need info about vinyl record players??? anybody???

[bekim99]

hi there im curious about vinyl turntables which are the good ones and whats better direct drive, belt driven etc... need some advice. since im a younger cat i know nothing about them. thank you everybody!!!!!

[oldtimer]

It all depends on your budget and preferences. There are decent enough choices in both belt and direct drive, plus options from fully automatic to fully manual. In other words a big can of worms.

[bekim99]

well i suppose id want fully auto? and id be willing to spend a few hundred or so

[pauln]

There is plenty of information all about this stuff in this forum and
elsewhere around the web, but it is hard to understand without a little
experience using a turntable. Once you have one, more things make
sense, but the learning curve and the frustrations of getting it right
at the beginning can be a pain.

Like many other things, sometimes it helps to get a "safe mode" version first until you gain some experience and discover your preferences.

You might try a two step process.

Step 1] "Safe Mode", "Learner's Permit", "Training Wheels" kind of Starter Kit:

Get something that is inexpensive, fool proof, needs no adjustments, and will not hurt your records while building your collection.

Since a lot of the "lost knowledge" about turntables has to do with the mounting of the cartridge (about 6 simultaneous different orientations of geometrical aligment and vertical/lateral force adjustments), you might want to start with an old Bang & Olufsen table (these are fully auto) where all the aligments are built into the cartridge and arm already, nothing to set up except the tracking force, which is low and will save your records. These can be found used in the $50-100 range, and would be good enough to get started without the frustrations of getting them set up nor fear of damaging your records. Then start learning about the mechanics and geometry of how tables, arms, and cartridges inter-relate.

Step 2] Upgrade Wisely after Learning:

Later, after learning all about how regular tables, arms, and cartridges need to be set up, you may make a much better informed decision, especially if you are looking for a high performance/value used system.

[artto]

I would avoid direct drive turntables, especially the less expensive ones. They all have “weighted” performance specifications to hide the fact that they inherently produce prodigious amounts of rumble compared to even mediocre belt drive tables. They also tend to not be isolated from external vibrations as well unless they have a separate plenum & base ($$$).

Do you want or need a fully auto turntable? The automatic turntables are typically among the cheaper lower performance units. You can get a better turntable for the same money in a manual version.

If you’re just starting just get a good transcription turntable with an integrated tonearm. These often already come with a decent pickup already installed.

After that, its like Oldtimer and Pauln said. It can be a bag of worms. And there’s a lot of setup on a true transcription turntable. To make matters worse, the optimum setup can vary from record to record. If you’re a tweak fanatic then this is definitely your cup of tea!

Try looking for something like this:

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/81210

[bekim99]

this is what i ended up buying DENON DP-29F ANALOG TURNTABLE DP29F CART&NEEDLE INC.

just a cheapie but i can always go up from here. hopefully its a good starter unit??

[kev313]

Wow - that is a great price on the pro-ject table. I would definitely be looking in that direction if I was a newbie (assuming I was lucky enough to have someone steer me right). As it was, I started off on a used P3...to a P25...to a Garrard 301...to a Thorens 124...also bought a Yamaha PX-2 for kicks (not a half bad DD!)...now the 3rd table in the house is an EMT 930. Good fun! Enjoy the trip!!