Question New to turntables!

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

I am a novice in the world of vinyl!
Sold my cd player and all my music listening now consists of streaming.
I have around 25 bollywood vinyl (got them from house clearance about 20 years ago) in my collection and looking to buy a turntable to go with my current setup.
Bollywood vinyl prices have gone through the roof in recent times so this will be a luxury.

My budget for turntable is around £500.
Preferably with thick silver profile platter, I find that looks really cool.
Your recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[nopiano]

Do you prefer brand new with warranty, or used? Remind me - does your Leema amp have a phono stage built in, or do you need that too?

 

[good_enough]

Do you prefer brand new with warranty, or used? Remind me - does your Leema amp have a phono stage built in, or do you need that too?

Specs say no.

I am a novice in the world of vinyl!
Sold my cd player and all my music listening now consists of streaming.
I have around 25 bollywood vinyl (got them from house clearance about 20 years ago) in my collection and looking to buy a turntable to go with my current setup.
Bollywood vinyl prices have gone through the roof in recent times so this will be a luxury.

My budget for turntable is around £500.
Preferably with thick silver profile platter, I find that looks really cool.
Your recommendations would be appreciated.

As @nopiano says you're going to need a phono stage too. Richers do turntables in your price range from Audio Technica, Roksan and Argon with built in pre-amps - maybe just go and listen to a selection?

Or if your criterion is looks, look at a selection...

Vinyl can produce sound as knock-out jaw-dropping 'in the room' as your streaming. But to get there you'll need a bigger budget. If you are concerned with just getting something out of the records you have, then as above.

It is worth checking whether any bundled cartridge with whatever TT you get supports an eventual upgrade to a line contact (shibata or microline) stylus as in my experience this works miracles with old records that have been worn by ellipticals or conicals. At a price.

 

[daytona600]

Project / Technics / Rega

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Just a quick note....if you are after the same kind of sound quality as your streaming part of the system, the budget will need to be raised considerably especially with the additional phono stage as I'm pretty sure the Leema doesn't have it onboard......please stay away from turntable's with a onboard phono stage, they won't be up to the standard that the Leema requires for acceptable sound quality.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

Do you prefer brand new with warranty, or used? Remind me - does your Leema amp have a phono stage built in, or do you need that too?

Good 2nd hand one will be fine.
Not sure. Is there a way of checking?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

Just a quick note....if you are after the same kind of sound quality as your streaming part of the system, the budget will need to be raised considerably especially with the additional phono stage as I'm pretty sure the Leema doesn't have it onboard......please stay away from turntable's with a onboard phono stage, they won't be up to the standard that the Leema requires for acceptable sound quality.

Thanks for that

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

Just a quick note....if you are after the same kind of sound quality as your streaming part of the system, the budget will need to be raised considerably especially with the additional phono stage as I'm pretty sure the Leema doesn't have it onboard......please stay away from turntable's with a onboard phono stage, they won't be up to the standard that the Leema requires for acceptable sound quality.

Noted. So I need a phono pre-amp and turntable as separates?

 

[Al ears]

Noted. So I need a phono pre-amp and turntable as separates?

Preferably yes, but spending out on both of these to play 20 LPs might be unwise.
There are turntables with built a in phono preamp but they are never the best available but certainly will suffice.

 

[good_enough]

Noted. So I need a phono pre-amp and turntable as separates?

No.

It depends on your requirements. As stated, you only want to listen to a couple of dozen old records, and are not intending to have vinyl as a big part of your life. You should budget accordingly (as you seem to have done). @skinnypuppy71 appears to have applied the 'if you have a quality amp you should have an equal quality source' mantra, regardless of your original post.

If your stated need was to have the best possible vinyl replay system, then I'd agree that a separate phono stage is a good idea - among other things, it's an upgrade path, and you can get MC/MM choice of cartridge.

But that is not your stated need.

If you were considering vinyl as a future source, with quality to match whatever you are getting from Qobuz or Tidal or whatever you listen to, then I'd personally suggest starting over the grand mark for a turntable - something like one of the current Technics or a planar 6, and add a decent phono stage from the likes of schiit on top. All (to repeat myself) to be listened to first before buying....

But that wasn't the question you asked. It was however the question that @skinnypuppy71 was answering.

I would steer clear of second hand turntables unless from a dealer with a warranty (ex-display type stuff for example). Although in principle they do a simple job, you may encounter problems with power supply or arm (the power supply typically supplies the sync to regulate speed via smoothed AC), and you would need to budget for a new stylus immediately unless you knew exactly where it had been. As a self-confessed novice, you could enter a world of pain TBH.

 

[Al ears]

No.

It depends on your requirements. As stated, you only want to listen to a couple of dozen old records, and are not intending to have vinyl as a big part of your life. You should budget accordingly (as you seem to have done). @skinnypuppy71 appears to have applied the 'if you have a quality amp you should have an equal quality source' mantra, regardless of your original post.

If your stated need was to have the best possible vinyl replay system, then I'd agree that a separate phono stage is a good idea - among other things, it's an upgrade path, and you can get MC/MM choice of cartridge.

But that is not your stated need.

If you were considering vinyl as a future source, with quality to match whatever you are getting from Qobuz or Tidal or whatever you listen to, then I'd personally suggest starting over the grand mark for a turntable - something like one of the current Technics or a planar 6, and add a decent phono stage from the likes of schiit on top. All (to repeat myself) to be listened to first before buying....

But that wasn't the question you asked. It was however the question that @skinnypuppy71 was answering.

I would steer clear of second hand turntables unless from a dealer with a warranty (ex-display type stuff for example). Although in principle they do a simple job, you may encounter problems with power supply or arm (the power supply typically supplies the sync to regulate speed via smoothed AC), and you would need to budget for a new stylus immediately unless you knew exactly where it had been. As a self-confessed novice, you could enter a world of pain TBH.

A phono stage, of some description, is required.
also he isn't going to find many with a "thick silver profile platter" without going second-hand which can be a minefield .
Perhaps the best starter deck currently available for the OPs budget is the Rekkord F110P

 

[good_enough]

A phono stage, of some description, is required.
also he isn't going to find many with a "thick silver profile platter" without going second-hand which can be a minefield .
Perhaps the best starter deck currently available for the OPs budget is the Rekkord F110P

Which was why I was recommending the TTs with phono stage included as the simplest solution. I see the 'P' has that (it's what it stands for).

Never heard any of them TBH. but I believe the Pro-ject and Cambridge ones carry over some of the gubbins from those manufacturers' external phono stages, so there is that....

 

[Al ears]

Which was why I was recommending the TTs with phono stage included as the simplest solution. I see the 'P' has that (it's what it stands for).

Never heard any of them TBH. but I believe the Pro-ject and Cambridge ones carry over some of the gubbins from those manufacturers' external phono stages, so there is that....

Ah but mine has a silver platter thingy, thin though it is.....
It's a subsidiary of Pro-ject built in the old Dual factory.

 

[good_enough]

Ah but mine has a silver platter thingy, thin though it is.....
It's a subsidiary of Pro-ject built in the old Dual factory.

Yes I thought I read something somewhere about this having something to do with the old Dual. The CS505 was a bit of a thing back in the day.

I have a secret method to turn any platter silver though.

 

[Al ears]

Yes I thought I read something somewhere about this having something to do with the old Dual. The CS505 was a bit of a thing back in the day.

I have a secret method to turn any platter silver though.


View attachment 8234

Like it! Suggest the heavy duty version for Heavy Metal albums though.

 

[good_enough]

Like it! Suggest the heavy duty version for Heavy Metal albums though.

I'm still working on those fancy strobe speed mark thingies. Got a working prototype.