mcp Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 I have been listening mostly to CDs for the past 16 years. Yesterday, just for the hell of it, I decided to hook up my father-in-law's old Dual 1229 turntable (pretty rough shape) to my H/K 730. I don't know if the phono stage in the H/K is any good or not, but I was stunned by the results. I pulled out some old vinyl that I haven't listened to in almost 20 years and compared them to my CD versions. Even with scratches and pops, there was an ease of listening that was addictive. My old copy of ELP's Works Vol II made my Rhino CD remaster sound shrill and cold. The vocals on Chris deBurgh's Spanish Train were palpable on the vinyl; the CD sounded distant by comparison. I'm wondering if a return to vinyl is in order. I sold most of my collection long ago, but they were in rough shape anyway. However, my father-in-law's extensive collection of 50's,60's, 70's jazz is mine if I want it. Also, my brother-in-law would give me his collection of about 1500 rock albums from the 70's and 80's...not a bad start! Any good used turntables out there for less than $500 I should be looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Welcome back from the dark (shrill?) side, brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 4 or 5 years ago I was where you are now, but with 7 records to my name. Now I have a thousand, give or take, with at least that number re-sold. And lets not talk about the hardware. You can do a fair bit with that dual I would imagine. New cart would probably be a good place to start and go from there at your own pace. Just for reference my step into the budget you mentioned (or thereabouts) was a Project RPM 4 - brand new. There are many alternatives out there - even new at this price. MusicHall, Project and Rega seem to dominate the price category upto $1500 for new tables. Goldring also has a really inexpensive table - but I have seen it and the build quality was not impressive - even at that price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmjrt Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Clean is very important for records. If they haven't been played in a while, then they need to be given a thorough cleaning. Some people get specific record washers, etc to do this - others use homemade formulas and velvet brushes. You should do some searches on record cleaning. Then there's cleaning the record before you play it. This is something like a carbon fiber brush or discwasher system or the like. The quality of the sound and longevity of the record and stylus are related to how clean the record is. Sound like you could have a great time going through your F-I-L 's and B-I-L's collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 I just went though this earlier in the year...and very happy I did. All the guys here really helped me out. Check out this thread for lots of info and questions answered. http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/1/523461/ShowPost.aspx#523461 I sent you a PM too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 mcp, Sorry, can't help you with the turntable selection, but I will be joining you and the rest of vinyl nut cases within a year. This time next year, I expect to have everything set with the audio gear. Just need a CD player (coming within a month), Turntable, and VRD's. After that, I'm done except for minor tweaking, and LP restocking. Still kicking myself in the butt for giving away all my vinyl. Good luck..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 MMF-5 or MMF-7 Music Hall is a solid mass market table. Family donation of used LPs make it a must for you to pursue. Many options to review for TT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 I have been listening mostly to CDs for the past 16 years. Yesterday, just for the hell of it, I decided to hook up my father-in-law's old Dual 1229 turntable (pretty rough shape) to my H/K 730. I don't know if the phono stage in the H/K is any good or not, but I was stunned by the results. I pulled out some old vinyl that I haven't listened to in almost 20 years and compared them to my CD versions. Even with scratches and pops, there was an ease of listening that was addictive. My old copy of ELP's Works Vol II made my Rhino CD remaster sound shrill and cold. The vocals on Chris deBurgh's Spanish Train were palpable on the vinyl; the CD sounded distant by comparison. I'm wondering if a return to vinyl is in order. I sold most of my collection long ago, but they were in rough shape anyway. However, my father-in-law's extensive collection of 50's,60's, 70's jazz is mine if I want it. Also, my brother-in-law would give me his collection of about 1500 rock albums from the 70's and 80's...not a bad start! Any good used turntables out there for less than $500 I should be looking for? You lucky dog... 1500 rock albums. It's getting very hard to find anything other than John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown these days at the Garage Sales. I like those old Dual 1229s. Crafty German engineering. Heck there's all kinds of great turntables, new and used for $500. I'd suggest a new ProJect to get your feet wet. Simple to set up and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwhaples Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 MCP, Wow! That's alot of vinyl. Can't imagine not getting back into it with that stash waiting to be had. Enjoy! Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Enjoy! The MMF-5 is very popular new for $500. The newer rock CD releases/remasters sound a lot better to me than many originals...especially with boxes that provide interpolation and time and phase correction. The big sellers of rock are easy to find on used lp for $1 (Journey, Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, etc.). Those releases that have never sold much (i.e. The Stooges - FUN HOUSE) are harder to find. Of course high grade Pink Floyd, Led Zep and a few others still sell despite volume. I'm buying college rock and punk from pre 1985. I have about 2500 rock lps which is almost everything I want. I'm looking for 999, Stiff Little Fingers, Stooges, and lot's of indies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
methink Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 kjohnsonhp, FYI, Sundazed has re-released the Stooges albums on vinyl. The sundazed releases I have sound pretty good and cost the same as the cd versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcp Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Thanks to everyone for their opinions/suggestions. I think I'm going for it! I'm moving the sytem to a new room in the next two weeks and then I'll decide on a used TT and begin collecting all those albums from my relatives. This works well for everyone because they'll be so happy to get rid of them! I'm looking forward to hearing those '60's Brubeck/Mulligan/Baker albums... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 .................You can do a fair bit with that dual I would imagine. New cart would probably be a good place to start and go from there at your own pace................ That's good advice. Those old Dual TTs are very good, especially if you can mate it with a Shure V15 Type III cart (these are getting more expensive and harder to find). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcp Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Unfortunately, the Dual 1229 isn't keeping accurate speed and the pitch control isn't working. The platter also seems to be making a "rubbing" noise once every revolution. I just think it would be too expensive to fix at this point. Thinking along the lines of a new Rega P2 or used P3... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 For the rubbing noise, you might remove the platter to see if there is a paper strobe pattern disc underneath that has come unglued or loose. That's the easiest to fix possible cause of the once per revolution noise. If that's the cause (and the speed isn't too far off), a little glue could buy you some time to get a good deal on a Rega. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcp Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Sputnik: Thanks...guess what? I removed the platter and the strobe pattern was hanging. A little glue and that problem is history. Now, if I could figure out how the pitch control problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcp Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 I guess I have alot to learn about TTs. With the strobe pattern glue back in place, the speed is almost perfect and the pitch control is working for very fine adjustment. The cartridge is an AKG P-15. There is also an extra Shure M 75 here. Don't know much about these...age, stylus cond.--I'm sure they're old. Also, where do I start w/ tracking force and anti-skating adjustments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Others that know more then me will chime in about the set up. I would just caution you that if you don't know the condition of the stylus you might want to consider buying a new one so you don't damage the LPs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 amazing isn't it? I keep trying to explain to people how far we have not come. You'll get no arguement from me! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Rega P2 http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AREPLANAR2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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