I agree with Eldartford. Why have an all or nothing attitude about it? After 12 years without vinyl, I got curious. I had sold all my lps back then to finance getting lots of cds. So a few months ago I gave in to the curiousity, chose a $35 turntable on ebay and went to the local used cd store, where they have a small stock of used vinyl. Paid $1 for Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time, which seemed to be in pristine condition. The turntable came, I took it to a local audio guy who "tuned it up" for about $25, went home and put my $1 lp on my $35 table. It sounded great (to me). I bought some more used vinyl ($1 - $6 a pop, although some good Pablo and Verve jazz lps were a bit more) and continued listening. Got some real duds (scratched, hissy, etc.), but 3 or 4 of every 5 lps sounded satisfyingly engagingly musical. Asked the audio guy what to do next. He recommended I keep an eye out for certain Thorens models used on ebay. I watched and waited for 4 months, found a unit that I could see locally, and bought it. It cost $199, plus about $100 for some "tune up" work. It sings! Now, for some of us $1,500 is a lot of money. Me, for instance. We all have our price points (and spousal tolerances). Bottom line: spend a small fraction now, get something used, and see what you think. You can always blow the whole wad later. good luck.
Getting into analog is tough....
I have been thinking hard about getting into analog, but the more I research, the more it puts me off. First, I need a phono stage. Then, of course, I need the turntable. Then, I need a tonearm. Then a cartridge. Then a needle. Ok, now will it be MC or MM? How about the arm? Will I get a turntable without an arm? No, get a turntable with an arm because setting up an arm for a newbie can be a disaster, right?. How about the cartridge? Ok, my budget is $1500 for a phono stage and a turntable. But, a tone arm by itself might be more than the turntable and the stage. Oh, the cartridge might be more than everything, but which one? Who has a turntable I can listen to? What, almost no one I know has a turntable these days? What about the thing and the other thing and then there is this thing and that thing and cables and..........AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!
You know, my CD player doesn't sound that bad. In fact, CD players are easy. You just plug and plug and listen.
So, what was the reason I wanted to get into analog?
You know, my CD player doesn't sound that bad. In fact, CD players are easy. You just plug and plug and listen.
So, what was the reason I wanted to get into analog?