i'm totally new to vinyl. i will not be DJing or scratching, i just want to listen to some tunes. i know absolutely nothing about turntables or records or whatever the hell i need to get started. will someone point me in the right direction?

what will i need for a setup. i will be using headphones, so no need for speakers.other than that, WHAT DO I NEED TO LISTEN TO RECORDS?

i'm totally new to vinyl. i will not be DJing or scratching, i just want to listen to some tunes. i know absolutely nothing about turntables or records or whatever the hell i need to get started. will someone point me in the right direction?

what will i need for a setup. i will be using headphones, so no need for speakers.other than that, WHAT DO I NEED TO LISTEN TO RECORDS?

Breathe. Lots. Start by spending a few nights reading the threads on this forum. You'll find about 100 posts like yours. There will be much information in those. And, if you have nothing to start with, you might check out some of the other forums on here--the vintage solid state folk are very nice and will offer you lots of advice on some potential set ups.

The first thing you need to do is set a budget. No one here can help you. We might all tell you wonderful things you need to be and spend $1,500 in a heartbeat only to find out you have $200 available. None of that will be helpful, obviously.

Let us know where you live. Does Craigslist cover you area well? Are you in easy driving distance of a town with an active Craigslist? If so, that's a great place to start as my system is a combination of e-bay and Craigslist. For turntables many like Craigslist better as there are horror stories on e-bay shipping regarding turntables.

Again, take a breath and spend some time on the site and do some research and indoctrinate yourself. Then come with some more specific questions and some idea of what you have to spend. Then you'll get some great responses.

Richard

What's your budget?

You need a the analog front end: turntable, arm, phono cartridge plus electronics: phono preamp, and headphone amp.

Some turntables are sold with arm and cartridge included. You can get the phono pre and headphone amp in a receiver. Maker sure the receiver has phono inputs and headphone out.

If you are interested in budget gear a used Advent 300 receiver for about $100 would be pretty nice. A used Bellari VP-129 runs about $150 and has phono pre and headphone amp included. For turntables I would investigate Rega P1, Pro-ject, Music Hall or a restored older table.

well i really didn't know anything about vinyl, so i was thinking i could get away with like $100. i figured i could just pick up an electronic turntable with a headphone plug, get a record, throw it on, and listen. i am finding out i may need to spend considerably more. if i can get away with a full (fair quality) setup ready to go for $200, i guess that could work.

i have plenty of CD's and 2,000 songs on my computer so i could just listen to music there, but i hear that vinyl sounds better? i will be a casual listener most likely, so the less i can get away with spending, the better.

can i accomplish this?

btw, i live about 15 minutes outsidce of boston. i've searched but i can't really find anything. i'd rather get new equipment if possible too.

you would need an amplifier with a headphone plug. The turntable will plug into the Phono ports on the back of the amp, if it has them. if the amp is an older one, like mine, it may have these and you won't necessarily need a pre-amp.

theres a Yamaha turntable for $25 on Boston Craigslist, dated 25Feb
"Yamaha Natural Sound Stereo Turntable $25
Sony FM Stereo and FM/AM Receiver $45"

and a Thorens TD-180 project that could be interesting; "thorens td-180 turntable - $40 (chatham cape cod)" IF it's not all beat to shite and looks 1/2decent

When you're looking at turntables, make sure you correctly determine if it has a grounding strap. I'm pretty confident that most vintage tables have them, but I've seen a few more recent tables that don't.

Usually, this grouding strap will be a third, much thinner wire bundled (or not) with the left and right RCA plugs that connect the table to your receiver or amp. If the table you buy has one, you need to make sure that the receiver you're plugging into has a phono stage. The easiest way to do this is to see if its input selector switch has a PHONO option. Then, on the back of the receiver, you'll find a post that the grounding strap needs to be connected to. Failing to properly ground a turntable may result in a very audible hum around the 60 Hz region.

Of course, the other thing you'll need is some vinyl, and, of course, the entire quality of your listening experience is based on the quality of your vinyl. That was one of the original selling points of CDs when they first arrived on the scene: no surface noise, no scratches, no pops. So, if you're thinking that you'll just be able to dash down to your local thrift store, grab some vinyl, and have an audiophilic experience, you may find yourself very disappointed.

My advice: spend some time examining the condition of the records before you take them to the cashier. Granted, if you find a gem that takes you back in time, feel fee to get crazy with it.

BUT... If you want to ensure you can experience a little more in the world of what vinyl CAN do, then you may want to drop some money on one audiophile pressing. Something like the vinyl disks you can get on MusicDirect.com or if you can find a good vinyl store in your home town.

Best of luck. It's a very different feel from digital. Frankly, I just love the initial pop of my cartridge dropping into place on that dully gleaming huge disk and then hearing ... well, you just gotta be there.

Good luck.

I'm wondering if the original poster is thinking of the old style record players which could be a standalone item (ie. built in speakers and amp)?
I'm not sure if one of those would really give a better sound than he's already used to, although I'm quite happy to stand corrected if that's not the case.

what we're mostly talking about here is a system of hi-fi seperates.

i have plenty of CD's and 2,000 songs on my computer so i could just listen to music there, but i hear that vinyl sounds better?

It's difficult to get good sound out of vinyl if your budget is only $100, especially if you need a new cartridge and/or stylus and a phono preamp, but not impossible.

For $15 and up, you can buy a used vintage table on CL - which may or may not need servicing - and then buy a good entry-level cartridge for around $50. There are also plenty of cheap (and sometimes free) receivers out there on CL with phono inputs and headphone jacks.

You need to start by cruising Craigslist as you're close to a large metro area. You're going to have to make up for budget in shoe leather and time invested. If you're really interested in pursuing this (and not simply after some cool factor) then you've got to invest time and money. The less you have of one the more you've got to invest of the other.

If you're really interested in the sound, you'll need to find a real turntable--not one of the toys you see in all the stores now. You may as well listen to the tunes you have if you do that. You can likely find a decent p-mount turntable in good shape for well under $50 if you're patient. With that, you can buy the Audio-Technica 92ECD cartridge on e-bay for well under $30 if you look around. Again, it's investment of time and research. A p-mount table is a more simple device than ones with the standard 1/2 inch mount cartridges. I chose a p-mount table to get my 20-year old son into vinyl. Try to find a Technics if you can or a decent brand name. Whatever you buy will likely be a belt drive. If so, it'll need a new belt. Not expensive and we'll help you with that once you get it.

In addition to that, you need to find an older receiver/integrated amp (you'll need to research to learn the difference) that has a "phono" option on the selector switch on the front plate as well as jacks marked "phono" on the back. Again, Craigslist and local thrift stores are a good bet. Less money means more time invested. You might even be able to find one for free. You'll want to make sure whatever you buy is producing sound from both channels. Again, you'll likely spend far less than $50 here and it's less expensive than a headphone amp/phono stage combination. As you've not got speakers (which you'll want eventually) you have to make sure the unit you get has a headphone jack (note: you can't use iPod style headphones without an adapter for a larger plug) and that it works. So, you'll need to take your headphones along to test the rig you find.

Basically, you've got a weekend of work ahead of you if you're serious. If not, find a friend who has a turntable and enjoy vicariously. Believe me, lots of folks here are more than ready to help you and, believe it or not, you can get something for less than $100 if you try. But, as I note above, the less money you have, the more time you'll need to invest.

Happy hunting.

Richard

You need to start by cruising Craigslist as you're close to a large metro area. You're going to have to make up for budget in shoe leather and time invested. If you're really interested in pursuing this (and not simply after some cool factor) then you've got to invest time and money. The less you have of one the more you've got to invest of the other.

If you're really interested in the sound, you'll need to find a real turntable--not one of the toys you see in all the stores now. You may as well listen to the tunes you have if you do that. You can likely find a decent p-mount turntable in good shape for well under $50 if you're patient. With that, you can buy the Audio-Technica 92ECD cartridge on e-bay for well under $30 if you look around. Again, it's investment of time and research. A p-mount table is a more simple device than ones with the standard 1/2 inch mount cartridges. I chose a p-mount table to get my 20-year old son into vinyl. Try to find a Technics if you can or a decent brand name. Whatever you buy will likely be a belt drive. If so, it'll need a new belt. Not expensive and we'll help you with that once you get it.

In addition to that, you need to find an older receiver/integrated amp (you'll need to research to learn the difference) that has a "phono" option on the selector switch on the front plate as well as jacks marked "phono" on the back. Again, Craigslist and local thrift stores are a good bet. Less money means more time invested. You might even be able to find one for free. You'll want to make sure whatever you buy is producing sound from both channels. Again, you'll likely spend far less than $50 here and it's less expensive than a headphone amp/phono stage combination. As you've not got speakers (which you'll want eventually) you have to make sure the unit you get has a headphone jack (note: you can't use iPod style headphones without an adapter for a larger plug) and that it works. So, you'll need to take your headphones along to test the rig you find.

Basically, you've got a weekend of work ahead of you if you're serious. If not, find a friend who has a turntable and enjoy vicariously. Believe me, lots of folks here are more than ready to help you and, believe it or not, you can get something for less than $100 if you try. But, as I note above, the less money you have, the more time you'll need to invest.

Happy hunting.

Richard


Could not have stated it better myself:thmbsp:

well i really didn't know anything about vinyl, so i was thinking i could get away with like $100. i figured i could just pick up an electronic turntable with a headphone plug, get a record, throw it on, and listen. i am finding out i may need to spend considerably more. if i can get away with a full (fair quality) setup ready to go for $200, i guess that could work.

i have plenty of CD's and 2,000 songs on my computer so i could just listen to music there, but i hear that vinyl sounds better? i will be a casual listener most likely, so the less i can get away with spending, the better.

can i accomplish this?

btw, i live about 15 minutes outsidce of boston. i've searched but i can't really find anything. i'd rather get new equipment if possible too.

If your budget is $100, you will have a hard time getting good sound out of vinyl, as there are no new TTs selling for $100 that sound good. So you have to go used. There are decent tables to be found used for $50 or maybe $60. For that price you are looking at a used table made by Technics, Sony, JVC, Dual, or Onkyo. Since the table would be 25 years old or so, you would need a new cartridge, so budget $40 to $50 for a decent entry level cart. If the table is belt drive, budget $10 or so for a new belt. so for $100, give or take $25 either way, and some time invested to find all this stuff, you now have a used table.

Now you need a phono stage. Old school receivers had these built in, or you could buy a new dedicated phono stage. You could probably get an old school receiver for about $50 or $60 off Craigslist and, hopefully it will work. Alternately I believe Sony makes a cheap phono stage for about $45.

So, the absolute minimum you have to spend to get OK, not necessarily great sound out of vinyl is $150 to get started.

One more question for Neeb--how old are you? If you're college-age or younger, you can always tap into the Mom and Dad network (notice I didn't say "bank") to see if they or anyone they know has old stereo gear around that isn't being used. Some help with yard sales, etc. from Mom and Dad could also help you tremendously. Your parents or grandparents might have some gear around that you've never noticed that could get you started. As I said before time replaces money. Spend some time and you might be amazed that the astounding price of "Free" could come up. But free isn't free, of course. Show some dedication, desire and spend some time and you'll be amazed.

Richard

One more question for Neeb--how old are you? If you're college-age or younger, you can always tap into the Mom and Dad network (notice I didn't say "bank") to see if they or anyone they know has old stereo gear around that isn't being used. Some help with yard sales, etc. from Mom and Dad could also help you tremendously. Your parents or grandparents might have some gear around that you've never noticed that could get you started. As I said before time replaces money. Spend some time and you might be amazed that the astounding price of "Free" could come up. But free isn't free, of course. Show some dedication, desire and spend some time and you'll be amazed.

Richard

Nice post, and I agree. He sounds like a young'un to me, so this is good advice. My first stereo came from my Pops. Nothing special - it was a Magnavox or a Juliette all in one receiver-with-a-TT deal, but it got me started on record collecting.
Also, "Hi Neighbor!" I'm in Marietta GA. :wave:

I also started with a hand me down TT/Cassette/AM/FM all in one POS. sounded awful, but got me started.

I would suggest going to several on-line shopping site that sell audio gear.

JR.com has a fair selection of turntables. Select turntables, the sort Low-to-High.

NeedleDoctor.com in Minneapolis has a great selection.

B&H Photo Video bhphotovideo.com has a fair collection, but is a very difficult site to navigate.

Even Best Buy as a modest selection of turntables though, again, not the easiest to find on their website.

There are several others, but this should get you started.

Now the goal is to familiarize yourself with turntables in your price range. To get an idea of what your money will buy you. You don't have to understand the details, just become familiar.

Next, while you can find new turntables for under $100, I don't think you will find anyone who will recommend them. Though in the $100 to $150 range are a lot of decent turntables, and in the $150 to $200 range you can find some very nice ones. Above $200, certainly great turntables, but they ARE over $200.

Next, do you want a pure manual turntable? Meaning you manually lift the tone arm on to the record, and when it finishes, you manually lift it off and return it to the rest.

Though there used to be a lot of them, now there are only a few semi-automatic turntable around. I have an old Pioneer PL-A35, though this was a feature on many Pioneer turntables; my turntable starts the record at the touch of a button. The motor starts, the arm lift and sets itself gently on the record, plays to the end, lifts, and moves the tone arm back to the rest, and stops the motor. If you are looking for used turntables, these old Pioneers are very popular.

However, as I said, today semi-auto turntables are few and far between. Pioneer still does make a semi-auto, the PL-990 for $109. This is about as low as you want to go in a turntable. While still a Pioneer, Pioneer has all but abandon the turntable market. This is a quick and easy cheap turntable.

But if you can spend more, please do, even if it means a total manual turntable.

A really good, but certainly not cheap, semi-auto turntable is the Denon DP-300F for about $329. That seems over you budget though.

Many new turntables have Phono Equalization Pre-amps built-in. Though if your amp or receiver has a Phono input, you can usually turn off the turntable pre-amp. Either way, you must have this pre-amp. Again, if your amp has an input specifically designated as PHONO, you are set.

Now the latest and greatest (debatable) innovation in turntables, many new turntables have USB features (Ion and Numark) so you can plug them directly into your computer and record you vinyl music into MP3's. Just one problem, MP3's suck. Yes, they are portable and convenient, but the sound quality is limited.

Some USB turntables even have built-in CD recorders, so you can go direct to CD. But again, unless you have recording software that lets you select the quality of the recording, you just end up with basic MP3s.

These turntables are reasonably inexpensive, (though a few can be quite expensive) and are OK basic turntables, they also usually have analog connection so you can connect directly to a stereo. Some have iPod inputs, meaning they can act as an iPod docking station.

However, if you have a decent sound card in your computer, you can get a reasonably low cost Phono pre-amp, and plug into the analog inputs of your computer, and record to your hearts content. There are ever free software programs that let you select the recording quality. Though, the quality will never be better than your sound card DACs.

So, first, shop around and familiarize yourself. Once you see what you what you can get for the money you originally intended to spend, you might be willing to up your price a littles. Keep in mind that nearly all turntables sold by reputable dealers are going to be good turntables, it is just a matter of what suits you personally.

In used turntables, good Pioneer and Technics are alway a good bet.

Now once you narrow down your turntable requirements, you need to think about a cartridge, meaning a needle to play the record with. Many turntables come with a cartridge installed. These are usually OK, depending on what you get, but just OK. I would say that minimum you want a cartridge in the $50 to $100 range.

If your turntable comes with a cartridge, look up the model number and find out the price. If the price is below $50, especially if it is far below $50, it probably is just functional. See if you can upgrade to something better.

Read posts, look at pictures, shop on-line, and once you become generally familiar, you will be in a better position to make a decision. Though once again, it is hard to go wrong with a new Technics.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard

Also, "Hi Neighbor!" I'm in Marietta GA. :wave:

Thank you and :wave: back at you!

Richard

Neeb, you also live near a major metropolitan area, so you have a lot at your disposal.

Great suggestions by all as to what kinds of approaches you might take.

If you know of any audio shops that sell used records, some have listening stations available, even if they aren't 'higher end' set ups. If you know of any audio boutiques that promote vinyl, maybe you could find your way to one and find out for yourself if there is a benefit in the vinyl sound.

thanks to all i really appreciate it. i'm gonna look around downtown boston for some record shops, see what i can dig up.

i appreciate all this help, i was happily surprised by all the support!!

thanks again!

thanks to all i really appreciate it. i'm gonna look around downtown boston for some record shops, see what i can dig up.

i appreciate all this help, i was happily surprised by all the support!!

thanks again!

Okay, neeb it's Saturday night and we're all looking for a report from the field. What did you learn and what did you find? Tell where you stand in your search and ask us some more questions. Believe me, we've all got lots of opinions to offer!

But, seriously, I hope you did get out this weekend and do some looking around.

Richard

If your budget is $100, you will have a hard time getting good sound out of vinyl

Not true.

as there are no new TTs selling for $100 that sound good.

True.

So you have to go used. There are decent tables to be found used for $50 or maybe $60.

Or cheaper if you're patient. I got my QL-L2, with a great-sounding AT cartridge with good Shibata stylus, for $33.

For that price you are looking at a used table made by Technics, Sony, JVC, Dual, or Onkyo.

All good names. Pioneer and Kenwood also made nice tables, among others. I have a Craig that sounds wonderful. It appears to have been made by CEC, who built a lot of the big-name TTs. So what if it has a weird off-brand nameplate, if the build quality is there. That said, there is plenty of useless junk out there. As with receivers and speakers, the "heavier is better" rule of thumb is a good starting guideline. A featherweight TT is probably a piece of junk.

Since the table would be 25 years old or so, you would need a new cartridge
Not necessarily. I've got a pile of 25-35 year old turntables, and I haven't pulled one bad cartridge yet. Lots of broken/worn out styli, though.

so budget $40 to $50 for a decent entry level cart.

A reasonable price range for a decent elliptical stylus for an otherwise-functional cartridge, too.

You could probably get an old school receiver for about $50 or $60 off Craigslist and, hopefully it will work.

The most I've spent for a receiver was $30 for my KR-5150, and I have some pretty solid units. Admittedly, some of them required some minor repairs to attain functionality, but fixing a power switch or cleaning some pots isn't exactly brain surgery.

So, the absolute minimum you have to spend to get OK, not necessarily great sound out of vinyl is $150 to get started.

And I'll submit that you can get far better than "OK" vinyl sound for that budget. It simply requires patience.

I would put a Wanted add on Craigs List. Some people just give stuff away. Never Know what you'll get!

Not true.



True.



Or cheaper if you're patient. I got my QL-L2, with a great-sounding AT cartridge with good Shibata stylus, for $33.



All good names. Pioneer and Kenwood also made nice tables, among others. I have a Craig that sounds wonderful. It appears to have been made by CEC, who built a lot of the big-name TTs. So what if it has a weird off-brand nameplate, if the build quality is there. That said, there is plenty of useless junk out there. As with receivers and speakers, the "heavier is better" rule of thumb is a good starting guideline. A featherweight TT is probably a piece of junk.


Not necessarily. I've got a pile of 25-35 year old turntables, and I haven't pulled one bad cartridge yet. Lots of broken/worn out styli, though.



A reasonable price range for a decent elliptical stylus for an otherwise-functional cartridge, too.



The most I've spent for a receiver was $30 for my KR-5150, and I have some pretty solid units. Admittedly, some of them required some minor repairs to attain functionality, but fixing a power switch or cleaning some pots isn't exactly brain surgery.



And I'll submit that you can get far better than "OK" vinyl sound for that budget. It simply requires patience.

I was just trying to be realistic. As to the advisability of running a 30 year old TT with the cart it comes with, my bigger concern is playing records with a worn stylus. You have to assume the worse of the cart and needle on an old TT. If he sticks with vinyl, he will regret damaging his records by playing them with with a worn needle. Might as well replace the cart for $40 or $50. It will be cheaper than having to replace his records in the future.

As for how a $150 set up will sound, I just want the OP to be realistic about what he is likely to hear. First, he should be happy if it works at all. This is gear that is 30 or so years old. The fact that it may sound pretty good is remarkable.

I was just trying to be realistic. As to the advisability of running a 30 year old TT with the cart it comes with, my bigger concern is playing records with a worn stylus. Might as well replace the cart.

As for how a $100 to $200 set up will sound, I just want the OP to be realistic about what he is likely to hear. The sound won't be great. He should be happy if it works at all and sounds OK.

I'm not sure why you keep saying the sound won't be great. Just because a unit is 30 years old doesnt mean it will not sound real good. I got a almost 40 year old Dual, replaced the stylus, and yes, it sounds great. Replacing the interconnect cables really makes things even better and thats cheap and easy.

Just curious as to why you say that:yes:

I'm not sure why you keep saying the sound won't be great. Just because a unit is 30 years old doesnt mean it will not sound real good. I got a almost 40 year old Dual, replaced the stylus, and yes, it sounds great. Replacing the interconnect cables really makes things even better and thats cheap and easy.

Just curious as to why you say that:yes:

A couple of points.
First, we may be talking about the same thing, which is how a 30 or 40 year old system is likely to sound. I don't know what your reference is. Great sound out of an average 35 year old TT? Compared to what? Linn, VPI, Mitchell, Nottingham? Compared to what is currently possible (for a lot of money), what you are likely to get in running condition for $30 to $50 is likely to be just OK.

Second, we are talking about some hypothetical $100 TT/cart receiver combo that the OP doesn't own yet. If he takes my advise and buys a new cart, as he should, he has only $30 to spend on a TT and $30 on a receiver. We have no way of knowing the vintage or condition of any of these pieces. Maybe he will get extremely lucky and find a mint TOTL TT and amp with a first rate phono stage at a thrift store, or maybe he will find something in only fair condition, maybe something from the BPC era, or perhaps needing some work. We will not know for sure until he reports back.

A couple of points.
First, we may be talking about the same thing, which is how a 30 or 40 year old system is likely to sound. I don't know what your reference is. Great sound out of an average 35 year old TT? Compared to what? Linn, VPI, Mitchell, Nottingham? Compared to what is currently possible (for a lot of money), what you are likely to get in running condition for $30 to $50 is likely to be just OK.

Second, we are talking about some hypothetical $100 TT/cart receiver combo that the OP doesn't own yet. If he takes my advise and buys a new cart, as he should, he has only $30 to spend on a TT and $30 on a receiver. We have no way of knowing the vintage or condition of any of these pieces. Maybe he will get extremely lucky and find a mint TOTL TT and amp with a first rate phono stage at a thrift store, or maybe he will find something in only fair condition, maybe something from the BPC era, or perhaps needing some work. We will not know for sure until he reports back.

I agree with what your saying. Get a new cart for sure. Sound is subjective of course. I am not saying it will be better than a new table. But he also does not plan on spending that kind of coin. There are other avenues to look for vintage units. I have not found many at thrifts myself. That leaves CL and vintage dealers. Vintage dealers will, of course charge more. CL, well, it can happen with some time looking. I have 7 tables myself. Run them with lower end carts so obviously there is room for improvement on my stuff. But I will say with the system I have running them (see signature) they sound really really good. And they are old units. They are not always great right out of the box, some require some minor work, but once up they do sound great to me. And thats really the point, you may feel my system is bad to your ears, while I think its good. Its all subjective. However in my experience, a 100 dollar budget is doable.

Neeb,

I found this on another post today:

"
*Boston-area AK'ers - please support Audio Video Plus at 159 Mass. Ave. in Arlington. Jim can repair any electronics, and has a healthy respect for vintage hifi. He took over the business from his dad, who started the business back in 1952! Tell him Glenn sent you!"

As I don't live in Boston, I can't speak for it myself but another AK'er speaks highly of this guy and he sounds like a good person to start with in terms of maybe finding an inexpensive rig. And, I'll freely admit, I have a bias toward supporting local folk and especially people like this.

Richard