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turntables/record players

depends on your budget but for non-DJ use there's no better turntable than one of the Rega Planar series - a 2 or 3 ideally. Not cheap, but will last forever and sound perfect.
 
i had one, then bought turntables and realised having 3 turntables in the house was daft so i had to let the Rega go :(
 
As with all things this will be determined by your budget, but, if you are willing to consider buying second hand there are some bargains to be had. And there are also a number of things that you might want to consider, such as do you need to buy a dedicated phono stage? What characteristics in sound do you particularly like? And what kind of music do you like? All of which can have a huge effect on what you might want to consider buying.

For starters think about the system that you currently have, as that is likely to indicate how much you value music and how important it is to you. You could settle for a Rega or a Pro-ject deck, and for the money they represent good value, but they don't really allow you to truly hear what vinyl can sound like. If you want advice I'm happy to explain further via pm - just don't rush out and buy the first thing you hear about or that someone tells you is great or fantastic. And remember that if you are going to be spending over £200 you really ought to be thinking about going to a specialist dealer to actually listen to the variety available.

BB:)
 
Dubversion said:
depends on your budget but for non-DJ use there's no better turntable than one of the Rega Planar series - a 2 or 3 ideally. Not cheap, but will last forever and sound perfect.
Click to expand...

A fully loaded LP12? Or a Gyrodec?

BB;)
 
Threshers_Flail said:
Hey can anyone nod me in the right direction in getting a decent turntable or record player?
Click to expand...
You'll have to give us your budget and intended use.
 
Dubversion said:
well yeh, if you want to spend £1k plus :D
Click to expand...

Nope - that was why I mentioned going the 2nd hand route. An LP12 can be bought for a reasonable price and far below the outrageous prices required to buy brand new. And upgrading can be done 2nd hand too, which (if the LP12 'sound' is to your liking) will guarantee audio nirvana in a way you would not have thought possible.

BB:)
 
Linn Sondek's rock.

I used to have a Roksan Xerxes plus SME V arm with a high end cartridge that costed more than I care to recall.

In the end I flogged it off and bought a Rega Planar 3.

The Pro-ject turntables are excellent value too and look great.
debut-3-blue-553.jpg


http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/category.cfm/category/104
 
Which could have the arm replaced with a Rega, and the internal wiring could be replaced.....which does sound quite interesting when completed.

BB;)
 
What about carts for use with the Rega P3 - saying you like to play Disco/Reggae/Funk/Vintage Hip Hop (mostly 12's and 45's) and also a lot of modern dance stuff (not bangin' hard stuff - more on the musical end of dance music).
 
scruff said:
What about carts for use with the Rega P3 - saying you like to play Disco/Reggae/Funk/Vintage Hip Hop (mostly 12's and 45's) and also a lot of modern dance stuff (not bangin' hard stuff - more on the musical end of dance music).
Click to expand...

Same as a turntable, what is your budget, what is your current amplifier and what kind of phono stage does it have (an Audiolab 8000A for example has a switchable phono section and Rotel amps generally have a reasonable phono stage included) and what is the quality of the phono stage you have (if you do have one fitted) like? Is it worth considering buying a separate phono stage (these start at around £40 and then go up......) to get the best out of your cartridge?

How often are you likely to actually play your vinyl? If you are a casual user then you might not be able to justify spending around £250-300 on a cartridge, but if you are going to be using it on a regular basis this becomes far easier. There is also the possibility that having heard a decent cartridge and turntable combination you might just want to throw out your cds and completely immerse yourself in the luxuriant warmth of analogue. This does happen!

BB:)
 
Hello again BB!

OK - additional kit will be a Rotel RA05 amp and B&W 686 speakers (both being purchased at the end of the month). I'm just figuring that my remaining SL1200MKII (with a Shure White Label) could be replaced with something better - i'm not interested in playing/DJ'ing anymore - it's all about listening these days.

It'll get used everyday - heavy use at weekends for listening and ripping of vinyl (LOADS of ripping - have a massive collection to get through and will be getting a NHTPro Passive Volume Control to go into a M-Audio firewire box into Laptop). I guess i'd like to max at £100 for a cart.

Thanks!
 
scruff said:
Hello again BB!

OK - additional kit will be a Rotel RA05 amp and B&W 686 speakers (both being purchased at the end of the month). I'm just figuring that my remaining SL1200MKII (with a Shure White Label) could be replaced with something better - i'm not interested in playing/DJ'ing anymore - it's all about listening these days.

It'll get used everyday - heavy use at weekends for listening and ripping of vinyl (LOADS of ripping - have a massive collection to get through and will be getting a NHTPro Passive Volume Control to go into a M-Audio firewire box into Laptop). I guess i'd like to max at £100 for a cart.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well assuming that you go for a Rega deck the natural choice would be a Rega Elys 2 (MM), which usually sells for around £100 - £110. But if you could save a little I would point you in the direction of an Ortofon MC15 Super 2 (MC) for around £150, or have a listen to a Sumiko Blue Point 2 at around the same price.If you could save a little more you should consider a Linn Adikt or a Dynavector, both over the £200 mark. Ideally, given the system that you have, you should consider taking your system with you to a specialist dealer and then sitting and listening to some of the cartridges available with records that you own. This isn't likely to be easy due to the specialist nature of the stuff we are talking about, and the fact that very few dealers are likely to have the full range of cartridges I have indicated, but with a little bit of patience and advance warning to the dealers that you visit I can promise you that you will find something that sounds right to you. Goodluck, and be prepared to say goodbye to your cd player!
BB:)
 
Many thanks, BB. Great advice. I'm not planning on upgrading TT until next year so i've plenty of time to think about cart choice and hear a few too. The Dynavector has been mentioned to me by someone else (with same musical tastes) - must admit, i'm very tempted.
 
scruff said:
What about carts for use with the Rega P3 - saying you like to play Disco/Reggae/Funk/Vintage Hip Hop (mostly 12's and 45's) and also a lot of modern dance stuff (not bangin' hard stuff - more on the musical end of dance music).
Click to expand...

I've owned a Rega Planar 3 for more years than I'm comfortable to admitting to (over 25) and I listen to more or less exactly the same music you describe above. A dynavector is perfect for this turntable/music styles.

Mine's going through an 8000A and B&W602s.

Some of my mates have spent twice as much as me on hifi and they're still jealous of my sound:cool:

btw hi everyone, my first post here.
 
eightball said:
I've owned a Rega Planar 3 for more years than I'm comfortable to admitting to (over 25) and I listen to more or less exactly the same music you describe above. A dynavector is perfect for this turntable/music styles.

Mine's going through an 8000A and B&W602s.

Some of my mates have spent twice as much as me on hifi and they're still jealous of my sound:cool:

btw hi everyone, my first post here.
Click to expand...

That should produce quite a nice sound, the later 8000A's were known for having a very respectable phono stage.

And welcome to the boards!

BB:)
 
Boogie Boy said:
That should produce quite a nice sound, the later 8000A's were known for having a very respectable phono stage.

And welcome to the boards!

BB:)
Click to expand...

True, it's a shame Tag McClaren fucked them up. I'll buy Naim when I win the lottery ;)

Thanks for the welcome mate.
 
Well i phoned my local hi-fi dealer yesterday and a had a chat with him, Seems the P3's are now P3-24 with a £398 price tag. I could source a 2nd hand P3, seem to be plenty on eBay. One thing that's really bugging me - i didn't know about lifting the platter to change the speed and i could see that wearing really thin quite quickly with me - my collection is mainly 12" singles.

Then he wanted to flog me a different power supply go with it - a snip at £149 "we really recommend it for the P3-24 - we find it gives better results". :eek:
 
i didn't realize people still turn LPs....just thought everything was digital now. silly me :o
 
Yeah sorry for not posting back. I realised i dont need an actual rcord player anymore, just a turntable.

Any decent ones for about £60ish or less?
 
I got a cheap as chips Technics SL-Q2 from ebay which works fine. It even puts the arm back for you at the end of the record so you can play tunes while wasted and not wake up at 5am to click...click...click...click...click...*middle falls out of record* :D
 
scruff said:
Well i phoned my local hi-fi dealer yesterday and a had a chat with him, Seems the P3's are now P3-24 with a £398 price tag. I could source a 2nd hand P3, seem to be plenty on eBay. One thing that's really bugging me - i didn't know about lifting the platter to change the speed and i could see that wearing really thin quite quickly with me - my collection is mainly 12" singles.

Then he wanted to flog me a different power supply go with it - a snip at £149 "we really recommend it for the P3-24 - we find it gives better results". :eek:
Click to expand...

Well this is the issue that many people have with buying a turntable, they can be quite expensive to buy and to maintain (cartridges might need replacing etc), and seem to represent a lot of hassle when compared to your average cd player.

If you have the time, try looking at E-Bay, as there are some real bargains to be had. There are also some specialist Hi-Fi sites that I can direct you to, where you would have the opportunity of buying some first rate kit (usually well cared for and maintained) for well below the 'list' price that Hi Fi dealers will often quote. Usually the only reason for the kit being sold on is because the seller has found another item or has decided to upgrade - I've worked with Naim and Linn devotees and they really are pursuing a 'holy grail' of sound!!!).

And the power supply issue is genuine, a turntables performance can be dramatically improved in this way. It can sound like 'snake science' - but ultimately give it a try and trust your own ears!

BB:)
 
Thanks again, BB. You've been very helpful in this thread.

Like i said my main problem with these kind of Turntables is the fact that there is no speed change - i play mostly 12" singles that vary between 33 and 45, you know how it is, i'd be forever whipping the platter off to change the speeds. As for paying for the P3-24 and power-supply (which i found out DOES change the speed - this area if audio is all new to me - i'm hanging up my headphones and upgrading DJ gear) well, i just can't justify paying almost £600 for a turntable, then £250 for a cart.

I was in the hi-fi shop during the week to order a Rotel amp and mentioned to the guy about a pro-ject TT that has a speed change button - he looked at me like i'd just invited him out the back for some anal sex... have you heard any reports about this Pro-Ject TT? (i also mentioned the Dynavector with this Pro-Ject TT and he nearly died!).

I think i might ending up sticking with my Technics SL1200MK2 for the time being.
 
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