Starting with turntables

[alaios]

So it is the time to get my first turntable. This is my amplifer: leak 130 and it say that it has a
Moving Magnet (MM) phono pre-amplifier

1. I do not know what that means. Probably that I can buy a turntable without one
2. Budget is around 500 euros/dollars
3. Which is the ones that are the most compact ones as my table is small to find a very large unit. If compact costs more I am then fine of spending more. I am mostly constrained in width.

Thanks a lot
Regards
Alex

 

[MCH]

The only thing you need to pay attention to is that the cartridge (the part where the stilus is attached) of the turntable you buy is MM (moving magnet), not MC (moving coil). But no worries, most cartridges in your price range will be MM.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Which is the ones that are the most compact ones as my table is small to find a very large unit. If compact costs more I am then fine of spending more. I am mostly constrained in width

How much width have you got? Turntable size is constrained by some relatively fixed constraints, such as the platter (the bit that rotates) usually being 12" and the tonearm (the bit the cartridge is fitted into needing to be some distance from the centre of the platter and needing space for the counterweight at the back to swing around its pivot.

The narrowest turntables are linear trackers (the tonearm doesn't pivot, but slides).

 

[DSJR]

Most if not all cheaper decks are solid plinth types with very rudimentary isolation (usually rubbery feet) and simply plonking one of these decks on a table may well induce feedback and general muddying of bass and even poorer midrange than is actually possible from vinyl! The even more basic small form decks are usually made of thin resonant plastic and although they play records, I remain unsure as to the actual potential in terms of sound quality of such a machine.

Knowing the brand as I do, a Rega 2 would be my first port of call (fit something like an Ortofon Super OM5e or follow the fashion for an AT VM95E), but the plinths aren't small on popular model Regas so this may instantly rule them out and prices vary depending on the export market.

If you can look to good used models which may need some tonearm drive-belt work and so on, the Technics SL7 was always popular here. Original styli are unavailable now but it may be possible to get a good quality Jico or similar replacement (I have a stylus I bought which has a superb elliptical tip, but is set for 1.75g tracking which is way over the setting for such cartridges in their native decks).

A shame the once ubiquitous Dual 505 has now gone I believe. Not cheap at the end (550 Euros or similar), it had a safe as houses presentation, wasn't too large and a well established sprung top plate offering good isolation and is a long lived model with useful auto-lift at side end...

 

[alaios]

I have a bit of 40-45 centimeters. Another option would be to get an on-wall turntable where it can also be bigger.

 

[Greenman]

If you have space for a wall stand then IMO this is the way to go as it eliminates a whole host of potential issues with turntables on cabinets,sideboards or even floor stands. They tend to isolate the TT from footfall and speaker based rumble much more effectively than floor stands (At least until serious money is involved).

 

[DSJR]

If the wall is solid, a wall shelf (or bracket if it's a Rega) can be an excellent way to isolate these lightweight un-suspended decks as best as possible. Remove the lid when playing ideally and of course, don't put said wall shelf in a corner where bass can be an issue.

Subjectively but repeatable in my experience, the mid bass and midrange clarity can be affected if the deck isn't well isolated. This occurs well below the 'howl-round' feedback level. Suspended sub-chassis decks improve on this, but the way said 'suspended' decks work can cause other wow issues and if you have good to perfect pitch, you'll hear it immediately, especially in direct comparison with decks that don't do this, let alone digital sources...

Vinyl CAN be fun, but these days you need to be a bit of a masochist really. If you don't have an existing collection of discs, I'd still suggest not bothering at all - this from an older bod with a collection of classic and sh*t models I really need to start moving on for my better half's sake as she doesn't want to be lumbered with them!

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Vinyl CAN be fun, but these days you need to be a bit of a masochist really. If you don't have an existing collection of discs, I'd still suggest not bothering at all

I agree with this. After CDs came out, I kept my turntable and LPs, through a couple of property moves. I occasionally listen to LPs, especially those where digital copies have never been released. But, really it's a lot of effort, keeping discs clean, worrying about stylus wear, having to change sides every 25 minutes. Streaming flacs from a NAS is so much easier.

 

[Thomas_A]

I agree with this. After CDs came out, I kept my turntable and LPs, through a couple of property moves. I occasionally listen to LPs, especially those where digital copies have never been released. But, really it's a lot of effort, keeping discs clean, worrying about stylus wear, having to change sides every 25 minutes. Streaming flacs from a NAS is so much easier.

You know, getting up from your sofa or chair every 30 min every day makes you live on average 6-7 years longer...

 

[computer-audiophile]

Vinyl CAN be fun, but these days you need to be a bit of a masochist really. If you don't have an existing collection of discs, I'd still suggest not bothering at all - this from an older bod with a collection of classic and sh*t models I really need to start moving on for my better half's sake as she doesn't want to be lumbered with them!

Some members in the Audio Science Review Forum perceive listening to vinyl records and the associated manual tasks like cleaning and placing them on the turntable as laborious, especially when compared to the convenience of streaming. I'd like to counter this by highlighting that certain cultural practices and pleasures often involve immersing oneself more deeply, cultivating rituals, and embracing such experiences. The essence lies in the idea that embracing certain cultural practices can bring about a richer and more fulfilling enjoyment, even if it involves a bit more effort.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

You know, getting up from your sofa or chair every 30 min every day makes you live on average 6-7 years longer...

I have aged a lot since I started listening to digital sources. Perhaps I'd be a lot younger if I'd stuck to vinyl?

 

[MCH]

Unless you keep your records in the kitchen or you don't care holding them by the edges while you are eating a burger, I don't see the need to "keep them clean". I personally clean them if I buy them used and they are dirty and never had the need to clean a record a second time. Ever.

 

[Joe Smith]

A good entry level current deck is the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB, which comes with a good AT elliptical cartridge. Current cost about $250 US. For better sound, swap out the stylus with their Microline one, about $150, keep the other elliptical as a spare.

Width is 18", pretty standard.

No auto-return but a solid basic modern turntable, modeled on the Technics 1200 series. Direct drive, cuing, etc. The deck has a built in phono preamp, which I don't use - you can switch in or out, and what you have in your Leak would probably be the better preamp.

I use a variety of vintage tables too, but the AT is pretty no-muss, no fuss and punches above its price point.

(And yeah, vinyl is a bit of a rabbit hole, if you are just starting out, do think about how much vinyl you will use and collect. I personally still enjoy using all formats, even though I'm listening to streaming music about 60% of the time.)

 

[Greenman]

Some members in the Audio Science Review Forum perceive listening to vinyl records and the associated manual tasks like cleaning and placing them on the turntable as laborious, especially when compared to the convenience of streaming. I'd like to counter this by highlighting that certain cultural practices and pleasures often involve immersing oneself more deeply, cultivating rituals, and embracing such experiences. The essence lies in the idea that embracing certain cultural practices can bring about a richer and more fulfilling enjoyment, even if it involves a bit more effort.

Completely agree with this. For music as background then vinyl isn’t the best, a streaming playlist is great. But Vinyl forces you to engage with the music in a way that nothing else does, part of this is the physical process, but also the sleeve, lyrics, artwork etc all become a more significant part of the process, even the visual aspect of some turntables are appealing in the same way as, for example, an open fire.

 

[Purité Audio]

So it is the time to get my first turntable. This is my amplifer: leak 130 and it say that it has a
Moving Magnet (MM) phono pre-amplifier

1. I do not know what that means. Probably that I can buy a turntable without one
2. Budget is around 500 euros/dollars
3. Which is the ones that are the most compact ones as my table is small to find a very large unit. If compact costs more I am then fine of spending more. I am mostly constrained in width.

Thanks a lot
Regards
Alex

Do you already have records?
Keith

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Completely agree with this. For music as background then vinyl isn’t the best, a streaming playlist is great. But Vinyl forces you to engage with the music in a way that nothing else does, part of this is the physical process, but also the sleeve, lyrics, artwork etc all become a more significant part of the process, even the visual aspect of some turntables are appealing in the same way as, for example, an open fire.

What about just looking at it without connect it while the music comes digitally - this way you get the good digital sound and the soothing looks. Best of both worlds so to speak

 

[Sal1950]

So it is the time to get my first turntable.

If you don't already have a bunch of old records you want to play, don't waste your money going into vinyl.
Upgrade your speakers, save to upgrade into multich, No matter what you read, vinyl is 1960s sound quality, technolgy and hasn't gotten much better in 65 years.

 

[Chrispy]

You know, getting up from your sofa or chair every 30 min every day makes you live on average 6-7 years longer...

LOL. How much longer if you get up and dance, too?

 

[restorer-john]

Find yourself a 1983 PS-F5 Sony to save space.

 

[Robin L]

Some members in the Audio Science Review Forum perceive listening to vinyl records and the associated manual tasks like cleaning and placing them on the turntable as laborious, especially when compared to the convenience of streaming. I'd like to counter this by highlighting that certain cultural practices and pleasures often involve immersing oneself more deeply, cultivating rituals, and embracing such experiences. The essence lies in the idea that embracing certain cultural practices can bring about a richer and more fulfilling enjoyment, even if it involves a bit more effort.

Conversely, you can focus on CDs. The market may have abandoned the format but they still have real advantages over LPs as regards sound quality and durability. And you might not have to get up every 20 minutes to flip a disc, but you still have to swap out the CDs every 30 minutes to 80 minutes anyway. Best of all, they're practically giving them away these days. I got 34 spotless classical CDs at a library sale yesterday for $3.00. Try finding clean LPs for that kind of money. If you don't already have a CD player already you can find one for about the same money as one of the cheaper LP spinners. I'm using a BluRay player's digital out into a Topping E30, best digital sound I've ever had. The BluRay player was bought used for $8, the DAC was $130. Got a remote online for $10.