Should I buy a turntable?

[jaxwired]

I have zero vinyl music. Everything I own is on CD and it sounds very good to me. However, I think it might be fun to get a turntable. But I'm ambivalent. I'm not sure I want to open this big can of worms and deal with two formats. Plus vinyl releases cost more and can't be added to my iPod without a special device. Thoughts and comments appreciated as always...

 

[John Duncan]

jaxwired:I have zero vinyl music.

In which case, no.

 

[John Duncan]

That was a bit curt really wasn't it. Apologies,my hangover is debilitating...

I don't find vinyl sounds better than CD (generalising), and in many cases it's a lot worse. With no vinyl already, I think you'd get more musical enjoyment buying a subscription to Spotify.

 

[the record spot]

Yep, buy one. If you want my opinion. There isn't anything that comes close to the whole experience; vinyl can be remarkably cheap - yes, buying new is pricey (the priciest format of them all currently) but there's a ton of good quality secondhand stuff out there, record fairs, the lot.

Get a good deck, a decent cartridge and fire it up. CD and Spotify (both of which I use extensively and enjoy likewise) don't even come close to the experience.

 

[Anonymous]

id agree with rs but if you havent any records and arent used to the higher maintenance requirements of vinyl plus the extra costs like record cleaners brushes phono stages and the like then probably you should give it a miss

also bear in mind theres no point mucking around with the budget deck your looking at a rega p2 as a minimum unless you go second hand and find a decent lp12 which is still for many the standard by which other tts are judged notwithstanding its somewhat murky beginnings

but the sound is second to none despite the occasional pop and tick

 

[jaxwired]

John, thanks for your reply. If there's really nothing extra special in vinyl playback, then I'd definately rather skip it. Of course, that is one never ending ulitimate debate. But, I guess ignorance is bliss.

One off, the P2 is precisely the deck I was considering...

 

[manicm]

Do you want a sports car that only seats 2? Of-course you do!

If I had the funds/time I'd also give the turntable another spin just for the heck of it. And many new releases are on LP as well.

Just my 2 cents

 

[chebby]

jaxwired:Plus vinyl releases cost more and can't be added to my iPod without a special device.

The 'special device' is a 3.5mm minijack --> 2 RCA phono lead.

Connect to 'tape out' on the back of your amp and 'mic' input on your laptop/PC.

There is/are plenty of free and paid for software to use for recording your vinyl to the computer. Then just import the files to iTunes as usual. (iTunes will convert them automatically to AAC)

Alternatively get a NAD PP3 which is not only a normal MM/MC phono pre-amp but also has USB to connect to your laptop digitally. It comes with Vinyl Studio Lite software which should be fine. I have used the paid for full version of 'Vinyl Studio' and it is very simple and intuitive to use. A bit like a virtual cassette deck at it's most basic but with lots of other nice options. (There is also a similar USB phono-preamp product from Project.)

 

[DIB]

I re-acquainted myself with vinyl a few weeks ago, and, though only budget level, my Project Debut/Ortofon 2M Red combination has been a revelation.

As for software, I've been using the free Audacity programme which meets all my needs. There's also loads of clips on Youtube explaining the basics of Audacity if you're not sure of anything.

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