Getting started in vinyl playback – advice from an industry pro.
The turntable !
Yes, you are going to need a turntable… There are probably three kinds of turntables out there – 1) New turntables of quality, probably starting at around $500. 2) New turntables of poor quality starting at around $50 and rising in cost to around $500. 3) Used turntables from the heyday of vinyl, say the 70’s and 80’s. These could be further divided into two groups, the all-in-ones (stereograms and 3-in-1s as they were known in the day) and proper turntables (HiFi turntables). Lets take a closer look at the various options.
Lets briefly discuss stereograms, radiograms and 3-in-1s.
They are all more or less the same thing ie. A record player, amplifier and speakers all in the one cabinet. In the case of the ‘3 in 1’ it was generally a turntable, receiver and cassette deck all in one chassis with a pair of speakers thrown in (they threw them in because they were valueless). If you are collecting records and would like to keep them in good nick and hear them at their best, you DO NOT want a radiogram. “Why? They look so retro cool” I hear you ask. Why? Because they were rubbish when they were new and have not improved with age like some kind of electronic fine wine. In this world where almost everything you can buy works, it is perhaps hard to understand the gulf of performance between a proper HiFi system of the 70’s and one of these all-in-one compromises. Some fast facts – Firstly they track at 3 to 4 times the tracking force of a quality modern turntable/magnetic cartridge combo and WILL cause wear to your records with every play. Secondly they sound dreadful. Thirdly they are the olde worlde version of the worst piece of crap you could currently buy, nothing more. They were the cheap music playback solutions of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and cool or otherwise now, they are worn out from sitting around and cannot be successfully repaired. They could possibly be rebuilt if you could find a tech that does that sort of thing but the cost to do the job properly is way more than just buying a decent new stereo. The result will still sound and perform poorly compared to other options discussed here. Just don’t!
Right! Now onto some less hipster cool, but superior sounding options.
Used turntables from the good old days also have issues now that they are getting on in years. The fact is they are all around 30 – 50years old now. Even if little used over these years the materials they are constructed of will have in many cases changed their nature. Rubber parts will either be rock hard, have turned to goo or just perished away to dust. Oils and greases in theory all need to be removed and replaced with fresh. Wiring will be corroded and insulation hardened and inflexible. In regard to brand and model, all old turntables were not made equal. Just because it comes with a wooden plinth (or at least one covered in ‘wood look’ vinyl wrap) may make it ‘retro’ but it doesn’t make it a perfect device to play records on. Even if it is in excellent condition having been professionally rebuilt it’s performance will vary enormously from one brand and model to another. Some experience and research can help you with what’s good and what’s not but in the end price is largely indicative of quality. The bad news is, all the good ones are now bloody expensive! I note from my Googling that for example, old Thorens and Regas are bringing money far beyond the performance they deliver. The bottom line is that if you are buying a used turntable privately without warranty, be careful. Allow perhaps $400 approximately to have a repair tech bring it up to spec or fix any unseen issues. Oh, and there is no old, affordable turntable that sounds better than a new one dollar for dollar. So, once again you are sort of buying nostalgia.
Which brings us to cheap new turntables. I’ll keep this super simple – just DON’T !
They simply don’t play records, don’t go there. ‘Things’ like Marley and Flea Market are best donated back to the Marley foundation or sold at a Flea Market. They don’t spin at consistent speed nor are the tonearms of sufficient quality to allow the stylus to track the groove properly. A nasty cheap cartridge does not help either. Sure they might kinda work out of the box but I have seen these close up and in pieces and the engineering is not pretty. The least expensive Audio Technica, Pioneer etc for $200 or less are also to be avoided If you are serious about maintaining your collection of vinyl in excellent condition. These inexpensive solutions sort of work okay but if you want to enjoy stunning sound quality you will need to spend more, but not much more.
Quality turntables have never been cheaper!
You can buy a simple Project or Rega brand turntable from high $400s to low $500s which is much the same price as they were 40 years ago. For the sake of a meagre half a pay check, buy a good turntable and you simply will not regret it. These things are simple, well made and will last almost forever. The difference in engineering quality between the previously mentioned new turntables and these is light years. I won’t get bogged down with which model from which brand. Visit a HiFi specialist or two in your area and take a listen to either of these brands (or Music Hall and maybe New Horizon). Prepare yourself to be impressed. Clean, lifelike sound with tight weighty bass, and a sweet midrange/top end. Less crackle and pop and more music is what you will also hear.
Between $500 and $1000 also represents the price range where small increases in price bring quite large and easy to hear improvements in performance. Do have a listen to a few alternatives and make sure you are happy with ‘entry level’ quality. It may be that a few hundred more spent now is actually a better investment for you as you improve the rest of your system. Save yourself the hassle of trading up later.
Of course, you will also need a stereo amplifier of some sort and a pair of loudspeakers. I will make some suggestions on what course to set for success with those purchases in a future article.
By the way I’m a bit of a hypocrite as in a previous article I had terrific success with a new Audio Technica cartridge fitted to my Linn Sondek. The results are fantastic, but for the money the Linn owes me plus the new cartridge I could have had a P6 Rega (for example) which out-shines the Linn in a couple of areas of performance. The fact is I wanted the Linn for a variety of reasons including nostalgia. I always wanted one having spent a lifetime working on them. They do have a very charming sound as well, but the Rega is a sharper tool. Why wouldn’t it be being a 40 year newer design of good quality. I love my Linn though and won’t be trading it in anytime soon!
