Paraneer, Thanks for the advice. I had a feeling the turntable was a bit low end. I'm a bit of mechanic and a tinkerer so not afraid to get something vintage and adjust it. That's half the fun of it all. My budget for a TT would probably be 250-300 tops. I feel I scored pretty good by having the Marantz 1060 Amp and BIC Venturi Formula 4 speakers gifted to me by a friend. Suggestions on a TT/cartrige/needle in that price range would be great. I really like the manual turntables. If the sound quality is greatly increased by spending 500-600 on a TT, I'd consider it but really looking to keep the costs low.
New to forum and Vinyl
Good Morning,
I have just recently been turned back on to vinyl. We rented a home for a long weekend via AIRBNB and the host was gracious enough to allow acces to his lp collection. I hadn't heard vinyl in many years and was taken by the feel and sound but also the interaction with the media itself. Had plenty back in the 70's but fell away as 8 track, cassette, cd, and digital made music more accessible and portable.
So, I had a Marantz 1060 amp and a pair of really nice BIC Venturi Formula 4 speakers in my barn, hooked it up to a professionally serviced and adjusted Technics SL-BD10 with a shure cartridge/needle I picked up for 100 bucks. I went to the local swap-meet and picked up 50 albums, Stones, Beatles, Led Zep, Bowie, Who, stuff like that for 1-2-3 bucks each. So far I'm into it for about 250 and it sounds really good.
Where would you start to upgrade. Turntable, speakers, add-ons? I really like what I hear so far but I'm so new to this I am sure I may be missing something.
Thanks, Scott
I have just recently been turned back on to vinyl. We rented a home for a long weekend via AIRBNB and the host was gracious enough to allow acces to his lp collection. I hadn't heard vinyl in many years and was taken by the feel and sound but also the interaction with the media itself. Had plenty back in the 70's but fell away as 8 track, cassette, cd, and digital made music more accessible and portable.
So, I had a Marantz 1060 amp and a pair of really nice BIC Venturi Formula 4 speakers in my barn, hooked it up to a professionally serviced and adjusted Technics SL-BD10 with a shure cartridge/needle I picked up for 100 bucks. I went to the local swap-meet and picked up 50 albums, Stones, Beatles, Led Zep, Bowie, Who, stuff like that for 1-2-3 bucks each. So far I'm into it for about 250 and it sounds really good.
Where would you start to upgrade. Turntable, speakers, add-ons? I really like what I hear so far but I'm so new to this I am sure I may be missing something.
Thanks, Scott
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- 31 posts total
Hi Scott, Congratulations on your newly re-kindled relationship with vinyl music reproduction. What a treat the be gifted a nice little vintage system. Are the Marantz and BIC's in good condition? Working properly? If so, you can probably focus on the TT for now. If you really want to stick to a $250-$300 budget, do a search here and on eBay and see what is available for that budget. You will find a few new TTs from Pro-Ject, U-Turn, Audio-Technica, Pioneer and maybe a Rega. They are all pretty good, but all will make different sacrifices to meet the price point. Maybe go take a look at what is available and get back to us with any questions about specific models. Reviews for most popular turntables can be found at AnalogPlanet.com. Enjoy the journey....... |
One other smart choice if you find a deal in your price range is the Technics SL1200mkII or later, the best selling tt ever. Known for robust motors, stable speed and solid build, they evolved into the most popular DJ tables although they weren't designed for that. There is a whole subculture of 1200 modders/restorers. theartofsound forum has a section called Techiepedia full of experienced tweakers that can help you kick it up a few notches over time at modest cost. With mods of ~$1k they can compete with many tables up to $5k cost. Since they are so plentiful, you never know when one will pop up at a garage sale, craigslist etc. for a couple hundred or so. Cheers, Spencer |
@slbradley Here is a new turntable and cartridge within your budget of $300. http://www.needledoctor.com/Audio-Technica-LP120-USB-Turntable?sc=2&category=358 |
If you are interested in the AT-LP120-USB that yogiboy mentioned, look on-line for pricing and also check your local Craigslist, etc. There was one for sale last week in my city for $95. It's a very popular unit. Check out the review on AnalogPlanet. Also, if you are handy, it is reported to sound much better if you gut it of it's built in USB/phono stage. http://www.analogplanet.com/content/audio-technica-lp120-usb-turntable-shames-plastic-competition#lc... |
- 31 posts total