[mlundy57]

This is not a new question, there is even a sticky here for this newbie question but it has been a few years since the answer was updated so I will ask again.  What turntable and/or cartridge would you recommend for getting back into vinyl?

To help the discussion, a little about my past vinyl experience might be useful. This will actually be pretty brief because I have only had one turntable for my entire adult life. That was a Rega Planar 3 I bought new in 1981. I don’t remember which cartridge it originally came with but I upgraded it to a Goldring 1500 (I think that was the number) in ’85-’86. Amplification was a NAD 3020 with Keff 303.3 speakers.

I say was because when we moved in 2008 my wife said that since I hadn’t been listening to my records  in awhile we were not going to pay to move my gear and the large speakers (she wanted to get tiny Bose speakers – now that’s ironic). So I gave my turntable, accessories and all my vinyl away. Yes, you read that correctly, I gave it all away, boy was I a putz.

Now I am thinking that was a terrible mistake and that I might like to get back into vinyl, even if only in a limited way. The music I would most likely listen to in vinyl would be classical, jazz, movie soundtracks, and acoustic.

My system would consist of the turntable; a phono preamp (currently the only one I have is built into my Marantz SR-7008 which I would upgrade later on if I choose to stick with vinyl); a Dodd Audio tube buffer; a PrimaLuna Prologue 4; and a pair of bi-amped, full range, open baffle speakers. The midrange and tweeter units are powered by the PrimaLuna while the stereo bass modules are each powered by their own plate amp (hence the irony I mentioned earlier).

So to the other variable, budget. I realize more is better but I can’t afford a lot right now. New is good but used is perfectly fine. $750 would be the most I could comfortably go.  $1,000 might be possible but would be a real pinch. Anything higher would require working a trade for part of the cost. On the flip side I don’t want to fall into the trap of spending too little and ending up with something guaranteed to displease and thereby cause me to give up prematurely.

So back to my question, What turntable and/or cartridge combo would you recommend for this re-newbie?

Mike

[twitch54]

as someone who has been listening to vinyl for 50 plus years here's my take on your dilemma ……………save your money.

Simply put, you have no Lp's to even start with. I see zero logic in todays world starting down the analog path from scratch. Now, with that being said I'm not giving up on my analog journey, but then my LP's number in the thousands …….

[Letitroll98]

I look at all of the news tables in that price range and I keep going back to used tables.  It would be hard to beat a VPI HW-19 with any of the $700 new tables I see.  I'm sure there are other used tables that could be recommended as well, I like the VPI products.

[neobop]

Far be it for me to discourage anyone wanting to get (back) into records, but Twitch has a point.   Prior to '08 you had the basics and were disinterested. 

Well, I guess you've thought this over and people can change their mind.  You don't need thousands of records to enjoy playing some, and they can be accumulated a few at a time. 
If you're in a position to buy used records you should have the ability to clean them and perhaps that should be part of your initial purchase. 

A used table makes more sense in your situation, but exactly what, I'm not sure.  I like older direct drives you can get for a few hundred.  Then you could spend the rest on all the little necessities and records. 

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649212040-vintage-yamaha-ypd71-direct-drive-turntable-very-nice-example/

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649226149-kenwood-kd500-turntable-with-grace-g707-tonearm/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-DP-57L-Direct-Drive-Turntable-Stereo-Home-Audio-Component-Hi-Fi-/161903039223?hash=item25b22c52f7:g:Tq4AAOSw~bFWOm3k

There are many belt drives you could also get.
neo

[mlundy57]

Thanks all

I routinely spend $20 to $50, depending on format and sampling frequency, for a high def download so the cost of LP's is not really an issue. My LP collection never was that large to begin with, only about 50 albums and only 2 of those were master recordings.

I agree that buying used would give me the most bang for the buck, that's how I've bought all my tube gear. However, due to all the variables involved and the fact that a salesman at the only brick and mortar store in the area where I can actually listen to a couple of different brands (Pro-Ject and Marantz/Clearaudio) has spent a fair amount of his time working with me, I have decided to go with a new Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon with a Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge.

I'm not trying to get the nth degree from the vinyl, after all, in my old system vinyl was my lo-fidelity source. My hi-fidelity source was my 10" Reel-to-Reel. I also don't see vinyl ever replacing my HD digital collection which I will listen to most of the time. If for no other reason than I am basically lazy. Additionally I don't expect a $1,700 analog front end ($1,000 for TT/cart and $700 for a tube phono preamp to come down the road) to be in the same league as my $4k digital front end.

So why shell out any money on vinyl? Mainly to provide a different experience when I'm in the mood for it. If it sounds good to me and I enjoy it, well, that's all I'm after. If not, I'll sell the TT and not be out too much for the experiment. At least I'll have satisfied my curiosity.

Mike

[mresseguie]

Hi, Mike.

I wanted to wait until after you'd decided to share with you (all) a little.

Like you, Mike, I'm mostly digital. I only re-joined this addiction er hobby about three years ago after a very long hiatus. I sold my TT to my sister back in 1989 and my vinyl to a used record shop. Early this year, I picked up a used (but reconditioned) Sony TT for $75 and bought 17 very clean used LPs from an AC guy.

I once loved playing LPs and dreaming about this or that stylus, but I just haven't had that flame re-ignited yet. I listened to about 1/2 of the LPs and liked the sound, but there was no 'Wow!'. Sure, the TT and cartridge aren't so great. I wonder if I've become lazy with digital. It's just so easy to play from my Mac Mini or stream TIDAL.

I hope you get the enjoyment you seek. I'll give it another shot once I'm back in my house next year.

Enjoy!

[twitch54]

Mike good luck with your purchase. Now remember, you still need to allocate some $$ for proper record care / cleaning, etc