Turntable advice needed for a newbie

ajmjcowan

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Dec 27, 2009
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I’m contemplating the idea of getting a turntable, but knowpretty much nothing about them. On the basis that vinyl is supposed to soundbetter than CDs, is there a minimum amount I’d need to spend on a turntable tobetter the sound of my CD/DAC (MF Tri-vista DAC fed by Marantz CD63KI) or willa budget turntable e.g. a Pro-ject Debut or Rega RP1 be enough to do this?Also, do off board power supplies make a big difference to a turntable?



I gather my amp, a Plinius 9200, has a reasonable phonostage so I wouldn’t worry about an outboard one at this point.



Any advice/turntable suggestions would be much appreciated.I’m happy to buy second-hand if need be.



Thanks.
 

fatboyslimfast

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Jan 10, 2008
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ajmjcowan:On the basis that vinyl is supposed to soundbetter than CDs

Hmm - that's not always the case. I love vinyl, don't get me wrong, but a Debut or RP1 isn't going to worry your CD setup. You are probably looking at the thick end of £1k new or £500+ 2nd hand to pose a threat.

Also, if you haven't already got a reasonable vinyl collection, now probably isn't the time to start, purely from an audiophile point of view.

If you want to discover new music, or get to hear some classic albums as they were originally intended, then it would be worthwhile. Apart from the audiophile heavyweight vinyl versions (180g/200g etc), modern (late 70s onwards) vinyl can be quite hit-and-miss quality wise.

I would probably go for something like a 2nd hand Rega Planar 3, Systemdek IIX or Linn Axis for around £250, put a new cartridge on it (something like a AT-120E or Ortofon 2M Red for around £70) and see how you get on.

That way you can work out if you like the vinyl sound and experience (cleaning records before playing, handling them with care etc, pops and crackles on less-well-kept records), and if not, you can sell it on for a similar price to that which you paid.

As I've said before, I love the whole vinyl "thing". But it's not for everyone.
 

ajmjcowan

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Thanks Fatboyslimfast for the response.

I'm not so much interested in building a big vinyl collection, but more interested in getting new 180g/audiophile (where possible) LPs of some of my favourite albums from both old and new bands. Given these seem to go for around £20 - £25 I'm unlikely to ever build up a very big collection.

In the past I've seen good condition second hand Rega P3 - 24 turntables with cartridges go for around the £300 mark on ebay - do you think one of these would be a good place to start?

In terms of second hand turntables for around the £500 mark, what would you suggest?

Thanks.
 

fatboyslimfast

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A Rega P3/24 is a very good place to start, and TBH the next step up from that would probably be around £650-800 for either a Roksan Radius V (Perspex - not maple), which is a very modern design and simple to use or a Linn LP12 with Ittok arm, which although capable of better results can be a bit high-maintenence to use (IMHO).

I've had both, (and a Rega Planar 2 as it happens) but have settled for a Technics SL1210 for ease of use - just to confuse matters!

In your situation, and assuming the technics isn't really what you are after, I would go for the P3/24.
 

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