Anyone know a site that will help me in my quest to find one? I don't even know where to start!

I just want something good, but not crazy. Thanks!!

...and I would like to put all my DVDs on Laserdisc.

j/k
I know that TEAC, Audio-Technica, and Panasonic make some pretty good ones still.

http://tinylink.com/?uY2GH1U9bm

definitely will find some on eBay.

Man, I thought about buying one too a few years back. I went to Half Price Books and they had a plethora of vinyl. Lucky I looked for a player before buying the records, though. I did a quick pass through a couple of electronics stores and the cheapest I could find was like $150-$175.

They assume people only want them for DJing and scratching...so they're all freaking expensive.

I hope that you have better luck than I did.

What do you need it for?

If you aren't going to be DJing you shouldn't spend more than $20 on a turntable.

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I did a quick pass through a couple of electronics stores and the cheapest I could find was like $150-$175.

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I can't think of a worse place to try and buy something like that. Pawn shops and ebay.

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Harry Potter just like the Smurfs and many other things are simply witchcraft made G Rated on the outside but underlying it is still witchcraft and is against the will of God.

Yes, that's a real quote. No, I didn't say it.

[This message has been edited by NoACDamnit (edited 10/1/2007 5:52p).]

It will be purely for music. I found out that one of my favorite bands (Wilco) has a bunch of their stuff on Vinyl, and that finally pushed me over the edge. I'll be getting a bunch of classic rock and probably some current stuff if it is good.

What would be awesome is if someone knows a site that reviews turntables and cartridges. Anyone??

To enjoy music, I recommend a used but nice belt drive turntable. There are many for sale in ebay. I suggest you look for the following brands:

Thorens - TD145, TD160, TD166 etc.. These are excellent belt drives with a suspended platter

AR - very simple design like a Thorens but not as many for sale.

Philips TP212 - suspended belt drive with electronic speed control. Not as well made as above but cheaper.

Dual (belt drive models only)

If you want a more modern unit - look for Rega or Music Hall.

As for cartridges - first thing for you to determine is if your receiver or preamp has a phono input. If it does - you need to check for moving magnet (likely) or moving coil (less likely) input. If your receiver doesn't have a phono input you need a phono preamplifier. Good inexpensive models from NAD or Parasound.

Good moving magnet cartridges without getting exotic:

Shure M91 series
Grado
Ortofon

Oh - Teac and Panasonic have never made good turntables. Audio-Technica has made some good cartridges.

I wouldn't bother getting a belt drive. You can get a used direct drive DIRT cheap. Take in mind that the only functional component on a turntable as far as sound quality goes is the cartridge/needle. Just search for "direct drive" on ebay and you should find plenty of listings.

As long as the motor still maintains speed you should be fine. I wouldn't pay more than $30 and you might find something at a pawn shop so you won't have to deal with ebay shipping.

Definitely check your stereo inputs though. The table itself won't amplify the sound (short of the ridiculous digital tables they have now) so you'll need some sort of pre-amp unit or mixer.

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Harry Potter just like the Smurfs and many other things are simply witchcraft made G Rated on the outside but underlying it is still witchcraft and is against the will of God.

Yes, that's a real quote. No, I didn't say it.

NoAC - You really don't understand much about turntables. The sound quality of a turntable cartridge system depends on many things including the quality of the platter bearing, the isolation of the platter from motor vibration, the bearing quality in the tonearm, and so on. To say that all that matters is the cartridge/needle is wrong wrong wrong.

[This message has been edited by SpicewoodAg (edited 10/1/2007 8:58p).]

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The sound quality of a turntable cartridge system depends on many things including the quality of the platter bearing, the isolation of the platter from motor vibration, the bearing quality in the tonearm, and so on.

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The average person isn't going to be able to hear CRAP regarding any sort of platter vibration.

If it's not wonky on speed and they have a decent cartridge it's going to sound fine. No one that isn't bothered by mp3 compression is going to be able to tell the difference.

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Harry Potter just like the Smurfs and many other things are simply witchcraft made G Rated on the outside but underlying it is still witchcraft and is against the will of God.

Yes, that's a real quote. No, I didn't say it.

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quality of the platter bearing, the isolation of the platter from motor vibration, the bearing quality in the tonearm, and so on

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ha~ I'll bet you buy the most expensive Monster Cables too. Seriously, unless your ears are solid gold, you won't be able to hear a difference.

[This message has been edited by AGnCS (edited 10/1/2007 9:26p).]

Ha...I hate Monster and don't believe in snake oil. The basic principle behind good turntables (other than constant rotational speed) is that every vibration caused by the motor, bearing slop, furniture vibration, etc. can be significant compared to the size of the 'wiggle' in the record groove.

Belt drives dramatically reduce motor vibration. Suspended turntables reduce the vibration transmitted from the floor and furniture to the platter. Bearing slop is a smaller factor.

If you just want to play a record - sure go super cheap. But a used belt drive isn't very expensive.

Are you on crack? There's a reason that belt drives are universally cheaper than direct drive tables and that's because they're crap. I'll take an inaudible vibration in a direct drive system over the horrid pitch control on a belt driven system any day.


The flutter on my 1200 is less than .01% You just aren't going to see a belt driven system that can compete with that.

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Harry Potter just like the Smurfs and many other things are simply witchcraft made G Rated on the outside but underlying it is still witchcraft and is against the will of God.

Yes, that's a real quote. No, I didn't say it.

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No one that isn't bothered by mp3 compression is going to be able to tell the difference.

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Just so you know... I'm bothered by CD quality, and hate most mp3's, that's part of the reason why I'm looking into a turntable. I've become spoiled with DVD-A and SACD, but there's just not enough stuff out there for those formats.

If that's the case you're in an EXTREME minority that can detect the difference. I'd go with a middle of the road direct drive. The problem of motor vibration was virtually eliminated 30 years ago. Look for a later model Technics. The 1200 became the industry standard largely because it's built like a freaking tank. You can find some models that came after it that aren't going to take the abuse DJs give them but you don't need something that resilient.

(Ultimately if your hearing is THAT sensitive, you should be going with a laser system, but they're ungodly expensive.)

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Harry Potter just like the Smurfs and many other things are simply witchcraft made G Rated on the outside but underlying it is still witchcraft and is against the will of God.

Yes, that's a real quote. No, I didn't say it.

quote:

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Are you on crack? There's a reason that belt drives are universally cheaper than direct drive tables and that's because they're crap. I'll take an inaudible vibration in a direct drive system over the horrid pitch control on a belt driven system any day.

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Belt drives are universally MORE expensive than direct drive. You have it completely wrong. The Technics units are very popular for DJ because they are well built and their motors withstand all kinds of abuse ("hip-hop scratch". The motors have high torque so they reach speed quickly.

The lower flutter of a direct drive is due to constant servo correction of speed. Belt drives rely on the flywheel effect and although the overall flutter measurement is higher, it changes slowly. I am not aware of a single high quality (audiophile) direct drive made today. Many turntables are manufactured today and most not intended for DJ use are belt drive.

I would take a used $150-$200 Thorens over any Technics turntable ever made.

[This message has been edited by SpicewoodAg (edited 10/2/2007 10:23a).]

I have an old RCA CONSOLE unit from about 1968. Im not into the fancy crap they have. There is absolutely NOTHING that beats the sound of this unit....its great. Its not that its fancy, its that it has the sound and feel of vintage. I dont particularly give a damn about 'great' sound, if i wanted that, id buy a CD version.

Ah well, I knew I was too young to give good turntable advice. I have a Technics one and I like it just fine, but I'm not the audiophile some of you are. Not even close. Actually, this is what I listened to records on as a kid:

crewez - very impressive. Probably worth something if you still have it.

http://www.buy.com/prod/audio-technica-at-lp2da-lp-to-digital-recording-system-with/q/loc/111/204048813.html

Just sent this link to a guy at work that wants to convert Vinyl to Digital.
EDIT: (About $90)
He said the name is a good one.

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Audio-Technica brings its legendary quality and audio fidelity to the digital realm with the creation of the new LP-to-Digital Recording System. In the box, you?ll find everything you need to transfer your classic LPs to digital files: Audio-Technica?s AT-PL50 stereo turntable, complete with built-in switchable phono preamp that allows direct connection to your computer; Cakewalk PYRO software; an audiophile-quality phono cartridge; and an adapter cable. The system is perfect for creating CDs and MP3 player files that get your old tunes off the shelf and into your portable player.

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[This message has been edited by LoudestWHOOP! (edited 10/2/2007 3:00p).]

I have a technics turntable new in box from when I bought my system back in 1992. It was a rack system, but not a cheapo. If you're serious about it, I can peek at the box for model number.