2. analog
  3. 1045009608

How can I get back into vinyl very cheaply?

Hi and thanks for taking the time to read my thread. I grew up in the 70's and amassed a relatively large record collection. Moreover my buddies from high school are willing to give me their old Lp's. However I don't have much in disposable income so I am wondering if there is a good TT,arm, cartridge, combo to be had for ~350$ I had a denon direct drive turntable when I was a kid, but reading this site makes my think that a belt drive table would generally be superior. I particularly am wondering what old units I should look for on ebay. There are almost 1000 units for sal on ebay and most of them are in my price range, but I really don't know for which units I should be looking. Finally as I don't even know what VTA is, ease of set up is important. I appreciate all opinions.

PS. My Musical Fidelity pre has a phono stage that is purportedly good but not great for MM and adequate for MC
rgcards

Showing 3 responses by psychicanimal

psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Quote: "I had a denon direct drive turntable when I was a kid, but reading this site makes my think that a belt drive table would generally be superior."

The Psychic says: "Don't believe everything you read..." To get good speed and rotational stability out of a belt drive you need to spend *quite* a bit of money!

If you want cheap and fast, Technics has a FG Servo belt drive w/ plug-in cartridge hookup that will outperform the other 'glass and particle board' entry level belt drives by a far margin. Quick and easy. If you can get some more cash get a Technics 1200 and you'll be far ahead of the game--that's what I have (on steroids, though!).
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Bomarc, I've had two Audiogoners with very expensive digital rigs come listen to my 1200 on steroids: Deano and Lak. I wouldn't have invited them over if the *creature* wasn't really good sounding!

My music collection is 70% vinyl, BTW.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Bomarc, I've answered your question via private e-mail.

Technics has a mass manufacure advantage and experience that is hard to beat by other companies. Their entry level belt drive with FG servo speed control has a good arm, good bearings, good suspension. My Ortofon X-5 MC can be purchased in P-mount (also the cheaper X-1 & X3 MC's--same body, different stylus shape). So go figure...anyone with a halfway decent integrated amp or receiver (NAD, Yamaha, Proton, Marantz, HK, Creek, Cambridge), a dedicated line and a cryo outlet can have decent music on the cheap.

Speed and rotational stability is sooo important to extract music it cannot be overemphasized. A frequency generator servo drive is a big step ahead of a little motor which just relies on external AC for speed control...
More to discover