two turntables and a saxamaphone

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socialist_swinger
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two turntables and a saxamaphone

#1 Post by socialist_swinger » Tue Sep 28, 2004 9:39 am

i have recently acquired a small collection of of music (approx 120 LPs., a dozen cds, and some headphones for a modest $50) at a friend's g-ma's estate sale. they had a LOT of asskickin music, primarily buddy rich, woody herman, and stan kenton, and i have no way to play it!

my collection of records has gone from 5 to 125, and where as before i'd just forget about'em, but now i wanna spin from'em. i don't know the first thing about turntables tho, cuz since i started djing 3 or 4 years ago, i only had cds. so what should i look for? i was going to just buy somethin cheap from ebay, but thought that since its an investment of sorts, i might as well treat it like one.

is there a good brand?
are there options i should look for?
are there specific places (online) that i should go to to find one?
i'd also eventually like to get the music onto a computer, then onto cds, at some point, so are there any things the turntable needs in order to do it?

any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

detroit john

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Jerry_Jelinek
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#2 Post by Jerry_Jelinek » Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:31 am

John,

First the LP collection sounds great. Just getting some Herman, Rich and of course Stan the man makes the LP collection great.

In regards to turntables. Your first priority is to make sure your amplifier can take a 'phono' or turntable input.

The output signal from a turntable will not be like a CD output. The amplifier has to have the proper analog input circuitry to hear the music.

Next, for turntable you don't want to go cheap. The phono cartridge will be as important as the turn table. I've been out of the market for this equipment for 20+ years.

In just doing a quick search for turntable buying guides, I came across this:

http://www.tracertek.com/st100.htm

AMAZING it has a SPDIF built in. No need for an amplifier with this little gem. Plug it directly into your CD burner or SPDIF input on the computer. Slick.

At the radio station I think we have Technics SL-1210MK2 Turntables. These are heavy duty DJ style turntables. The allow for manual cueing of tracks easily.

I also found a slick information web site that may help you in your decisions:

http://www.turntablebasics.com/

In quickly glancing at this site, it looks to have very good information about cartridges and turntables.

Generally speaking the cheaper turntables will have worse sound, have higher forces on the LPs (lower life) and generally not be worth the effort.

I would expect to pay between $300 to $1000 on good turntable equipment. It may be more than your willing to spend, but get the money and enjoy the sounds of the LPs.

Also get some good LP cleaner and stylus cleaning equipment. That can drastically help remove surface noise like clicks and pops.

Jerry

socialist_swinger
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#3 Post by socialist_swinger » Tue Sep 28, 2004 2:31 pm

thanks for the help!

KevinSchaper
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#4 Post by KevinSchaper » Fri Oct 01, 2004 5:13 pm

yeah - if you're not moving it around, you're prolly good to go with the stanton st100, but it doesn't seem particularly rugged. I've had a numark ttx1 for few years, and I think it's solidness is worth the extra price over the stanton.

the other one to check out for spdif output is denon's - I think it's like $250. Denon has a great rep for digital stuff, so it might be the best A/D conversion of the bunch - but I'd try to play with one in person before taking it too seriously.

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Yakov
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#5 Post by Yakov » Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:21 pm

and in the other corner, we have the poor man's turntable:

Image

very portable, includes headphone and RCA jacks, snap-on cover and handle for totin', three speeds. (they sell a sep. stylus for shellac 78s but they work ok with the included stylus)
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--VESHANDYTRAX
i bought mine this summer and it's been treatin' me right. undoubtedly more money gets more playa, but this is probably the best you can do for $130.

-yakov.

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