Looking for a turntable

[spaceonthebass]

I see what you mean, that's interesting...I can see there's a lot of possibilities but since I have powered speakers I think maybe I'll go the phono preamp to speakers way, assuming that works (I'll have to get some rca to balanced jack cables I suppose). There's also a few usb phono preamps out there but I don't know about their quality...!


I have my eyes on Sony PS-T20 turntable. It's kinda old but looks solid! Ever heard of it?

[garww]

Originally Posted by spaceonthebass

I see what you mean, that's interesting...I can see there's a lot of possibilities but since I have powered speakers I think maybe I'll go the phono preamp to speakers way, assuming that works (I'll have to get some rca to balanced jack cables I suppose). There's also a few usb phono preamps out there but I don't know about their quality...!


I have my eyes on Sony PS-T20 turntable. It's kinda old but looks solid! Ever heard of it?

The table should be pretty good if it not damaged. The stand alone pre-amp works the same way as a receiver - both have input to a phono pre-amp and both have line out. 'cept the receiver has more : )

[spaceonthebass]

Originally Posted by garww

The table should be pretty good if it not damaged. The stand alone pre-amp works the same way as a receiver - both have input to a phono pre-amp and both have line out. 'cept the receiver has more : )

SONY Turntable PS-T20 on eBay (end time 08-Jul-09 19:30:00 BST) that's the one I was talking about...don't know if I'll pull the trigger yet...or maybe just bid and wait

[garww]

Ya, that's the first one I got by searching. Seller looks good - which is the major concern.

I was thinking that series would be a good match for my current Sony receiver (1978), but there are not many T models on US eBay.

May only need to update the cartridge, or stylus - if needed.

[spaceonthebass]

I found some cool ones on the us ebay but I live in Portugal so it doesn't compensate to buy from there. The prices are great with the euro conversion but then there's taxes that raise the price and customs sometimes take forever to release an item. Overall it doesn't compensate which is a pitty...lots of nice stuff over there! I usually buy from the german ebay because the shipping costs are usually very low and there are no taxes whatsoever...the only problem is that I don't understand a single word ehehe but anyway, ask the seller for a quote...if it's a good deal for you go for it and may the best man win eheheh I'm still not sure if I'll bid on it though

[garww]

There are some great old tables, but I'm not into belt-drive anymore : ) The Dual's capstans and drives age fairly well. The Technics I now have is my first S arm, even my old Garrard Lab80 had a straight arm.

I visit eBay de for cameras - yet to buy one - , but the market is so different. Makes me drool !!

Whatever you decide, I hope the hook-ups work well. The phono (pre-amp quality) section can make a difference, but it's the needle where it all starts.

When I finally got CD recorder years ago. I dubbed some record tracks as a experiment. I had to rummage through a box of 10-12 cartridges to find one with a good needle, but the phono pre-amp section of a old Marantz 2240 really made it sound good. I also have a Heathkit tube stereo pre-amp with a choice of four different phono playback curves. It, too, sounds good when the tubes aren't sparking : )

Good luck !!

[spaceonthebass]

I still have a lot to learn...I've only decided to start a record collection last week lol. I've been wanting to for a long time though. My first buy was Michael Sembello's Bossa Nova Hotel from 1983, along with Bad and Thriller which I bought because they were so cheap, coincidently, the night before Michael Jackson passed away. I also got Jaco Pastorius' first album...great! : )
But I have a long list to get next...stevie, beatles, shuggie otis, d'angelo, don blackman... ... ... it's neverending!

[garww]

Oh god, you are in deep trouble !!!

I was displaced several years ago, and my 900 albums are in storage many miles away. However, I have started collecting again (all my gear is recent) and I keep an active eBay list going.

If you can find the original pressings, they are usually more dynamic than the re-issue. I have Thriller and we used it as a demo when I sold Hi-Fi back then.

Not records, but I got some open reel home recorded tapes of the Jackson Five like two days before he croaked. I wondered if he was going to ship them !!!

A quality table like this Sony will serve you well. The medium mass tone-arm is fine for "popular" recordings on LP format. Lower mass, is better if you spring for a decent cartridge. The old tables sometimes have a age-corroded variable resistor that controls the speed (the speed knob). A little speed drift is not so bad, but you can exercise it and/or spray it with cleaner.

I would go forward with the simple playback system as you envision it, and upgrade when needed.

Records have the pressing imperfections worn away when they are played. The record will slowly conform to the shape of the stylus to a degree. So, a nicely broken-in record may not track the same way with your needle. A groove that was played with a non-aligned needle or a damaged needle might sound pretty bad. The more expensive stylus make more contact with the groove walls and sound great on nice grooves. Many keep a less advanced shape stylus on hand for noisier records.

Keep an eye open for Japanese imports as the vinyl is pretty good quality. Here, I have some better quality LP and they do sound real good. However I recently got a Mobile Fidelity Abbey Road that does not track well on my needle. I will have to break that in. The much older records I just got actually sound pretty good - suggesting they were played with a non-audiophile needle.

[spaceonthebass]

Originally Posted by garww

Oh god, you are in deep trouble !!!

I was displaced several years ago, and my 900 albums are in storage many miles away. However, I have started collecting again (all my gear is recent) and I keep an active eBay list going.

If you can find the original pressings, they are usually more dynamic than the re-issue. I have Thriller and we used it as a demo when I sold Hi-Fi back then.

Not records, but I got some open reel home recorded tapes of the Jackson Five like two days before he croaked. I wondered if he was going to ship them !!!

A quality table like this Sony will serve you well. The medium mass tone-arm is fine for "popular" recordings on LP format. Lower mass, is better if you spring for a decent cartridge. The old tables sometimes have a age-corroded variable resistor that controls the speed (the speed knob). A little speed drift is not so bad, but you can exercise it and/or spray it with cleaner.

I would go forward with the simple playback system as you envision it, and upgrade when needed.

Records have the pressing imperfections worn away when they are played. The record will slowly conform to the shape of the stylus to a degree. So, a nicely broken-in record may not track the same way with your needle. A groove that was played with a non-aligned needle or a damaged needle might sound pretty bad. The more expensive stylus make more contact with the groove walls and sound great on nice grooves. Many keep a less advanced shape stylus on hand for noisier records.

Keep an eye open for Japanese imports as the vinyl is pretty good quality. Here, I have some better quality LP and they do sound real good. However I recently got a Mobile Fidelity Abbey Road that does not track well on my needle. I will have to break that in. The much older records I just got actually sound pretty good - suggesting they were played with a non-audiophile needle.

Kinda like a fountain pen that doesn't write as well with a "stranger" as it does with the owner. I'm learning a lot, thanks! So basically a record can sound better after a few runs on a particular needle thought that "ruins" the record to a degree?

I know I'm in trouble ehehe Most of the music I like is from before I was born (1982) so that's partly why I decided to start a collection...just seems to make more sense to me than buying a cd. (or maybe I'm just trying to justify it to myself lol)

[garww]

Vinyl is remarkable stuff. Some is very brittle - some you can bend very much. Some sound like it was made out of sawdust and some sounds like silk. Certainly there will be wear, but abuse is the major problem. In fact, tracking too light is often a bigger problem.

In my own case, I have LP that were played with steel needles from the 78 era, changers with ceramic cartridges, and up. The steel needles can do real damage but that is what they used. I do have many 40 year old albums that still sound pretty damn good. The ones that suffered, were the party albums : )

I would have a hard time advising some one to collect LP over CD. Besides the ageless analog vs digital crap, I do often remark to my self that a CD is really lacking the sound on many of my records. Many Cd are quite extraordinary, too.

I recently bot some cd and some of them are horrible compared to my LP - particularly the first Traffic LP - touted as a digital re-master. In this case, I think it is a matter of mastering on speakers no one can afford.

The first James Gang album on CD matches the dynamics of my LP and is very enjoyable - ya never know.

There are differences in re-issue LP, too. I collected a re-issue first Cream album and it was faint and distant compared to the first release. I just found it on open reel tape, so I'm hoping to regain the spaciousness and dynamics on a couple of Clapton's signature lead riffs.

Records on the used market are bargain if you ask me. I asked my dad many years ago before he passed, which music he really liked. I found a eBay collection recently of eight Mills Brothers LP for really cheap and they play great.

I will be MP3ing my favorites from the records and tapes I've just collected.