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need a turntable
Hey guys, I need some help in getting a new turntable. I'm just looking to get my first table, so I don't want anything expensive, especially since I don't have much money. I've started to get a few records, but my dad's old table appears to have a bad cartridge. I was hoping I could just get lucky and find some vintage one on Ebay or CL for around $50 or so. Any recommendations on brands to look out for or certain things to look for? Additionally, feel free to pm me if anyone has anything extra within my budget :2:
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Why not just replace the cart on your Dad's table? There are Audio Technica carts which come in at $35 and sound pretty good.
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it would be good to know what the dads tt is. poppa could be right.
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It's a onkyo cp-1022a. are those cartridges really decent for that price? I just assumed that any decent cartridge (based on what i've read here) would cost at least $100. I figured I'd have a better chance of getting a steal for something used as a full package. But maybe the difference is you guys have much higher standards, and I'm only looking to make something workable with decent sound, not anything extraordinary.
So maybe I can actually get a new, decent cartridge? Is this by chance the one you're referring to? http://www.needledoctor.com/Audio-Te...2&category=363
and do you have any recomendations for places to purchase from? i've never bought this type of stuff before
thanks!!
edit: also, a friend is willing to sell me a shure M103 NOS for $70. says its way better than anything i could find for my budget.
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I was referring to the AT 90CD. It actually has an adaptor so you can mount it as a standard cart also. I had this cart gifted to me from my local shop. I laughed at first, but after mounting it I stopped laughing. I bet this would compete with certain carts right up to the $50 mark. It was well balanced, clear and detailed and tracked excellently. Admittedly, I was using it primarily as a cart to rip LPs with, and only a bit of listening.
I have since sold it with a deck, but those rips came out glorious sounding. Good enough to satisfy myself and a few other audiophiles who received the files. Anyhow, it certainly changed my outlook on true entry level carts.
A couple of things.
First...what's your budget, $50? If so then I would suggest spending it all on a new cart. Regarding your friends cart, I have no knowledge. I would firstly recommend ensuring that it is a TRUE nos cart, that is, NEVER used before. After that you should check if there is stylii currently available for replacement. What if after 2 weeks of ownership, you accidentaly break the stylus? You need to have something in the wings.
Secondly, if you are considering to spend $70, how much harder can it be to put together a few more bucks for something really nice in the $100 range? If you want a great Shure, new for $70 range I would highly rec the Shure M97xe. Amazon.com has been selling them for $55 with free shipping. This is a cart that used to sell regularily for $100!! From there if you save up, for $120 you can get a special stylus called a JICO for it. That will make you an analog superstar for very little money.
Your idea about a table w/ deck for $50 is a bit flawed. If you do receive a cart it will most likely be used, and by used I am talking badly. Would you want to put a cart which you really don't know about on your nice shiny LPs? What if the tip is damaged? You will ruin those minty grooves.
Just some food for thought.
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Oh yes, sorry. Needle Doctor, LPGear and Amazon are all fine sellers.
I double checked at Amazon for you. The Shure M97xe is indeed in stock and only $54.95 with free shipping. You should be doing a happy dance because for your budget you will not do any better, unless you buy used.
I own this cart, and so do several other members. It's infamous in the annals of entry audiophile carts.
The quality of this exceeds your expectations and surely every reasonable assumption regarding your budget. This is it...
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If you think that cart is decent for $35 then that's what my budget is. my budget is more of a mental one than physical. i could buy a $500 table. But I'm not going to. I have other priorities. for example I just started a cd collection and have gotten up to almost 150. I don't even have a real nice cd player yet, just a vintage kenwood 5 disc that i bought on CL. I only have about 20 records, so I'm not going to blow my money on something that isn't worth it to me.
at this stage, records are more of a novelty to me. i don't have the money to start up a serious record collection and everything. but when i find a $2 vinyl at a flea market, theres no better feeling than buying it and throwing it on the table. but i don't need world class sound to get that feeling. i really just want something that will sound good enough (cd quality is my standard.. so it shouldn't be too hard), and something that won't wreck my records.
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Order a Red Ed for $13.95 at this page and you'll not likely be disappointed...
http://www.edsaunders.com/reded.htm
Or even better...go lavish and get the elliptical for $27.95. These are actually supposed to be decent cartridges that are ordinarily re-badged and sold for higher prices under names like Goldring and Music Hall.
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Dang noob that is a great deal. I may pick one up for 78's. I have a nice Coleman hawkins book of 78s rright now.
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Hell, for that price it's very worth it for me to try just to see how much I'll actually use my table. Are the stylus's sold separately, or are those just extras listed below each model? And will it work with my table I'm assuming?
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When you buy a cartridge you do get a stylus included. The stylus for most moving-magnet cartridges is also available separately but often costs almost as much as a cartridge with the stylus included. That design where it has two screw holes on top is standardized, so if your current cartridge has the two screws through the top this one fits the same.
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Purchased. For $16 shipped, I had to. Although I may not have much to compare to, I'll let you guys know how it goes once I get it. Actually, I'll probably be back asking how to install it :D
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Another enthusiastic vote for a Red Ed elliptical!
I bought one just out of curiosity and mounted it on my secondary 'table. I tell you, I'm giddy over the thing. Having run an AT440 MLa for over a year and spent some time with an Ortofon 2M Red, I can say the Red Ed elliptical performs as well as the AT and much better than the Orto.
And yes, you can get a '78 styus for it PC.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brett A
Another enthusiastic vote for a Red Ed elliptical!
I bought one just out of curiosity and mounted it on my secondary 'table. I tell you, I'm giddy over the thing. Having run an AT440 MLa for over a year and spent some time with an Ortofon 2M Red, I can say the Red Ed elliptical performs as well as the AT and much better than the Orto.
And yes, you can get a '78 styus for it PC.
Are you serious about the 2MRed?
I have the Elan cart and replaced it with the 2M and the 2M is a much better cart and more transparent. while the Elan is more laid back and warmer.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frenchmon
Are you serious about the 2MRed?
I have the Elan cart and replaced it with the 2M and the 2M is a much better cart and more transparent. while the Elan is more laid back and warmer.
The Elan is a conical. I've never heard a Red Ed conical, so i can't comment on it. I bought an elliptical which people say is the same as the Elecktra. (Although they do have the same body)
And yes. I found the Orto to have more distortion and a thicker veil than either the AT440MLa or Red Ed Elliptical.. (Although maybe the 2M would have opened up with some break-in time).
I couldn't get the 2M Red to track without inner groove distortion no matter how much I fussed with it. It was a new cartridge. I was mounting it on a Kenwood direct drive for a friend (KD-3070 I think). And I was running it through a Cambridge 640p.which I had owned and sold to this friend, so I was familiar.
I tried the stock alignment/overhang per Kenwood, then different versions of the Baerwald (I like Vacuum State's White Papers), and even some free-form positioning. It had reliable, undeniable IGD. Unfortunately (perhaps), i have a very low tolerance for any kind of tracking distortion from a cart, so from this experience (I had it about a week) I could never use or recommend the 2M Red--there are too many other better options out there.
Of course, cartridge performance is so dependent on what table and arm you're mounting it on. So I have to remain open to the idea that others have had better experiences with this cart.
Do you find that you get any inner groove distortion with the Ortro mounted on you Music Hall?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brett A
The Elan is a conical. I've never heard a Red Ed conical, so i can't comment on it. I bought an elliptical which people say is the same as the Elecktra. (Although they do have the same body)
And yes. I found the Orto to have more distortion and a thicker veil than either the AT440MLa or Red Ed Elliptical.. (Although maybe the 2M would have opened up with some break-in time).
I couldn't get the 2M Red to track without inner groove distortion no matter how much I fussed with it. It was a new cartridge. I was mounting it on a Kenwood direct drive for a friend (KD-3070 I think). And I was running it through a Cambridge 640p.which I had owned and sold to this friend, so I was familiar.
I tried the stock alignment/overhang per Kenwood, then different versions of the Baerwald (I like Vacuum State's White Papers), and even some free-form positioning. It had reliable, undeniable IGD. Unfortunately (perhaps), i have a very low tolerance for any kind of tracking distortion from a cart, so from this experience (I had it about a week) I could never use or recommend the 2M Red--there are too many other better options out there.
Of course, cartridge performance is so dependent on what table and arm you're mounting it on. So I have to remain open to the idea that others have had better experiences with this cart.
Do you find that you get any inner groove distortion with the Ortro mounted on you Music Hall?
Yes I had IGD with the Red as well as sibilance . But after resetting and break in the cart settled down and tracts nicely and is supper transparent. I've never known, nor heard any one describe Ort carts to be thick. I've got three Ort carts and neither can be described as thick. Sorry about your experience but sometimes a little more time may be needed with some carts to get them to be just right. I love your Well Temperd Table...shes a looker.
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Got the Red Ed in. Are there any good guides to replacing this, and can I do it without buying a specific aligning tool? I 'm fairly certain I know how to set the tracking weight and stuff, but I'm not really sure about alignment.
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Go to www.vinylengine.com sign up and download one of their free stylus protractors. You need one to position the cartridge and stylus correctly.
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Got everything hooked up now and am listening for the first time. I'm overall getting a bit of consistent crackling. Not sure if it's the record or not. If it's not the record, is that most likely an alignment issue or weight issue?
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Crackling could be static or your records. Weight and alignment would cause other effects...not crackling as far as I know.
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Yeah, I did some searching and read that an anti-static cleaner is necessary. I noticed that while all my records are scratch-free they do have dust. I also read that there are some solutions that can be made rather than bought.. is this true?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cgibsong002
Yeah, I did some searching and read that an anti-static cleaner is necessary. I noticed that while all my records are scratch-free they do have dust. I also read that there are some solutions that can be made rather than bought.. is this true?
Yes use 3 to 1 distilled water to isopropyl alcohol. Buy a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store, and don't forget a micro fiber cloth.
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watch it. alcohol is not very good for vinyl. go to the audio asylum vinyl asylum and search alcohol and cleaning records.
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I'm out of touch with current carts. I have a Shure M97xe and SL-1300. Would the Red Ed be an upgrade over the Shure?
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Originally Posted by hifitommy
watch it. alcohol is not very good for vinyl. go to the audio asylum vinyl asylum and search alcohol and cleaning records.
In searching, I've seen a bunch of debate over whether or not alcohol is ok, and everyone seems pretty firm on their stance one way or the other. I think I'm going to just assume either way is fine since both ways work for people.
Now, how fragile are records? I have an old "discwasher" brand cleaning brush that i've been using to very lightly go around the record in a clockwise motion. but then when searching about the solution, i saw many people who recommended scrubbing the records with the solution and a microfiber. is it okay to actually apply some pressure to these and do some scrubbing?
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