frankb Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I'm thinking about getting a record player and purchasing some vinyls soon and was just wondering if there were any recommendations/tips from anyone since I really don't have the first clue as to what I'm doing in this area. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theycallmethehunter Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Get a pretty one .. haha sorry i have no idea about buying record players i just use the one my dad bought me. Well for records, its a given, just make sure whatever you get isnt too scratchy or dirty, but even my scratchy ones still sound pretty good. Get a little record cleaning kit with a little brush for the needle and the velvet cylinder to clean your vinyls.. Thats all, you dont even need the cleaning stuff just get records and a record player and youll be set...Record players are kind of a lot of money, which you probably know..so you need a couple hundred dollars for a nice one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M. Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) Like most technology, it's usually a case of "you get what you pay for". One thing to be aware of though is that some turntables have their own pre-amp, while some do not. Basically, this means some players will have an electronic component inside that boosts the signal, with some other turntables must reply on a stereo or home entertainment system to supply it. Some years back, I tried plugging in my parents old turntable into a channel of my home system, and realized that I had to crank the volume to the max to just barely hear it. It's because neither the player nor my system had a pre-amp. Older stereos usually have a "phono" setting for specifically plugging in your turn table, because it supplies the power to boost the signal. Personally, I've been very happy with this portable turntable I bought at Guitar Center a few years back for $100. I use it to transfer vinyl recordings to my hard drive: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Numark-PT-01US...873-i1424871.gc Edited July 13, 2009 by Bill M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeyedrichard Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I have two record players. An old rare one from like the 50s-60s, and one from more recent years like the 90s or something. I honestly say that I have used the 50s one more. The speakers are crummy and the quality not that clean, but its magical. Keep your eyes open for a good deal. Try good second hand music stores if you can't buy one new. Get the opinion from the shop owner, see if he will demo one for you. Alternatively...try eBay. Find one on there, then get the model number for it, stick it in Google and find a review or write-up on that player. If it sounds like what you are after then go for it. ReR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cofa Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I'm thinking about getting a record player and purchasing some vinyls soon and was just wondering if there were any recommendations/tips from anyone since I really don't have the first clue as to what I'm doing in this area. Thanks. These do some really good turntables at the budget end of the market: http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?list...les&lang=en I have the RPM1 Genie which sells in the UK for around £120. You will need an amp with a phono stage for this though or a seperate preamp if you don't have one on your existing system (A lot of new amps don't) It really is a great turntable for the money. For around £200 in the UK you can have the Project Debut which comes in versions with or without an inbuilt phono stage. You can also get one with a USB output if you want to digitise any of your vinyl. Both of these have won lots of awards for budget turntables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountainHopper Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've got two old turntables, but one doesn't work. And I've got that neweer thing that plays vinyl, cassettes, cd's, the radio, and you can hook an mp3 into it. I would recommend getting something newer, st based on how I thought it sounded, of course just getting a new needle can change sound so I guess it all depends on the condition of the vinyl, the turntable, and your sound preference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy's A Legend Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Dansttes are pretty awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 IMO unless a person is going to be 100% committed to a specific media format it's a waste of money. Sure audiophile types will argue that type A is superior to type B but more often than not it means buying and re-buying music in several different formats to be able to listen to it so you can split those sonic hairs. As someone who has lived through the vinyl, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, laser disc, cd, mp3 era's each time I have to buy an album I've already bought in a different outdated format it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I was heavy into vinyl for a long time, did the record show thing, Technics turntables, unbelievably expensive styli and 180g vinyl. It does make albums recorded on analog gear sound the way it's supposed to but you have to go big to realize the differences. GRabbing a crummy old record snagged from the used record shop and slapping it down on a cheap turntable isn't the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Get a reputable brand. Something like Pioneer or Dennon, don't get some off the wall brand that no one has ever heard of. As for vinyl, don't buy it if it has big scratches or something obvious. Always crack for cracks or splits in the vinyl, they an be easy to miss. The condition of the cover is not always a good indication of the condition of an album. Keep your albums in protective sleeves, both on the outside of the cover, and a sleeve for the vinyl. I use diskwasher fluid and a brush that I got a record store. If you want to drop $2500-5000 musicdirect has some pretty sweet vinyl vacuums. I also keep my vinyl cataloged and alphabitised (sp?) but that is a personal choice and I find it's easy to locate certain albums but ofcourse you don't have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankb Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Thanks for the replies everyone. I have most of my music as mp3's on my computer hard-drive and wanted to try out some vinyl's because I've heard the sound quality is better a lot of times. After reading a few responses, not sure if its really worth it though. I'll do some research and see what I can dig up, because I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Research would be smart. Getting into vinyl is one of those things that sounds like a great idea until you put it on paper. Typically people get into it with an improved listening experience in mind but so many things have to be in order for that to happen. You can still get into albums even if it isn't a mind blowing listening experience. Albums as art was always as important as the music IMO. I hung on to several rare albums for years specifically because it was fun to look at. Bonus points for albums that came with postcards, pictures, picture sleeves or any loose art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonzoLikeDrumer Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Thanks for the replies everyone. I have most of my music as mp3's on my computer hard-drive and wanted to try out some vinyl's because I've heard the sound quality is better a lot of times. After reading a few responses, not sure if its really worth it though. I'll do some research and see what I can dig up, because I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. If you want better sonic quality in your music then stop buying MP3's. This is a low sample and quantization rate format that take's all the life out of any recording, hell, it's only about 10%( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3 )of the original digital content. The only good thing about it is if you record in higher than 96K by the time you convert to MP3 you still have audible sound. If you compare it to a standard LP record, a 44.1K CD is much better and there is no analog noise at all in a CD(as long as the source is nose free), the short playing LP's where big in the late 1980's (I remember them) because the grove was wider and you can get a longer sign wave on them. That give's them better bass and sub frequency response but there's still noise and you only get one or two song's per side with the short play LP's. In short buy your self a big hard drive, a piece of software that records/transfer's full audio and put your full quality audio on it, I have a Lacie Quadra with most of my uncompressed audio on it. I've installed I-Tune's and a few other audio only app's to that drive as well. I payed around 150 or 200 buck's US for the drive and it formatted out to a bit over 700 gig's of free space, I've filled about 50 gig's of it so far and I have hundred's of song's stored on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theycallmethehunter Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) Really getting records isnt hard at all. Just get any record player and start buying some albums you like, even if you just like them for one song, you can learn to love the rest.. And records can be pretty cheap some times, like only a few bucks, ive even found some in pretty good condition for 99 cents. Buying records is cheaper than getting CDs or buying off itunes or whatever.. And ive only really been buying records since december and i already have over 200 plus all of my parents' records and bootlegs Edited July 14, 2009 by theycallmethehunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vega Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) These ideas are probably in the air somehow, I am in the proces of contemplating the repair of a very old radio receiver and record player of a brand that used to be populer and respected back in the USSR days, that is older than myself. I am serious about trying to revive it somehow. Anyway, I think it is a good idea. So yes, if you want to buy a record player, go for a reliable brand. Edited July 14, 2009 by Vega Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vega Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) does anyone know how to delete these redundant messages?... Edited July 14, 2009 by Vega Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M. Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 IMO unless a person is going to be 100% committed to a specific media format it's a waste of money. I use multiple media simply because there isn't one single medium on which I can find every recording I want. Some titles I can only find on vinyl, some stuff I can only buy on-line as mp3s, plus I have personal recordings I made years ago on cassette tape, concert videos that were only released on VHS whose audio content I want to rip, etc. As someone who has lived through the vinyl, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, laser disc, cd, mp3 era's each time I have to buy an album I've already bought in a different outdated format it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Personally I don't complain about the fact that I've replaced albums on new media formats; I'm thankful that technology has provided me with more and more convenient ways to listen to the music I love. Technology just gets better as science marches on. Nobody "forced" me to stop listening to Houses of the Holy as a cassette tape; I'd just rather dial it up on my iPod when I'm out driving these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M. Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Thanks for the replies everyone. I have most of my music as mp3's on my computer hard-drive and wanted to try out some vinyl's because I've heard the sound quality is better a lot of times. After reading a few responses, not sure if its really worth it though. I'll do some research and see what I can dig up, because I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. This begs the question then of how exactly you'd be listening to your records. Obviously you need a record player to play them, but you need to have speakers or headphones at some point. Most turntables do not have any sorts of speakers built into them, and are designed so that they have cables that plug into a speaker system. Do you have an entertainment center in your living room, with a main receiver that you plug your DVD players and X-Box and what not into? If so, then you can just plug into a free channel there (again, providing that either the turntable or the receiver has a pre-amp to deal with record players). You said you have most of your music as mp3s on your computer's hard drive, so presumably you listen to most of your music through computer speakers, is that right? If so, then it is possible to plug the turntable into your computer's line-in input jack and listen on your computer speakers. Otherwise, you'll need get a full stereo system or a turntable with built-in speakers, either of which would cost you more than just a typical plug-it-in turntable. Personally, if it's just a "better sound than mp3s" you're looking for, then you're probably better off just buying CDs or a good soundcard for your computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ro_a Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I'd recommend a higher level ION turntable for newbies. It can plug into your computer via USB, and comes with free software to make mp3's, clean up the sound, algorithm for 78rpm and making mixes. Remember that micro-groove technology came into play in the 70's. My fav player is my all tube GE (ahem) "portable" suitcase record player, but I was bummed when I realized I widened the grooves on my White Stripes and my Flaming Lips. I'm going to convert to magnetic by adding a stage of gain. If any of you are the "how do I convert my ceramic cartridge to a magnetic" types, we can start a new thread and work on that. I buy and sell record players on eBAy. My hobby is fixing RCA 45 players from 1949 to 1958. I know every single part in both designs. Here are some departed eBAy fix ups, cool toy record player people. If you (LZ folks) have an RCA 45 player and need help getting it going, I can answer any and all questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zosodude13 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Seriously, I found one at a garage sale two years ago. It was from the 1980's and it's lasted just fine. The only maintenance I have done was replace the needle last year, but that's it. The lady had the price for $10, but I talked her down to $5. If that one dies, I'll more then likely find another one at a garage sale. As for vinyls, I usually look for records at garage sales and cheap ones at record stores. I check to make sure it's not totally scratched up, but I can deal with the few pops and nicks (adds very well to the music). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankb Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 Ya, I do listen to most of my music through my computer/headphones since I am still living with roommates and not in the nicest of places of where I would want to get a nice system yet. I knew that mp3's compressed music, but didnt really know to what extent and that there were higher quality mp3's (320 kbit/s etc). Maybe I'll start trying to upgrade my mp3's to the highest quality on my ipod and listening to cd's directly and worry about getting a record player in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Kind of off topic here. I'm surprised so many people are into mp3s. Not because of the loss and sound quality but because I need more information than that. When I listen to a song I want to know more than how it sounds. I want to know who wrote it, how long it is, who played what instruments, whether or not backing musicians played on the track, what studio it was recorded in, who the engineer was, who produced it, when it was recorded etc. For that having the album in front of me is necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zosodude13 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Kind of off topic here. I'm surprised so many people are into mp3s. Not because of the loss and sound quality but because I need more information than that. When I listen to a song I want to know more than how it sounds. I want to know who wrote it, how long it is, who played what instruments, whether or not backing musicians played on the track, what studio it was recorded in, who the engineer was, who produced it, when it was recorded etc. For that having the album in front of me is necessary. Depending on how nice the mp3 player is, you can have that information displayed while the song is playing. On my iTouch, there is a feature that allows you to display the lyrics of a song. However, you can add whatever information you please in the box. So you could add who plays what, engineers and so on. Also, on the iTunes software, you can add information into a field. This is the field and you can add and info too. As you can see, there is plenty of space to add info about your music. When you 'sync' your iTouch, that information is added to the music on your iPod and it it there for you on your iPod. As seen above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 That's pretty cool. Will it populate the fields for you or do you need a some way to reference the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zosodude13 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 When you import a CD, it will usually fill out the artist, song title, album, track number and will have a genre it believes it fits in. But, you can change and add anything as you please. And, you can still use iTunes even if you don't have an iPod. It's a nice way to organize your music on your computer. You can add album covers too, so it looks nice. My library looks something like this (minus the crappy artists). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evster2012 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Gazing at the cover while listening to the album used to be all part of the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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