Turntable

[garreth64]

I gave up on proper hi-fi many years ago, and my set-up these days is AV based.

I still have probably 150+ vinyl albums in the attic, and given the resurgence of vinyl I was thinking about getting a turntable to play some of my old albums again for nostalgia value.

Given this may just be a fad, and i don't have a proper hi-fi amp or speakers, do I go with something cheap and cheerful like an audio technica LP60USB with the added bonus I could convert some albums to digital, or something a little dearer with better sound quality like a pro-ject essential/carbon or rega rp1 etc.

Would I notice the difference in quality?

My AV kit consists of a Yamaha RXV1073 receiver which does have a phono stage, Kef eggs and an SVS Sub.

[legzr1]

Buy used, use as necessary then sell on if need be at little or no cost.

[otherman]

I would recommend the pro-ject. All about quality but no gizmos, good balance of quality and price

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I've got the Audio Technica LP120. Great bit of retro kit, copy of the Technics SL1200. Sounds great and looks the part too.

[Crackie]

garreth64 said:

I was thinking about getting a turntable to play some of my old albums again for nostalgia value.

do I go with something cheap and cheerful like an audio technica LP60USB with the added bonus I could convert some albums to digital, or something a little dearer with better sound quality like a pro-ject essential/carbon or rega rp1 etc.

Would I notice the difference in quality?

Sound quality will be better with the Project / Rega than the ATLP60. The AT sound quality is lacking, because it has a very cheap arm, cartridge and plinth. Feedback is usually bad on cheaply engineered turntables; particularly if you play fairly loud.

Its easy to rip your old vinyl with a non USB unit using http://www.audacityteam.org/ then you export Audacity files to digital format of your choice ( WAV, FLAC, MP3 etc etc ).

Another option would be a higher quality USB turntable. Something like Numark's clone of the Technics SL-1210 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Numark-TT250-USB-Professi...

[andburg]

Currently running a technics SL-B210 its not exactly a top end player, but it was £35 with an ion recordnow.
Buy used and you wont lose money if you sell on.

I'm no audiophile so I'm happy with mine but will be looking to upgrade to a better, fully automatic model at some point.
I'm pretty certain at this kind of price point it will far exceed any new turntable under £100

[garreth64]

Thanks for the replies. I've just spent more than I wanted to on a Rega RP1 Performance Pack off eBay, but as has been said above I should be able to resell it and recover my money if it proves to be a fad.

[legzr1]

Wise move.

[varsas]

garreth64 said:

Thanks for the replies. I've just spent more than I wanted to on a Rega RP1 Performance Pack off eBay, but as has been said above I should be able to resell it and recover my money if it proves to be a fad.

I'm after one of these, I'd appreciate a review if it's no trouble.

[Dolf Stoppard]

I've just bought the non performance pack RP1. The whole vinyl revival thing might end up being a fad for me so I didn't want to spend the extra - you can add the performance pack afterwards though.

Impressions so far are it's a great piece of kit. Looks good, comes with a lid and seems well built. Set up was a breeze. Unpack, screw counterweight on to the arm, plug in and away you go.

It's a manual turntable so no auto stop / play but it couldn't be easier to use. There's also a cueing arm to help with lifting/ lowering the arm.

Sound quality seems very good and is particularly awesome with the new 180g vinyl. No idea what you're into but I've tried it with various stuff and it sounds great.

My set up is fairly mid range Marantz with Wharfedale Diamond speakers. The Rega seems a good match but certainly wouldn't let down a more expensive set up.

[Flip Martian]

I was thinking of the Rega but doesn't it have a manual belt change to change speeds? Can't imagine my missus coping well with that. Or even seeing the point of it. They are lovely decks though.

[varsas]

Dolf Stoppard said:

I've just bought the non performance pack RP1. The whole vinyl revival thing might end up being a fad for me so I didn't want to spend the extra - you can add the performance pack afterwards though.

Impressions so far are it's a great piece of kit. Looks good, comes with a lid and seems well built. Set up was a breeze. Unpack, screw counterweight on to the arm, plug in and away you go.

It's a manual turntable so no auto stop / play but it couldn't be easier to use. There's also a cueing arm to help with lifting/ lowering the arm.

Sound quality seems very good and is particularly awesome with the new 180g vinyl. No idea what you're into but I've tried it with various stuff and it sounds great.

My set up is fairly mid range Marantz with Wharfedale Diamond speakers. The Rega seems a good match but certainly wouldn't let down a more expensive set up.

Thanks!

I just think it'd be nice to put an album on every now and again; no computers, no fiddling with a remote, just put an album on while having dinner or whatever. I also think that just owning and handling vinyl is nice. It'd be great to have, I don't know, my top 20 albums on vinyl, almost as art as much as for the music.

As for music I'd like to have on vinyl it would be Ben Howard, Birdy, London Grammer, Radiohead, Portishead, a few others.

[jmorgan]

Flip Martian said:

I was thinking of the Rega but doesn't it have a manual belt change to change speeds? Can't imagine my missus coping well with that. Or even seeing the point of it. They are lovely decks though.

No great issue though, lift the platter. I tend to stack the 45's and have a "session"

[Flip Martian]

jmorgan said:

No great issue though, lift the platter. I tend to stack the 45's and have a "session"

Not a big issue for me either. My wife is another matter; I can hear the complaining about the lack of a switch now

[jmorgan]

Promise a remote control but it may be a while as they are expensive......

[Flip Martian]

jmorgan said:

Promise a remote control but it may be a while as they are expensive......

More than my life's worth...

[jamesh764]

Flip Martian said:

I was thinking of the Rega but doesn't it have a manual belt change to change speeds? Can't imagine my missus coping well with that. Or even seeing the point of it. They are lovely decks though.

The Rega decks with a 24 volt motor can have an outboard power supply (TT PSU) connected, which allows you to change the speed by pressing a button instead of moving an elastic band. It costs £200 I think.

[Flip Martian]

jamesh764 said:

The Rega decks with a 24 volt motor can have an outboard power supply (TT PSU) connected, which allows you to change the speed by pressing a button instead of moving an elastic band. It costs £200 I think.

I trust that's for the deck, not the switch? Cheers I'll take a look.

[garreth64]

Flip Martian said:

jamesh764 said:

The Rega decks with a 24 volt motor can have an outboard power supply (TT PSU) connected, which allows you to change the speed by pressing a button instead of moving an elastic band. It costs £200 I think.

I trust that's for the deck, not the switch? Cheers I'll take a look.

I think that is just for the TT PSU, then you need a Planar 3 or above with a 24v motor for about £450 as well.

I'll be happy to change the belt manually on my RP1 when it arrives ☺

[Flip Martian]

garreth64 said:

I think that is just for the TT PSU, then you need a Planar 3 or above with a 24v motor for about £450 as well.

I'll be happy to change the belt manually on my RP1 when it arrives ?

Aha. Well, with 52 year old ears, I don't value hi fidelity QUITE that much anymore (especially as my wife is already going deaf). So it will be something well rated at around half the combined price I think.