Brand new to vinyl: Help!

Thanks @effischer !

I have no idea on how to align it. Are you talking about leveling it?

Agreed on a good cable / Interconnects. It is a future proof purchase since I would be using the same cable when I upgrade the entire turntable setup.

Stylus beyond Ortofon Blue maybe too soon to decide on a good one.

‘For future upgrade I am thinking Clearaudio Concept or VPI Prime Scout

+1 Raymundo. Don't try to upgrade turntable -- you'll spend a lot and not get much return. Try the turntable with a better cartridge (again Dynavector for affordable great sound).

If you really like it, then look at a new turntable in a few months. Caveat: that way madness lies; audiophilia nervosa may lead you to keep upgrading... not so good unless you're really rich.

Meanwhile, enjoy what you have!

Agree with the "don't spend money" logic.

I resurrected my 28yr old TT before I dove into vinyl. Bought a Nagaoka MP-110 and installed it. (Had to, because the old Shure was dead). Did the adjustments to the TT/arm/cartridge. Bought a good pressing of Kind of Blue and did some comparative listening. I liked what I heard and have not looked back. Now, the Red is by no means a crappy cartridge. I installed one on my friends Rega P2 and after the break in period, it sounds just fine. I chose it because he has a lot of old vinyl and I thought it would be forgiving on surface noise and other annoyances. 

It is a bit of an expense as you will be hunting for good pressings of your favorites, and they more often than not are kinda pricy.

You are going to find that you're going to want a proper record cleaning machine to be able to get the most out of your records. After having listened to "clean" digital files, you may or may not be comfortable w the snap crackle and oppose of vinyl...

Get what you have set up properly, or confirm that it is set up right. Get a good pressing of one of your fav's and let the cart break in.

If you like what you hear with that, it will only get better w better TT/arm/cart.

Good luck!

P

I agree with perkri.  What you will learn about setup will be necessary for your next turntable, if you decide to go that way.  I really enjoyed listening to what each parameter does(VTA, anti-skate, cartridge alignment, VTF,etc.)

I am thinking I should be able to save about $2,000 to $4,000 for a good turntable in about six months.

@thyname If that is the case, I recommend the Technics SL-1200G. It looks identical to the old SL1200s you see on Craigslist, but its an entirely from the ground up new design. It is one of the best turntables made and the arm is not bad. If you go that route, its platter pad is a weak point: I replace them on sight. I would look into an inexpensive low output moving coil cartridge for it and talk to us (if you can't find anyone else) about building a cable that will allow you to run it balanced into your phono section (which is not expensive).