaco. It's a disease I tell you.

 

[tonepub]

I'd say disease is correct!

 

[RichTeer]

I'd say disease is correct!

But not an unpleasant one! (Unless one is a wallet; the constant emptying might become tiresome I suppose...)

 

[Bernard]

I'd say disease is correct!

A disease that gets worse, not better. It is a strain of the infamous Joeyitis, for which there is no known cure.

 

[tonepub]

Joey never even scratched the surface of the vinyl form of this disease.

 

[Bernard]

Joey never even scratched the surface of the vinyl form of this disease.

He did start by buying a VPI and then promptly selling it.

 

[MPS]

If it's your first try of black magic just get a reasonably good second hand rig. If you like it, keep it and enjoy. If you don't like the concept of playing vinyl, sell it for what you bought it for with no loss at all. If you like it but don't feel it's up to your requirements, sell it for what you bought it for with no loss at all and get something better for you. Which ever way you can't lose.
Make sure anything you buy is properly set up and stylus is still in full working order, not always the case..

 

[JMAUSGP]

Dominick22,

I have not forgotten the Technics TT. Things around here have been wall to wall and I have not been able to keep up. But an interesting development, my brother is driving over to the Mid Ohio race track this week outside of Lexington and Mansfield, Ohio.

If you guys were able to swap cell phone numbers and I gave him the Technics TT, is there any way you could meet him say Thursday night around 8 or 9 pm near Columbus, Ohio, on I70 or I71. Or if you have a good idea, I am all ears.

Or maybe you could drive up to Lexington over the weekend or maybe meet him somewhere along the route on Sunday afternoon when he is returning.

Anyway, just some random thoughts after a weekend of heavy lifting?

 

[tonepub]

Heavy lifting? You didn't get a second Gotham did you...

 

[JMAUSGP]

Actually had a friend over who has Summits and is considering taking my Descent i and getting a set of CLXs for himself.

I think he is 95% of the way to making the decision and pulling the trigger on CLXs.

We did move the Gotham and the Descent i around a bit, they are both kind of heavy. I think he wants a Gotham too, but for now I think he will go with CLXs and Descent i and maybe, just maybe he will keep the Summits for the rear channels

 

[raygunn]

I guess I have a slightly different take on this...

I strongly believe that vintage is the way to go for many different reasons.

First of all, I am assuming that since you are thinking of taking a dip into the vinyl pool, that likely means you actually have no record library.
So you will be at the mercy of good quality used records as well as reissues that are generally substantially sonically inferior to their original counterparts. The work you will have to put into obtaining really good quality software may take the fun out of this new venture. A modest expenditure for a good-sounding rig may be more sensible.

Secondly, there is an enormous pool of really excellent-sounding turntanles in the used market. For instance a 30 year old original VPI/Michell/Audio Linear (yeah, mechanically they are all the same machine), turntable sells for under $300. Likewise an old Empire (any of them) or Rek-o-Kut belt drive or rim drive will provide a solid basis for sound and speed accuracy that is not found in any of today's entry level products and will sonically embarass many costing ten times as much. Again, with just a $400 or so investment.

As a bonus, all of those tables are immensly tweakable and can each attain remarkable levels of performance with very modest investment in time and money. As such it adds a huge dimension of "fun" factor that an off-the-shelf- modern exercise in mediocrity can't deliver.

My $.02...

I have been interested in vinyl lately and was thinking of spending a few hundred on a beginners set up.

Do you all have any recommendations of a good starter unit that still sounds decent?

I would really like to buy a nice vintage piece that produces good sound if possible.

And the needle is exchangeable for future upgrades, isnt it?

Some help please,

Thanks,
Dominick

 

[tonepub]

I strongly believe that vintage is the way to go for many different reasons.

First of all, I am assuming that since you are thinking of taking a dip into the vinyl pool, that likely means you actually have no record library.
So you will be at the mercy of good quality used records as well as reissues that are generally substantially sonically inferior to their original counterparts. The work you will have to put into obtaining really good quality software may take the fun out of this new venture. A modest expenditure for a good-sounding rig may be more sensible.

Secondly, there is an enormous pool of really excellent-sounding turntanles in the used market. For instance a 30 year old original VPI/Michell/Audio Linear (yeah, mechanically they are all the same machine), turntable sells for under $300. Likewise an old Empire (any of them) or Rek-o-Kut belt drive or rim drive will provide a solid basis for sound and speed accuracy that is not found in any of today's entry level products and will sonically embarass many costing ten times as much. Again, with just a $400 or so investment.

As a bonus, all of those tables are immensly tweakable and can each attain remarkable levels of performance with very modest investment in time and money. As such it adds a huge dimension of "fun" factor that an off-the-shelf- modern exercise in mediocrity can't deliver.

My $.02...

A Rek O Cut will "embarrass" tables costing ten times as much? Today's remasters are "markedly" inferior to the orignals?

Someone's drinking the cool aid again...

 

[Jeff Zaret]

...............but I like Kool Aid
LOL:ROFL:

I do agree. Some of the "new" remasters are excellent.


Jeff

 

[raygunn]

Arrogance and Ignorance neatly wrapped into one sentence...... nice.

A Rek O Cut will "embarrass" tables costing ten times as much? Today's remasters are "markedly" inferior to the orignals?

Someone's drinking the cool aid again...

If all it takes is a swig of Kool-Aid to maintain a proper perspective and an open mind then, yes, I'll be drinking lots of Kool Aid.


First of all, that is, Rek-o-Kut. Secondly, I speak from 30+ years of experience and lots of hours of R&D time. You?
By the way, certain key design points in the originals from the late 50's and early 60's have recently re-emerged as something radically new by a few well-respected turntable "designers". of course, you need to actually be interested in music and not "audiophile" marketing hype to fully appreciate what these vintage turntables bring to the game.

Thirdly, here are a list of remastered LP's I wasted money on. They were markedly inferior to their original press counterparts:

Classic records:
Genesis "Foxtrot"
Genesis "Nursery Crime"
Peter Gabriel "So"
Townsend/Lane "Rough Mix"

WB (US and DE):
Ricki Lee Jones - All of them. except for the MFSL of the First LP.

WWA:

Gentle Giant "In a Glass House"
Gentle Giant "Freehand"
Gentle Giant "The Power and the Glory"


Notable exceptions that indeed are outstanding and improve on the original pressing are:
Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"
Yes "Fragile"


Cheers,

 

[tonepub]

So buying eight records that sucked constitutes "most"?

Your perspective is pretty limited. Most of the recent mofi stuff is fantastic. Most of acoustic sounds releases have been excellent. All af the music matters jazz series is excellent. And that's just a start. There have always been good, bad and marginal records.

You've written a couple of reviews and you're trying to lecture me about hype? Get some experience and then we'll talk about perspective...

If you want to drink the kool aid, that's fine. But to say that most remasters are inferior is pretty shoddy reporting, especially under the guise of working for a publication....