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Advice on restarting vinyl playback after 30 years

I started spinning vinyl in 1960 on my dads rig. In 1965 he bought me a really cool Sony Bi-directional reel to reel then I was forever hooked in the performance audio world - a sad expensive day ;)

My first and only record player was and is still, a Technics SL-1700 purchased in 1977 (think I got that right?). I've tried to employ that back into my system but quite honestly, it sounds like crap so back in the garage it sits along with some old Thorens.

I still have my vinyl collection and dads too who is still around at 93. We both wish to spin these albums again. How cool would that be? And I still Long for those shiny black vinyl disc's when I see them in a store.

I have cutting edge playback in my system now. Hi rez music in FLAC, my CD collection burned in EAC, server fed to a PS Audio Perfectwave DAC through Bridge, the matching DC transport, Humongous Pass Labs amp and some MBL's to play through. Sounds great!

There's 2 shelves on my rack that are empty. The top center and one to the right ;)

Trying to be realistic about this and being so discerning about my playback, I figured that I would need 6 components to play my current and future vinyl collection.

Turntable
Arm
Cartridge,
Additional damping platform
Phono preamp
Something to clean vinyl thats between 30 and 70 years old.

First question.
I sold my preamp. My music flows from DAC to amp. Would I simply replace my cables in back of amp from phono preamp? I know that's a dumb question for most but I always had a pre something until lately.

I'm hopeful to budget 3K to 5K and used is fine.

I've scouted the VPI scout and scoutmaster with it's accompanying arm, seems like a good place to start. I'm sure there are many opinions here on where to start.

We've (as a family) have spent countless hours tuning our 2 channel system, cables, room, speaker placement, AC, the list goes on. So we're not shy on the work ahead. We just want something that we can appreciate and use from time to time that's comparable to our pure digital rig. It would be an interesting contrast no?

Just read about a supposedly great phono stage in one of my audio magazines, but it's 2.2K Ouch. What matches with what so on... Here's where forum folks can really help me out.

Oh, and I don't mind getting up, and going through the rituals. I'm not dead yet. I do appreciate the medium, and the headache, I grew up on it.

Just canceled my cable TV. Now maybe I can afford vinyl!
128x128desalvo55
desalvo55's avatar
desalvo55 OP
257 posts
 
Wilson667, I saw that. Wonder how good that is?

I'm not worried about having the older vinyl matching with newer technology or even looking at old school tables. I have 2 in the garage. I tried to spin vinyl on them but it was so far from being good compared to my digi setup, I wouldn't use it.

When I'm at CES, I note how great may of the rooms sound while spinning vinyl. Of course most of the turntables there cost as much or more than my house in Las Vegas (which unfortunately isn't very much anymore).

Somewhere in between is where I'm hopeful to start. I don't want to get something just to wish I'd I got something more suitable to my level of system so I'm willing to shell out a few extra bucks to make it enjoyable, listenable, fun to own, and let me just say as best I can, a vinyl system that is on equal footing with my digital system. Poor explanation... It would be interesting for us to actually compare differences in sound on an intellectual level as well as to enjoy the vinyl medium and the nuances it brings over the pure digital realm. So I'm wide open in so far as equipment is concerned. I think in my case, the phono stage would be the MOST important purchase. Why? Because I don't have a preamp in my system. I'm not convinced I need one. To do both would be a huge sacrifice in money and I'm not sure that's best spent in my case. Some may pose a valid argument that it is and I'm all ears. Even though I've been doing this for 45 years I don't pretend to know anything. In this hobby, in my experience, as soon as I thought I knew something, it turned out to be wrong.

T-bone, Really appreciate all the information you've shared. I really would like to keep the turntable on the rack for aesthetic reasons. But footfalls, as I recall, will make that arm jump like my 8 month old ;)

Let's see, in my garage is a Technics SL1800, a Gerard Zero 100 and a Bang & Olefson Beogram 2400.

What do I do with those?

Keeping up in the audio world as I do, I just read about a Townsend Rock 7 turntable that looked really interesting. Any comments?
wilson667's avatar
wilson667
93 posts
 
I haven't had one all that long but I like it very much it was a huge step up from my Cambridge Audio 640p which was also very nice for the money about $180 new. I do very much like the idea of going directly from the phono pre to the amp if you can. Less things to influence the signal and if not for my HT set up it would defiantly be the route I would go.I have had the chance to use it with a couple of older Technics belt drives with AT cartridges and it made them sound a lot better than I would have expected. So that being said I defiantly agree with T_bone about spending a little more on a phono stage. Also if any of those tables are working I say give em a spin and let your ears decide if you should keep them.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Desalvo,
The phono pre is very important. I have no experience with phono stages with volume control which aren't megabucks, which is why I suggested an older pre with a phono stage. Others could help you better than I on that point. As much as I think phono stages should have their own attenuators (and balance controls), that's basically not the way it is done, so I have been stuck with phono stages into the pre as well.

I have no experience with the three tables you have in your garage, but knowing some of the slightly higher-range but still lower-end Technics tables, I would say the SL1800 is no great shakes. If you are not going to use those three tables, I'd sell them (they're not worth much to anyone sitting in your garage) and that would help finance the purchase of the new analog set.

As to the potential footfall problem, you might consider a table with a built-in suspension.
desalvo55's avatar
desalvo55 OP
257 posts
 
When I look at the various VPI tables for sale, it's rather confsuing for a newbie like me. VPI classics sell between 1600 and 6000 dollars. I'm guessing the "classic" model is in very different forms. How does one know what is what?

I've read some reviews on the Townshend Rock 7, which looks intriguing to me. But again, very little information and pricing is all over the map.

I think I'll start with a record cleaning machine like the VPI 16.5. Gives me time to ponder while I clean all that scum from my LP's.

Here's a really stupid question. Go easy on me now.

Do albums wear out? I know that can be scratched of course but it seems that often, in the past, I would comment to myself, "my Journey album is worn out". I remember too at one point, I added some weight to the tonearm cause it sounded better. Yikes. and, I never cleaned my albums - ever.
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
I had the VPI Scoutmaster and Dyna 20X cart, it really revealed the magic right off, but it took that rather painful purchase of the Dyna XX2 to get the last 1/3 of records sounding moderately fleshed-out.
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