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Thanks man, the system is the result of 8 years of obsession. I'm really happy with all of it. I've seen a crapload of gear come in and out of this house, and probably spent too much time researching gear, time better spent enjoying music, but it all worked out in the end.
Yea, my problem is that I have just basic equipment that isn't really designed for great home listening. I have an okay turntable but it's one of those "USB to PC" ones that has limited functions and my speaker system is strong but not set up in a way to really enjoy the vinyl. I just have to find a way to stop buying other stuff and set aside money for a decent setup soon.
Same issue itm. I have upgraded my vinyl storage, cleaning kit, and bought about 100 records since I decided to stop buying money on vinyls themselves and save up for a turntable and speak system. I can easily justify 80-150 dollar trips to the record store but can't pull the trigger on buying a Rega.
I totally understand, and honestly the two of you have your hearts in the right place. Its ALWAYS about the music. But quality gear can truly get you closer to the music.
Here are some random thoughts on analog that someone looking to make the jump into hi-fi might find useful, starting with some recommendations for budget turntables:
1. Technics SL-1200MK2 - That's the turntable I have pictured above. Unfortunately Panasonic ceased production of the Technics a few years ago, but there are still a ton of them available in the used market, for as low as $400. The 1200 was originally marketed as a DJ turntable, and is in fact the most infamous DJ turntable of all time. As such, a lot of audiophiles look down upon the 1200, due to its rubber and metal construction, detachable headshell tonearm, and most importantly, its direct drive instead of belt drive.
Now there is a whole 'nother section of audiophiles that proclaim the 1200 is an awesome table for hi fi purposes. Obviously, I own one, so I agree. Here is what makes the Technics superior to other budget turntables in the same price bracket, like the Regas or Pro-Jects:
-The direct drive motor, while theoretically/possibly adding noise to the sound, will always be 100% spot on at the perfect speed
-You can choose 33.3 and 45rpm at the push of a button
-The platter spins up in seconds, as opposed to 15-30 seconds with a belt drive
-The Technics is built to handle abuse in clubs, as such, sitting quietly at home this thing will run for decades, with just putting a little oil on the spindle every year or so
-The detachable headshell, while theoretically degrading the sound, makes aligning cartridges so much easier.
-And of course, with the right cartridge, it sounds great. Does it sound different then a belt drive? Absolutely, but IMO not better or worse, just different.
The key in buying a 1200 new is to make sure it was taken care of. In other words, you don't want one that was used as a DJ table. They are tough, but nothing is invincible.
In no way am I disparaging the Regas or Pro-Jects of the world, they make quality tables that I regularly recommend. In fact I own a Rega P3/24 that I run in my speaker rig, and its a fantastic table. I consider it to be in the same league as the 1200.
One of the best thing about Rega tables is, if you run them with a rega cartridge, you don't have to align the cartridge, because of the 3 point mounting system. Just mount the cartridge, set the VTF and anti-skate, and you are good to go.
As such, my second recommendation is always:
2. Rega RP1
I don't think the RP1 comes with a Rega cart, but with an Ortofon cart, which again is fine, since it comes premounted you don't have to mess with cartridge alignment. And you can always buy a Rega cart later if you want to upgrade or try something different.
If you don't already have a phono stage, whatever budget phono Cambridge Audio has now (the 640P I think?) gets rave reviews. Mate it with whatever budget moving magnet cartridge you got (if you don't have one, the AT440MLa is outstanding, but I think its more expensive then it used to be. or just grab whatever budget Ortofon you can afford) and everything will work out.
3. Vintage turntable
This route has the potential to give you the best value for the money, the problem is making sure you buy a quality deck that runs well. I know almost zero about vintage turntables, so I won't offer anymore advice.
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Now, as far as the output goes, if for whatever reason you are struggling with speakers, whether it be because of space requirements or room interaction, I highly suggest considering the wild and bewildering world of headphones. Its how I got into audio, and is still how I listen at least half the time. The reason is you can achieve much higher resolution for much less cash with headphones, and this is one of the rare things almost all audiophiles agree on.
The problem with speakers is the room. Sure, in a properly treated room built specifically for two channel audio speakers will sound amazing, but in the real world things can get tough. We have furniture, we have windows, we have oddly shaped rooms, all things that can drastically affect the way a speaker sounds. Again, don't get me wrong, I have speakers and love them, but my headphone rig will always be more revealing. And with headphones, you don't have to deal with the room.
What headphones lack is the visceral impact of bass, and true room filling imaging. Its a trade-off.
The best resource for headphone information on the interwebs is www.innerfidelity.com. Tyll runs that place, and he is the realest motherfucker in audio. Check out his headphone hall of fame, if its on there, its a good headphone.
The most knowledgeable group of headphone nerds I've found reside in the dark underbelly of the headphone world: www.head-case.org. Its an amazing place, and I can say without reservation its the kindest, most generous group of people I've ever encountered in an online forum. But we are horribly cruel to new members. So if you have the interest and are brave enough to sign up, try not to start a thread asking which Beats headphone is the best or whatever. It'd be like coming here and starting a thread about Daft Punk headlining Roo. You can always say postjack sent you, but the hazing is usually inevitable.
OK, I hope that made some sense and was maybe kind of helpful. I'll just close with saying the world of analog and audio is awash with more bullshit then anything. So much snake oil, so much crap people buy into. It pays to take the time to do the research, or even better, hit up a meet and listen to gear yourself. It also helps to know who to trust. There are a lot of popular audio forums out there with lots of great knowledge, but it can be really difficult to find the signal in the noise.
My friend bought a spin clean. I asked him about it, here is what he said:
"IMO, it's great for a first step...for super scuzzy finds or someone who is trying their hand at the used vinyl racket.
HOWEVER, nothing, and I did the research, will replace a Nitty Gritty, VPI, or Okki Nokki."
He uses a VPI vacuum cleaning machine now.
Oh yea, I would love to have a VPI but I think I'll pay off my student loans first. I've heard nothing but great things about them though.
I have an OEM nitty gritty vacuum cleaner that is fine. Haven't used it in a while, most of the vinyl I've bought in the past few years has been new, but I'm slowly getting back into used vinyl where cleaning is more important.
Some people clean new vinyl (like my friend quoted above) but I don't think its necessary.
Oh yea, I would love to have a VPI but I think I'll pay off my student loans first. I've heard nothing but great things about them though.
I have an OEM nitty gritty vacuum cleaner that is fine. Haven't used it in a while, most of the vinyl I've bought in the past few years has been new, but I'm slowly getting back into used vinyl where cleaning is more important.
Some people clean new vinyl (like my friend quoted above) but I don't think its necessary.
Yea my parents have a ton of stuff that I would like to listen to but I want to give it a good scrubbing first. I know the nice stuff is always worth saving up for but I'm getting antsy haha.
Post by umphlovecincy on Jul 8, 2014 17:20:38 GMT -5
I'm in the same boat as ITM with the "USB to PC" setup, but have been wanting to upgrade for a while now. Thanks, postjack for the post above. Very informative. Hopefully within the next few months. Also, I will definitely be signing up for that third man vault subscription! Sucks that it has taken me this long to hear about it!
Just had these sitting side by side and thought it was a really appropriate pairing. Swans I got a few months ago, the Mofi Ryan Adams "Love Is Hell" box is a new purchase:
My sister n law and her husband had to go to some conference in ATL last week and told me they were going to IKEA and could pick me up something since they have an SUV. They brought me back two 2x4 Kallax shelving units. PLENTY OF STORAGE NOW!
Post by Phyre Fest on Jul 12, 2014 22:42:50 GMT -5
I see a lot of people talking about storage units. I just picked this up on Amazon. Ended up doing each piece separately and got it down to about $125.
Each cube is 15x15 and they have all different kinds that you can mix and match, but I think it'll be great for storage and I plan on placing my player on top of it and putting it right next to my entertainment center.
Just picked up this vintage bad boy. So excited. Time to start building a vinyl collection.
It's a United Audio Dual 1229.
hell yeah, looks great. is that an ortofon 2m red? i bed it sounds awesome. how did you get the cartridge aligned?
i just had to align a new cartridge for the first time in years. i thought it would drive be crazy but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. i guess i'm less ocd then I used to be.
Yea I'm pretty stoked. It was passed down to me by a family friend who purchased it brand new himself 40 years ago so everything on it is original, other than the typical servicing requirements.
It will definitely get passed down to my children one day.
Post by crazykittensmile on Jul 15, 2014 19:18:14 GMT -5
Got my pre-ordered Beyoncé ST record in the mail today, squealed extra hard when I noticed it not only came with a digital download but also a DVD containing all the videos. Eeeeeeeeee!
So glad I waited on purchasing this album, I was really torn on which option I wanted (mainly because I never use iTunes), and this turned out to have everything for only $40 <3
Got my pre-ordered Beyoncé ST record in the mail today, squealed extra hard when I noticed it not only came with a digital download but also a DVD containing all the videos. Eeeeeeeeee!
So glad I waited on purchasing this album, I was really torn on which option I wanted (mainly because I never use iTunes), and this turned out to have everything for only $40 <3
Got my pre-ordered Beyoncé ST record in the mail today, squealed extra hard when I noticed it not only came with a digital download but also a DVD containing all the videos. Eeeeeeeeee!
So glad I waited on purchasing this album, I was really torn on which option I wanted (mainly because I never use iTunes), and this turned out to have everything for only $40 <3
Is it a 2LP?
It is - I am not entirely sure if it's an official album from Beyonce. It's odd because there has been no press about it and it's not listed on her website... I also don't think it's available anywhere but Amazon (but might be wrong on that). It is outstanding quality, though.
Also I generally abhor buying records anywhere but my local shop, but for some reason lately Urban Outfitters has been having completely random sales where they place a ton of vinyl on clearance. About a month back I happened to blunder into one such sale and grabbed Volcano Choir (on white vinyl), Daphni, Jagwar Ma and Blur for the grand total of like 42 bucks. So just keep an eye out.
It is - I am not entirely sure if it's an official album from Beyonce. It's odd because there has been no press about it and it's not listed on her website... I also don't think it's available anywhere but Amazon (but might be wrong on that). It is outstanding quality, though.
It's official - they're selling it at the merch tables for the On The Run tour.
It is - I am not entirely sure if it's an official album from Beyonce. It's odd because there has been no press about it and it's not listed on her website... I also don't think it's available anywhere but Amazon (but might be wrong on that). It is outstanding quality, though.
It's official - they're selling it at the merch tables for the On The Run tour.
Thanks! I was wondering why it was not being advertised much.
Now if Third Man Records will hurry and release Magna Carta....
Yeezus and Drake's new albums need a LP release, too.
I spend too much money on records in stores on artists I don't really care about. In the last month I bought Culture Club, Ike/Tina Turner, MC Hammer, and other albums that I doubt I will ever listen to more than once. I decided I would build a wantlist on Discogs and only buy new music or albums off that list. The list is now at 237 items and I only have 227 in my collection. I have a long way to go. Saturday will be 6 months since I bought my first album. Looks like I have at least another year to go until I'm satisfied with my accumulation of music. Other than the cost of buying the album, this has me more excited than anything else I'm doing with my free time.
I had a big problem with this when I first starting collecting. I'd toss a couple goof records in every time I went shopping because "hey, it's only $2" and then never listen to them, or just completely forget about them. The good news is when you get tired of them taking up space, there's some other idiot out there who will buy them off you/me on Craigslist. Just box em up as 20 for $30, throw in a respectable record or two that you don't like to sweeten the pot (I had a bunch of Bob Dylan that I don't care about) and you can flip them no problem.
My friends has the bootleg Channel Orange on purple vinyl. It sounds like dogshit
Yeah, there's a bootleg Nostalgia Ultra out there that's the same. Although I've considered getting that one because it'll never get an official release anyway, and it'd be fun to have.