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-   -   Today's pet peeve (http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=18135)

gmku 12.05.2007 08:17 AM

Oh. That would be on the cheap side, actually. And probably not worth the 100 bucks. If you're serious about a turntable, you should be prepared to spend at least 200, and that will get you an entry-level average audio quality turntable. I myself spent about 350 a number of years back that is, admittedly, only an entry-level table into the middle range of audiophile quality. As serious as I am about LPs, I should really spend at least 500 to 700 to upgrade to a much better table, but money doesn't grow on trees around here.

At the same time, I have a very serviceable table. You can get something good for around 200.

Keep these things in mind:

1. Stick with a reliable brand like Technics, Philips, Sony, etc.
2. Buy the best cartridge you can afford. The best deal for the money is Grado. A great cartridge can make even a low-end table sound great.
3. Have an audio technician install the cartridge, because it's tricky to align it properly. Unless you do get a cheap table in which case generally the cartridge just plugs in.
4. Try to get a table with something that lets you make minor adjustments in the platter speed. These usually come with a little strobe on the side that tracks the speed to let you know if it's adjusted properly. This also allows you to slow down or speed up a track if you don't think it sounds right as recorded. I have a couple of Stones bootlegs, for example, that sound like the tape machine ran the tape too slow, so the resulting LP sounds fast. The VU LP of Max's in Kansas City is also a little like this.

gmku 12.05.2007 08:59 AM

Just switch "vinyls" out with "LPs" in your use of the English language, and you and I will get along fine.

█████████ 12.05.2007 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmku
Just switch "vinyls" out with "LPs" in your use of the English language, and you and I will get along fine.

not all vinyl records are LP's so that would be wrong.

gmku 12.05.2007 09:21 AM

Holy fuck nuts. Okay, switch to "records" then.

Please, just anything but "vinyls."

gmku 12.05.2007 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nefeli
noncando. its a cannot not a i dont wanna.
btw i do use both. vinyls and lps. turntables and recordplayers. in addition, we have a third word for each, that i dont use here.


Your obstinence will not win points with me.

✌➬ 12.05.2007 09:26 AM

Is there a difference between them two?

floatingslowly 12.05.2007 10:01 AM

the nerve of that old man and his victrola-fascism!

be nice to nef lest ye want a hex.

Savage Clone 12.05.2007 10:38 AM

Plus he can't spell "obstinance."

Phlegmscope 12.05.2007 01:59 PM

tonights pet peeve:

Why didn't I start drinking earlier?
Now I have to drink faster because I'm in a hurry. and I'm getting drunk fast.
damn it.

gmku 12.05.2007 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savage Clone
Plus he can't spell "obstinance."


Yes, I can. o b s t i n a n c e. See!

Cantankerous 12.05.2007 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmku
Oh. That would be on the cheap side, actually. And probably not worth the 100 bucks. If you're serious about a turntable, you should be prepared to spend at least 200, and that will get you an entry-level average audio quality turntable. I myself spent about 350 a number of years back that is, admittedly, only an entry-level table into the middle range of audiophile quality. As serious as I am about LPs, I should really spend at least 500 to 700 to upgrade to a much better table, but money doesn't grow on trees around here.

At the same time, I have a very serviceable table. You can get something good for around 200.

Keep these things in mind:

1. Stick with a reliable brand like Technics, Philips, Sony, etc.
2. Buy the best cartridge you can afford. The best deal for the money is Grado. A great cartridge can make even a low-end table sound great.
3. Have an audio technician install the cartridge, because it's tricky to align it properly. Unless you do get a cheap table in which case generally the cartridge just plugs in.
4. Try to get a table with something that lets you make minor adjustments in the platter speed. These usually come with a little strobe on the side that tracks the speed to let you know if it's adjusted properly. This also allows you to slow down or speed up a track if you don't think it sounds right as recorded. I have a couple of Stones bootlegs, for example, that sound like the tape machine ran the tape too slow, so the resulting LP sounds fast. The VU LP of Max's in Kansas City is also a little like this.

my turntable was like $130 and it's fucking sped up so everything sounds about 1/2 step higher in pitch, so maybe now it goes at 34 1/2 or 35 rpm.

gmku 12.05.2007 09:53 PM

Is it a belt drive. Sometimes it just means replacing the belt, if it's worn.

Cantankerous 12.05.2007 09:59 PM

are you serious? i bought it less than two years ago.

gmku 12.05.2007 11:07 PM

Sure, but it gets used a lot, right? It's not that big a deal, really. Belts are cheap, and easy to replace--if that's indeed the problem. It's a belt-drive, right, not motor drive? With a belt drive, all you have to do is slip off the platter (they usually come right up off the spindle), and the belt slips off like a rubber band from a finger. Easy. Slip the new one on.

If it's a direct-drive, motor turntable, though, I don't know much about how those work.

Cantankerous 12.05.2007 11:26 PM

i have no idea. it's some kind of a sony. i'll see if i can find it on amazon or somehting

Cantankerous 12.05.2007 11:27 PM


 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PSLX250H-Turntable/dp/B00005T3XH/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=11969152 07&sr=8-1

yeah it's belt drive
and it was only $100

gmku 12.05.2007 11:32 PM

Yes, good for you. They're better, in my h.o. Quieter, more reliable. That's a good turntable, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong with it, really, especially regarding speed. It almost has to be a worn belt. Find a good audio store and ask for one. Or I think you could order it from a place like The Needle Doctor online.

Maybe check with an audio place first to see if there's any other reason it should be speeding up, but a belt drive is usually so simple (just a belt) that it's hard to think what else it could be.

Cantankerous 12.05.2007 11:48 PM

eh. i'll deal with it until bob dylan sounds like alvin and the chipmunks.


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