? for Turntable Newbie

[lbangs]

Alright, I broke down and picked up a cheap turntable. I temporarily hooked it up to a minisystem we have in the bedroom. I'm pretty sure I set it up correctly, but when I play a record, I only hear very faint music when turning the volume all the way up.

Now, I have a bad feeling that despite what every salesperson told me during my shopping research (about a month now) that I need a preamp to play it in the bedroom. Am I right? If so, how much can I expect to pay for a cheap one? If not, what is wrong?

Thanks, all. I was very nervous finally taking the step to a phonograph, but now I'm wondering if I blew it. Somebody, please, help this newbie!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[Sckott]

Yeah, you need an appropriate pre. If it's a cheap turntable, try going to Radio Shack or looking on eBay for the $20 turntable pre's they sell. That will work. Don't buy tons of pre expense for an inex. turntable.

[Steve Hoffman]

You need a phono stage.... Doesn't cost much.

[lbangs]

Alright, for the inexperienced guy...

Is a preamp and a phono stage the same thing? Where can I get one (can I really grab one at Radio Shack?), and how much dough are we talking here?

Thanks, all. I appreciate the help. I feel like a freaking fool right now.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[Steve Hoffman]

Not your fault, your salesman should have known better.

In the old days (1980's I guess), if you bought an Intergrated amp, or preamp, there would have been a phono pre inside for your turntable.

Now, you just get a "linestage" I guess, in other words, for gear that is already at "line level", like CD players. In order to get a turntable up to line level, you need a "pre" pre, like a step up device. So nowadays, you have to buy it separate from the line stage, unless otherwise noted.

Sckott and the good folks on this forum can advise you how to pick up an inexpensive pre for your turntable. It's easy!

[lbangs]

Thanks, all!

Yes, I'll gladly take anyone's advice on getting a cheap preamp for this puppy.

By the way, I know this is probably wanky, but the turntable I have has an automatic arm. Is this a terrible thing? Anyway, it was a Pioneer PL-L30. It worked fine hooked up to a friend's system. I paid $35. Was I taken, or did I do alright?

Gosh, after years of becoming a CD expert, it is quite an experience to jump into a new field where you are once again a slobbering idiot. Thanks all for your patience and help. Am I going to be out a ton of dough for this phono preamp? Help!

Thanks again.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[Steve Hoffman]

It has a "return" arm? When the record is over the arm comes back? No big deal.. It will get you started in the world of analog just fine for now.

[lbangs]

Well, not exactly. The arm is moved electronically with buttons. A button moves it left, another moves it right, another lower and raises the arm. He says it cuts down on record wear. It looked goofy to me, and I'm sure it is Not A Good Thing, but as I've said before - I'm a poor man, and after looking for a few years, finding something other than a Fisher Price turntable for $35 was worth a chance...

Are these arms evil, or no big deal?

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[Ben]

Either of these will work...cheap enough:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1377182641


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1377282937


And, of course, the Rat Shack will have the about the same thing for about the same price....


Happy Vinyl Spinning!


Ben

[Sckott]

Definately use that turntable as a mere introduction to analog. Don't dip your feet into something expensive yet, until you're good and ready.

Analog can be cornflakes to caviar. You may or may not find audio nirvana, but you will be aware of what good a used record store can do to put a smile on your face for almost nothing.

[Ben]

Originally posted by Sckott
Definately use that turntable as a mere introduction to analog. Don't dip your feet into something expensive yet, until you're good and ready.




Very good advice, indeed!

[lbangs]

Alright, scored a phono preamp. Special thanks to all for help realizing I needed this and locating one.

Since I now have spent around $75 on this endeavor (which is a pretty *huge* amount of money in our house right now), my wife agreed to let me take it out of the bedroom and into the living room and, hence, into my main system (as long as I hide it). After fiddling with the grounding for a few minutes, I finally got a chance to hear my new toy.

I picked up four albums at the used record shop down the street for about $12 - Led Zeppelin IV, Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, The B-52s' debut (wanted to get something my wife likes as well; on my own, I would have grabbed The Animals' Greatest Hits), and Neil Young's Decade.

Verdict - If this is what a cheapo record player sounds like, why o why have I not had one before now? Bruce didn't sound too much different, but Led sounded better than either my remaster or original CD ever did, and B-52's never sound quite so lovably quirky and, darn it all, impossible not to dance to.

Neil, however, took the cake. Night and day. Decade has always been one of my favorites, but I felt like I just heard it for the first time. Holy tamale. I'm floored.

My wife listened to a side of the B-52s and enjoyed it, and then, a miracle. She was walking through the room, paused, sat down, and stated that she enjoyed a Neil Young song! A first! The miracles just don't cease, folks.

So, in summary, THANK YOU to everyone who aided in this scary little experiment, and God bless anybody who said anything on this forum to convince me to save my pennies and give analog a shot. I've been converted, and considering used records go for around $3-5 a pop in my city, the economics are great as well.

I'm a believer. Hallelujah!

Now, for what has to be a bit of a change of pace nowadays, I'm looking to rebuy most of my catalogue on vinyl!

Anyway, thanks to all. I've said it before, I'll say it again: God, I love this site!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[Vinyl-Addict]

My wife listened to a side of the B-52s and enjoyed it, and then, a miracle. She was walking through the room, paused, sat down, and stated that she enjoyed a Neil Young song! A first! The miracles just don't cease, folks.

Neil sounds better on vinyl, no doubt. :)

I'm a believer. Hallelujah!

Look out world, lbangs is on the loose!!! :cheers:

Led Zeppelin is a prime example of digital gone bad, enjoy your new toy. :)

[Sckott]

Decade is a great set, but you may find the single albums "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and "After The Gold Rush" will even sound better. Just keep looking for a mint copy. You'll notice a difference immediately.

[lbangs]

Thanks, Sckott and Vinyl-Addict! I'm keeping my eyes open for After the Goldrush and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. I've located a used copy of Physical Graffiti, my second favorite Zep, and will probably pick that up soon. In fact, almost every Led Zep title is very easy to find cheap here. I found a $4 copy of Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story, and I'm enjoying that quite a bit. Rod before the fall.

Unfortunately, locating some of my favorite albums in Tulsa will be a problem, so I'll have to turn to the Internet. Not many Beatles, Dylan, or Costello lps here, and almost nothing post-1984. Still, plenty of yummy 60s-70s albums to pick up!

BTW, anybody know of a good FAQ page for new vinyl folks? I wouldn't mind scanning a list of tips about storage, cleaning, etc.

Again, thanks all! I'm pretty happy right now!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[PsychFan]

Originally posted by lbangs
BTW, anybody know of a good FAQ page for new vinyl folks?

You may want to try here (http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/d.pl?audio/faq.html) . Scroll down to "Turntables & Vinyl." Lots of valuable info there ...

[lbangs]

Good site, Jeff. Thanks!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[quadjoe]

Hi lbangs: Since you are discovering the joys of analog, you should definately pick up a copy of Santana "Abraxas". My vinyl Lp of it blows away every CD version of it that I have heard. If you can pick it up, look for an SQ Quadraphonic copy, which will play perfectly well in stereo, but the pressings were generally better. Enjoy!

[sgraham]

Originally posted by lbangs
Well, not exactly. The arm is moved electronically with buttons. A button moves it left, another moves it right, another lower and raises the arm. He says it cuts down on record wear.

Not likely!

The Pioneer turntables introduced in the late 1970's were the first really decent cheap turntables. If it's one of those it's not such a bad place to start. The only problem with auto-return arms is that they use a mechanical gizmo to sense when the arm moves quickly into the runout grooves. That's what trips the mechanism to lift the arm and shut off the table. The ones in the Pioneers were very good, just make sure there's no binding towards the end of the record side.

Do try to make sure your stylus is in good shape (it is *not* permanent), and that you are not tracking too lightly. Mistracking from too-low force causes much more wear than being a bit too heavy.

Now just keep your eyes peeled for a better preamp; and then... welcome to slipperyslopeville!

[lbangs]

Thanks, sgraham and quadjoe! I'll certainly watch for a vinyl Abraxas, as I love that album.

This is a late 70s Pioneer, and while I never really bought the load about cutting down on record wear, the price was right, and I bit.

The record player ain't bad. Unfortunately, I believe it runs a slight bit fast, but it does not have an adjustment for this, so I'm not sure how to fix that. Otherwise, I'm thrilled; yes, I have been spending all of my free dough lately on vinyl!

Again, I greatly appreciate everyone's help!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

[BradOlson]

For my minisystem stereo, my boss gave a Gemini PMX-100 preamp mixer today that although it doesn't work perfectly it works great for my stereo and it does give me the phono preamp I needed. The only things RCA I have with my stereo is the bookshelf stereo receiver itself and the speakers. With the turntable connected to the mixer, I can mix the sound I want to come out of the vinyl. In other words, I have made my bookshelf stereo as upgradeable as can be.