I am only 17 years old but I am increasingly enjoying 60s, 70s and 80s music. I plan on buying a record player and to start collecting vinyl records.

Quality, obviously, is important to me.

I really have no idea where to start. My price range is around £150 - £350.

Thank you, in advance, for the help.

[Edited 11/19/12 12:43pm]

I nearly created a similar thread.

I currently own an ION conversion turntable that hooks up to my laptop to play (and allegedly rip) music from my vinyl.

But it sounds crappy (need to buy speakers for my laptop I suppose) and I can't make the program to rip osngs work properly (I need to re-install iTunes I think).

I'd like to just go ahead and BUY an old-fashioned stereo system.

a rega p1 would be a good start. make sure your turntable has a phono input or you will need a preamp (not expensive). or have a look at the pro-ject debut carbon

unique said:

a rega p1 would be a good start. make sure your turntable has a phono input or you will need a preamp (not expensive). or have a look at the pro-ject debut carbon

Thank you for the reply.

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

The debut-carbon looks great. Is there anything else, that is similar - maybe even of the same make - which is slightly less pricey.

After all, the more I spend on the record player itself, the less vinyl records I can buy at an instant.

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

I want something like this;

To put in my basement.

Actually, I don't have a basement.

But when I do get another house, it'll have a basement, and then I can get the giant 80's hi-fi system that takes up an entire wall.

unique said:

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

...but since I don't have a basement, I think I want that one.

PurpleJedi said:

unique said:

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

...but since I don't have a basement, I think I want that one.

I likes...............What is it?

unique said:

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

What do you think of the Project DEBUT SE?

Is there anything else I would need with it?

PurpleJedi said:

unique said:

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

...but since I don't have a basement, I think I want that one.

Yes, this one looks very nice!

Graycap23 said:

PurpleJedi said:

...but since I don't have a basement, I think I want that one.

I likes...............What is it?

the Pro-ject Genie2

Project Debut 3 SE Turntable.

Definitely considering getting this. Need to do some more research I suppose!

[Edited 11/19/12 13:56pm]

That reminds me - I'm supposed to go listen to "It" played on my turntable and piped through my headphones.

Azz said:

unique said:

try a pro-ject essential or genie2. i'd also suggest a trip to a proper hi fi store to get some demos so you know what to look out for. you have to be a lot more careful with setup on a turntable than cd

What do you think of the Project DEBUT SE?

Is there anything else I would need with it?

that's good too. what amp do you have? does it let you connect a turntable direct? if not you need a phono stage/preamp as the levels that output on a turntable are much lower and different to a cd player/tapedeck etc, plus you need to earth the TT. you can get cheap ones about £15. obviously you get what you pay for and you don't want to pay a large percentage of your TT. richersounds have one at £25 delivered

I swear by Technics SL1210s. I bought a pair bleedin years ago (More than 20) and they're still as good as gold. Quality all round. I've seen them soaking wet in clubs and still running, no worries. They can take a real hiding too. They're probably the best value for money thing I've ever bought.

Obviously, if all you have is £350 tops, you'll need to do a bit of saving until you can get an amp and speakers, at least. You'd never need to buy another deck for the rest of your life though.

Quality, quality deck.

Fonkyman said:

I swear by Technics SL1210s. I bought a pair bleedin years ago (More than 20) and they're still as good as gold. Quality all round. I've seen them soaking wet in clubs and still running, no worries. They can take a real hiding too. They're probably the best value for money thing I've ever bought.

Obviously, if all you have is £350 tops, you'll need to do a bit of saving until you can get an amp and speakers, at least. You'd never need to buy another deck for the rest of your life though.

Quality, quality deck.

Technics rox

Fonkyman said:

I swear by Technics SL1210s. I bought a pair bleedin years ago (More than 20) and they're still as good as gold. Quality all round. I've seen them soaking wet in clubs and still running, no worries. They can take a real hiding too. They're probably the best value for money thing I've ever bought.

Obviously, if all you have is £350 tops, you'll need to do a bit of saving until you can get an amp and speakers, at least. You'd never need to buy another deck for the rest of your life though.

Quality, quality deck.

these are good decks, but more suited to dj's, outwith his budjet as they stand and you have to spend more to make them more suitable for music listening which pushes the price up more

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

Dave1992 said:

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

What type of speakers or monitors do u prefer?

Man,
I can't even begin to remember when was the last time I was in a wrecka stow.

Dave1992 said:

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

I was just going to say, the needle is probably more important than the turntable, itself.

Good cartridges are expensive. I think I paid around a hundred bucks for my last one, knowing that I was going to be ripping vinyl and wanting it to sound decent.

Genesia said:

Dave1992 said:

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

I was just going to say, the needle is probably more important than the turntable, itself.

Good cartridges are expensive. I think I paid around a hundred bucks for my last one, knowing that I was going to be ripping vinyl and wanting it to sound decent.

are you serious?!?!

Nevermind then...I'll stick to MP3s.

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

I was just going to say, the needle is probably more important than the turntable, itself.

Good cartridges are expensive. I think I paid around a hundred bucks for my last one, knowing that I was going to be ripping vinyl and wanting it to sound decent.

are you serious?!?!

Nevermind then...I'll stick to MP3s.

Well, like I said, I wanted something good because I was ripping a lot of vinyl. And this was several years ago, before vinyl started getting really popular again - so the selection for my turntable was somewhat limited. You certainly don't have to lay out that kind of money. I mean...any turntable you buy is going to come with a needle already on it. It won't be audiophile quality (most likely). But if you're okay with the sound quality of an mp3, I'm guessing it's not that big a deal.

But if you ever want to hear Sign O The Times again in all its wonderful vinyl-y glory, that's the route you're going to have to take. Because that CD (and anything ripped from it) sounds like ass.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

are you serious?!?!

Nevermind then...I'll stick to MP3s.

Well, like I said, I wanted something good because I was ripping a lot of vinyl. And this was several years ago, before vinyl started getting really popular again - so the selection for my turntable was somewhat limited. You certainly don't have to lay out that kind of money. I mean...any turntable you buy is going to come with a needle already on it. It won't be audiophile quality (most likely). But if you're okay with the sound quality of an mp3, I'm guessing it's not that big a deal.

But if you ever want to hear Sign O The Times again in all its wonderful vinyl-y glory, that's the route you're going to have to take. Because that CD (and anything ripped from it) sounds like ass.

LOL @ "sounds like ass"

Have you noticed (this is a bit off topic) that CD's from yesteryear were "different"?

Not only were they sturdier (you couldn't bend them) but they had a different "sound quality". I don't know if it's just my imagination or what.

I am going to try to fix my Ion turntable - gotta re-install iTunes and find the Ion disk and reinstall that as well.

If it doesn't work, I'm going to splurge on a decent turntable after tax money comes in.

PurpleJedi said:

I want something like this;

To put in my basement.

Actually, I don't have a basement.

But when I do get another house, it'll have a basement, and then I can get the giant 80's hi-fi system that takes up an entire wall.

Genesia said:

Dave1992 said:

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

I was just going to say, the needle is probably more important than the turntable, itself.

Good cartridges are expensive. I think I paid around a hundred bucks for my last one, knowing that I was going to be ripping vinyl and wanting it to sound decent.

Very expensive.

Decent cartridges can be expensive but unless you spend your life scratchin, they last long enough not to sting too much.

I realise the 1210s are a bit pricey if all you want is to spin a few tunes but they're worth every penny you pay for them. If you want quality, there it is. Once you have it, it's done too. No upgrading ever needed imo. If you're looking for a whole sound system for £350, I wouldn't have anything to say.

I'd rather spend my money on a decent deck if I'm buying one. Save a bit for a decent cartridge etc. and go from there. I wouldn't waste money on an all singing and dancing 'all in one' or something I'd never be happy with.

I don't agree that the deck doesn't matter so much. I wouldn't put an expensive pin in a shitty deck or vice versa.

I also think the amp and speakers are important too.

This thread could go on forever if enough audiophiles jump on it. There are so many variables as already said.

What do you like speaker-wise Dave? What monitors? What amps too? I've had allsorts indoors but have stuck with my B&Ws the longest. Come to think of it I've got some lovely Wharfedales and an old Arcam amp in the loft gathering dust. Anyone love banana plugs? Who here has gold speaker wire? Who else needs more sleep and less typing?

Azz, like somebody said, get down the shops and have a look around. Get a few hi-fi mags too, that'll give ya an idea of what's about and in your price range. Get as many opinions and listens as you can before you buy and whatever you do, don't look at these when it comes to getting speakers. I don't think Richer Sounds does em.

B&Ws Nautilus. Ridiculous but don't they look good? £35,000 I think they were and no, these aren't the B&Ws I've got indoors.

Genesia said:

Dave1992 said:

As long as you use a good diamond needle and proper speakers, the rest is really very subjective (even the speakers part actually is; some people prefer high-fi speakers, others, like me, despise them).

However, as petty as this mind sound, buy a turntable with a proper dust hood. A grain of dust can cause more damage than any good turntable or speaker could wipe out.

I was just going to say, the needle is probably more important than the turntable, itself.

Good cartridges are expensive. I think I paid around a hundred bucks for my last one, knowing that I was going to be ripping vinyl and wanting it to sound decent.

When I ordered my turntables in 2001, I also took into consideration to get one that I could afford whenever the needle wore out. I got Stanton turntables and they sound wonderful and needle replacements on the internet at the time was around $25. That was 2001 though and I've never had to replace either of the needles yet so I don't know what they cost now. But gone are the days of simply walking into the record store and buying a little snap on needle for about $2.

[Edited 11/20/12 20:23pm]

Nice little mixer Andy and thanks for jogging my memory. I've had a pair of Stanton cartridges tucked away for years that we couldn't find. They weren't too expensive but they'd got lost. I saw that post and remembered where I'd put em. Funny how the mind works. Cheers.

Fonkyman said:

Nice little mixer Andy and thanks for jogging my memory. I've had a pair of Stanton cartridges tucked away for years that we couldn't find. They weren't too expensive but they'd got lost. I saw that post and remembered where I'd put em. Funny how the mind works. Cheers.

Thanks. That mixer is Realistic which is Radio Shack's brand. I've always hated Realistic products though because every one I've ever had gets static in the knobs. But Radio Shack is the only store in the area that carries things like mixers at an affordable price unless you order from the internet like I did with the turntables. This mixer gets static in the crossfader so whenever I first turn it on, I slide it several times back and forth as fast as I can until the static leaves. Somebody recommended spraying one of those air cans into it like the kind to spray into computer keyboards. I'm gonna have to try it and see if that works.