Advise buying a record player?

That's good to know. Im surprised at just how strong records can be. I I brought about 30 12" singles to Japan from my parents house in the UK. I'd had them stored there for 16 years. One of them had slipped out of the sleave and was covered in 16 years worth of loft dust! I washed it with record cleaner and now it works a treat.

On the other hand I have a record that skips everywhere. It's actually one I bought in 1997. I remember taking it back to HMV for a replacement 3 times but each time I kept getting a copy that skipped. I just put it down to my record player being rubbish. But now I have a nice player that same record still skips. I guess HMV had a bad batch.

 

Bad news boys. Just had richer sounds out who literally told me I'd done 95% of the job! he knocked up the weight a slight bit and said that it was absolutely good to go and taught me how to judge it if what the needle stated caused it to jump all over the joint. so now I can start playing to my hearts content!

I think he felt a bit bad when he saw what I paid, but I told him I just wanted to be safe as opposed to sorry and a second opinion was invaluable to me. I feel like a bit of a mug but I had a quality chat for the whole of 15 minutes here and picked up some knowledge too.

Look forward to some discussion from me

 

Bummer in a way but look on it as being safe and gaining some knowledge

 

How do you guys clean your vinyl? Dust is a real bitch I've been using a micro fibre cloth but it's not getting all the dust. Should I be using a microfibre brush instead?

 

microfibre cloth + isopropyl alcohol.

you should probably also wipe them down with a anti-static brush before/after playing.

If that isn't doing it, the problem is the dust is well and truly packed into the grooves. for that, a lot of people are using wood glue, spreading it over the record, allowing it to dry and then removing it. there is an audible difference that is shown in many videos available on the internet.

It's as ludicrous as it sounds, but it's very effective and really good at getting out the shit thats really packed down.

 

As mentioned above. But for normal dust a simple cloth or pad plus cleaning fluid for records is all you need. Don't forget to clean your stylus as well with the correct solution.

 

Well you guys were right, that Jensen was a piece of shit, the Stylus already broke. It's still under warranty so I'm sending it back to Amazon and getting a DJ Turntable.

 

DJ turntables are only really for DJing. They aren't decent listeners unless you invest serious money in modification.

I attended a Pro-Ject event this weekend. It was pretty interesting. Their turntables are definitely great value for the money - I'd buy one of those over a Technics any day. The rep told me that they won best room at Sound & Vision the other day, against the £100k+ big boys! He said it was great, but slightly embarrassing as they used a £325 turntable with a £400 amp and I think the speakers were in the same price range, too!

If you consider getting a Pro-Ject (and even the Elemental is a very capable turntable), I'd recommend finding a local dealer and having a listen. You could always talk to the distributors in your country, to find your local dealer.

UK: Henley
USA: Sumiko
Australia: Interdyn

 

I'm leaning towards this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GYTPAE/ref=gno_cart_title_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Mostly because it's in my price range and won't cost me too too much over what the refund for the other turntable will be. Although I've heard good things about Pinoneer turntables too those aren't too bad price wise either.

 

Eh, it's another USB turntable with a built-in preamp. Don't expect much. It doesn't even say what cartridge it comes with.

If you insist on USB, the Elemental has a USB version. Personally, I'd wait and save up. The Elemental has the motor mounted separately, the tonearm is set up out of the box and it still has the preamp. It has better wow and flutter and better signal-to-noise ratio. It compares very well to much more expensive turntables. However, depending on the cartridge used, the AT is at least a step up from the toy The Pioneers will be more than you want to pay for a decent example.

Here's an analogy in video game terms. I want a console. I've seen a PlayStation 4 and I like what I saw. I can only afford a NES. What do I do? The NES plays video games, but if I've seen a PlayStation 4, the graphics are going to disappoint.

 

I have one of those. Make sure you get a few of those magnet clip things as there can be a slight feedback from the powercord on it. Those magnet clips (I know they have a specific name but I can't remember) will sort that out in no time.

For a budget player that has some pretty good sound.

Oh, and it's NOT a USB turntable or at least mine isn't. I don't use the built in amp either as I find it a little low so I have it going through my home cinema system. Honestly, it sounds pretty good.

 

That particular model isn't a USB, the cartridge is built into the arm. It's not a top of the line turntable but it's way better than the cheap Chinese piece of crap I had. Would I like something higher end? Absolutely but the sound system it's going into isn't exactly very high end either it's a small 10 year old JVC sound system. Upgrading that is a whole different beast all together. So for what I have right now that turntable serves me both Price wise and equipment wise. Ideally I'd like a direct drive table so I don't have to worry about the belt snapping or wearing out, but until I upgrade the sound system I think I have what suits me best.

Besides this turntable I actually found professional reviews for.

 

There's nothing wrong with belt drive. You only have to replace the belt once in a blue moon - the stylus is going to need replacing every so often, too. Don't think you can just buy a (DD) turntable and never have to maintain it - that's not going to happen.

 

It is? Mines not like that. The cartridge can be replaced. I actually did with a nicer one. Here's a picture I took with the phone a few weeks back.



Honestly though, for a budget turntable this a great quality item. I bough my own 3D printed center adaptor though as the cheap plastic one that comes with it doesn't feel nice.

 

So I probably should have kept the 45 Adapter that my other junk turntable came with....

I read the cartredge isn't swappable, but I guess it is. So this gives me a few other options then as time goes on.

I figured as much but at least this turntable isn't designed around having to buy a new stylus every 3 weeks like the other one seems to. Plus with this one I won't have to jump through hoops to replace the stylus. With the Jensen turntable I had you had to fill an order form out and maybe if they feel like it, they'll send you a replacement. Or you can go to the website and e-mail them and if they feel like it, they'll send you a replacement. F that. Which is why I sent it back.

 

This turntable you are buying can have replacement stylus cartridges bought from many places. I think the one I'm using now cost under $15

 

Yeah Amazon has them amongst others. Glad I found that one, I wasn't sure where to go after the other one broke.

 

ooooooooh! thats the one I own!

RE: belts, snapping is a thing that isn't going to happen unless you've got the carefulness of a 5 year old. I know switching mine from 33 to 45 and vice versa is like butter and i can't see it happening on its own, perhaps getting slacker and more brittle over time but not snapping. i stand to be corrected though.

You may want to look into your local thrift and craigslist scene if you're looking to upgrade the rest of your system. Some of the stuff I've seen into thrifting/vinyl subreddits is mindblowing. especially out on the east coast right now.

 

It's the belt drying up but I guess that takes awhile? The sound system is in my sun room and it ranges from VERY COLD in the winter, to very humid (not necessarily hot) in the summer) amazed the stereo there has lasted as long as it has.

I'll look into those sound systems on Craigslist. I def want one of those old CD Players with rewind features as some CDs have hidden tracks that only older CD players can accesss. Plus a big ass CD player just looks nicer than the crap they're making now.

 

You get the best out of records using some quality headphones rather than speakers IMO. Mostly because high end speakers cost so much where as quality headphones are a fraction of the price.