The vinyl spin-all

Ah, Black Friday is here. And I am on lookout for the player. I have one tip so far, which is Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC with OM10 cartridge for about 330$, which seems reasonable, but still a bit higher level which I am not sure if it isn't a bit overkill for me. Then I found Numark Numark TT250USB for about 250$, but it says it is direct control and professional player, which may be just a marketing stuff creepin in, but still...is that what I want? Or do I want something like the ProJect stuff. Also keeping my eye on Pro-ject Primary with OM5E, which I believe is their like "entry level" player. Same money as the Numark though. BTW, cannot find Rega players around here...without going Amazon, which I don't want to. Hell, even Akai did a player (AKAI BT-100), about 170$, maybe that would still be viable option? Guys, I don't know.

Oh, yeah, that Pro-Ject one would be great. It's probably a tad nicer than my Rega RP1 with the upgrades I put into it. As I mentioned, when you get into that range, it's kinda useless to spend more unless you want better aesthetics and build quality.

Personally, I wouldn't go for that Numark because it still is quite expensive, and it definitely is more of a DJ type table. The direct drives vs. belt drives is a whole thing. You couldn't do DJ stuff with a belt drive because of the slippage. Direct drives let you forcibly adjust the speed and whatnot manually.

That Pro-Ject Primary looks like what I would go for if you're trying to spend less. It's bare bones, and you could always dump 100-200 into a nice cartridge at some point if you wanted to upgrade.

I would avoid that Akai BT-100. Given the photo on Amazon's product page, it looks like it'd be a little cheap for the price. I mean, it's fairly slick looking, but the cartridge looks proprietary and not so easily upgradeable. It feels like an imitation looking at the picture (apologies if anyone has and likes it. )

I dunno about Rega turntable availability in Prague. They are a UK company. I like mine well enough, but I actually might suggest the Pro-Ject ones over Rega given I had a few issues with my Rega. They ground the player to the turntable arm which caused me some grief at one point until I fiddled with it. I'd prefer a dedicated ground wire that you can hook to the amplifier.

Anyways, that's a lot to consider, and it's complicated based on what you want to spend, but if I were in your shoes, I would spend as much as you feel like on one of the Pro-Ject turntables starting with the Primary.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Oh, yeah, that Pro-Ject one would be great. It's probably a tad nicer than my Rega RP1 with the upgrades I put into it. As I mentioned, when you get into that range, it's kinda useless to spend more unless you want better aesthetics and build quality.

Personally, I wouldn't go for that Numark because it still is quite expensive, and it definitely is more of a DJ type table. The direct drives vs. belt drives is a whole thing. You couldn't do DJ stuff with a belt drive because of the slippage. Direct drives let you forcibly adjust the speed and whatnot manually.

That Pro-Ject Primary looks like what I would go for if you're trying to spend less. It's bare bones, and you could always dump 100-200 into a nice cartridge at some point if you wanted to upgrade.

I would avoid that Akai BT-100. Given the photo on Amazon's product page, it looks like it'd be a little cheap for the price. I mean, it's fairly slick looking, but the cartridge looks proprietary and not so easily upgradeable. It feels like an imitation looking at the picture (apologies if anyone has and likes it. )

I dunno about Rega turntable availability in Prague. They are a UK company. I like mine well enough, but I actually might suggest the Pro-Ject ones over Rega given I had a few issues with my Rega. They ground the player to the turntable arm which caused me some grief at one point until I fiddled with it. I'd prefer a dedicated ground wire that you can hook to the amplifier.

Anyways, that's a lot to consider, and it's complicated based on what you want to spend, but if I were in your shoes, I would spend as much as you feel like on one of the Pro-Ject turntables starting with the Primary.

Thank you for your comments. With the DJ-like turntables, I was hoping that they might have better sounding bass frequencies since they are used for that kind of music...either funk, hip-hop or edm style, whatever. But I am probably totally wrong on that. It's the cartridge that is doing the sound, right? So even the Pro-ject or your Rega can have the same good "bassy" sound, correct? I am asking, because I still like me some trance, dnb or old funk music, besides "plinky" Fez or rocky Murphy's I am going to have a sleep on that and will continue considering my options in the morning.

Yeah, I don't think you'll get any better sounding bass frequencies in particular with the turntable. The cartridge could certainly color the sound and give a different sounding bass.

As long as you have a decent turntable like the ones you're looking into, you'll be fine and have a nice articulated bass like it should be without any mushiness. Bass quality will really come in large part from the quality of your speakers and amplifier.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Yeah, I don't think you'll get any better sounding bass frequencies in particular with the turntable. The cartridge could certainly color the sound and give a different sounding bass.

As long as you have a decent turntable like the ones you're looking into, you'll be fine and have a nice articulated bass like it should be without any mushiness. Bass quality will really come in large part from the quality of your speakers and amplifier.

Great, good to know. Well, I will have to skip this sale anyway. Money thing. Next time.

Just so you know... Just holding my first piece of vinyl I have ever bought. Will unpack on Christmas.

[img]IMAGE(http://i68.tinypic.com/9rqh42.jpg[/IMG)

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So, I have a U-Turn audio turntable (with integrated power supply) plugged via RCA cables into a Marantz PM5005. That goes directly out into two Audioengine P4N passive bookshelf speakers or, alternatively, directly into a pair of Massdrop x Fostex 25 ohm impedance headphones. The question is, what is my next upgrade? Turntable with separate PSU? Headphone amp? The deal right now is that when I put the cans on, I am getting a relatively loud buzz.

By the way partner and I put out the below on translucent blue vinyl that looks pretty nice. If you like it, we're happy to send it out to goodjers for just the $5 shipping cost, no need to pay us for the record. We're also moodjers (musicians with jobs) so the main priority is just to try to make nice music for people to appreciate.

https://lixianhantover.bandcamp.com/...

Oh neat! Saw you post that in the name-a-band thread, but I never got around to listening it until today. I'll totally take you up on that. I really like that Quiet Heart song! Just PM me whatever PayPal email address to send the money to or let me know how to go about sending $5.

As to upgrades, you kinda have about the level of stuff where I got to and am happy with. The buzz thing is weird. Does that turntable have an actual ground wire or does it ground to the tonearm? There may be some grounding issues. I had some funkiness with mine and wish they had just grounded the stupid thing with a grounding wire. If you plug a digital source into the amplifier, is it perfectly clean through the headphones? That would point to the turntable as being the issue.

I will say, I've really happily used headphones just plugged into my Yamaha amplifier which is maybe not even as nice as that Marantz, and it's wonderful. I don't have any issues with buzz. So, something is definitely wrong somewhere. Usually buzz and noise is from grounding issues.

IF I were going to spend more money and was able to figure out how to fix the buzz issues, I'd dump money into some floorstanding speakers. Bookshelf speakers can be great, but full speakers are glorious. Of course, it depends on your living situation. All my crap is in storage at the moment.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Oh neat! Saw you post that in the name-a-band thread, but I never got around to listening it until today. I'll totally take you up on that. I really like that Quiet Heart song! Just PM me whatever PayPal email address to send the money to or let me know how to go about sending $5.

As to upgrades, you kinda have about the level of stuff where I got to and am happy with. The buzz thing is weird. Does that turntable have an actual ground wire or does it ground to the tonearm? There may be some grounding issues. I had some funkiness with mine and wish they had just grounded the stupid thing with a grounding wire. If you plug a digital source into the amplifier, is it perfectly clean through the headphones? That would point to the turntable as being the issue.

I will say, I've really happily used headphones just plugged into my Yamaha amplifier which is maybe not even as nice as that Marantz, and it's wonderful. I don't have any issues with buzz. So, something is definitely wrong somewhere. Usually buzz and noise is from grounding issues.

IF I were going to spend more money and was able to figure out how to fix the buzz issues, I'd dump money into some floorstanding speakers. Bookshelf speakers can be great, but full speakers are glorious. Of course, it depends on your living situation. All my crap is in storage at the moment. :)

Good idea on using a digital source into the amp, I will check that. If the turntable only has a two-prong plug, does that mean it is grounded through the tone-arm?

I will PM you with my Venmo info for the record!

Yeah, it's probably grounded to the tone arm or something in the turntable. Typically, they'll have a ground wire that hooks up to the amp by the phono input. Looking at that turntable, do you have the version with a built in preamp? Make sure that's off if you're going into the phono input because the amplifier has that built in to the phono input. Or, if you've got it plugged into a different RCA input without a preamp, maybe switch the preamp off and go into the phono input on the amplifier. The built in preamp may have some noise issues or something.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Yeah, it's probably grounded to the tone arm or something in the turntable. Typically, they'll have a ground wire that hooks up to the amp by the phono input. Looking at that turntable, do you have the version with a built in preamp? Make sure that's off if you're going into the phono input because the amplifier has that built in to the phono input. Or, if you've got it plugged into a different RCA input without a preamp, maybe switch the preamp off and go into the phono input on the amplifier. The built in preamp may have some noise issues or something.

It's definitely the one without the built-in pre-amp, so that can't be it. Maybe it's a ground issue.

ratzofftoya wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Yeah, it's probably grounded to the tone arm or something in the turntable. Typically, they'll have a ground wire that hooks up to the amp by the phono input. Looking at that turntable, do you have the version with a built in preamp? Make sure that's off if you're going into the phono input because the amplifier has that built in to the phono input. Or, if you've got it plugged into a different RCA input without a preamp, maybe switch the preamp off and go into the phono input on the amplifier. The built in preamp may have some noise issues or something.

It's definitely the one without the built-in pre-amp, so that can't be it. Maybe it's a ground issue. :(

Ah, cool. Well, see what happens when you plug in a digital source. Got your PM and will take care of that when I get a chance later today!

Heeey everybody,
Just received my second "baby" today. So happy! More on the way.

IMAGE(http://i64.tinypic.com/2ez0855.jpg)

So awesome this thread is here. I'm dipping my toes into the wonderful world of vinyl after refurbishing an old Columbia Console player. Sadly the internals all were dead, except for the speakers, but I have a little $20 amp set up that gets surprisingly great sound hooked up that I'm running bluetooth and turntable output through. I picked up a Parasound TTB-720 for $15 bucks off a Facebook group, with a little phono amp, and it gets surprisingly good sound but I had a few questions.

The player is pretty basic, with no Anti-skate, and no ability to tweak the tone arms weight. From my actual playing of the small collection I have it still sounds great, but I'm wondering if I should be looking for a player with a few more bells and whistles. There isn't much out there in reference to info on my turntable, but here is an ebay listing for my model.

Parasound-TTB-720

Outside of local shops and thrift, where is everyone picking up their new albums? Amazon, ebay?

Oh, Transistor is a nice one to have! I'd love Bastion too.

Yonder, I would just stick with that if it's working! It probably has a mushy low end like a lot of budget turntables, but if you're speakers aren't great then it's not a big deal. If you get some nice speakers and an amp, then it's worth getting a new manual player in the $250-$500 range.

I don't buy too much used stuff anymore because I have too many records. I generally record stored or hit up Ebay if desperate for something. I will buy new things if I feel like they're limited and will be hard to find in the future.

Or Discogs market, besides ebay. I didn't even know there is a such a thing. But people seems to trade there regularly. But otherwise I focus on the new stuff as well. I don't need a huge collection and I do focus specifically on game ost's. So Iam8bit, Mondo, Bravewave, Laced Records, or in case of the above Transistor, the developer Supergiant Games.

poutniksantiago wrote:

Or Discogs market, besides ebay. I didn't even know there is a such a thing. But people seems to trade there regularly. But otherwise I focus on the new stuff as well. I don't need a huge collection and I do focus specifically on game ost's. So Iam8bit, Mondo, Bravewave, Laced Records, or in case of the above Transistor, the developer Supergiant Games.

Don't forget the most important one! Mine should be on its way. They gave me a notice saying my credit card was going to be charged a few days ago.

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I buy almost exclusively through Discogs or local record shops. I'm also in Chicago which makes the latter much easier. I am trying to "backfill" my collection with some older stuff I've always dreamed of owning, though, which Discogs makes it infinitely easier to do than eBay.

I set out this morning seeking Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, or Operation Ivy. Succeeded at one.
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I might have gone for some variety, but "Walk Among Us" was labeled as out of print, and whether that's true or not, it's something I should have anyway.

I'm in the market for a new audio receiver, replacing a Harman Kardon I got as a high school graduation gift (it took a beer spill or a sprinkler at some point, and now only outputs through one speaker). Recommendations? I've been looking at HKs, but some of the things I'm seeing put me ill at ease.

Nice! If you just need an amplifier for a turntable and speakers, I love the relatively budget Yamaha stereo amplifier I got a few years back. It's clean and perfectly functional. Maybe check the current offerings in that line if you have decent speakers.

This is what I went with IIRC (it's currently packed away). There are some more budget options if you're only pushing bookshelf speakers.

@tuffalobuffalo Oh, Nier Automata. I have not play the game yet. It is on my playlist for future for sure.

But I have two new babies now...

Warframe

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No Man's Sky

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They look awesome. And I played them at my parent's house. Still have to get my own player.

I was really tempted to get that No Man's Sky soundtrack. I love the music, and the art and vinyl are so pretty.

Yes! My new favorite vinyl box set arrived:

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tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Yes! My new favorite vinyl box set arrived:

IMAGE(https://imgur.com/llj7MVu.jpg)

I really need to listen to it...like...now

If you haven't listened to it, it's all up on YouTube. I'd recommend starting with NieR Gestalt & Replicant (the original game's soundtrack). Automata is great, but it iterates a lot on the original soundtrack.

Sound System's going to pick me back up!
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I gave Yamaha's a long look, tb, but I found an HK (the HK 3770 specifically) that looked good, and them touting that they make them as green as possible swayed me. I'm now actually outputting in stereo again!

Here are the components that will be on their way to the electronics recycler. I do need a new CD changer or player, but that's immaterial to the discussion here.
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Oooooo, nice! That HK 3770 looks real nice, and of course the green aspect is a no-brainer.