Turntable noobie...what advice do you have?


As this forum has corrupted me and I have decided to dive down the rabbit hole of LP's.  Usually I stream but I find the tactile experience of records appealing.  I have ordered a Pro-ject RPM-3 Carbon with Sumiko Amethyst cartridge and a Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono preamp. Oh, and a record brush.  I will be plugging them into my Voyager GAN amp and from there powering my LSA 20 Statement speakers.

I know there is always better equipment to get but I feel this gives a good starting point.  I picked up some new records but a half dozen does not a record collection make.  So I do plan on making my focus for the near future getting more and expanding my collection.  I listen to all kind of music so they will be many different genres.  I will be getting new ones but I will undoubtedly get some used ones too.  

Okay, so what all would you recommend for someone just getting into this hobby?  Especially if I am getting any used records, I should probably look at a record cleaner.  What else for equipment or doodads?  What about tricks or tips for increasing my collection?  In my city there is a record store called Music Millennium that I will be checking out and there of course if Barnes and Noble (where I purchased my other ones).  Do you know of places online  I should check out?  Thanks in advance for your advice. 

 

ddonicht

Showing 1 response by sokogear

+1 @mijostyn For experimentation I took a few of my older audiophile records to my dealer who recommended a record cleaning machine and we tested them on a system about at the level of mine to see if cleaning actually made them sound better. I handle records very carefully, keep them in rice paper sleeves and the jackets in polyvinyl sleeves, keep them vertical, etc. So they are clean. I use a micro fiber anti static brush - Audioquest just improved theirs a bit - its $30 and I swipe before each playing.

I could not hear any difference between the pre and post cleaned records, nor could the dealer. That is what is important after all. The sales pitch stopped. I rarely buy used records - only when there is something I really want that is not available. If you are buying used records and the place doesn't clean them on a good machine, I guess you should get one. Most really good records become available at some point, you just have to be on the look out since they can sell out pretty quickly. Rumors just became available on a 45 and it sounds great. Blew away my Nautilius Recording of it. With use record prices rising so quickly, many times new ones are well worth it. Especially Blue Notes for $25.

Acoustic Sounds, Music Direct and Elusive disc are all very good sellers (AS & MD are also manufacturers), although AS is selling so much it takes them up to a week (or more if a blockbuster just came out) to ship stuff out these days. Amazon recently improved their packaging, just be careful that you are getting the pressing you want.