Used Vinyl Player..bad idea?

[FahadAhmed]

Guys, need some advice. I have never been into vinyl and have always listened to CDs. Now I found this second hand hifi dealer with a "no return" policy. He has a pretty decent collection of useed turntables and they are pretty cheap (like less than 80 pounds. They are pretty old models, like Kenwood KD - 34R. I want to go for something this cheap just to see whether I am going like it that much. Now since I don't know anything about vinyl players, what do I need to check before I pick one? The guy will let me audtion the players. IS there anything other than "it sounds right" part I need to look into?

 

[Al ears]

Yes, I think so.

To be brutally honesty unless you already own a stack of LP's then I would not bother comptemplating any turntables. If you do have a vinyl collection then I would still not look at items as cheap as this unless you really know what you are getting into. You should not buy cheap, and sometimes nasty, just to 'test the water' as it can leave you with the wrong impression.

 

[Paul.]

Project turn tables are a good bet, they are not too much new and bargains can be had on eBay for collection. I bought my Expression for £75 collected and its got a carbon arm. Entry level Projects are nice and simple, as long as it looks in good nick not much can go wrong. Just budget for a new cartridge and you can't really go wrong.

 

[Overdose]

Guys, need some advice. I have never been into vinyl and have always listened to CDs. Now I found this second hand hifi dealer with a "no return" policy. He has a pretty decent collection of useed turntables and they are pretty cheap (like less than 80 pounds. They are pretty old models, like Kenwood KD - 34R. I want to go for something this cheap just to see whether I am going like it that much. Now since I don't know anything about vinyl players, what do I need to check before I pick one? The guy will let me audtion the players. IS there anything other than "it sounds right" part I need to look into?

I know little about turntables per se, but regards buying used hifi, always try to pick a well regarded and popular product and shop around for good prices, this way, if you don't like what you hear, you can sell on for little if no loss (you may even make a profit).

 

[ifor]

You wouldn't go wrong checking out Technics SL-5s and SL-7s on eBay. The SL-7 is a very good turntable and the SL-5 is not at all bad. They are 30 years old, so make sure you buy one in working order. You might get an SL-7 for less than £80; I did. You could get an SL-5 for under a tenner.

A cheap and good way of finding out whether you like vinyl.