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Basic Vinyl (NON USB) Turntable suggestions

grizzlybrice

grizzlybrice

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 10, 2005
159
1
Playa Del Rey, CA
I have slowly been amassing LPs on vinyl of my favorite artists, and I believe it has suddenly come to a head that I must get my own turntable (instead of poaching the roommates).

I'm looking to spend under $300, I know I should just Craigslist/eBay one but I really have no idea where to start for searching and not end up with DJ Equipment and rental prices.

I live in Los Angeles/Pasadena and is there a good actual ma/pa store to go to that would sell vintage players for my price range. I am no audiophile, I have an Onkyo receiver and some decent Polks, I just want to be able to put on an album-side when I get home in the evenings after a long day at work, but also don't want anything plastic and cheap.

I don't have time to scour garage sales at the moment, so an actual place would be awesome. Is there a vintage record player restoration store on the web?

Thanks!
gB
 
eBay is probably your best bet. You *MIGHT* be able to find one at a thrift store if you are lucky.

I sold my turntable on eBay a few months ago and I very much regret it. :(
 
I'm in the market for a turntable as well. I had done quite a bit of research and ended up putting the Stanton T52B on my Christmas list (not sure if you're looking for vintage or new). Obviously I haven't had a chance to actually check it out yet, but this seemed to me to be a good choice for my purposes (general listening pleasure, perhaps some recording to my MBP). It's belt-driven, normal phono output, etc. and I've read a lot of good reviews about Stanton's. Not sure how soon you're looking to pick it up, but I can give you a review once I get mine in a few weeks.
 
Yeah, I think I'm looking for vintage, at least not aesthetically "DJ". I'm a classy kind of guy :p

But I will love to hear your thoughts on that Stanton when you get it.

Anyone know a good place to find classic Technics or Duals restored? :D

gB
 
I guess you have to ask yourself "What kind of quality you want these records to come out like" ?

If you really care, you should get a good turntable like a "Technics 1210" (With a high quality cartridge) and maybe "oxygen free cables" and run it through a sound card into your Mac.
Then think about getting a sound card, like an "Apogee Duet" or "Apogee One" then burn it to a .wav or .aiff file, using free software like "Audacity".
There are lots of places online you can get this stuff and even more tutorials online (youtube etc).

Or, if you're really not that bothered about sound and just want some cheap ass sound quality .mp3's then just get something like a "ION Audio USB Turntable/Vinyl Archiver"

Before you record, make sure the vinyl and cartridge (needle) are clean, "Lighter Fluid" is good.

All that I've marked in Bold, you should be able to find through your favorite search engine.
I hope this helps?
Good luck.
 
I have no desire to record vinyl into digital format. I don't see the point. It already loses a lot of the warmth when one does this, and with already professionally cleaned up digital copies so readily available, why even bother.

I'm just trying to make my life more analog.

:cool:

gB
 
I strongly recommend the craigslist method. I'm sure ebay works, but turntable arms are fragile and I can't imagine your average seller packs them safely.

I was lucky enough to find a guy who refurbishes vintage audio equipment as a hobby and sells it on craigslist. I got a great old harman kardon turntable for a song. I put a new cartridge on it and it sounds fantastic.

A sidenote: If you're looking for just listening, get a belt drive table. It cuts down on vibrations from the motor.
 
If your going to buy used turntables, be aware that you will almost certainly have to buy a new cartridge/stylus. As far as quality goes, audiophile turntables can cost well over $20,000, but you stated that you werent really interested in them. I suggest you look for a used Technics turntable.

The technics 1200 series turntable is the dj standard for several reasons, including the fact they they are rock solid and djs transport them all over the place and they still work great even after 10 years. Also, cheaper turntables tend to be made of plastic, and thats no good because if you play loud bass, it can shake the turntable and cause distortion. Dj turntables are made to be heavy to stop this from happening.

Instead of a scratch needle, You should choose an appropriate audiophile needle since you wont be scratching. Some have suggested belt drive turntables over direct drive ones. I recommend against this if you will buying used ones, because the rubber belts that drive the platter tend to crack, stretch or eventually break when they get older.

If you have a Guitar Center near you, they have a whole room of dj stuff and also have used stuff for sale quite regularly. They occasionally have used Technic 1200 turntables and they go for about $250 each. Add a brand new needle for about $75 and you be all set, plus if you ever do decide to sell it, you will definitly not have a problem because all sorts of up and comming djs aspire to have a set of 1200s.

technics_1200.jpg
 
Shankworks, wonderful response. Very true. As being in LA, I have an amazing guitar center close by me. I'll try to sneak over to Hollywood this weekend and check out their stuff.

Besides, if I ever feel the need to start to learn to DJ I'm only one turntable away right? :D

Anyone have some cool setups out there? I'm down to hear what others are rocking.

gB
 
Well, I actually did the opposite of looking at something new(er). I'm checking out a Pioneer PL-300 tomorrow for $40. The guy sounded like an audiophile and just needs to unload it, hopefully its in good condition, those old Pioneers should be pretty solid/reliable.

:p
gB
 
Finding turn tables is the easy part when you're going old school its finding replacement needles which can be a bitch (kind of like trying to find vacuum tubes for a guitar amp in an age of solid state transistors) there are very few domestic manufacturers (gone are the days of buggy whips and horse drawn carriages too) so if you do find a supplier buy in bulk because you're gonna need to replace them every 3 to 4 months depending on how much you use the machine. As for turn tables my favorite brand was Mitsubishi they manufactured a very good quality device.
 
Pro-Ject Audio Debut III:

Pro-Ject-Debut-III-Phono-USB-Turntable.jpg


http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debut

I own a lot of vintage gear, but I'd never even consider a used turntable when there are modern, new turntables that are of known quality and have readily-available parts. MSRP on the non-USB Debut III is $349, but they can be found for $299 occasionally. Also keep in mind that it comes with a very nice Ortofon cartridge.
 
A brand worth keeping an eye out for (used) is Thorens - these turntables were turned out in their multi-thousands. Swiss-made. The 160-series are the best value, there's one on ebay now up to $31.
A new drive belt and some oil in the bearing and they're as good as new. Maybe you'd have to see how good the cartridge is and swap that out for a new one.
 
Picked it up last night. Thing is pretty solid. It will surely do me good until I can save up enough for something like the Pro-Ject Audio tt .

Since it was new, I need to replace the needle/cartridge soon...
I'm trying to find information online about the Pioneer PL-300, I found the instruction manual/brochure on vinylengine.com but it doesn't have any hard information about what kind of cartridge it takes.

Any knowledgeables out there know?

gB
 
grizzlybrice said:
Picked it up last night. Thing is pretty solid. It will surely do me good until I can save up enough for something like the Pro-Ject Audio tt .

Since it was new, I need to replace the needle/cartridge soon...
I'm trying to find information online about the Pioneer PL-300, I found the instruction manual/brochure on vinylengine.com but it doesn't have any hard information about what kind of cartridge it takes.

Any knowledgeables out there know?

gB
Click to expand...

The only major retailer that I think can still possibly hook you up on cartridges/needles is Radio Shack I know they don't keep them in stock at the stores, but online or ordering through the catalog there's a slight chance.
 
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