Vinyl Thread [ARCHIVED] • Page 197

My girlfriend got me a Crosley 2 years ago for the holidays and it was a good starter. If there’s a record you love and want to have a long time I wouldn’t recommend playing it often because it will deteriorate over time.

I got a U-Turn Orbit Plus last month and love it. Will really depend how into it you get over some time. Enjoy!

 

@goation

It’s a deep hole to dive into. Not a cheap hobby, just getting started can be overwhelming with so much information, choice, and cost.

My journey into building a proper setup is documented in this very thread from almost two years back. I had lots of questions. Haha.

 

My girlfriend got me a U Turn Orbit for Christmas, with pretty much all of the upgrades.

 

i know if i ever listen to my turntable enough to want to upgrade i'm going with the debut carbon

 

For as much as I listen to vinyl, I really don’t know much about different types of turntables or what speakers work best or other technicalities. I’ve never really educated myself or researched it much.

Here’s my set-up. It works for me.

 

I think I’m finally going to get a new table after taxes next year. Or just get the one I have fixed. It’s been rough not having one.

 

I need a new player already. I’ve had a Crosley since 2012, so most of my record collection I haven’t even played once since I don’t want them damaged

 

Debut Carbon is superb.

 

I am probably just going to go with the AT120 until I have a better listening room, then I’ll go for the dream set up. I have a Sony HP 318 currently, which is super cool, but too old for me to be comfortable tinkering with it to see what is wrong with it. And the shops around me won’t fix tables older than the 80s haha.

 

Ayyy same! (my wife, not your gf). She got the acrylic platter and Ortofon 2M Red needle. Only thing I'll probably add to it is the cue lever, but I'm definitely loving it. Pretty stoked about it after rocking an AT-PL50 for 10+ years.

 

stop admitting your oldness snewt!!!

 

That's exactly what my girlfriend got me too! Haha.

 

I started getting into vinyl a couple of years ago when I decided I wanted to own physical copies of my favorite albums. I have about 45 records now, but the first 10 or so I bought before I had a player and stupidly kept them stacked on top of each other. Needless to say, most of those initial 10 are fairly warped. They all play without skips and sound great, but the tonearm (AT-120) definitely goes through a workout on a couple of them. Thoughts? I really don’t wanna spend a couple hundred replacing those records since they sound fine, but if they are gonna be unlistenable at some point then that would, for lack of a better word, suck

 

Look into getting a record weight. I have one, and on the few albums that have come heat warped (I live in Arizona), it flattens pretty well.

 

I have an LP60 and haven't seen a reason to upgrade yet. I probably will eventually but I like my simple setup

 

I love my custom U-Turn so much, I had a AT-60 with my ex that sounded awful compared to what I have now

 

For any newcomers, a general caution about the Audio Technica tables (AT60, AT120, others) that come with integrated preamps: I got an LP120 last month and found the output dull and muddy, even through good speakers. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned enthusiasts actually ripping out the preamp because its circuitry affects the sound, and after some research, I decided to do it. It's seriously a night and day difference.

My takeaway is that unless you're willing to spend half a weekend opening up the table and doing some surgery, you're getting significantly compromised sound, even if you buy a good external preamp and otherwise have a nice setup. It's really unfortunate. Also unfortunate is that I'm not sure of any good alternatives in the $150-300 range.

Anyway, I think the LP60 is probably fine as a true entry-level TT and much better than a Crosley. With the LP120, I tend to think anyone with that budget is somewhat serious about it, and you might want to nudge up toward the popular alternatives (U-Turn, Pro-ject, etc.) that are slightly pricier.

 

This hobby is a money pit. A huge money pit. Getting into it, you have to understand that.

I understand, not everyone's finances can handle it, but if you stop buying records for a few months, you can save the money for a ~'real'~ turntable. Comb through craigslist, look in your local pawn shops, search the Facebook local buy/sell section. You can find a Technics 1200 (the workhorse, quintessential turntable) for 200+/-ish bucks. It is better than the LP120 and FAR better than the LP60, and it will literally last until you die. My 1200 is almost 40 years old and is as good as the day it left the box.

 

yup, exactly. i wish i had done something else instead of the 120 when i got my table but, yeah. definitely not something i recommend.

 

I’m going off nothing but a faint memory here but isn’t there a bypass switch or something for the preamp? I have the 120 but it’s in a different city now so i can’t check but i also don’t explicitly remember flipping one lol

 

I haven’t had any issues to be honest. A few of my records sound muddled, but I think it’s more the record itself than the system. Other records I have sound super bright and vibrant. Maybe a better player would be able to elevate the muddled records, but I am happy with it for the price ($250).

 

Yeah my setup sounds fine but I could have dumb ears lol

 

if you can, buy vintage/used from craiglist or swap and shops. You'll be able to get higher quality gear and great sound for about the same cost as buying new crosley or LP60 and powered speakers. Look for Marantz, pioneer, yamaha, kenwood, realistic, panasonic, technics, KHL, akai, etc.


for example:
Panasonic turntable - $125
Panasonic turntable

Sony receiver - $100
Sony str6055 receiver

AKAI 3way 22" floor speakers - $125
TESTED Vintage Pair of AKAI Speakers SW-125

 

Every setup sounds fine if you don’t have something to compare it to, so if any of you guys want to see whether an upgrade might make sense for you personally, try to find a friend who has a better setup or even a dealer nearby and go listen, preferably by bringing one of your records that you know well.