2. analog
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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 2 responses by tagyerit

tagyerit
73 posts
 
i recently got my kid a music hall 2.1 and put a grado gold
cart on it, and it sounds very musical. it did not until i removed the cart it came with and put on the grado. she is using a decent phono stage though (good ole fisher 500c w/ original tele's on it).
spent $175 delivered for the 2.1 (barely used from a reputable dealer ). I think the grado was $150, but I have also used grado's $80 cart (blue?) wtih nice results on some older tt's.
tagyerit
73 posts
 
if you do get a tt i would urge you to accept Breeno's offer of newbee help vis a vis his extra grado black cart. way to go Breeno, i know many of us help people get up and running, and it's nice to see it reflected here on audiogon.
Suretyguy: i dunno what else you used on a 2.1 (for comparison) but the free goldring they include does the tt no justice at all. i had read postings by a number of mmf 2.1 owners saying as much, but i figured they were just being fussy. then i got one. all their criticism was accurate. the goldring may be better than nothing, but a grado black will sound much less thin and strident in the upper mids and highs, much more musical overall. and an $80 grado blue will reveal worlds more sweet sound.
also, where can you get a new 2.1 for $225?
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