Record Players

[Edmund]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle4276829.ece

From last year.

Vinyl record sales up, popular with a new generation

Tower records report 36% increase in LP sales, with popular artists including Dylan, the Beatles and Jeff Buckley

IT really is the 1980s all over again. Even though album sales are continuing to decline, vinyl is making a comeback. Irish sales of records increased by 20% in the first half of 2008 compared with the same period last year, while 11% fewer compact discs were shifted.

Retailers say there is increased demand for vinyl versions of both old classics and new releases by mainstream and alternative artists. In an age when it is possible to store an entire music collection on a sleek portable device the size of a credit card, renewed interest in cumbersome long players (LPs) seems an anomaly.

Music enthusiasts claim the surge of interest can be attributed to the “warmer” sound of LPs and their often lavish packaging. These qualities are attracting a new legion of fans in what is seen as a backlash against the sterility of digital technology.

“Our vinyl sales are up 36%,” said Clive Branagan, store manager of Tower Records on Wicklow Street in Dublin. “It takes more of an effort to listen to a record — you have to sit down and play the thing properly from start to finish whereas a lot of people growing up now with mp3s listen to one track more than the album itself.”

Classic artists like The Beatles and Bob Dylan remain popular vinyl choices, but the spread of artists is widening. “One of our best selling LPs is Jeff Buckley’s Grace which Sony reissued this year,” said Branagan. “It actually outsold the CD for a couple of months. A lot of people whose parents would have bought records are now getting into the habit themselves.”

Danny Duggan is a DJ and promoter of Sleepless Nights, a club night billed as “old-fashioned Motown & Northern Soul the way it was supposed to be played — on vinyl”. He said: “It’s a richer sound, there’s more resonance to it. Digital tends to be slightly clipped at the edges with a cleaned-up sound. There’s more to hold and love than an mp3 player too.”

While most customers are in their 30s, a new generation is discovering the pleasure of vinyl. Dave Kennedy, owner of Road Records in Fade Street in Dublin, said: “We’ve got newer, much younger customers, teenagers and those in their early 20s buying mostly new bands on 7-inch singles. We will get a lot of people in who will have iPods in their pockets and they are still buying records. A few people I’ve spoken to have taken to the whole iPod culture and now realise they’ve no physical product at home because everything is in this little white box.

“We were getting people saying: ‘All I want to do is go home in the evening, listen to a record and relax but I’ve got to turn on my computer and find the files.’ Whereas you put on a record, sit down and read the paper.”

Some smaller record companies are including a coupon with vinyl releases with a unique code allowing the customer to download an mp3 version of the same album for free.

Kennedy said that even though Radiohead’s album In Rainbows was available to download from the band’s website for whatever price fans wanted to pay, a double vinyl version sold well. “We had people who came in and said they had paid five cents to download it and they handed over ¤20 for a copy on vinyl.”

Peter Collins of the Sony Centre in Dundrum Town Centre said record turntables have become more popular in the last year or two. “It’s usually kids or wives buying them for dads or husbands. We sold a fair few around Christmas.” Turntables cost between ¤100 and ¤150.

Dick Doyle, director general of the Irish Recorded Music Association (Irma), said the album market was still depressed. “We are talking about 40% of the market wiped out in the past four years. We have gone from about ¤145m in Ireland to ¤104m last year. It’s all down to illegal uploading and downloading.”

Irma is taking a case on behalf of record companies EMI, Warner, Universal, and Sony BMG in the High Court against internet service provider, Eircom over illegal downloading.

[Lillehamring]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle4276829.ece

From last year.

Dick Doyle, director general of the Irish Recorded Music Association (Irma), said the album market was still depressed. “We are talking about 40% of the market wiped out in the past four years. We have gone from about ¤145m in Ireland to ¤104m last year. It’s all down to illegal uploading and downloading.”

Irma is taking a case on behalf of record companies EMI, Warner, Universal, and Sony BMG in the High Court against internet service provider, Eircom over illegal downloading.

and nothing to do with things like Spotify, not to mention the amount of crap that is getting released - no wonder people are buying dylan, the beatles and buckley if the alternative is lady gaga and x-factory gash. i'm pretty bored of these industry people blaming everything apart from themselves for falls in sales...

good to see people buying more vinyl tho,

[Rocket-Ron]

Get yourself down to Cymbiosis and book a demo for the Linn LP12. Stunning looks, Stunning sound and a £2000 price tag.

You wont regret it (I didn't)

[hairy]

I rip my vinyl to mp3 / FLAC. I love vinyl. You get get such a full natural sound from it.

I have Project Debut III turntable from Richersounds. The Genie 2 is wank to setup.

I have a Cambridge Audio preamp that then feeds into my sound card.

I capture the sound using sony soundforge and 'clean' it using ClickRepair.

If you need sony soundforge or ClickRepair ley me know and I will sort it for you. They are both very easy to use, just setting the record level can be a pain.

Heres a guide I used

Disclaimer: Ripping & editing vinyl is hard work, and can be quite subjective. You won't necessarily be able to please everybody. (It's also not Waffle Iron approvable) Furthermore, it's not exactly the cheapest of music hobbies to get into. But I've found it to be very addictive & satisfying.

There are so many different possible settings for different types of equipment that I can't possibly outline them all. However, this guide should give you enough information to, at the very least, nudge you in the right direction. I hope.

CLEANING

This is one of the most important steps in the entire process of ripping your vinyl - this cannot be understated. (Believe it or not, even brand-new, still-sealed vinyl may have a residual layer of mold release compound on it.) The cleaner the vinyl, the less pops, clicks, crackle and noise you will encounter. But I'm sure you didn't neeed me to tell you that. What I will share with you here, then, are some good cleaning options before your vinyl even touches your turntable.

- A simple carbon fibre brush is a quick & simple (and, IMO, essential) cleaning tool. I use it to not only lightly brush off my vinyl, but also to very gently sweep away any dust bits hanging off my stylus, if needed. I recommend a quick brush before playing, every time.

(If you have nothing else, a very soft, lint-free cloth is always better than nothing)

- The Nagaoka Rolling Cleaner. It is made of a very strange, soft sticky rubber compound that literally detaches the dust from the surface of the disc. The extremely soft rubber gets down into the grooves, and doesn't harm the vinyl surface. Once the roller gets dirty it can be rinsed with cold water et voilà ! - it is ready to go again, like new. If you can find one, buy it. (got mine from eBay) It's a bargain (usual disclaimers apply here, eh). The only drawbacks: it can create static, & I've heard that it may leave behind an extremely miniscule film that could affect sound; personally, I have never noticed anything.

- A vinyl vacuum device, such as this one that I use. In cunjunction with good cleaning fluid, it's pretty hard to beat. This device has made a major improvement in the sound of many of my discs, regardless of their age. A good cleaning solution is necessary, and is readily found online (check my links at the end for where I buy from) or you can make your own.

Dry methods are best used as part of a maintenance program to keep records clean; wet methods are used on an occasional basis to deep-clean the grooves. As I see it, both methods are important, and mandatory if you want to preserve a valuable collection or want the very best performance.

EQUIPMENT

Turntable

- A great resource for TT info.

- The type of TT you want is completely up to you; the only things I will say is not to "cheap out" too much - you want one with a little "meat" to it: solidly constructed with a good tonearm. Google is your best friend here - reviews abound. Just beware the uber-audiophiles & their snake-oil ideals. Also, be especially wary of USB turntables - most of these turntables with built-in preamps have a limit of 48kHz output, so you can't rip in hi-res.

Basically, do your research before you buy.

Stylus/Cartridge

- As far as measurable specs go, better cartridges tend to have flatter response, lower distortion, and better channel separation. Whether the difference between $70 and $700 is worthwhile is a value judgement only the listener can make. Personally, I recommend getting about the most expensive one you feel good about buying. Audio-Technica, Grado, Ortofon, Shure, Goldring are all great names, but not the only ones. Again, research.

- You'll need to properly balance & align the tonearm & cartidge. This is very important in regard to proper tracking & accurate reading of the groove. There should be info included with your TT in regards to balancing the tonearm; as far as aligning the stylus/cartridge, here's a free printable protractor tool. Instructions included.

Preamps

The electrical signal from the cartridge is unamplified, is high impedance, and that impedance changes considerably with frequency. Also, the signal itself is equalized on the record. The role of the phono preamp is to properly buffer and amplify the signal to acceptable levels, and to apply RIAA equalization.

- Depending on your setup, you may need a phono preamp and/or a line-level preamp. It should be connected between your TT & soundcard. Given that preamps have existed for 50 years and using much worse components than are used today, finding a preamp that properly satisfies the objective requirements should not be expensive or hard. Sadly, preamps are such an esoteric field that you are likely to spend over $200 to find a good one. Check online stores and hifi stores, but don't hesitate to buy used. An often recommended site (and where I got mine) is at PhonoPreamps.com. Good quality at a great price. Whatever you buy, try to get one with an adjustable output.

- You may also need a line-level amplifier as well. Some sound cards need a stronger signal than what a phono preamp offers. (as in my case) Connect this between your phono preamp & soundcard. Again, Phonopreamps.com is a good place to look for one.

Soundcard

- First off, do not record through the Mic input jack, as it's generally not suitable at all. Use the Line In jack. (or USB if applicable)

- I will go ahead & say that the preferred format here would be a 24 bit / 96kHz recording. 16/48 is fine, though. But here's the thing: if you're going to go the hi-res route, you need to be absolutely positive your equipment can actually record at 96kHz! Only the better cards do this, and you still need to be wary: for example, apparently some Creative cards re-sample to 48kHz despite what the specs say. As usual, a little research about your particular card (or before purchase) goes a long way.

Setup & Software

Input

Your equipment should be set up like this:

Turntable > Phono Preamp > (Line Level Amp) > Soundcard Line In

Be sure you have the EQ, EAX, & other audio-altering effects turned off on your soundcard. Check to be sure the sample rate is set correctly as well. You'll also want to check the settings in Windows. In Vista, go to Control Panel (Classic View) > Sound > Recording tab. Right-click "Line In" (and/or any other item that's applicable) On the "Advanced" tab, set the dropdown box for Default Format to "2 channel, 24 bit, 96000 Hz (Studio Quality) Hit "Apply" then you're good to go. I'm not sure about XP, but I imagine the process is similar.

It's a good idea to do a quick recording sample, then check the resulting file in an app like Audition.

Software

There's 3 great apps that I've seen people use for this: Audacity, Adobe Audition, and Sony Sound Forge. If you want to use Audacity, check n00bleader's excellent tutorial. Personally, I use Sound Forge, mostly because I find the interface easier & more intuitive to work with; therefore I'll be using SF for this part of the tutorial. Using Audition would be very similar; use what you feel most comfortable with.

So, open up SF, and click the Record button. This will bring up the recording window:

Click on New to set the recording attributes. Pretty self-explanatory here, but here's a screenshot of the proper settings for a hi-res rip anyway:

Hit "OK". Next, set the Mode to "Create a new window for each take" - this will create a new window every time you hit Record then Stop. Now you're ready for a very important step - setting the level. This is where you'll need to do some tinkering. First, be sure the Monitor box is checked. Then you can go ahead & start playing your vinyl. What you want to do is check the loudest parts of the side, and make sure you don't get any clipping. You want the db values on the meter to stay just below 0. This usually means adjusting the input on your phono preamp. In my case I have a line level amp, so my phono preamp is maxed, and I adjust the line level preamp. Your setup may be totally different, so this is where you'll have to use your own brain - check your soundcard's software, etc. Ideally, the highest peak will be right around -1db.

Recording & Editing

Alright. You're ready to go. Hit the Record button, & drop the needle. I advise you not to play around on your computer while recording, on the off chance you load something that loads your CPU too much and causes an audio glitch, or something - this probably isn't the best time to run a virus scan... Keep an eye on the levels, though. Here's what you don't want to see:

If that happens, adjust your levels down a bit, and start over.

Check this awesome post below for more details & reasoning.

If you like, you can hit M on your keyboard at the end of each track, and it will drop a marker, which may make it easier to split tracks later.

Once the side is complete, hit Stop, close the Recording window, and observe the waveform of your album side in all it's raw glory:

First off: save the raw side! Click Save As & pick an easily identifiable name & location.

PROTIP: I always use multiple folders for this. The main one will be something like Artist - Album, inside of which I'll save Side 1, Side 2, etc., but I'll also have sub-folders for each step of my editing process, such as , edit 1, edit 2, Split, Final Polished... you get the drift. This takes up a lot of room, but you can always go back to any step if you're not satisfied with something, which can really save your butt. You can always delete all that crap once you're totally done. (but I usually keep the original raw sides)

Before you record the next side, I advise you to clean the stylus. You can very gently brush it with a carbon fibre brush, or you can use what I use - a stylus cleaner. The point is, as you play the record, it builds up static, so dust & grit etc. may well build up on the stylus. Believe it or not, even after going through my personal cleaning regime, I have sometimes noticed mild distortion in the high frequency range on ripping vinyl sides back-to-back. In every case, simply cleaning the stylus & re-ripping cured the problem. Not that it happened every time, but it does happen.

Cleaning the Audio

* I prefer to split the files near the end of the editing process so I can do de-clicking passes etc. on the entire side at once. This way, there shouldn't be any noticeable differences in the audio from track to track, which is especially important with no-gap albums.

You're going to want to edit out any clicks & crackle etc. now. The best software I've ever tried, by a long shot, is ClickRepair. It's very simple to use, and is better than any other auto de-clicker on the market, IMO. It's available here on Waffles for both Mac & Windows. (If you plan on doing a lot of ripping, I humbly suggest buying this application & supporting the developer - I did.)

marcusmv3 wrote:

ClickRepair is the way to go; it really doesn't damage the rip any more than manually declicking it, just make sure you set it right. Declick for any new album with a few pops should be set to no more than 20; decrackle set to 0. A dustier, older record, maybe 25-35 for declick. Once you start getting to 40 and above, the program has the potential to degrade some sounds. Don't use decrackle unless the record is old and grainy in parts, and even then don't set it above 10.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The manual mode can be quite useful as well. Just play around with it - it's not hard to figure out at all. One other tip - if you feel you should use decrackle, do it on its own in a seperate scan, after you've already ran a declick pass.

Again, this is something you'll have to play around with yourself. The absolute best piece of advice I can give you is to listen to at least some significant sections of the before & after of every step. Pay attention to details & nuances. This isn't something that you just rush through like a bloody sailor. Trust me - I learned that the hard way. :[ Take your sweet time, and use your ears as best you can.

Now, if you find there's too much hiss/background noise (you'll really only notice this in quiet sections, or in between tracks) you could run a de-noise pass. Be warned, though: this is a point of contention with many people. Most de-noising apps just aren't that good & take out music along with the noise, or distort the music, leave artifacts, etc. It's a risky business with arguable benefits in many cases. I've tried many apps, but none of them left me satisfied. I've seen quite a few point towards the one included with Sound Forge, and although it is indeed one of the better ones, I still don't recommend using it. There is one, however, that I do use on occasion with no apparent ill effects. WaveArts Master Restoration Suite is available in plugin form. It has many features, but the one I'm most interested in is the noise app. The declick is OK, but not nearly as good as ClickRepair IMO.

I'll toss you a few quick pointers for WaveArts MR Noise.

- I don't recommend using anything "stronger" than the Light Clean setting. This may still be too much, depending on your rip. I never set the "Amount" any higher than 9db. Furthermore, for really noisy albums, it's best to do a few very light passes, rather than 1 heavy pass.

- Pick a quiet part of the side (where there's absolutely no music) - the very beginning or end is often ideal.

- Pick an appropriate learn time, something that's as long as possible without exceeding the quiet section. "Learn" should be highlighted. (purple) Hit "Preview", then Stop once "Learn" goes gray again. Hit OK & wait for it to process.

Remember to always give each edit a thorough review before moving on. In SF it's easy - just click the arrows up top to quickly jump backwards or forwards between edits. Pay special attention to cymbal crashes & sibilance - those high-frequency sounds tend to be affected the most. I can't stress doing this enough.

Also: When in doubt, it's better to leave a little noise in, rather than take too much audio out. The end user can always do more editing themselves, but they can't add in audio that you cut out.

Splitting Into Tracks

Now, to slice this up into tracks. Click the cursor about where you think Track 1 ends. It's not always obvious, so your ears are your friends here. So are those markers, if you used them. You can also use freedb to find the track lengths to aid you; I usually already have a digital version in Foobar which I'll listen to. Whatever way you choose, it's not always easy finding the track breaks on albums where they "blend", such as live albums. In SF, you can use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in & out - easy & very helpful. By doing that, selecting small areas, and playing those sections, you can find what you're looking for fairly quickly.

Once you've got that perfect spot in between tracks, drag the selection from that point, all the way to the left; the entire first track is now selected. Click "Cut" (the scissors at the top):

Then hit "New":

Then right-click on the new blank window & hit Paste. There's your track. You may want to trim it a bit - I don't recommend leaving more than 2 seconds before & after each track. (if it's a "blended" type album, don't go adding gaps!) Hit Save As, and close the window. (don't hit the wrong button!) This brings you back to what's left of the side. Repeat the preceding steps for the rest of the tracks. Once there's only 1 track left on the original side window, just Save As from there - but don't overwrite your original side save. (I always name the tracks from the get-go, using preceding track numbers with leading 0's. ex: 02 - Silver Rocket.wav)

This is a must - go back & review the tracks - listen to them all. If you catch anything, do some more fine tuning on a per-track basis, or whatever you deem necessary. Otherwise, it's time to convert to FLAC:

- We'll use Flac Frontend here. Use Level 8, check Verify & Add Tags. Click Tag Conf. to set some tag fields. Choose your output directory at the bottom. Add files, encode, and that's it.

- Check/add tags with the tag editor of your choice, such as mp3tag. Be sure they adhere to the site rules.

- Since you're lucky enough to hold the vinyl version of an album in your hands, it affords you a great opportunity to upload some killer cover art. Scan it if you can, or just use your camera & Photoshop or whatever to edit it accordingly. Try to upload it as a lossless .png file, as well.

- Finally, UPLOAD! Be sure to include in the torrent title the recording profile - 16-44.1, 16-48, 24-96 etc. I just include it in the album title field on the upload page. (ex. Pink Ployd - Animals [Vinyl 24-96] )

USEFUL STUFF

A Beginner's Guide to Cartridge Setup

HydrogenAudio Vinyl Links Great info from, arguably, the most in-depth & unbiased "all about audio" website out there.

Sleeve City - A great online store for many vinyl products.

A few quick notes on storage:

- Always store your vinyl in an upright position; never lay them flat. Unless you want taco-shaped records.

- It's advisable to buy after-market sleeves for storage. They'll reduce/eliminate static, and are much cleaner. After all that cleaning, why would you want to stick them back in that dusty paper sleeve, anyway?

- Outer sleeves are a good buy as well. They'll protect against wearing a ring in the cover, and some of them have UV protection built in. Which reminds me - try not to store them in direct sunlight.

- Don't let your kids play your vinyl on their Mickey Mouse player, or use them as toys. (like driving Hot Wheels cars on them)

If my dad would of heeded this advice, my complete original Beatles collection would still be playable today.

I hope this tutorial is comprehensive enough to give newcomers a good feel for what is entailed, yet simple enough not to scare anybody away. It's pretty much impossible to cover every single configuration, and much of it is fairly subjective, so I apologize in advance for any glaring omissions. I did my best.

Please, feel free to offer your own insights & opinions, but try to keep things as clear & concise as possible. While I appreciate any thanks (if I even deserve any ), it will only serve to clutter up this thread.

Thanks!

[Edmund]

and nothing to do with things like Spotify, not to mention the amount of crap that is getting released - no wonder people are buying dylan, the beatles and buckley if the alternative is lady gaga and x-factory gash. i'm pretty bored of these industry people blaming everything apart from themselves for falls in sales...

good to see people buying more vinyl tho,

Yep the majors caused most of this mess in the first place. For years they got away with ripping the public off and squeezing every penny out of joe public.

Now all they are looking for is the next big thing to turn our radios off like you mention : lady gaga (please), n dubz (cunts) etc

On a plus note it means the indies (independent labels) are doing a lot better as the demand is much higher and people will support them.

@ hairy

Yeah im in the process of converting all me vinyl to mp3 (320kbs min) so I can listen to them on my mp3 player. Going to be a two year project me thinks, but im looking forward to completing it little by little and listening to some old classics which have been gathering dust.

[Joe.]

Found a tidy little website which seems to sell quite a lot of stuff that fits my tastes for reasonable prices. Albums are quite a rarity on vinly it seems?

[Edmund]

Found a tidy little website which seems to sell quite a lot of stuff that fits my tastes for reasonable prices. Albums are quite a rarity on vinly it seems?

This will become your new best friend for rare and deleted stuff.

www.discogs.com

Just search and click on the relevant link. Then if there are any for sale it will say on the side. Usually second hand but it tells you condition etc.

Also if you sign up for an account each time you buy a vinyl you can catalogue it so it compiles a list of all the vinyl you own.

[Joe.]

This will become your new best friend for rare and deleted stuff.

www.discogs.com

Just search and click on the relevant link. Then if there are any for sale it will say on the side. Usually second hand but it tells you condition etc.

Also if you sign up for an account each time you buy a vinyl you can catalogue it so it compiles a list of all the vinyl you own.

Yeah I've already found that one cheers, looks very useful. I found this one too, but it seems as though it specialises in indie stuff, not your kind of thing I'd imagine!

[Edmund]

Yeah I've already found that one cheers, looks very useful. I found this one too, but it seems as though it specialises in indie stuff, not your kind of thing I'd imagine!

Oh Banquet Records I know them, suppose to be very good for indie. They do (claim to) stock drum and bass and have ordered with them twice and never again.

This was the last e-mail I sent to them.

Hi,

Following on from our phone call earlier can you please cancel this order.

I am deeply frustrated that for the second time on the second order I have made with you that you fail to even notify me that my record was not in stock. I can understand that it's impossible to keep on top of things in stock but at least an email explaining this would have been nice! Your website even claims that it notify's people of out of stock items!! I fail to believe this as this is the second time this has happened and ive only ordered with you twice!

Each time Ive had to call you several days later to find out what is going on with the order.

I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt and put it down to internal errors but again I find it hard to believe. Ive bought records from numerous online retailers and have never had these problems ever before.

To top it all off you couldn't even cancel my order over the phone which brings me to this email venting out my frustration which in no doubt will have no effect on how you go about your business and some poor unlucky sod is going to go through the same joyride I have experienced.

Make of it what you will but Im just a frustrated music enthusiast who wanted his tunes to play this weekend and has been ultimatly let down (once again).

A reply would be nice but im not going to hold my breath.

Yours sincerely

Don't be put off though , they are supposedly very good for indie from what Ive heard but ive just had two bad dealings with them. Both my orders were dnb and I don't think they knew what they had or not in stock and I got it resolved so all good.

I think they thought I was some nutter afterwards because it was only 1 record I was after.

Good luck

[hairy]

@ hairy

Yeah im in the process of converting all me vinyl to mp3 (320kbs min) so I can listen to them on my mp3 player. Going to be a two year project me thinks, but im looking forward to completing it little by little and listening to some old classics which have been gathering dust.

Its great. Going to take a bit more than 2 years here due to the time available.

Have you guys tried recordstore.co.uk for new release vinyl. They bundle up single releases at a good price.

[Leicfox]

I have one of these.. Im not an avid collector tbh, but i do pick records up from car-boots when i go, £0.50p a record is my limit. Sounds ok for what it is, and for what i use it for.

[The Reverend]

This is something that I want to get into. Reading all these posts about not owning a genuine copy of the music, something you can hold in your hand, is very true and I am one for collecting things.

Really considering it when funds are a bit higher. But I dont know where to start. Turntables, amps, speakers, whatever!

[Rocket-Ron]

This is something that I want to get into. Reading all these posts about not owning a genuine copy of the music, something you can hold in your hand, is very true and I am one for collecting things.

Really considering it when funds are a bit higher. But I dont know where to start. Turntables, amps, speakers, whatever!

Just pop into a descent hifi shop (Cymbiosis, Leicester hifi etc.) and book a demo.

Let them know your budget and they will set a few combinations up for you to listen to. Take some of your own records along with you.

Honestly i can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon in town.

If you do go to Cymbiosis you have to listen to the Linn Lp12 it sounds/looks amazing (coupled with a Naim pre-amp/Power amp & descent speakers),Though once you haved demo'd it you'll not want anything else & it's very expensive (though it will last you a life time).

check out the Neat Accoustics motive 1 speakers as well Heaven.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Vinyls!

[Edmund]

Vinyls!

Vinyls!

[Lillehamring]

still haven't replaced my turntable -

i toyed with the idea of buying secondhand just as a stop gap, but my birthday isn't too far away so maybe i can stick it on the wish list...

any recommendations in the 3-500 quid bracket, or is it worth jumping up to the next grade if i'm gonna spend that much, or could i get as much for 200 as i could for 5, i know with a lot of stereo price bands you don't always get what you pay for?

[Smudge]

This is something that I want to get into. Reading all these posts about not owning a genuine copy of the music, something you can hold in your hand, is very true and I am one for collecting things.

Really considering it when funds are a bit higher. But I dont know where to start. Turntables, amps, speakers, whatever!

THE most important part of any component system is the source, whether it be CD or vinyl, if you can't extract all the available information from the media the rest is irrelevant. So spend as much as you can afford on a turntable, the earlier recommendation of a Linn LP12 is great if you have the money, getting a used one is a great way to go. I have one and have owned it since 1981 and will never part with it. Any Linn owner worth his salt will have had the upgrades as they came out and the aesthetics have hardly changed since the 70's. However a good second best is Rega, another British company. They have a number of turntables to choose from a really nice integrated amp. I have the P3 and the Mira on my showroom floor and are hooked up to a pair of B&W bookshelf speakers........brilliant sound for the money

[Lillehamring]

THE most important part of any component system is the source, whether it be CD or vinyl, if you can't extract all the available information from the media the rest is irrelevant. So spend as much as you can afford on a turntable, the earlier recommendation of a Linn LP12 is great if you have the money, getting a used one is a great way to go. I have one and have owned it since 1981 and will never part with it. Any Linn owner worth his salt will have had the upgrades as they came out and the aesthetics have hardly changed since the 70's. However a good second best is Rega, another British company. They have a number of turntables to choose from a really nice integrated amp. I have the P3 and the Mira on my showroom floor and are hooked up to a pair of B&W bookshelf speakers........brilliant sound for the money

what sort of prices do these brands start at, is it worth getting the cheapest model by these or high in the range model from a more affordable brand (but not shit, obviously)?

[Smudge]

what sort of prices do these brands start at, is it worth getting the cheapest model by these or high in the range model from a more affordable brand (but not shit, obviously)?

Rega start at £194 for the P1, the P3 is £390 and go up to £2500, here's an online UK retailer

Linn only make the LP12; a new one with tonearm and cartridge will cost over £2000 so I strongly recommend a used one, here is some info about it's history etc.

My advice would be to start with the P3, its a very nice table. It sounds great with the Mira preamp and Rega have been doing this for a long time, I really trust this company.

[Lillehamring]

Rega start at £194 for the P1, the P3 is £390 and go up to £2500, here's an online UK retailer

Linn only make the LP12; a new one with tonearm and cartridge will cost over £2000 so I strongly recommend a used one, here is some info about it's history etc.

My advice would be to start with the P3, its a very nice table. It sounds great with the Mira preamp and Rega have been doing this for a long time, I really trust this company.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

I want some DJ decks, where can I get DJ decks?

[Edmund]

I want some DJ decks, where can I get DJ decks?

http://www.decks.co.uk/ usually the cheapest for cdj's and turntables.

Just find the model you want then google for the cheapest price and get a place to price beat for you. Happy days

[Lillehamring]

finally got round to committing to a new turntable, went for the rega p3.

It looks great sitting there, silent....spent all afternoon moving things around setting it up and the plate just doesn't go round. nothing. dead.

sound comes from it if you touch the needle, but does the table turn? does it bollux.

[Smudge]

finally got round to committing to a new turntable, went for the rega p3.

It looks great sitting there, silent....spent all afternoon moving things around setting it up and the plate just doesn't go round. nothing. dead.

sound comes from it if you touch the needle, but does the table turn? does it bollux.

Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that. I know this sounds obvious but take the platter off and make sure the belt is properly connected to the pulley. If the pulley isn't turning them there has to be a problem with the motor.

[Lillehamring]

Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that. I know this sounds obvious but take the platter off and make sure the belt is properly connected to the pulley. If the pulley isn't turning them there has to be a problem with the motor.

it's totally dead - i think it might be the power pack, as it is very loose in the socket. You have a p3, right, just to make life a little easier - the on /off switch, is the on position raised at the front or the back?