930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: nkotb on March 15, 2011, 02:28:54 pm
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I thought there was a thread, but I'm too lazy to find it.
Any recommendations? I've been taking small baby steps with turntables; I'm only using some shitty portable one now that's on it's last legs. I'd like something that sounds good, but doesn't require a ton of components or $$$. I'm not audiophile by any means, so hopefully just a standalone unit would do the trick.
Thanks in advance, Brian!
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A budget would be helpful.
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I guess I'm not 100% sure. I'm pretty new at buying audio equipment, so I'd say the cheaper the better; again, I'm no audiophile. But my biggest request/need would be that it was self-contained...not need for other components or stand-alone speakers, etc.
I figured someone on here would know a decent low-cost option, at least point me in the right direction. Right now, my only "stereo" is my computer and an iPod stereo.
A budget would be helpful.
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I don't understand. If you want to play your records, you'll need something with an amp to plug it into - an "integrated", which included the amp and the preamp in one unit. Otherwise a separate amp for power, and a preamp to select source and control volume. And then you'll need speakers from there.
I wouldn't bother messing with vinyl and a computer based system. I just don't see the benefit from an audio standpoint. Unless you just want to use the turntable to rip your vinyl into mp3's. Then you'd need a usb turntable.
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Don't know what sort of computer speakers you are using but a 'cheap' option you might want to consider is to get a moderate turntable that you can hook up to your computer. You can get okay speakers for your computer system relatively cheap compared to what you'd pay for a traditional system.
You do want to make sure you get something that can be hooked up to a computer so that you can convert your vinyl to some sort of file format easily. Maybe they all do that now; I don't know. Seems to be a given but do make sure you have that option.
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Sorry Chaz...I'm not making this easy at all.
I have a bunch of vinyl that I'd like to listen to, and right now I'm using this: http://www.insound.com/CR49-Traveler-Turntable-Black-TURNTABLE-Crosley-Turntable/P/INS47806/
It's sort of past the point of working well, but what I liked about it was the small size (speakers being part of the whole package) and the cost, since I'm a newbie here mostly, playing records from my folks.
The sound is awful now, so even though I generally am not too keyed into things being pristine, it's getting unlistenable.
I'd really like something similar but the next step up, I guess. The big catch for me, though, is if I have to get a turntable AND separate speakers AND various components just to listen. I'm not ready to make a huge investment there, plus my wife would punch me in the balls for even trying :)
Don't worry about the computer/iPod...I wouldn't be converting the vinyl to MP3s. That was just to illustrate how little I know about this world. For the most part, anything I have on vinyl I also have digitally already.
I don't understand. If you want to play your records, you'll need something with an amp to plug it into - an "integrated", which included the amp and the preamp in one unit. Otherwise a separate amp for power, and a preamp to select source and control volume. And then you'll need speakers from there.
I wouldn't bother messing with vinyl and a computer based system. I just don't see the benefit from an audio standpoint. Unless you just want to use the turntable to rip your vinyl into mp3's. Then you'd need a usb turntable.
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I think this (http://www.amazon.com/Replica-Antique-Victor-Phonograph-Gramophone/dp/B00383CQSA) is what you are looking for.
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this
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKA9555BLK/Onkyo/A-9555-Integrated-Digital-Amplifier-Black/1.html
and this
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1305121551&/Rega-P2-Sealed---Brand-NEW
and speakers of your choice.
not the answers you are looking for...sorry!
Browse around and read up on audiogon. it will get you in the right direction. For the money there are better integrated's you can get used up there, but they didn't have any listed right now so i put the onkyo piece up, which by all accounts is an excellent value.
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maybe the crossley sounds awful cause the needle is toast....you could try replacing the needle...on ebay you can get new needles for $10... i can't believe you listen to stuff on a crossley though..t hose things are beyond pitiful.
there is no magic bullet my man.. if you buy a decent turntable you will need an amp and 2 speakers..if you want your music to sound good. ..if music is important to you.. well youhave to spend a few dollars... can't just download it all for free and listen to it for free. .there is a price..
there are no great turntables that come with speakers and their own amp
i mean there are portable turntables but i don't think this is what you want... i have a pt 01 portable one.. sound barely loud enough to satisfy.. then i have a numark turntable pro tt 1 but that one - which is good- is hooked up to an amp
its disgraceful that people- not you but people in general- think a computer and some shitty speakers is the way to listen to music... what is the point in that?
before saying you don't want to spend any money on audio equipment think about what you're saying.. you love music, are always going to shows etc but won't buy a turntable, amp and two speakers.. thats just plain hard for me to relate to...
i understand not wanting to drop too much money though.. so my advise would be look at the thrift stores....usually you can get this stuff there cheap..
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I have one of these at home. How much you give me for it?
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/1877079444_5fa30609be_o.jpg)
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also if you're listening to vinyl with a blunted needle you could be destroying your vinyl so STOP PLAYING ON THAT CROSSLEY IF IT SOUNDS LIKE SHIT!
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Well said.
maybe the crossley sounds awful cause the needle is toast....you could try replacing the needle...on ebay you can get new needles for $10... i can't believe you listen to stuff on a crossley though..t hose things are beyond pitiful.
there is no magic bullet my man.. if you buy a decent turntable you will need an amp and 2 speakers..if you want your music to sound good. ..if music is important to you.. well youhave to spend a few dollars... can't just download it all for free and listen to it for free. .there is a price..
there are no great turntables that come with speakers and their own amp
i mean there are portable turntables but i don't think this is what you want... i have a pt 01 portable one.. sound barely loud enough to satisfy.. then i have a numark turntable pro tt 1 but that one - which is good- is hooked up to an amp
its disgraceful that people- not you but people in general- think a computer and some shitty speakers is the way to listen to music... what is the point in that?
before saying you don't want to spend any money on audio equipment think about what you're saying.. you love music, are always going to shows etc but won't buy a turntable, amp and two speakers.. thats just plain hard for me to relate to...
i understand not wanting to drop too much money though.. so my advise would be look at the thrift stores....usually you can get this stuff there cheap..
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Agreed...that was a big help. I'm just super green here; I'd prefer to listen to music on anything but my shitty computer speakers, but right now...that's what I've got.
Thanks for the tip on the needle, but I already changed that and it's still bad. And agreed on the Crosley overall; it was just a stopgap and cheap option to start actually listening to some of the records I had from my parents and that I had picked up over the years. It did it's job for a while, but it's time to move onto something better.
I'll do a little digging. Chaz and Hutch, thanks again. GGW and Rhett, neither of you were of any help whatsoever, but I admire your style. Carry on.
Well said.
maybe the crossley sounds awful cause the needle is toast....you could try replacing the needle...on ebay you can get new needles for $10... i can't believe you listen to stuff on a crossley though..t hose things are beyond pitiful.
there is no magic bullet my man.. if you buy a decent turntable you will need an amp and 2 speakers..if you want your music to sound good. ..if music is important to you.. well youhave to spend a few dollars... can't just download it all for free and listen to it for free. .there is a price..
there are no great turntables that come with speakers and their own amp
i mean there are portable turntables but i don't think this is what you want... i have a pt 01 portable one.. sound barely loud enough to satisfy.. then i have a numark turntable pro tt 1 but that one - which is good- is hooked up to an amp
its disgraceful that people- not you but people in general- think a computer and some shitty speakers is the way to listen to music... what is the point in that?
before saying you don't want to spend any money on audio equipment think about what you're saying.. you love music, are always going to shows etc but won't buy a turntable, amp and two speakers.. thats just plain hard for me to relate to...
i understand not wanting to drop too much money though.. so my advise would be look at the thrift stores....usually you can get this stuff there cheap..
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PS.
Speakers are the most important piece of this puzzle. If you skimp anywhere, don't do it on your speakers.
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PS.
Speakers are the most important piece of this puzzle. If you skimp anywhere, don't do it on your speakers.
thanks, you've just reminded me that i abandoned my search for a decent set of speakers recently, and need to get back on that. any sub-$300 recommendations?
4 nkotb:
- http://www.buy.com/prod/califone-record-player-with-built-in-speaker-for-education-and/q/loc/111/213659095.html
- http://www.amazon.com/LP-R450-Turntable-Cassette-Radio-Recorder/dp/B0046TWVQ2 (or http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/741691-REG/Teac_LPR450_LPR450_Turntable_Cassette_CD.html)
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Refurbishing a vintage turntable (try eBay or Craigslist) is the cool way to go. NeedleDoctor.com will help you with replacement parts.
My setup.
Thorens TD166 Turntable
NAD Phone Pre-Amp PP2
Onkyo A/V Receiver
Infinity Speakers
Sounds killer!
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(http://www.geekologie.com/2009/02/24/ipod%20atat%201.jpg)
;D
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I won a Regap1 in a contest if you're interested. I think it retails for like 300 but I personally hate it. I'm just going to keep using my dads old one from the 80s for now.
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If you are willing to be patient, you can find some great stuff on ebay and/or craigslist. I got a pair of mint condition Paradigm Mk3s (http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/paradigm-reference/floorstanding-speakers/7semk3/PRD_121030_1594crx.aspx) (the big boys, not the minis) for $300. Those would be right up your alley considering they're Canadian.
PS.
Speakers are the most important piece of this puzzle. If you skimp anywhere, don't do it on your speakers.
thanks, you've just reminded me that i abandoned my search for a decent set of speakers recently, and need to get back on that. any sub-$300 recommendations?
4 nkotb:
- http://www.buy.com/prod/califone-record-player-with-built-in-speaker-for-education-and/q/loc/111/213659095.html
- http://www.amazon.com/LP-R450-Turntable-Cassette-Radio-Recorder/dp/B0046TWVQ2 (or http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/741691-REG/Teac_LPR450_LPR450_Turntable_Cassette_CD.html)
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Floorstanders or bookshelves? For 300 you can get a pretty decent pair of used bookshelf speakers.
Try and find a used pair of epos els-3. if you do they will be less than 300.
or stretch your budget a bit and try these
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1305376087&/Quad-12L2-BirdsEye-Maple-%E2%80%93-Gor
or these
http://www.musichallaudio.com/products.php?l=2
PS.
Speakers are the most important piece of this puzzle. If you skimp anywhere, don't do it on your speakers.
thanks, you've just reminded me that i abandoned my search for a decent set of speakers recently, and need to get back on that. any sub-$300 recommendations?
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If you are willing to be patient, you can find some great stuff on ebay and/or craigslist. I got a pair of mint condition Paradigm Mk3s (http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/paradigm-reference/floorstanding-speakers/7semk3/PRD_121030_1594crx.aspx) (the big boys, not the minis) for $300. Those would be right up your alley considering they're Canadian.
ohhhhh those look (sound?) sweet. they're up my alley b/c they are rated as having excellent bass response. i'll be cranking the dance/electronic/etc out of whatever i buy and i prefer to not have to add a sub so these just might be the ticket.
Floorstanders or bookshelves?
towers. i've got an OK bookshelf setup but looking for something with a fuller spectrum.
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I'd try and haggle with this guy to get closer to your budget:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/ele/2256880958.html
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great tip, chaz - thanks! and i'm working in ashburn most days, so picking up these bad boys wouldn't be a problem. hummm...
i've found another deal, but they need a repair: "the surrounds on the woofers need replacement". there are 4 woofers total. any idea how much this might run? is this a repair worth doing, or is this telling us that these things are shot & beyond salvation?
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great tip, chaz - thanks! and i'm working in ashburn most days, so picking up these bad boys wouldn't be a problem. hummm...
i've found another deal, but they need a repair: "the surrounds on the woofers need replacement". there are 4 woofers total. any idea how much this might run? is this a repair worth doing, or is this telling us that these things are shot & beyond salvation?
Well that depends on what they are and how much....
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Crosley record players are about the worst things ever. Those 80's all in one player/amp/radio/cassette decks are better! I would take the advice and cruise craigslist for cool old 70's equipment. Spring cleaning is beginning and people will have yard sales and most will sell old players, speakers and receivers for next to nothing. I even saw an ad about 3 weeks ago that read something like "technics record player, speakers and amplifier with a stack of old records...FREE in my driveway"
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i have a Dual 1219 in fantastic condition (dust cover intact, all parts working well), with a fairly new Shure v15 III cartridge for sale/trade
http://dual-reference.com/tables/1219.htm
also an Onkyo TX-8555 receiver
http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-8555&class=Receiver&p=i
PM me if you're interested, price negotiable
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if i had the money...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054
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Hey, can I suggest something? If I'm reading correctly, your main goal is to be able to play records, not necessarily construct an audiophile's dream. The main point here is that you need three separate components, a turntable, an amp, and speakers. It doesn't need to get complicated.
Since you seem very focused on scrimping cash, I'd focus on getting a good turntable. You mentioned having computer speakers -- well, they suck, but they'll play music, and they have a built in amp. You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.
Later on when you want to spend more on your system, you can upgrade to an amp and better speakers, at which point you'll be glad you spent your initial money on a good turntable.
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You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.
you could technically connect the turntable to the computer speakers using a RCA-to-1/8" adapter, but it'll sound like hell. frequencies on a record aren't flat - the highs are boosted and the lows are very quiet. this is done to prevent the needle from skipping during loud bass notes. also, the overall output is very weak. the phono input on an amp has built-in compensation to make the turntable's output sound normal. try plugging your turntable into "tape in" or any other input - it won't sound very good, neither will connecting your tape deck to the phono ins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phono_input#Phono_input
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You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.
you could technically connect the turntable to the computer speakers using a RCA-to-1/8" adapter, but it'll sound like hell. frequencies on a record aren't flat - the highs are boosted and the lows are very quiet. this is done to prevent the needle from skipping during loud bass notes. also, the overall output is very weak. the phono input on an amp has built-in compensation to make the turntable's output sound normal. try plugging your turntable into "tape in" or any other input - it won't sound very good, neither will connecting your tape deck to the phono ins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phono_input#Phono_input
well, ya learn something new every day. But my point was, he is looking for something cheap that works, and that's cheap and would work. You could add one of these, too.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PP999-Phono-Turntable-Pre-Amp/dp/B00025742A
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Yes...any receiver/amp/preamp you plug a turntable into need a phone pre-amp and a phono ground. Without the results will be very very bad and possibly harmful to the equipment.
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if i had the money...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054
If you really wanted to get into electrostatic speakers, this is the cheapest way in.
http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG
You can buy them direct brand new for $599, but if you had a little patience you could probably find a used pair for a lot lot less. Electrostats need a lot of power to be their best though, so you'll end up paying in that dept....
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if i had the money...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054
If you really wanted to get into electrostatic speakers, this is the cheapest way in.
http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG
You can buy them direct brand new for $599, but if you had a little patience you could probably find a used pair for a lot lot less. Electrostats need a lot of power to be their best though, so you'll end up paying in that dept....
I have always wished I had the right space for a vintage pair of MG1s.
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Here's your chance!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnepan-MG-1-Improved-recently-totally-restored-/130501224678?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1e627aa8e6
There's tons of speakers I'd like to check out, but yeah, a lot of stuff won't work in the wrong room. Can't put these babies back against the wall.
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Here's your chance!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnepan-MG-1-Improved-recently-totally-restored-/130501224678?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1e627aa8e6
There's tons of speakers I'd like to check out, but yeah, a lot of stuff won't work in the wrong room. Can't put these babies back against the wall.
awesome, thanks! i've been getting some domestic push-back on my plan to upgrade the sound system. working on that...
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Thanks.
I don't have the right room for them. And I would get the six footers in cherry or oak with the white socks:
(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk87/666csi/Sales/mag1.jpg)
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This is what i'd get if i was blowing a few grand on speakers...
(http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo9/intro.jpg)
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The Anthony Gallo speakers are amazing. My boss has them so I have had the pleasure of listening to different kinds of music with them.
If I had the $$ it would be my next audio purchase.
And they look cool.
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If you want to see some serious audiophile equipment, swing by this place in McLean. He's got some great vintage stuff.
www.dejavuaudio.com
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If you want to see some serious audiophile equipment, swing by this place in McLean. He's got some great vintage stuff.
www.dejavuaudio.com
I demo'd some quaud 22l's there a few years ago. Ended up buying a pair, not from there though.
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http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrplan&1306072202&/Magnepan-MG-1.6-QR-
Run, don't walk. These are considered by many to be the finest value in home audio...at this price it's a steal. Seller is local, i'm sure you could talk him down some.
I've only heard magnapans once, and they were sweeeeet.
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Really think twice before getting a turntable. I have two (one a gift) and I never use them. There was a time when I was, but just make sure you have space for your vinyl. It is hard to put it somewhere, since it takes so much space.
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Really think twice before getting a turntable. I have two (one a gift) and I never use them. There was a time when I was, but just make sure you have space for your vinyl. It is hard to put it somewhere, since it takes so much space.
fascinating.
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Really think twice before getting a turntable. I have two (one a gift) and I never use them. There was a time when I was, but just make sure you have space for your vinyl. It is hard to put it somewhere, since it takes so much space.
fascinating.
Don't you have a kid on the way? I'd think twice about that. They piss and shit all the time, and they take up a whole bunch of space. Mine needed their own rooms until it just got tired of them and shoved them in a closet.
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That's borderline child abuse, innit?
Really think twice before getting a turntable. I have two (one a gift) and I never use them. There was a time when I was, but just make sure you have space for your vinyl. It is hard to put it somewhere, since it takes so much space.
fascinating.
Don't you have a kid on the way? I'd think twice about that. They piss and shit all the time, and they take up a whole bunch of space. Mine needed their own rooms until it just got tired of them and shoved them in a closet.
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I recently got a Music Hall USB-1 as a second TT and i'm very pleased:
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-9826-music-hall-usb-1-turntable.aspx
at $249 about as cheap as you can get for an entry-level TT
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Seriously? So spending $100 on a TT would be a waste of money? Bummer. I'd like to get TT someday, but not if it takes $250 to start.
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You can get a basic tt for $100 easy.
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Seriously? So spending $100 on a TT would be a waste of money? Bummer. I'd like to get TT someday, but not if it takes $250 to start.
yes, anything that isn't in the $250-400 range would be a waste of money to me. if you have a halfway-decent hi-fi, it's an enormous step up from the sub-$100 tables to the real entry level "audiophile" tables. the good thing is that demand at this level is pushing good companies to focus more on producing and reducing prices of their entry level builds.