Frustrated with Vinly

jay73, 

I wonder if I'm the only one that read all the posts, especially the additional posts you made.  From what I have read, the Thorens 148A is a very nice Fully Automatic Turntable.  If you are looking at spending up to the $2,000 range (the price I have seen listed several times for a brand new Model 148A), might I suggest that you take a look at the Rega Planar 3 or Planar 6.  Two fantastic turntables from one of the top of the line British audio companies.  Just a suggestion.  Enjoy shopping!

@allenf1963,
Thanks for your suggestions, the Rega Planar 6 is on my radar too.
I have not found much info on the 148 besides the website and a few quick Youtube videos. The only thing that concerns me on that TT, is the cartridge. Might have to upgrade the cartridge but the table is already at $2K as you mentioned.

Here is the honest truth from me

I am getting an itch to upgrade to a new TT but currently my Denon is running great and overall, sounds good to me. I do enjoy the LP's that I am playing on them and sometimes think, why upgrade.
But,  from my perspective, what really is good, right? I mean, I have not heard (within my system) a better TT yet. So until I have another table to compare it to, I won't really know what I am missing. After I do, my assumption of good might turn into, "What was I thinking!"
For me spending upwards of $2K is really maxing my budget (I have a humble entry level system). I also wonder if it's worth getting a very expensive table for it. I don't listen literally everyday, maybe a few times a week, simply because sometimes I too tired when I get home from work.
With all that said, the tables that I have on my radar are:
- Rega Planar 6 (have heard people have issues with hum with this table, so not too sure about it)
- Mo-Fi Studio (either with the Master Track cart or maybe a Hana MC)- Mo-Fi Ultradeck with Master Tracker (really above my budget but if I am crazy to get to that price point, then going all the way with the Master Tracker Cart)- Music Hall mmf-7.3 (I like the looks of this one)- Marantz TT15S1 (Would have to get some kind of cover for this one)- Thorens 148a (really like the fact that it is automatic and looks nice from the pics at least but wonder about the quality of the cart included)- Goldnote Valor 425 Plus (looks really nice from the pics)
One other thing that is important to me is looks/aesthetics and I have habit of sometimes wanting things that are not as common or popular.
Hence the interest in the Goldnote, haven't seen much talk about that one.

But the Marantz, I have read so many good reviews and people stating that it should cost more because of the cart and arm that it comes with. It definitely is looker, that's for sure.

So this is where I am at right now, ha.
Thanks

Seriously, $2000 for a lighweight belt drive like this which looks like another $500 belt drive toy ? When the real deal is just $1700 for heavyweight unbeatable Japanese made Direct Drive with better tonearm, better motor, better cabinet, better sound etc ... people are strange. 

Actually for $2k so many vintage direct drives available on the market. 

"The nature of vinyl is minor background hiss and some light crackles (depends on condition of the vinyl)."

Background hiss and crackles (not to mention limited dynamic range and the endless aggravations of cleaning) were never acceptable to me that’s why I stopped buying vinyl in 1983 and have never remotely considered going back.

You vinyl guys mystify me.

You vinyl guys mystify me.

If I had to explain it, you wouldn't understand 🙄🙄

Each to their own. But what Uberwaltz says is true. At a certain level of system synergy, vinyl has a magic all its own. If you've never been there, you can never know.

The overload margin of the phono stage is a critical aspect of the noise issue.  The noise sources have a very fast rise time, and even though the RIAA curve turns them down, the feedback loop of the phono stage can get quite upset.  Also, a cartridge with a rather high tip mass can crash around when it hits a boulder in the groove making more noise than it should.  Finally, the Decca guys used to point out that a cartridge with a 3gm tracking weight and a low tip mass will be a lot kinder to the grooves than a high-compliance unit with a high tip mass.
The overload margin was one of the features of the original Naim amplifiers and went a long way in making them more satisfactory than their competitors.

Background hiss and crackles (not to mention limited dynamic range and the endless aggravations of cleaning) were never acceptable to me that’s why I stopped buying vinyl in 1983 and have never remotely considered going back.

Then the next generation jump into the game, i start buying vinyl in 1995, sold all my CDs quickly in the mid 90’s, and can’t stop buying vinyl ever since.

I can’t hear anything like background hiss and crackles that louder than music, so i don’t care. And i don’t clean records with special devices. My first serious turntable was Technics SL1210 mk2 and now i have many top quality vintage direct drives like Denon DP-80, Victor TT-101 (two of them), Luxman PD-444 (two of them)... my old Technics still here and still working without service.

Vintage vinyl is my passion, original pressings

Digital is so boring compared to vinyl.

Vinyl forever!

I want to remind people that even on live shows we’re not alone in front of the band, people make some noise around us, this is life. At home even with digital setup we can hear some sounds coming from the open window, from the neighbors etc ... this is life.

It is not necessary to be in the submarine, in the bunker on in the space to enjoy the music.

Silent background is not what we have in the real life

@chakster 

Hi,

I know you have recommend the Technics 1200GR. I have no doubt it is a good and exceptional TT. But my only gripe with it is the looks. I mean it does look nice but too DJ for me.

As I said earlier somewhere, for me, looks are important too. When I am not listening to records, I want to look at my player and say, wow, that is a beauty.

Now, I know you're probably thinking, I am going to pass on a great player simply because it might not be as pretty as some other players and that probably doesn't make sense. I get it.

But what can I say, that is me. If I get a new table, it needs to perform well but also look good to my eyes.

Thanks for the suggestion, I am still kind of looking at it and it is still somewhere in my mind, so you never know.

Thanks

@jay73,. Sometimes, when cost is a issue, looks are IMO far down the list of considerations. BTW, one of my MyMat customers (who is a repeat customer) has that Technics tt. He's now enjoying two MyMats as a sandwich, with a KAB poly mat in the middle. I told him to throw away the stock rubber mat.

First of all i hope you understand that Technics is a NEW turntable and completely different internally from the old technics model discontinued long time ago.

The "GR" (available in balck and silver) is not a DJ turntable, but a slightly simplified version of the $4000 "G" and "GAE".

Maybe you have to see it in the real life, not on the picture, touch it and compare to the plastic belt drive toys from Rega.

Have you seen a Technics in real life in the shops ?
Here is a better images of GAE, the finishing is simply amazing, and none of the DJ turntables for Technics have such luxury finishing. The GR is very close for half price.

My advice is to stay away from the belt drive turntables, it’s inferior technology and what they are offering even at $2k is a rip-off (imo).

Turntable for DJs in the new Technics line is much cheaper "mk7", but not the GR, G, GAE.

The motor of G and GAE is simply the best direct drive servo available today in this world. Matsushita is huge, they made millions of Technics tunrtables and this is the only reason why their price is not 10 times higher like from small manufacturers.

Compared to $1700 they charge for brand new GR all those plastic Rega and related belt drive must be $300 max.

So belt drive for $300-500 might be ok, but belt drive for $2000 is rip-off.

If the look is more important for you then any vintage turntable is much better to look at in my opinion. 

This is my ex vintage Technics SP-10mkII that i bought for $1200 injcluding shipping in mint condition without plinth and tonearm. And this is what i bought next (Luxman PD-444) for less than $2k. 

@chakster 

You have nice gear. I am assuming you the Technics GR also, if so, what cartridge are you using or would recommend for it?

In the Pic, the GAE does look nice with it's finish. The GR looks a little less shiny but it is half the cost, so I get it.

By the way, what is the pitch control for? Is that geared more towards DJ's, what benefit would it have for a someone like me?

I do appreciate your input.

Thanks

The 1500 looks less DJ!

@jay73

You have nice gear. I am assuming you the Technics GR also, if so, what cartridge are you using or would recommend for it?

Thanks, on GR you can use wide range of cartridges, this is a medium mass tonearm (pretty good one), any cartridge with MID COMPLIANCE is a perfect match, "mid" is something like 20cu @ 10Hz. But don’t worry, almost any MM/MI cartridge with 20-30cu compliance figure (measured at 10Hz, not at 100Hz) is nice for this arm. Audio-Technica cartridges are mid compliance, most of the modern MC are mid compliance too. Some killer vintage MM are high compliance (30cu) and can be used too. I would not use any low compliance cartridge on this arm, but some people use them with higher mass headshell and technics subweight.

In the Pic, the GAE does look nice with it’s finish. The GR looks a little less shiny but it is half the cost, so I get it.

Yeah, exactly, the GAE is Limited Edition, the equal to GAE is "G".
For half price is "GR" in silver or in black.

By the way, what is the pitch control for? Is that geared more towards DJ’s, what benefit would it have for a someone like me?

Most of the Japanese direct drive have a pitch control, but normally it is rotary knob (very little), Technics made it like a fader. You can simply ignore it. But it’s a nice bonus to tune pitch when needed. If you’re musician (with a perfect pitch) you can actually hear it as a pitch of instrument (tonality), Technics explained it somewhere in details. If you’re not a musician you can just use it to make a tempo of the record a bit faster or slower (whatever you like).

When the pitch is in ZERO (locked in the middle) your record does not affected.

You have to try this turntable in some audio shop in your area, it’s really unbeatable, like a tank!

And i think this is best buy option if you want new for under $2k

Technics turntable provide superb speed stability, the highest torque you can imagine (immediate start on constant speed, not like those slow belt drives). This is a top class machine and the brand with strong reputation. 

It is MADE IN JAPAN

Like it or not , looks are important to each individual owner and their own preference. As well and more importantly that the outdated unattractive looks many feel the new Technics tables are,
No matter how much an individual advocates the purchase of something he doesn't own himself....the simple fact remains many many do not find its sound that appealing at all. 
Regardless of what some may rant about the Technics as the best and be all end all of turntables and shade all belts as toys....it would appear many many prefer the sound of those belt drives. An important reason to chose your option.
Thats the beauty of choice, it's personal , no matter how some try to make theirs the right or best choice for everyone else...

The SOUND is not belt drive or direct drive, the SOUND is mostly the cartridge, but the belt drive are inconvenient, slow, not stable in terms of speed, cheaply made toys (not all of them for sure, but those mentioned by the OP are definitely not the best belt drive turntables at all and very expensive for a belt drive). I’ve checked the price for a Dr.Feickert belt drive for example and it’s over $7000 (at least it’s easy to swap the arms on this one and it's a good looking table).

Many people never heard of Technics, never tried it, all their life they thought it was made for DJs only (the biggest mistake), i assume they never seen an SP10mkII , SP20 or top of the line SP10 mkIII, and speaking of very expensive belt drive (that might be good too, but at much higher price) even brand new reference class SP-10R is still cheaper being the best new DD available today.

Chakster, 

I note from your profile that your origin is not America.  As an American Military Vet, and civil servant for decades, I have served based on the foundation that All persons are created equal endowed by their creator with life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  If happiness be digital great, if happiness be vinyl, wondetful, and if your feet are in both, all the better for your tolerance.  But, Jay came to this forum for help, and with courage, explained his priorty for happiness.  What he has received from some is analysis and criticism, to the point that he has had to defend himself - that is just WRONG!  This forum should be the exchange of knowledge and ideas, but when your individual opinion becomes so extreme that you are now forcing the other to defend themselves, its WRONG!. So myself being of the composition of See Something, Say Something, Do Something, this response is now presented, and Enough is Enough.  All ideas should be welcome, but lets try to be respectfull of one another.  If someone is having to defend themselves, then we need a gut check on the convseration, and maybe even an applogy.  Good evening and God bless.

Who is Vinly and why should I be frustrated with him?

This forum should be the exchange of knowledge and ideas, but when your individual opinion becomes so extreme that you are now forcing the other to defend themselves, its WRONG!

@antinn I do not force anyone, but trying to provide some facts, links, technical information, prices in comparison etc .. which is all helpful in my opinion, anyone can compile it together and make a decision.

But it is all based on my personal experience only, why not ?

If i am not in America does it really change anything ? It is only more difucult for me to buy anything that available in America in many shops, so living in America you can go to the shop to try those turntable and to compare them, i did that myself. I can not be you or anyone else to choose plastic belt drive for $2k instead of decent direct drive for $1.7k ... sorry.

Does it hurts your feeling each time anyone recommend Technics ?
I’ve been using mine since 1995 and it is still working like new (not in the main system now).

I love Technics, it is true, but not only this brand. However at the price point under $2k i can’t personally recommend anything else (apart from some better vintage direct drives). If you can do that please recommend your own choice of turntable on this forum and explain why, this would be helpful for OP to make a decision.

Otherwise i do not see your contribution in this thread or am i missed something ?

Let me do that again and you please tell me what is wrong:

-made in japan for $1700 (entire turntable)
-great tonearm, detachable headshell (easy to mount and swap cartridges without breaking tonearm wire clips)
-high torque, superb speed stability
-brand new direct drive servo from the most experienced brand in audio history (matsushita)
-high weight, heavy platter, adjustable feet
-pitch control
-RCA phono output
-easy to re-sell if needed

Chaksterk 

If you you read the earlier posts of this thread, I provided a detailed cleaning process.  Otherwise, being sensitive and trying to read between the lines of what Jay's desire is, my recommendation would be a fine American product, the Sota Commet V,   https://sotaturntables.com/products/comet-v/.  It is in his budget, the design I would think, but I may be wrong, is compatible with his desires.  Its a  great product from a long standing supplier, that he can call on the phone and discuss, get go long term support, and they have an upgrade path to serve him on his journey.

@antinn

Oh, the cleaning, ok ... forgive me.
I do not blame you because you recommend Sota, cleaning records .. or because you’re living in America and prefer local products.

Being Japanese the Technics is very well represented in USA since the 70’s.

Most of out record made with Technics motor, because Neumann disc cutting lathe comes with Technics SP-02 motor.

So i think Technics was (and still is) much more important for the vinyl industry than any other small brands.

And using Technics no one will be frustrated with vinyl.  

Passing your biased opinions off as fact , doesnt make them facts. You insult owners..belittle anyones property that doesnt fit your idiotic direct drive biased drivel. There are many many good tables of all drives.
This is a hobby best made as inclusive...not exclusive based on perceived value. Which in reality Chakster..you dont have. Every choice has an opinion and a reason for and why....and it isnt because you say so or exclude them as owners of toys and all the other negative crap you spew constantly. The owner of the belt drive you negate brings a 100 times more than you do...its positivity and inclusivity...try it before your island is complete.....
And for the record...the only thing the cartridge can do...is what everything its attached right down to the floor allow it to do....funny , thats why some find those technics tables cold and digital like...but thats an opinion based on their ears and first hand experience....
How many of those NEW Technics tables do you own and for how long....oh...your just repeating what anyone else could read...then apply thick bias.....

Chakster, 

First my applogies for my miss spelling of your handle, so much for my fat fingers.  Otherwise, to address my opinion of the Technics 1210GR, as an engineer, I can appreciate the engineering that has been applied.  But, I am no fan of it looks (I have a modified VPI TNT), and obviously neither is Jay.  And that is the point.  Your recommendation is one thing, but when you become so passionate as to defend it, if takes on a whole other perspective.  Hopefully, we make our best recommendation to someone when they ask, but if they do not see it the same way, that is their right.  We have no right to force the argument, since it it can then be precieved as an attack.  All persons are entitled to their pursuit of what makes THEM happy whether we agree or not.

Chak
While a lot of people can appreciate the engineering of the new Technics, not that many can stomach the looks and for some that IS very important, their are at times the better half to appease as well.

Now we all get your passion for Technics and not criticising that at all but.....
Once you have heard it a dozen times it starts to wear thin and get annoying.
It is only facts in your opinion, nothing more my friend.

Maybe a little more humility in your posting would go a long way to not alienating everybody around you?

There are a LOT of users of your so called plastic 2k belt drives of all models and I am sure they are quite insulted by your remarks.

Not myself as I do not own a belt drive, does not mean I intend to start bashing them in public though.

And no I am not going to suggest different TT for the op as that is not what the thread was originally about and only seems to have degenerated into that.

I just came up with a variation to use the inexpensive manual cleaner/drying rack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSSQ1MN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

*** Instead of mixing a whole batch of cleaning fluid in the tub of the cleaner (only to clean a few or 1 batch of 10) ***

normal use is: distilled water, 2 capfulls of their concentrated cleaner chemical, and a few drops of wetting agent (dishwasher rinse stuff)

*** VARIATION using Small Spray Bottle of Pre-Mixed Cleaning Fluid ***

I leave the tub empty

I remove the brushes, and spray ready mixed cleaner on the brushes to get them wet and ready, and they swell to narrow the gap between them to reach the lp surface.

I lay a sheet of plastic on the table

I spray the lp with the pre-mix, flip it over, spray other side,

in the machine with wet brushes waiting

manual spin as normal

pick up lp with provide eyeglass cloth, prevents finger oil

dry bulk of fluid manually with provided cloth, as it's normal process

into the drying rack.

rinse the tub and brushes

LOOKS, oh yeah, important, I am an Interior Designer (Corporate Office Space).

I had cool looking and performing vintage Thorens/SME, made a custom wood base for it, terrific,

Found a Technics SP-15, Plastic Base, gave it to my friend.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Technics-SH-15B3-base-dust-cover-and-hinges-Technics-SP-15-and-SP25-Turntable/323741055782?hash=item4b60787b26:g:ReMAAOSwrnRaVO67

they make a nice wood base, would perk it’s look up quite a bit.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649580540-technics-sp15-sp25-plinth-great-shape/

but Thorens bearing transmitted vertical vibration too much.

So, I’ve been compromising with Plastic Technics’s for years.

Recently decided, retired, listening more, why not move up. Thought about long 12" arm. Coincidentally, MONO cartridge thread here. Learned about superb plinths made by Denon, JVC Victor.

Learned about JVC Spinners TT61, 71,81, 101 (picked 81).

OMG, learned about Victor Large Plinth CL-P2 big, solid, heavy, and fits two arms.

Put Mono together with 2 arm wood deck, got this beauty which certainly LOOKS great while being great.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649563331-victor-jvc-tt-81-high-quality-quartz-lock-turntable-with-fidelity-research-tonearm/?utm_campaign=response-received&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email

Point is, Chackster can be too ..., but he is right about the vintage Denon and JVC.

Budget,

Dual Deck with 1 arm (use for mono), convert 1,000 CAD to USD $775. add $150 ship with insurance. Add $50. PayPal 2.9% fee to convert foreign currencies: $975. delivered, Budget: $1,000. USD

Now get a nice Stereo arm of choice. I got lucky, member here, uberwaltz (thanks again) found it for me

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649571086-lustre-801-tonearm/?utm_campaign=response-received&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email

Cost: $650. offer accepted. : $700. delivered, Budget: $1,000. USD

Total, delivered: $ $1,675. Budget: $2,000.

Just saying, I am in love with the LOOKS as well as the performance.

Giving your arm and cartridge the advantage of a solid base/plinth makes a big difference!

IF you go the JVC-Victor Plinth route,

be very cautious about an included Victor Tonearm, UA-7045 or long version UA-7082.

they can be great, but, as Chackster and others alerted me/us, VERY OFTEN the rubber gasket is deteriorated and needs replacement.

I took mine apart, figured it out, wrote a thread how to fix it.

Fear not if you want one, but, be aware of this, don’t pay too much for one, and be handy if you want to fix it yourself.

Live near me, Plainfield, NJ? I’ll fix it for you, no charge.

Not to belabor this thread, but its my understanding that there are fundamentally 3 different turntable drives:  rim drive, belt-drive and direct-drive, and there are pros and cons to each, and each has has been successfully executed.  Some think the Lenco L75 rim drive is the best,  http://high-endaudio.com/RC-Lenco.html.  There are obvious fans of the Technics and VPI coreless motor drive drive, and then there is Basis who goes to near heroic effort  to manufacture a near perfect belt  https://www.basisaudio.com/revolution-belt. For my VPI TNT that uses the Avenger baseline motor and 20-lb Classics platter, I use two belts of two different materials (not sold by VPI), EDPM to get the platter spining, and Viton to stabilize speed.  The two belts are the same length and durometer, but the different material elongation properties will cause different beating/hysteresis (belt going from tension off the platter, to relaxing after the motor before the platter). In "theory" this should reduce the risk of any resonance from multiple belts of the same material beating at the same frequency.  So, there are many ways to effectively spin that platter. However, not a plug, but I believe that VPI is the only one to manufacture all three.  But, as always, Enjoy the Music. 

Brinkmann a German company make DD and belt, both sound super and are well engineered. The Basis belt is unique and correct AJ a brilliant engineer ( RIP ) came up w proprietary processes to ensure flatness. Tables I own: Brinkmann, SOTA, Denon, gave the Basis away as a birthday gift - fun
peace people, peace !

Wow, I didn't think this thread would grow so large (It's Alive!), lol.

One thing is for sure, we are all quite passionate about listening to music and especially listening to LP's. Definitely something special about LP's in comparison to other formats. In many cases, it can be the center piece of your complete system, something beautiful to behold, something you interact with in such an intimate way compared to other formats.

We all have our personal tastes/interests and experience when it comes to this hobby (I still consider myself a novice). But that is the great thing about it, we can all share our passion together and learn from one another.

And I have already learned quite a bit from this thread and so want to thank each one of you for your contribution! I may not be able to look into or implement every suggestion but I can certainly learn from it and for that, I appreciate all the input!

So, yesterday, I went to that audio store I had mentioned. Took only 3 records with me as I was not sure what to expect. Normally, you buy a cleaning solution and then clean your records but yesterday there was a gentlemen there plugging his device, the Keith Monks "Prodigy" and so was able to get my records cleaned for free yesterday.

He went over all the features of this new device. The housing was made of Bamboo and it was pretty quiet. I thought it looked kind of cool. Overall, it did a pretty decent job of cleaning the records. I just listened to a couple of tracks in the store and although there were still a few clicks/pops it was pretty minute compared to before. 

I liked the machine but it was $995, out of my price range for a device to simply clean records. I will need to stick to something a bit more economical, at least for me.

Did get to check out the Rega P6 and Mo-Fi decks, so that was cool.

It's going to be a little before I actually purchase because I just purchased about a week ago, the Isotek Evo 3 Sirius Power Distribution unit and some new power cables. I have my Intergrated, CD Player, Dac, TT and phono stage now plugged into that unit. I think I hear a slight positive difference in the sound but not sure yet.

Next I need to re-arrange some of my devices in my cabinet and put my current TT in the middle instead of the side (I have the TT, Integrated and CD Player on the top of the cabinet). Once I have that done, then the new TT can simply just slip in place of the Denon, eventually. 

Also going to get a small storage rack just for the LP's so that it can be more accessible. Right now, they are in the cabinet and a hassle to take out and put back (and yes I do store them vertically, haha).

Thanks All!

@jay73,. I for one really appreciate your last post (especially). You’re kind of rare in that while seeking advice and absorbing it, you’re willing to stay involved. I wish you all the best in your search.

"@jay73,. I for one really appreciate your last post (especially). You’re kind of rare in that while seeking advice and absorbing it, you’re willing to stay involved. I wish you all the best in your search."

I was thinking the same thing Slaw. It shouldn't  go unoticed or without kudos as rare as it is.....

I think I hear a slight positive difference in the sound but not sure yet

Be careful with "upgrades" for the sake of it. And beware of fooling yourself with confirmation bias.

@slaw and @has2be, Thanks for your kind words!

@noromance ,

I completely agree with you, time will tell if there really is a difference in sound quality. Another reason I picked up the Isotek was because I had really entry lever power strips and wanted to get something a little more substantial to protect the gear.

I'm following this interesting thread, I have a sophisticated digital rig and sounds amazing but some source content, specifically rock tends to sound for lack of a better word out of sync, jazz, acoustic, salsa, americana, folk, vocals all good, rock and roll not so much.
I thought initially it was the recordings and the recording engineers but the thing with digital is it is very sensitive to changes in power supply, filters, even software, I am constantly tweaking and got to the point I need a reference and I decided vinyl could be the way (I have spoken ;)
Anyway I have a technics mk5 I think with a dl301 cartridge, would that be an acceptably rig or should I go something more modern? Like the 1200 or other manufacturer? Don't want to spend much either, I am at my limits already.

Tube pre with phono stage and tube monoblocks

By the way if I use the technics I need to figure out a balanced cable instead of the existing single ended, maybe I will need to change the tonearm.

I know I know all cartridges are inherently balanced maybe instead of a complete tonearm just need to wire the existing one. I rather stay away from an isolation transformer for this.

Jay, forget vinyl. When I visited NYC last year, I purchased like 20 expensive brand new 180g jazz LPs.Two of them being 45rpm LPs. When I started to listen to them....pure frustration!!!. Some of them, out of the sealed cover, already showed a few pops and clicks right away.Quite irritating and a waste of money. Listening to vinyl in this century is absolutely ridiculous. Long live the well recorded CDs !!!! By the way : I own a very good high end system, which makes listening to vinyl a real torture. Don't waste your time and money with "cleaning" devices. I have tried several "techniques". You may mitigate it, but bear in mind that noise from vinyl is non-removable !!! Good luck..

Jay, forget vinyl. When I visited NYC last year, I purchased like 20 expensive brand new 180g jazz LPs.Two of them being 45rpm LPs. When I started to listen to them....pure frustration!!!. Some of them, out of the sealed cover, already showed a few pops and clicks right away.Quite irritating and a waste of money. Listening to vinyl in this century is absolutely ridiculous. Long live the well recorded CDs !!!! By the way : I own a very good high end system, which makes listening to vinyl a real torture. Don't waste your time and money with "cleaning" devices. I have tried several "techniques". You may mitigate it, but bear in mind that noise from vinyl is non-removable !!! Good luck..

That is quite some first post! lol.

If you had read through this thread you would see the part of "new" albums has been covered quite extensively.

And as for cleaning being a waste of time and money, obviously you are entitled to your opinions but I would try to avoid making false blanket statements.
Good luck to you too and enjoy those CD,S as do I along with records, cassette tapes, reel to reel tapes, FM radio and internet streaming .

Lol quite some first post indeed, total hate

no 8 track???

Forgot to add AM radio from my collection of vintage AM tube radios made here in the USA.

Works of art as much as anything else and indeed have an old 78rpm record player of same vintage hooked up to one of them on its phono input.

Looks are quite something indeed so I truly get the ops point on looks as most of my vintage radio collection purchases were based on looks as much as performance or desirability.

no 8 track???

Haha, I only act stupid here for entertainment......

lol.

Mind I have been looking at DAT tape players of late......

Doh!

@jay73 great news on discovery of Audio Element in Pasadena, fantastic store run by Brooks Berdan son - legendary vinly! Fanatic.
also the audio club sounds great - IF you get down south Carlsbad way you are also welcome to stop by for a listen, bring some of your records and we can clean them on my $75 Nitty Gritty ( bought used )

enjoy the music!!!!

@jay73 what were the three LP you took to Audio Element to audition???? Music after all is the quest !!!!

congrats on the Isotek, I use that brand as well, there are of course others but certainly solid value for $

@jay73 also join us in the music section: what’s on your turntable ( or 8 track ) tonight ? Thread

some vinly junkies there for sure, less attitude and ego, more tunes...

Sometimes, when cost is a issue, looks are IMO far down the list of considerations. BTW, one of my MyMat customers (who is a repeat customer) has that Technics tt. He’s now enjoying two MyMats as a sandwich, with a KAB poly mat in the middle. I told him to throw away the stock rubber mat.

On of the best MAT for Technics and almost any other turntable is SAEC SS-300 from the 70s/80s.

The absolute best one in my opinion is gunmetal Micro Seiki CU-180 with ST-10 disc stabilizer, but this combo is very expensive and rare.

Yet another great modern MAT is ($250) 47 Labs THE MAT from Sakura Systems which is the latest version of the Boston Audio Mat, so many reviews online.

This is an image of perfect cartridge for Technics tonearms (Grace LEVEL II Ruby) on The Mat, i really like the surface of The Mat. It’s Graphite.

@jnn

Thanks for your input. CD’s are for sure awesome. In fact, last night I was listening to some Dire Strait’s Brother in Arms on SACD and it sounded great.
But so far I am also enjoying LP’s even though the occasional pops/crackles are annoying, I am determined to get to a point when those become very minimal.
As stated before, I have a Denon Dp-300f with the Ortofon 2M Blue and I feel it sounds pretty good overall. I can only imagine, how it will sound once I move up to a more substantial Turn Table with a good cartridge (probably going to go for a MC next time).
By the way, I also listen to tapes once in a while and still have most of my audio cassettes.
I swear they will make a come back one day, lol.

@tomic601

I will need to look into the Nitty Gritty device.

Jay23
Stick with the tapes!
I have nearly as many tapes as records!
I use two Nakamichi decks and with the zx7 replay is outstanding.
Enjoy!

One scratch on CD and you’re done, you can’t remove it and your CD will stuck on one note. Awful format in 21st century when downloads is almost free and digital can be stored on hard drive (on even cloud) in high resolution files (better than 16bit CDs).

The digital is definitely not about CDs, it’s about high-res files on hard drive and a proper DACs to reproduce it. Still so boring compared to original vinyl.

Tapes are definitely more fun.