Time for a new turntable?

[LeedyGuy]

I've been buying a lot of classical music on vinyl lately because I pretty much can't stand the way it sounds on CD. There is actually TOO MUCH dynamic range! Sometimes you can't hear the music and other times you're suddenly running over to the stereo to keep the Pines of Rome from knocking over your house.

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on any of these?

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Turntables

Beware: that store sells some audiophile stuff too, like little knobs you put under your CD player that will acoustically tune it.

-Ken

[Babaluma]

i've had a rega planar 3 (now the p3) with the rb300 arm and a roksan corus black cartridge for the last 17 years and i love it!

[gabe real]

most turntables are just a motor and other electronics to make it go round.
the sound is usually transfered from the needle, to 4 little wires thru the tonearm, then to rca cables and then out to a preamp. a good preamp and needle is very important.
a older technics turntable should do fine. around $50 or cheaper at a yard sale.
it all depends on where the turntable sits. due to feedback and things in the manner. i have been a dj for 18 years and have become a technics 1200 turntable tech from fixing my own stuff.

best things to look for in a turntable.
direct drive.
removable headshield for cardridge on tonearm.
good sound isoltion in the case.(can be fixed by sitting on thick foam)
quartz lock pitch control.
weight adjustment for tonearm.
anti skating adjustment for tone arm.

something like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/TECHNICS-SL-D1-DIRE ... dZViewItem

[Mark Alan Miller]

There are merits to both direct drive and belt drive.
The former generally starts and stops nearly on a dime, but might suffer from more mechanical noise from the motor getting into the audio... where the latter has sonic dampening from the motor to the platter via the belt, but generally is slower to spin up. Mechanical rumble can be annoying, particularly in quieter passages in dynamic recordings, so choose accordingly. (Yes, better direct drive turntables can be just as quiet as belt drive ones...)

Just some thoughts.

For the record I currently have a belt-drive Technics and a direct drive Denon. Both are just fine.

[norton]

My brother picked up a pro-ject turntable, the barebones model. ($300)... and he brought it over to my place. My stereo's an old one with 2 phono inputs, so we were able to do quick a/b's with his and mine (a technics $50 special)

There was no comparison.

My cartridge is an upgraded newer one and there was still a night and day difference in sound quality.

His table put out nice solid lows, the mids were well represented and full and the high end was really nice. Mine sounded like a cheap tune-box in comparison. Thin - all the way through and brittle on the high end.

That was like 8 months ago... and i still haven't run out and bought a new turntable... but there IS a sonic difference.

[gabe real]

it also has to do with the tonarm shape. a "s" shape has a way of cutting out some feedback. thats strange, my turntable sounds great.
low end and high end.
it all depends on the body of the turntable. sound isolation is very important.
i have a portable plastic turntable, now that thing has a tiny sound due to the fact that its hollow and weighs a few pounds compared to my technics 1200's which are much heavier.

you dont have to spend alot of money to get a good turntable.

im sure some of those high-end, super duper ones would be a little better,
but i cant justify spending over $400 on one turntable.

the platter should be heavy too.

i get good results running my setup at clubs, concerts, and in the studio.

just dont buy a light weight turntable.

[lefuquaire]

I recommend the technics 1200... some audiophiles might turn their noses up at this workhorse, but really you will have a piece of classic audio gear which will last you a lifetime. Can be had used for $250-$350. Has standard mount for cartridge and super strong direct drive motor. I currently own 6! One in my studio, one in my living room, 2 that go out on gigs and a spare pair for rental or backup. Only thing that commonly fails are the rca cables, and the little light which helps you cue your records. Best advantage is you will probably always be able to get parts for this, though you'll probably never need any. What will make the most difference sonically is they cartridge and needle you use. I recommend ortofon or stanton 680 series.

[sthslvrcnfsn]

Fuck belts AND direct drive - it's all about magnet drive. And I quote: "The Disc Master uses an arrangement of opposing magnets to drive the platter." There's no question that the EAR Disc Master Turntable is what you should buy. It's a steal at a cool $17000. That's right, only 17 grand!

Equally ridiculous is the Avid Acutus Reference, which features a 22 lb. platter. That one's only 19 grand.

Geez, with that kind of dough, you could buy a relatively cheap Numark or Technics turnable for every starving kid in a given third-world country.

[lefuquaire]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL-1200


"The features that set the SL-1200 apart are:

A magnetic (no wear), direct drive (low slip) mechanism
High torque (1.5 kgf?cm or 150 mN?m), which means the platter will spin at the desired speed almost immediately (0.7 s to reach 33 ?⁄₃ RPM from standstill)
Very low wow and flutter (0.01%), which means that the platter will stay within ?⁄₁₀₀ of 1% of the desired speed
Heavy base (12.5 kg), dramatically reducing the likelihood of feedback or stylus jumping
Variable pitch control, allowing the rotational speed to be adjusted from -8% to +8% (for the purpose of beatmatching)
High reliability: many examples of SL-1200's lasting well over 15 years of heavy use and withstanding physical shock without functional impairment


The SL-1200 Design Strengths
The SL-1200 series was developed as a special project by Technics parent company Matsushita in an attempt to solve many of the problems related to the difficult task of turntable design. The task included minimising acoustic feedback, unwanted resonances, wow & flutter and speed errors.

This was achieved by designing a plinth made of a non-resonant composite sandwiched between a cast alloy top plate and a solid rubber base. Additionally the use of rubber damped and spring loaded feet ensured that the Technics SL-1200 series was very well insulated against acoustically harmful feedback.

The drive system designed by Matsushita is of the 'Direct Drive' variety rather than the more commonly found belt drive type. This design was developed in order to virtually eliminate the problems of wow and flutter and also produces a very quiet turntable with minimal motor and bearing noise (rumble). The SL-1200 utilizes a Frequency Generator Servo Control Quartz Lock system that is claimed to produce the most accurate and consistent speed possible. The system is immune to static and dynamic stylus drag which would otherwise cause unwanted speed variances that change the pitch and tempo of the music. Due to these strengths the SL-1200 lends itself to both hi quality Hi-Fi reproduction and demanding DJ usage."

[Regular Guy]

I like this thread! People should post more about hi-fi equipment. My setup is utter shit. Aside from what has already been posted here, what are some good resources for learning about hi-fi and assembling good systems and the like?

[Regular Guy]

I like this thread! People should post more about hi-fi equipment. My setup is utter shit. Aside from what has already been posted here, what are some good resources for learning about hi-fi and assembling good systems and the like?

[hiddendriveways]

I have a pair of Technics 1200's and a Sansui 9090db reciever.

I LOVE MY STEREO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lg]

I like this thread! People should post more about hi-fi equipment. My setup is utter shit. Aside from what has already been posted here, what are some good resources for learning about hi-fi and assembling good systems and the like?

i'm reading your post in stereo.



actually, i've got a pretty nice hi fi, which is currently not even set up (one of these weekends...i'm feeling guilty now!).

ADCOM GFA-555 power amp, GFP-555 preamp, GFT-555 tuner, GCD-575 CD player, NAD 5300 CD player, NAD 6100 cassette deck, Celestion SL700 (alright, these ARE set up, but running POS yamaha receiver through them at moment), Thorens/Grado (can't recall models, but mid-range- certainly not enough to feed many 3rd world children...)

a good resource:
http://www.stereophile.com

[gabe real]

1200?s are worth their weight in gold.
A very good investment.
They always have a good resale value.
Think of it as equity.

one of the most influential pieces of electronics since the electric guitar!!!!!


1200?s are the king of the club!!!!
Every classic song from the mid 80?s till at least 2003, were played on a 1200.

most songs on the radio 5 years ago were records!
records have made a huge impact on how we hear music.

and know they want to just give up on it.


Sorry, my life revolves around records.
I have issues with ipods.

[Regular Guy]

1200?s are worth their weight in gold.
A very good investment.
They always have a good resale value.
Think of it as equity.

one of the most influential pieces of electronics since the electric guitar!!!!!


1200?s are the king of the club!!!!
Every classic song from the mid 80?s till at least 2003, were played on a 1200.

most songs on the radio 5 years ago were records!
records have made a huge impact on how we hear music.

and know they want to just give up on it.


Sorry, my life revolves around records.
I have issues with ipods.

Teach me....teach me your ways