Turntables

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I was wondering what you guys used---looking to buy one but not sure how much I should be paying and what I should be looking for.

Thanks!

― Jonathan HP (Benediction), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 03:15 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cedmagic.com/history/edison-with-cylinder.jpg

― Fonzie Scheme (Matt Chesnut), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 03:20 (twenty years ago)

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/0/2/3/9/9/5/webimg/3614616_tp.gif

― pablo (Pablo A), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 03:20 (twenty years ago)

mine came from goodwill, and it works great since i bought a new needle! check that shit out before you spring for a new one.

― dan pee, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 03:24 (twenty years ago)

what's a turntable?

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 04:15 (twenty years ago)

i have one of these with a stock arm. i can't remember what the cartridge i got is but it's somewhat on the nicer end of the spectrum

http://www.rega.co.uk/html/p2.htm

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 04:47 (twenty years ago)

bloody nice and all for under A$1300

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 04:47 (twenty years ago)

How big a difference do you notice in sound between standard mixing technics with stanton cartridges versus a hi-fi type turntable? I'm wondering if I should get one or just stick to the decks...

― Jacob (Jacob), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 05:06 (twenty years ago)

this thing is amazing: www.elpj.com

― thefutureisNOW, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 05:11 (twenty years ago)

no it's not, it's completely fucking lame.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 05:31 (twenty years ago)

persuasive argument there jim

― jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 07:43 (twenty years ago)

do some research

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 07:44 (twenty years ago)

those laser things don't work for two reasons:

1) If your records are dusty, they'll sound WORSE with the laser than with a real stylus

2) The real stylus actually HELPS clean crap out of the grooves, which doesn't happen with the laser thing, so your records get all gummed up

― Jacob (Jacob), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 08:08 (twenty years ago)

Could someone answer Jacob's point about the dif between a Technics v hi-fi getup? This is something that's stopping me at the mo'. I appreciate the 'pro' turntables are designed for a fair amount of abuse and I'm tempted to get one for occassional sampling use, but here at home I could just as be happy with some aesthetic little babe spinning in the corner.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 08:22 (twenty years ago)

cant asnwer that, but this is hot:

http://www.project-audio.com/inhalt/bilder/tn/debut.jpg

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 09:40 (twenty years ago)

biggest diff between technics 1200s and a regular hifi is the former has pitchshifting. if that's not important to you there is no need to spend the $$$ IMO.

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 09:45 (twenty years ago)

the project debut is great value - looks lovely and sounds great, plus the setup is minimal. But if you play a lot of 45s beware the manual speed change.

― wombatX (wombatX), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 10:57 (twenty years ago)

Thanks Dog, that's kinda what I figured and at a budget the Projects look the way to go. Thanking you kindly y'all.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 11:46 (twenty years ago)

These can be had for under a c-note. Good 'nuff.

http://www.vintagetechnics.com/images/sl23catalog.jpg

― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 13:00 (twenty years ago)

The main diff between DJ tables and HiFi tables, as I understand it, is that DJ tables are powered by direct drive (2 magnetized plates) whereas HiFi tables are driven by a belt & motor. Belt-driven tables cause less internal rumble, and those with outboard motors even less. Unless you really want to scratch, I would think you'd want a belt driven table.
The ProJect tables are supposed to be a good value, as are the Music Hall MMF line.

This is the joy of our home:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/images/products/GINGSP1_000.jpg
VPI Scout. I can't say enough good things about it.

― Sparkle Motion's Rising Force, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 13:56 (twenty years ago)

If by completely fucking lame you mean AMAZING, then I totally agree with you Jim! The ELP was invented the same year as the CD player - that in and of itself is crazy. Can you imagine if the CD player had failed and we all had laser turntables? Also, it is clear to me that because the ELP lost that war it has been repackaged as a prosumer/luxury object and that only static-free, dust-free mint records will ever touch this baby... and if it happens that you own a few rare 78's with a few specks here and there, they sell the "declicker" an equally overpriced piece of equipment. By research do you mean reading the first fucking page of the website? Done!

― thefutureisNOW, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 14:51 (twenty years ago)

The VPI Scout is lovely. Of course, some people think the Rockport Sirius III is best turntable on the planet, and that's direct drive. It's also about $50k.

Here's a poor-quality pic of my Michell Gyro SE...which has been sitting in a box for the last three months.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/Pernfors88/gyrose.jpg

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 15:11 (twenty years ago)

I should note that the photo above is a stock pic of the Scout, but it's exactly like ours (even the cartridge, a dynavector 10x5), though I don't have that Thorens center weight. The stock threaded clamp works quite nicely.

Michael, when are you going to get that thing out of a box? Refinance the house! Priorities!

― Sparkle Motion's Rising Force, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 16:47 (twenty years ago)

How much did that baby cost, Sparkle?

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 17:37 (twenty years ago)

Does it come with a Richard Simmons?

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 17:39 (twenty years ago)

I got a rega planar 3 second hand and it sings like a bird, cost £220 and looks great.

dont buy a techinics they are awfukl for everything except kick drum and snare....

which is why their good for dance 12"

or just.... you know... go to a shop and listen to a few...

― danny boy, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 18:07 (twenty years ago)

Yeah I've been looking at the Regas but thought they were out of my price range. Silly me, didn't think of ebay. There's some quality gear there.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:28 (twenty years ago)

XPOST to Tolstoy-- Got the Scout from elusivedisc.com as a package with the cartridge, total $1800. The table itself lists at about $900 with the JMW-9 tonearm running about the same, so it's worth it to get it altogether. As I said, it comes with a dynamite clamp, which I can't imagine playing LPs without at this point.
The dustcover & Gingko Cloud Suspension platform ran another $500, again on a package deal.

For those in Chicago (or in the USA)--Saturday Audio Exchange (saturdayaudio.com) has some nicely refurbished older tables at very reasonable prices. They had a 20-year old Acoustic Research table there for $150 last week. My father in law has that table and it still sounds quite nice.

xpost to good dog-- Richard Simmons was on permanent backorder.

Also a note about ebay: I got burned buying a B&O this way.

― Sparkle Motion's Rising Force, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:22 (twenty years ago)

You are all obviously insane.

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

Tracer OTM.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 00:07 (twenty years ago)

Cool I clearly don't need a "good" turntable then becasue all I care about is kicks and snares.

― Jacob (Jacob), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:48 (twenty years ago)

Jonesey get your hi-fi out.

I have a Project Debut which I'll actually be able to use this evening cos my phono amp should arrive today.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 07:01 (twenty years ago)

I love my ProJect, and don't mind the manual change -- I do miss not having 78 rpm. Do they make an adapter for that?

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 07:37 (twenty years ago)

I'm afraid lifting the platter to play 45 RPMs might bother me, since that's about 1/3 of my vinyl listening. Isn't their a Debut that lets you change speeds w/out moving the belt?

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 08:13 (twenty years ago)

Off-hand I'm not sure. I have a vague idea there might be. Saying that though, I really enjoy lifting the platter, it adds a nice sense of ritualistic demystification.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 08:15 (twenty years ago)

Hi-fi setting up ain't gonna happen until mid-June at the earliest...rewire doesn't start until 15/5 (we'll probably be living in a hotel for the duration of that) and after that there's plastering, flooring, decorating and getting some local chippie to knock up something that will store a dozen items of AV gear at a height that is away from a 15-month-old's grubby mitts. The current Projekt (not to confused with ProJect) rack doesn't work in the new living room and is far too open for aforementioned child-explorer.

The temptation to sell the bloody lot (accepting that, even after the house is sorted out, 80% of my listening will be on my MP3 player during my commute) is hard to resist.

Right now we've got a Sony DVD player (and iTunes on the laptop) running through my old Cyrus II amp and a pair of shielded B&W monitors either side of the TV. Better than nothing.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 08:16 (twenty years ago)

Rewiring commences on my 27th birthday.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 08:22 (twenty years ago)

Mark, yes there is such a debut, called the Pro-Ject Debut III/Phono SB. More here.

― willem -- (willem), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 08:38 (twenty years ago)

Built in phono stage AND speed-changer = might as well listen to CDs! (As far as ritual goes...)

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 09:05 (twenty years ago)

Aha -- apparently I can get a device that will let me play 78s and will change from 33 to 45 without taking off the platter.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 09:55 (twenty years ago)

the lesson i have learnt from that true audiophiles seem to design very ugly turntables

this makes me content to be a cloth eared no nothing and lust after B&Os ;)

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 09:56 (twenty years ago)

http://musicangle.com/upload_images/PhotoGallery/kuzma.jpg
"WHO YOU CALLIN' UGLY"

― Sparkle Motion's Rising Force, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 20:46 (twenty years ago)

Goodness, I've never thought of the Gyro(dec) as ugly before! Perhaps visitors to the old house were just being polite. Or there was an appalled tone to "what the fuck is that?" I failed to discern.

xpost - Kuzma, now yr talkin'!

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 20:50 (twenty years ago)

I bought mine off ebay from a dude named Elvis Santana.

Huge fucking mistake.

They came with the covers shattered, the mixer just not working right at all, and the turntables, one of them had a lag, and still ocassionally lags, and the other had alagging problem too. And just I wish I just bought a new pair, because theat gave me a lot of grief and stress.

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Thursday, 27 April 2006 00:34 (twenty years ago)

I bought mine on Ebay and it's pretty sweet. I thought it didn't work cause it played through my stereo so low (but it SAYS phono!...) then I figured out it needed that preamp thing. I could never be an audiophile, can't get my head around the 'component' philosophy/scam. Just give me something I can plug in, fuckers.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Thursday, 27 April 2006 01:12 (twenty years ago)

My bleedin' new phono preamp doens't bloody work. Back in the post it goes.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 27 April 2006 07:29 (twenty years ago)

*Certain* audiophiles really, really, hate 1210s, and direct-drive decks in general. But set them up with a decent cartridge and they sound pretty damn fine. I wouldn't worry about getting one if you just want to listen to records, but they are much maligned (usually by people who haven't actually listened to one), will last you forever, and are a design classic.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Thursday, 27 April 2006 10:09 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone know what B&O tables sound like? I've always avoided them like the plague as I kinda think they're for people with too much money and no musical taste. As for their styling, they looked good in the seventies but I simply don't think they work aesthetically today.

Anyone with listening experience here?

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 27 April 2006 15:40 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

so someone is bringing over a Stanton STR-80 for me to look at. he's asking 100 bucks, which seems pretty damn reasonable for a 2- or 3-year-old turntable. this seems like a solid deck. anyone have any opinions on stantons or this model in particular????

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 September 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

i know it's sort of warhorse mixing turntable, and i'd be using it for my stereo system and for getting stuff on my computer--but it should be ok right? i don't have the money to buy a high-end turntable designed for home listening. (i have a very low-end home turntable right now that's 9-10 years old.)

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 September 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

i wonder, how much would i have to pay for a new stylus...?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 September 2006 20:43 (nineteen years ago)

£20?

I bought a new audio-technica stylus and cartridge replacement for that much ($10?). I didn't mind.

I saw a project debut (bright green!) second hand the other day and was rather tempted. But even at the price I only even have like half a foot of vinyl so... get a grip :D

― ten kebabs maaaaate (fandango), Saturday, 23 September 2006 21:37 (nineteen years ago)

£20 is like $35!

i bought the stanton. it works nicely. nice and heavy too, which i like.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 September 2006 22:41 (nineteen years ago)

My nice old Technics from the early 80's died recently so I got the Ion USB as it's replacement. $149 US and it has a 1/8" input for my cassette deck. For my purposes - home listening and making mp3s - no complaints. Well one, they could have provided a dust cover.

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 24 September 2006 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

So what difference is there between the various tech 12's out there.

Looking around on craigslist, and am curious about what's different about the various MK models or the MD3's or between 1200's and 1210's. I'd be upgrading from some Stantons, so I'm guessing any of these will be a big improvement, but am wondering how much of a difference it makes.

― Edward Saroyan, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 03:32 (seventeen years ago)

Ok, a skim over technics website has pretty much answered my question. But in all fairness, how would I know that the difference between 1200 and 1210 would be the colour?

― Edward Saroyan, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 03:51 (seventeen years ago)

You are correct.

MK Is are impossible to find and are pretty different anyway.
MK II is the classic, you can’t go wrong
MK III fixes the ‘click problem’ where if you get near to +/- 0 on the pitch slider it resets to 0.
MK IV is a special ‘audiophile’ version for the japanese market with 78rpm speed setting.
MK V is an updated version of the MK III.

If you can afford it go for a 3/5, otherwise stick with a 2 – people have been working with them for nearly 30 years now.

― Chewshabadoo, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:39 (seventeen years ago)

I've got a MKII coming to me via ebay, about £120 which is pretty damn good.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 11:04 (seventeen years ago)

The other technics 12 benefit is that unless something really weird has happened, they're virtually indestructible. Pretty sure you could drop the turntable down the stairs, fire a gun at it, and still have it work fairly well, assuming the tone arm didn't get ripped off.

― mh, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 13:47 (seventeen years ago)

I have two black 1200mkIIs, not 1210s. One of them has a euro plug and adapter on the cable.

― dan selzer, Tuesday, 19 May 2009 14:30 (seventeen years ago)

Either way, 2 MD3's have been acquired, with an Allen and Heath Mixer.

I feel. . . legit now.

― Edward Saroyan, Thursday, 21 May 2009 04:09 (seventeen years ago)

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