We have a new girl at work (25) who mentioned she wants to get a turntable to spin some LPs she has. This is the first opportunity to give someone under 30 a vintage turntable. Since moving in with Marilyn I got a shop and the livingroom--enough for two Duals. Down from seven I have three. The 1009 is in the shop. No cue or antiskate but a tank. My 1229 is in the LR. No room at the ranch for my 1009F. Love the way the 1009 sounds on my shop receiver.

The shop has two benches. At some point I would love to free up the second bench which has repaired stuff and my extra stuff. Here is an opportunity to find a home for the 1009F. Dont think her amp has a preamp so I will give her a JVC home theater amp that plays in stereo but not in surround. I toyed with putting in place of my Pioneeer QX 8000 4 channel receiver as Marilyn wanted a remote for the TV. Could not part with the Pioneer. Solved it with a Denon preamp and stuck it between the TV and aux on the Pioneer. She gets her remote and I keep the Pioneer!

Allison the new. girl, gets the Dual and the JVC. Its been raining here in NY and it looks like it will continue Tues so I will test them. Two pieces out just in time to make room for a TEAC 2300 and a Onkyo T-4. Opps! Won 'em on Ebay. They were cheap. Marilyn doesnt know. Thought I'd get outbid. Absolutely dont need another reel to reel but got the itch for a T-4. Best low cost tuner you can buy. May at some point get a power amo and tie it to that Denon preamp in the LR. Maybe..or not. So it goes.

Eric:music:

Allison the new girl can always come down my way if she needs a 20-something record buddy :yes:

I think it's a very good idea. I sent my nephew who is out in california a Pioneer PL10 because he had heard a turntable in a friend's home and loved the sound. He had called me to get info on turntables because he had heard that I have a very large record collection so I surprised him with the gift. That was several months ago and he has been buying records every week since then and has built a nice little collection. The more we introduce young people to vinyl the better it is for all of us. They'll keep it alive and the record companies will start producing some new vinyl.

They'll keep it alive and the record companies will start producing some new vinyl.

Yep!:tresbon:

I'm 21, you can always send some of that vintage turntable goodness my way! I'm pretty happy with my SL1600/M97xe though. I listen to vinyl every day.

I'm nineteen and have a row of vinyl that's just looking for a turntable. I've been thinking about getting one now that I have some income, but am not really sure where to start - new, or rummage around for something used? Many questions...

In the current edition of PC Mag, under their "New Stuff" section, is listed a Stanton T.90 turntable, which contains an ADC that outputs PCM via S/PDIF or USB.

Just as the youngsters are appreciating the sound as better than CD, someone shows them a way to turn the vinly sound into CD sound... :no:

I've also noticed that many new and inexpensive turntables manufactured these days seem to be geared more towards DJ use as opposed to hi-fi audio reproduction.

In the current edition of PC Mag, under their "New Stuff" section, is listed a Stanton T.90 turntable, which contains an ADC that outputs PCM via S/PDIF or USB.
A lot of younger people are not acquainted with the idea of a dedicated receiver with big speakers and lots of manual controls. You'll be lucky to find a teenager/twentysomething who knows what a preamp is and what it does. The computer has become the primary storage and control interface for audio, and to own a turntable - any turntable - sets you well apart already.

Unfortunately this reliance on the PC also often leads to crappy powered speaker systems with tiny satellites and enormous, booming, horribly-tuned, godawful subwoofers. But let's not talk about that. I might get angry, and that's no fun.

Man, I wish I knew a 20-something girl into vinyl. Very cool.

24, here. I have a collection of about 300 LPs, 200 45s, 300 78s. These are rough estimates, I never actually counted :-) I also have the equipment in my sig.

Cleaned and lubricated it. Tested out fine. Has not been run in a year. Ran great, sorry to see it go:tears: Thought for a moment to keep it. Told Allison about it today. She's really into music. If she doesnt have a preamp on her receiver, I'll giver her a JVC receiver. Tested the Dual with it today. That will free a few spaces in the shop. All for the cause. She gets it Fri.:thmbsp:

Eric:music:

Cleaned and lubricated it. Tested out fine. Has not been run in a year. Ran great, sorry to see it go:tears: Thought for a moment to keep it. Told Allison about it today. She's really into music. If she doesnt have a preamp on her receiver, I'll giver her a JVC receiver. Tested the Dual with it today. That will free a few spaces in the shop. All for the cause. She gets it Fri.:thmbsp:

Eric:music:

Good man! I wish I had someone showing the way when I was 25. :thmbsp:

Very nice. Who knows, maybe she'll pass on the GVK (Good Vinyl Karma).

I'm female, cute, 25 and like dude, I'm really into music.

The trouble is, I don't have one of those record player thingys or the box you hook them up to. Can you fix me up? :D

Doug
PS You're a good man. Thanks for being generous.

Hi all, this is my first posting. I just picked up a Stanton t.90. I didn't get it because I don't appreciate the richness and beauty of listening to vinyl on an amazing set-up--I bought it because I cannot afford all that beauty. I know little to nothing about turntables and home audio, and wanted a table that is simple and easy to use. I don't think it's that novices don't appreciate great sound, they just can't afford to spend that amount of money. The Stanton t.90 is a cheap and simple turn table that I can play through my small but nice sounding harmon/kardon computer speakers. One day, when I can afford a quality set-up, I'll get it. But for now, I'll start at the bottom and work my way up. For me, this is a great entry into the world of vinyl, and I'm excited to take my appreciation of music to a new level.

cheers!

Just as the youngsters are appreciating the sound as better than CD, someone shows them a way to turn the vinly sound into CD sound... :no:

A lot of new releases coming out on vinyl come with a code tag for a free download of the album in (usually) 256-mp3. I know all SubPop releases going forward will have this bonus. Best of both worlds for me; have the vinyl for use at home and have the mp3 for my ipod in the car.

Watched Dexter on TV last night(rather bizzare show)
Was interesting that they had 2 scenes involving records
1 was looking through some old albums
the other was putting one on a TT(me straining to see what gear Hollywood is into)

Albums=that medium that refuses to die

I'm nineteen and have a row of vinyl that's just looking for a turntable. I've been thinking about getting one now that I have some income, but am not really sure where to start - new, or rummage around for something used? Many questions...

Craigslist and Garage Sales are your best friends in this business :)

Thrift stores have some turntables (TT) now and then, but every time I look close, there is some part busted or a bent arm or something. You can probably get a decent entry level TT for between $10 and $50 off Craigslist. Yard sales are even cheaper - and sometimes they have a stack-o-vinyl to paw through too :)

Just look for one that's is complete, that the owner standing there says works. Give 'em the $ and walk away with your toy. We'll coach you into getting it running right. From there on, it's all uphill sonically and downhill economically :)

Once you start spinning vinyl, you've joined the dark side and will be haunted by the search for the inclusive rare LP (insert your favorite rare record) in perfect condition, that pristine Shure v-15 on a broken table for $5, and other adventures in audio land.

A few days ago I was on a ferry to an island nearby. It was a late Saturday afternoon trip and lots of people were returning to their homes after a daily trip to the shops in Athens.

I froze when I saw two youngsters, less than 20, holding up an old familiar thing; a record shop plastic bag. I watched them as they removed, carefully, the two LPs inside. They were two heavy metal/hard rock albums - judging by the artwork - and I was mostly watching the boys unfolding the covers (yes, they were folding) and looked at snapshots, discussed - perhaps - the artwork and contents and talked about their new precious acquisition.

It took me back 25 years, when me and my friend would go downtown to buy records. I would carefully budget and prioritize my purchases, first going through the must-go-sales of LPs and used ones and 45s then getting 1, perhaps 2 LPs with the money I had with me. My friend was richer and could afford "all-new" LPs and more than I could. But I didn't care, I would record the best of what he bought on "laboratory standard TDK SA" and I had budgeted for enough of those.

Then we would get the bus back home, get a corner seat and go through our new "things". I hated the foldables when they were shrinkrapped - I could not see inside unless I tore the wrap and I couldn't do that in the bus - sometimes I did and I would pack away the wrap in a bulge inside the plastic bag.

Nice memories of youngsters getting music.

I feel sorry for the newer generations that know music by downloading. I feel very happy about Allison, she will get a glimpse of the traditional way of "getting music".

Craigslist and Garage Sales are your best friends in this business :)

Thrift stores have some turntables (TT) now and then, but every time I look close, there is some part busted or a bent arm or something. You can probably get a decent entry level TT for between $10 and $50 off Craigslist. Yard sales are even cheaper - and sometimes they have a stack-o-vinyl to paw through too :)

Just look for one that's is complete, that the owner standing there says works. Give 'em the $ and walk away with your toy. We'll coach you into getting it running right. From there on, it's all uphill sonically and downhill economically :)

Once you start spinning vinyl, you've joined the dark side and will be haunted by the search for the inclusive rare LP (insert your favorite rare record) in perfect condition, that pristine Shure v-15 on a broken table for $5, and other adventures in audio land.

I second that!! Opening this up to all newbees who have posted above and, after this, many of us here would like to bring you over to the dark or colored vinyl "dark side" some of us even might have some stuff available that is not being used to donate to a some one who could really use it. Putting where you are located in your user ID or sig. will help. Shipping a TT is not easy. post alot and show a real interest, you can drop hint's along the way,asking with a grin:D. Maybe one of us that lives near could help you out. Advice always free here:D I've seen many here find a gem of a TT for under $20 with a little searching(which I think is half the fun)! And I have personally been given approx 1500 LP's for free because some folks knew of my enthusiasm for vinyl( Thanks folks):ntwrthy:

Craig

Craigslist and Garage Sales are your best friends in this business :)

Thrift stores have some turntables (TT) now and then, but every time I look close, there is some part busted or a bent arm or something. You can probably get a decent entry level TT for between $10 and $50 off Craigslist. Yard sales are even cheaper - and sometimes they have a stack-o-vinyl to paw through too :)

Just look for one that's is complete, that the owner standing there says works. Give 'em the $ and walk away with your toy. We'll coach you into getting it running right. From there on, it's all uphill sonically and downhill economically :)

Once you start spinning vinyl, you've joined the dark side and will be haunted by the search for the inclusive rare LP (insert your favorite rare record) in perfect condition, that pristine Shure v-15 on a broken table for $5, and other adventures in audio land.

I assume he's talking not just about the turntable, but the rest of the infrastructure--receiver & speakers. Which of course can also be found cheaply with some looking, but a lot of "young people" already have reasonably good speakers for their computers or iPods so a TT with an integrated pre-amp and USB output makes a lot of sense. Does anyone actually build a good one? What would you need if you wanted to plug a conventional TT into a computer or iPod speaker system? A pre-amp, at least, I guess... what else?

I'm 21 and I actually have convinced most of my closer friends of the subjective superiority of analog sound....even a few girls. It really doesn't take much convincing at all. I play a good record and turn it up, watch the jaws drop. The ones who are unconvinced are also just unconcerned about quality sound in general. I also played all my parents' forgotten records for them. I played a lot of my older brother's 'soundtrack of youth' albums that he stashed away in a box somewhere more than 10 years ago and now that he's well established he went out and bought a bunch of records as well as took back his old ones...now I just have to set him up with something nice to play them on the next time I see him.

Maybe he will spring for a Rega or something good like that, and a Denon MC cart.

OK, all this talk of people under the age of 40 and turntables...

Is it OK to beat the crud out of them if you catch them making zippy-zippy noises with an otherwise good turntable? :D

They do know that good turntables are for playing music, not sound effects, don't they? :scratch2:

"But Your Honor, I saw the kid drop a Cannonball Adderley LP on that Garrard turntable, then he started doing that Hip-hop zippy zippy thing, and I just lost it."

"(BANG!!!) JUSTIFIABLE HOMOCIDE!!! You're free to go.

"Next case!" :thmbsp:

DJing can be good....just don't do it on my turntable or my records....and don't ruin rare classics!!!!

If anything we have DJs to thank for keeping our hobby alive.

DJing can be good....just don't do it on my turntable or my records....and don't ruin rare classics!!!!

If anything we have DJs to thank for keeping our hobby alive.

And plenty of beater 12s to wade through at the local thrift

And plenty of beater 12s to wade through at the local thrift

I heat those up in the oven and make bowls out of them.

No matter what you do with them, as long as they are being used, it's a form of recycling. Much better than into a black plastic garbage bag and into the dump?

As for how to hook-up? It seems that Audio Technica is trying to figure this out. I think their newish external phono amp has USB out? Seems to get decent consumer reviews. I don't have one, or need one (M-Audio sound card), but it might be a way to get it going for the TT to PC/Mac crowd?

I'm sure some others will come along with a good all purpose external phono amp that will hook to anything (USB, Fire Wire, RCA, Balanced, DIN 5 & 7, etc.). That would allow taking "records" to most venues :)

As for DJ'ing - I think it's a great final use for albums that are not playable in the audiophile sense. Worn jackets and VG- down albums are perfect for DJ'ing as long as they don't need the whole track? You can still get some cool bumps and scratches out of these old LPs :)

My 17 year-old daughter Michelle, bought a Dual 1249 TT at GW for $15.
She has a lot of vinyl.....but I wish she would take better care of them!?

Steve

Sons and daughters are to young to know how stuff disappears over time and the scarcity factor drives the prices through the roof. They'll learn when one of their favs is not available. It's inevitable.

If you think about it, the resurgence of vinyl makes a lot of sense. Since we can use a computer to get music for free-the "novelty" for some is having a record in which you have the audio embedded on something, and it has to play through a turntable. I think now that everything is digital, it's lost its interest. Nothing beats "putting on a record" It forces you to listen to ALL the tracks (or walk over and change it, but I'm too lazy most of the time), and I like the sound of the records.

I'm 25 and have been listening to records since I was 15. Partly because I got into DJing, and mostly because my dad threw all his "old" (read: he got something better) at me and I got to use it. Now, I'm keeping the turntables and using them for building an analog audio set up.

I like this thread. :yes:

What's old is new...

The retro-cool factor is probably the biggest reason for vinyl resurgence in young people. I've done my part to support some youngins in their endeavors including giving away a few turntables (TD-166, Technics SL-3350, another technics cheapy, some BSR that played 78s) and a pair of middle of the road vintage receivers to give them working phono stages. Everyone is appreciative and quite satisfied with the sound of even a crappy tt, with beat up records, and a crappy cart. Makes me wonder if spending huge money is worthwhile when so much musical enjoyment can be had with what many would consider crap equipment like lowend CDPs, turntables, and even a boombox. What I enjoy the most are the people who are in it for the music and not some particular "sound". When you run into music enthusiasts who aren't audiophiles, they say things like "I love music!" not "I love analog!" or "I love digital!"...it's refreshing.

The poster a few above me makes a good point about the ritualistic aspects of it as well. I have a turntable on my desk at work, and there is often a look of wonder/astonishment that i would listen to such a thing, followed by a "that's really cool".

I often joke with co-workers that when Liberty is old enough and asks for an Ipod, I'll say "No, you can't have an Ipod but check out this sweet Thorens TD-124 you can have". Of course, it will only make sense that she also have an Ipod if I raise that girl right, as a music enthusiast. :)

Way to pass on the karma. When I was 24 girls would laugh if they saw you with records...it was very much passe' and not at all hip. I was probably the only student at my college ca. 1990 with a TT. Then again I didn't get a CD player until around the turn of the century. I knew I was born in the wrong era.
By the way, my 12 yr old daughter got me back into records.

What's old is new...

The retro-cool factor is probably the biggest reason for vinyl resurgence in young people. I've done my part to support some youngins in their endeavors including giving away a few turntables (TD-166, Technics SL-3350, another technics cheapy, some BSR that played 78s) and a pair of middle of the road vintage receivers to give them working phono stages. Everyone is appreciative and quite satisfied with the sound of even a crappy tt, with beat up records, and a crappy cart. Makes me wonder if spending huge money is worthwhile when so much musical enjoyment can be had with what many would consider crap equipment like lowend CDPs, turntables, and even a boombox. What I enjoy the most are the people who are in it for the music and not some particular "sound". When you run into music enthusiasts who aren't audiophiles, they say things like "I love music!" not "I love analog!" or "I love digital!"...it's refreshing.

The poster a few above me makes a good point about the ritualistic aspects of it as well. I have a turntable on my desk at work, and there is often a look of wonder/astonishment that i would listen to such a thing, followed by a "that's really cool".

I often joke with co-workers that when Liberty is old enough and asks for an Ipod, I'll say "No, you can't have an Ipod but check out this sweet Thorens TD-124 you can have". Of course, it will only make sense that she also have an Ipod if I raise that girl right, as a music enthusiast. :)

This might be the case with some people, but remember that what sounds like a "crappy tt" to those of us with nice gear may still sound better than a CD to the uninitiated. I speak from experience. I'm 27, and until fairly recently I had what can definitely be called a very "crappy tt," but to me many of the vinyl versions of albums I listened to sounded better than my CD versions (ie. more detail, better imaging - even though I couldn't describe it, that's what I was hearing). Now that I've moved into the realm of nicer components it's become my life's passion, and every day I'm excited about what my system can do, and the plans I have for it in the future.

My point is simply that I believe the retro, coolness factor and the album art aspect of vinyls increasing popularity are being over-emphasized in the press recently, and not giving peoples' ears any credit. I think a lot of it has to do with what they're hearing.

I'm continually amazed at record stores here in the Bay Area when I see "kids" in line with an armful of vinyl. I've asked why and uniformly I get back "it sounds better."

Well, duh!

See, I think the "it sounds better" is just buying the hype. For instance, one of the people i gave one of the cheapy tts to, i clearly told them it need a new cart. the stylus was slightly bent, and it was significantly flawed. Much worse than satellite radio or a bad worn out cassette, IOW, very much broken sounding. I talked to her and some of her friends and they all commented how amazing it sounded despite seriously scratched and dirty records and a partially broken piece of equipment. I'd bet the retro-cool following accounts for a astounding percentage of kids buying vinyl. Then again, i'm still waiting for my vinyl awakening when I get a better turntable that can match other mediums, so what do I know. :)

I'm 18 and have been listening to vinyl for around 1.5-2 years. What sparked my interest was finding my parents' old audio equipment plus a box of ~50-60 vinyl (apparently they had 3-4 more boxes but sold them :( ... probably missed out on a lot of cool stuff). Since then, thanks mostly to eBay, but also record shops and book sales, etc. I now have maybe 150 albums. Well, technically I have more like 200-250, but a lot of my parents old LPs and really cheap stuff I bought I don't really listen to much, and don't count in my collection.

I can't say whether I prefer digital or analog, it just depends. If you think digital pales in comparison, buy a nice CD player (they make a difference), and vice versa. It also depends on the quality of the recorded music and how it was mastered, what condition it is in, early or late pressing, etc.

See, I think the "it sounds better" is just buying the hype. For instance, one of the people i gave one of the cheapy tts to, i clearly told them it need a new cart. the stylus was slightly bent, and it was significantly flawed. Much worse than satellite radio or a bad worn out cassette, IOW, very much broken sounding. I talked to her and some of her friends and they all commented how amazing it sounded despite seriously scratched and dirty records and a partially broken piece of equipment. I'd bet the retro-cool following accounts for a astounding percentage of kids buying vinyl. Then again, i'm still waiting for my vinyl awakening when I get a better turntable that can match other mediums, so what do I know. :)

Well, I can tell you that when I was first introduced to vinyl (about 12 years ago) no one told me it allegedly sounds better, I just noticed it over time when listening to albums on vinyl that I'm very familiar with. Again, this was on a very, very poor setup. A plastic Kenwood that weighed in at about 3 pounds, one of the worst phono preamps ever known to man, and amplified by my Philips mini-system! Oh, and spaghetti interconnects!

I was into vinyl before CD's came out. Yeah, CD's were neat, very clean (in the noise floor criteria) and it was new, but it took forever to get the CD version of the LP's I had, so they stayed.

As for making CD copies of the LP's, I find that you do retain much of the warmth of the LP as long as you record it properly. You get to keep the best of the vinyl experience, and cut out the noise between tracks.

Well, I can tell you that when I was first introduced to vinyl (about 12 years ago) no one told me it allegedly sounds better, I just noticed it over time when listening to albums on vinyl that I'm very familiar with. Again, this was on a very, very poor setup. A plastic Kenwood that weighed in at about 3 pounds, one of the worst phono preamps ever known to man, and amplified by my Philips mini-system! Oh, and spaghetti interconnects!

Good for you, I believe you are in a very very distinct minority.

Good for you, I believe you are in a very very distinct minority.

Please don't think I'm trying to 'prove you wrong' or pick a fight or anything, but I also have to point out that among many friends in my age group who got into records in the past 10 years the consensus about sound quality was the same. It was truly the primary reason why we've all become so dedicated to the format.

A woman at my fiancé's work just gave us as a wedding gift her husband's vinyl collection that he just didn't use anymore. He didn't want to give it to GW. He's older than I am by at least 20 years I :Djust turned 40. I just got the records in, and honestly I didn't know which one to play first.:scratch2::yes:

I never really had many records growing up. Mostly cassettes. Now I have after this amazing gift, about 300 records. I still can't believe it.

I am now playing A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra by The Oscar Peterson Trio Japanese pressing. ITS PERFECT !! It sounds beautiful.

This We're all together again for the first time Original Master Recording still sealed...WOW !! Im actually scared to open it....

I discovered records going nuts over trying to buy a SACD player. EVERY review compared SACD's to LP's. It seems that LP's would win a fair amount of the time. So it seemed the right thing to do, to get a record player before jumping into SACD's.

Now I think I want to stay in LP land.:banana:

So yes I think I still classify as a sorta young person discovering vinyl. :lmao:

Understood, I wasn't thinking you were. :)

Just my experience has been that I've heard people listen to horrendously flawed sound (no bass, obnoxious levels of surface noise, bad speakers) and saying "this sounds way better than (insert some alternative medium)!" leaving me completely dumbfounded.

Maybe for most, it's a sound they prefer but maybe not something that a majority of people would find better sounding.

I think the people we are around most often are a little bit (read significantly different/borderline madmen) different than the general public. ;)

Understood, I wasn't thinking you were. :)

Just my experience has been that I've heard people listen to horrendously flawed sound (no bass, obnoxious levels of surface noise, bad speakers) and saying "this sounds way better than (insert some alternative medium)!" leaving me completely dumbfounded.

Maybe for most, it's a sound they prefer but maybe not something that a majority of people would find better sounding.

I think the people we are around most often are a little bit (read significantly different/borderline madmen) different than the general public. ;)

Yes, I think you're right. I know there are many here on AK who claim to not have the best hearing for one reason or another, but they probably still know a heck of a lot more about analyzing sound and what sounds "good" than the general public. I happen to have extremely sensitive hearing, as well as every other sense, which is actually more of a nuisance than anything but that's another topic:scratch2: - anyway, I think I picked up on subtle differences in sound quality early on with my poor turntable system, and heard the potential compared to what I was accustomed to. However, I had NO idea what was possible. Even now that I've invested so much time and money into my current system I'm constantly blown away by how much better it can get as I continue to upgrade.

This is perhaps straying away from my point a little bit. What I'm getting at is that I think many people might be hearing even a slight improvement over the crappy mp3s or poorly-produced CDs they're used to, and that's part of what is causing a lot of young people to take a second look. I admit to you that this is speculation, but it's based on my personal experiences and the experiences of my closest friends as we've become increasingly enamored with vinyl over the years.

I suspect the true answer will become clearer in the years to come, because honestly I think vinyls popularity is going to continue to increase for a while to come.

I never sold off my record collection that I gathered since the 80s. All it has is grown since then, even when I didn't have a turntable to play them on. Now that I do again- its still fun. And I still think the sound is more natural then CDs. All I am now is waiting for cassettes to come back. I already see this starting with reel to reel tapes.

I never sold off my record collection that I gathered since the 80s. All it has is grown since then, even when I didn't have a turntable to play them on. Now that I do again- its still fun. And I still think the sound is more natural then CDs. All I am now is waiting for cassettes to come back. I already see this starting with reel to reel tapes.

I don't really know if it's likely to happen with cassettes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It means the price of great decks will remain low!