Good Newbie Vinyl Spinner.

[admin_exported]

I think next month i will pick up a deck as i have a few old bits of vinyl around which id love to hear. I DONT have a very big budget and as my amp doesnt have a phono stage id need to source one as well. This any good? http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=PROJ-RPM1-GENIE Looking to spend around the 100 mark for new or a ebay pre loved special Lemme know.

 

[the record spot]

If you can stretch it, there's the Project Debut with attached Phono Box, but not sure what this clocks in at - more than £100 though.

Going down the Ebay route, there are plenty of examples that litter the sub-£100 bracket, but if you can stretch it, it seems like the best choice at your price level would be a Project Genie and you could pick up the one of the Cambridge or NAD phono pre-amps to plug into your amp, but this takes you up to the £170-£180 mark.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

If you are strapped for cash (or don't have too many albums), a second-hand Dual 505-2 / 505-3 will work really well for around £30 second hand (ebay), but you will need a phono amp - although you can get a basic one from richer for around £20. I've got a 505-2 running through a cheap technics reciever in my dining room, and whilst it has nowhere near the detail of my Roksan, it still plays records really nicely, and cost about 1/40th of the Rok!

Depends on what you want really. If you just want to hear the albums you have and enjoy spinning vinyl, then the dual is a solid bet (make sure both the speed change and the pitch change work, and that it has the original ortofon cart, as new styli are only about a tenner for it...).

If, however, you are looking to get into vinyl as your main source, then it might be wise looking upward to the project...

Oh, and avoid those argos/online-gadget-shop MP3 decks, you will get a far better sound from a Dual and cheap phono stage...and at half the cost.

 

[John Duncan]

True, for £100 all-in you won't get the usual tables we recommend *plus* a phono stage unless you go second-hand. The Dual or a Project Debut (any version) is a good bet, plus a cambridge 640p s/h, the going rate for which is about 30 quid if I recall (maybe 40 tops).

Get the Dual 505 with the 'wooden' plinth rather than the plastic one (I forget what the designation was). There's actually one here with a phono stage thrown in to get you going, from where you could upgrade if you feel you need to.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Ello,

I sold my 640p about a month ago for £51. They really seem to hold their value, but even saying that, that still only £81 if you include the dual.

I would avoid the original 505 (a lot have a weird cartridge that isn't readily replaceable, as it only has a centre mount for the cartridge, not a standard 1/2" mounting), going for either a 505/2 or 505/3 (the one I think John is talking about).

I have a 505/2 (which does admittedly have the plastic surround) which does the job fine...

 

[John Duncan]

I think mine was a 505/2 Deluxe, though I'll go and look now (edit - it was). I say this purely on aesthetic grounds, though some argued at the time that the Deluxe sounded better.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Could well do, I always prefer wood to plastic if at all possible...

 

[Anonymous]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DUAL-505-2-BELT-DRIVE-TURNTABLE-IN-WORKING-ORDER_W0QQitemZ130210343203QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3283QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

any good?

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Yep, but you would need to get some phonos soldered onto the arm lead, as it looks as though a previous owner had it changed to a DIN plug. The phono plugs are about £2 ea from Maplin.co.uk and it's a pretty simple job to solder them on.

Apart from that, all looks good... I would ask him a question though and confirm that the speed change and pitch change works (he won't need to plug it into an amp - if he looks at the spinning turntable under a standard electric light, then the pitch markings will move and change speed if the pitch change is working...)

 

[Anonymous]

I will bare it in mind, would preffer not to have to solder phono onto it if im honest.

Is cheap tho !

 

[fatboyslimfast]

As me ol' man says (frequently), hold fire McDuff...

There are plenty on there coming up most of the time, and it shouldn't be too tricky to find a good 'un...