I have a ttusb Numark. It was only $140 when I bought it about 3.5- 4 years ago. I didnt know it then but it was a killer beginner choice. With this model u can upgrade cart and it has traction control, anti skate function, and switchable phono/line function. Just a few months ago, I finally after 3-4 years of collecting vinyl bought an external preamp( $50 Rolls preamp which is very good) and upgraded my cart for first time to an AT-VM95E($50) and bought a cork slipmat from Turntable Lab. Im very pleased with the sound, Everything plays much quieter, and I definetely can hear more detail than before. I will be content for a while with these upgrades and will probably upgrade my turntable next after a while. I reccomend these upgrades first for anyone looking to upgrade for 1st time.
I followed a similar path as you when I got back into vinyl. LP60 then the Project. My current table is a Pioneer PL-530. Over the summer I upgraded my speakers and the decided that over the next year or so, I will move away from the vintage gear and invest in modern equipment. First my amp and then the table.
Great info and advice for beginners! From my understanding (being heavily invested in this hobby for 25 years) the job of a record clamp or weight is to solely couple a record to the platter. Any sonic effects are purely incidental. I actually prefer the sound without them on my VPI Prime. Only use them when a record is slipping on the platter (causing speed fluctuations) caused by warps or being dished etc.
Great video, One thing I would say is to research before you buy anything on your vinyl journey. I started almost two years ago and have learned quite a lot and have yet to learn much more when it comes to matching audio equipment. My first gift was a Crosley from my wife for Christmas. In a couple of months and a few records more I upgraded to the AT-LP120 which was considered quite the jump. Unfortunately I found out that the audio signal would still pass the preamp in line mode. Couple months (and several records) more and finally I upgraded to the Rega Planar 1 and the Schiit Mani with a Marantz PM6006 integrated amp. Thanks to Hivinyws on recommending the P1 and the Mani because honestly it's a great setup. A couple things I do have to say is that the P1 has been known for having very quiet audible buzzing. It never did affect the music but just the idea that it's there always bothered me. Finally a month ago I pulled the trigger for a very well priced Marantz TT-15 and just like Devoted To Vinyl said, this turntable is DEAD quiet. I love it! Hope to keep this turntable for several years. Hope you guys enjoy your vinyl journey. Take your time and figure out what you're looking for when it comes to analog music. Kind regards.
In the process of doing a nearly complete system upgrade. Reasons: it's been 2 years since my last upgrade, I wanted a remote and tone controls, I want some speakers to match the quality of my system and size of my room, and I want tubes in the phono stage
Buying new gear should be a musical (and technical) journey. If you started out with the best wine in the world, you'd never have a reference point for comparison. You might think Boone's Farm is just as good. But having started out sensibly, with say a $250 turntable then moving up to $500 or a $1000 one with a few cartridges and/or preamp changes along the way over a period of a few years, will allow you to more closely hear why your set up sounds better (and when you reach the point of diminishing returns). Not rushing it is great advice Michael. Happy Holiday season to you! Hang in there.
I have three turntables and one was purchased when I sold hi-fi in the mid-70's - and is still my favorite. One thing I've learned about this hobby - and I'm talking about being an audiophile, not music lover - is that there is a desire to make your stuff better. Fact is, turntables are a bit like houses. If you want to make it better, the best option is to sell it and move into a better house, rather than add rooms, etc. The exceptions are two: 1. you love the location and property. 2. you want to flip it. And the same is true here. If you want a better turntable, get a better turntable. Your (the at you mention in the beginning of the video) original tt is good for the price, but it is at the lower end of "entry level". And the solution, tying into your point in the video, is not to spend money and time improving it. The solution is to get a better one. And once you get into the $200 price range (without cartridge), you really can be set for life. And here is the kicker: I love vinyl and whenever I'm listening to music, and ONLY listening to music (i.e. Iim not listening to music while doing something else) It's always vinyl. It's about the whole experience. But if all I cared about was sound quality, I'd sell all my vinyl and just go digital. It sounds better, unless you've spent a hefty five or six figures on the turntable and cartridge alone, and expect to spend the time and money to clean records and set up the turntable with weights (including outer ring weight) to make it sound almost as good as digital. And yeah. Once you get into the $200 turntable range, you can really improve the sound simply by upgrading your cartridge, or often, even just the stylus. The only difference between an ortifon Red and the Blue is the stylus. And it does make a difference. But even then, the ear has to be trained to hear it.
I should add that none of my turntables are super exotic. In fact, the third one is the one that gets most of the use (It has a built in pre-amp and I use it at gigs, plugged directly into my mixing board). It's the infamous Audio Technica AT LP120 usb. The other two are a Kenwood KD 500 with an ADC LMF II tonearm, and a Yamaha PF-50. Yeah. I only do direct drive.
I've had my initial setup since 2017. It consisted of the U-Turn Orbit with an acrylic platter, cueing lever, Grado Prestige Black1, built-in Pluto, Schiit Magni 2, and Sennheiser HD 598SE. Then I upgraded my headphones to the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX (Basically just HD 650) and now I am finally upgrading my setup again with a Nagaoka MP-110 and a center weight. I'm also trying my Alesis M1A320USB pair that I've had since 2017 with it a little more so I'm not just using headphones all the time. Eventually I will get a an external phono preamp and other gear but the Pluto has served me well.
Terrific, practical advice. 👍👍👍 I've owned three turntables over the past 40 years, and because I play so much vinyl, reliability turned out to be the deciding factor for my upgrades. The belt gave out on the first, a JVC LA-11, after 10 years. The anti-skate gave out on the second, a Yamaha P500 direct drive, after 20 years. So for, so good with the third turntable, a Technics SL-1200 Mk2, which I've had for about 5 years.
Just found your channel and have been watching some videos, some really good advice here. I just got my first turntable for Christmas, a Victrola Empire 6 in 1. For a beginner like me it's perfect, it can play 33-1/3s, 45s, and 78s, it has a built in speaker, and it plays my other forms of audio too (bluetooth, aux, CDs, and cassettes) plus a FM radio. For $90 it was a no brainer for me, and I can still use it even with only 3 records in my collection so far.
My first record player was a Crosley . I didn’t keep it long because the sound was just flat An I had crappy speakers lol A few months back when I started my Vinyl journey again. I did a little research on the Sony PS-LX310BT an over all it received great reviews. This Sony record player puts out great sound. Going to hold on to this bad boy for a min. I may decide to upgrade sometime in future but right now I’m happy with what I have.
I'm so glad I saw this, I'm just thinking of getting into vinyl and can't decide if I should go all out and get a expensive turntable with all the bells and whistles, after watching this most likely will go with a cheaper turntable and work my way up slowly. Thanks for the great video.
So, Mike, a trade off is always, in audio, My Dual Idler 1229 has been mine for 55 years and the sandbox , Funk Carbon plater mate and a Grace F-9 Rudy cantilever and HE stylus. Learn what you like , I love horns the only table I would move on now is the new Garrad 301. The bank would own me then. Making and learning ,studying and walking the road less used is me . Get a Dual 1229 and never want more
Break in is also a factor. I strongly recommend not judging the sound of a player (or any equipment for that matter) in the first few hours. My rega needed about 3O continuous play. After that the sound improved significantly.
Great video 👍 start low price and move up over the years... There's nothing better than getting new upgrade hifi and hearing the difference . I have just done that very thing! After 30 years of buying hifi and vinyl I have just got my ultimate sistem 😁😁😁...... Or have I. ! ''
Great advice!. I was into vinyl since 2011, LP 60 was my 1st tt. Then Denom dp300f, that was ok table but started to have speed issues & motor noise. After long research i just receltly ordered Music Hall MMF 7.3.
I started with the ATLP120XUSB not to expensive, not too cheap, it has some functions that im sure will keep me interested in the medium for the longrun like being able to convert the vinyl to MP3, since my main goal with vinyl is getting music that is hard to find or not available in digital media, cant wait for it to be here, already got some records ready :D
Is it easy to upgrade from a turntable with a speaker in it, my mom bought me one, not knowing the bad audio quality and other issues. For my birthday, should I first get a 100 dollar starter turntable (audio technica)or jump straight to a higher quality turntable? Also what is a good speaker suggestion or price range (I have a pair of bad quality speaker). Also I love your channel very informative! ❤️
Thanks for watching. I think it depends on how committed you are to the hobby. If you know you're in vinyl for the long haul, you can and probably should splurge a bit more. You could also try getting a solid, but not too expensive, manual turntable, and over time, simply upgrade things like the cartridge or phono preamp so that you can slowly get a feel for how different hardware/components change your sound.
@@DevotedtoVinyl Thanks for the help, I definitely really enjoy vinyl, but I’ll wait a while to make sure I’m committed (probably will be) to make some of the upgrades you said. 😁
I have a Sony bluetooth turn table and I think its pretty good :) I was just thinking of upgrading my cartridge, I wa thinking of getting the audio technica ATN3600L. any recomadations? also thinking of getting a record weight! love love ur vids just found u and subscribed! thanks
@Devoted To Vinyl Just found this channel from your website. Great content! I’m getting g back into Vinyl after decades away and love the advice on slow upgrades. Gotta understand WHY those speakers @$2000/ pair are better than the $200 ones Currently have an inexpensive all-in-one unit my wife got me a few years back - looking to snag a Bluetooth enabled spinner because of room placement constraints. Any opinions on the AudioTechnica or Sony Offerings with BT ? Thanks for any insight!
Thanks for your comment! Yes, I started off with an Audio Technical AT-LP60. Nice, inexpensive starter turntable. They do make a Bluetooth version. You may want to give that a try.
I think they are great too, although I personally have a little less experience with them. But in my experience with them, they can be really excellent if in good working condition. I think the big thing to factor into your consideration is, if something were to break on it, how hard or expensive would it be to repair a 40 or 50 year old turntable?
Good advice! Just don’t start too cheap as very cheap turntable’s or a record player can damage your records. At 20 to 30 dollars record, that’s not a good idea. Should start around 250 to 300 on that first table. After all everyone has an 800.00 phone in their back pocket and don’t question the reason at all. Thanks, good advice!
Waiting to upgrade because you'll notice a big difference between a ceramic and a magnetic cartridge is an awful argument. Buy the best you can afford. Vinyl is inferior to digital until you spend a lot of money. Plain and simple.
