Turntables.....a brave new (old) world........

Messages
2,247
I'm guessing that as we collect vintage items; that there is likely to be some experience of turntables, and HI-FI equipment round these parts.

I'm after some entry level advice on buying a turntable. I appreciate that prices, and thus quality can fluctuate. However, I'm after a little guidance on a starter setup.

Budget & space limitations mean that I'm unlikely to go out for full on quality separates from the get-go. Mooching around Youtube, and some forums - clearly the retro / suitcase style of cheapness, are to be avoided. I thought rather than worrying about (to start with) pre-amp, amplifiers & speakers and the like - to may be try a Bluetooth turntable as I have a decent Bluetooth speaker. Kind of dipping my toe as it were :rolleyes: They seem to start around the £100 mark and go up to £150. Any experiences such? Any advice gratefully received :)
 
Do you have any albums to play or are you starting from scratch? If it's the later I'm not sure I'd bother as besides the arguable quality of a budget device via bluetooth records take up quite a lot of room. If I didn't already have yards of records I still enjoy and a decent setup I certainly wouldn't bother now considering the quality of formats available.
 
It's a difficult one, you will be able to play your vinyl for £100, but, not really appreciate the benefits, unfortunately.

Being an analogue format you need a better system overall otherwise it's possibly (depends on what you're after) not worthwhile.

I'll have a think, some of the "budget" turntable/arm packages are astonishingly good. The rub; budget in this context is ~£200 + all the rest of the gubbins. 2nd hand for the electronics is the way to go.
 
Do you have any albums to play or are you starting from scratch? If it's the later I'm not sure I'd bother as besides the arguable quality of a budget device via bluetooth records take up quite a lot of room. If I didn't already have yards of records I still enjoy and a decent setup I certainly wouldn't bother now considering the quality of formats available.
^ this, well said.
 
It's a difficult one, you will be able to play your vinyl for £100, but, not really appreciate the benefits, unfortunately.

Being an analogue format you need a better system overall otherwise it's possibly (depends on what you're after) not worthwhile.

I'll have a think, some of the "budget" turntable/arm packages are astonishingly good. The rub; budget in this context is ~£200 + all the rest of the gubbins. 2nd hand for the electronics is the way to go.
Funnily enough I'm currently sleep deprived due to staying up looking at second hand turntable & amps etc. :eek:
 
TBH, you'll very likely need to up your budget & it will be more boxes/cables than you may be comfortable with to do it properly as it were.

I'd recommend an audition of a Project deck & some Cambridge audio ancilliaries, possibly Q acoustics or wharfedale loudspeakers at a local Richer sounds.
It'll let you know what to expect.

If it blows your mind & you must have it, then you can have similar for 50% less if you are vigilant & don't mind some (potentially) tatty looking boxes. Personal preference is a big factor(same as wet shaving) too.
 
Thanks for the advice guys - in the end I went for a 2nd hand Marantz; as opposed to one of the cheaper new turntables. Now I just need some vinyl's :eek:
 
Back
Top Bottom