How to source turntables and LP records

[hemantwaghe]

Just wanted to know what were the advantages of buying a used turntable over a brand new entry level one?
My reference being the brand new turntables you can get for less than 100$ if you have friends in the US, or around 8K if you are buying from india. But the used turntables advertised here seem to be at a similar or higher price point?

I have a brand new Rega RP 1 and when I firs played it, I was shocked! It does not come anywhere near some of the Japanese players of Sony ,Teac ,Pioneer or Technics. When I compared it with Project, I found the Project entry level player to be even worse than the Rega RP 1. But I must say that RP 3 is a really good player. The major difference I found is that these entry level players sound very thin whereas the heavier Japanese players definitely sound warmer.

BTW Rega is not that US$ 100 player it retails for US$ 445 or in uk GBP 230....
resonable good reviews and it comes with ortefon basic cart

NOW imaging how GOOD those 100 US$ TTs will sound..

 

[vkirti]

A "new" 8 k turntable (or a $ 100 TT) is likely to end your interest in Vinyl in no time. The same amount of money is likely to fetch you a decent used TT which you can use for evaluating the Vinyl sound. IMHO you should spend the same amount of money which would get you a new Rega or Project on an old Japanese belt drive & a new cartridge. You definitely need to watch out for the old plastic ones and also will have to stay clear of bad DD's but with a little bit of hard work one should be able to put together a fairly good TT in around 15 K which you would be able to sell for the same amount if you do not like Vinyl.

 

[jls001]

Besides the money spent on acquiring old or new turntable, do invest the time in learning how to set up your turntable correctly. A correctly set up unit sounds better and doesn't need a whole lot of investment on test or setup equipment. The first stop is to read the user manual thoroughly and hear what it has to say on placement, fitting cartridge, aligning cartridge, balancing tonearm, setting antiskate weight, etc. The second could be learning how to clean your records well. Third thing could be to learn to use the Stupid Protractor. Fourth could be buying a 400-500 rupee digital (jeweller's) scale to ensure your tracking force is set correctly.

 

[jls001]

For those inclined: Project Turntable for sale in Dasarahalli, Bangalore Used Music Systems - Home Theatre on Bangalore Quikr Classifieds

PS: I am not affiliated to the seller.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

I totally agree with jls001 that importance of alignment and setup . Many people sell their good players and grade them as rank bad because of their poor set up.

 

[greenhorn]

Are half inch mounts and elliptical styluses newbie friendly? I know they give better results, but after reading through the process to set up an elliptical cartridge on a half inch mount, and got scared away. I figured out how to set the azimuth on dad's tape deck when I was a kid, but this had so many parameters ( it reminded me of my car's wheel alignment process!) a bit scary, especially without the proper tools.

EDIT: apologies to the OP, I think I might have taken this thread a bit off topic. Can one of the mods move these posts to a different/new thread ?

 

[sachu888]

Are half inch mounts and elliptical styluses newbie friendly? I know they give better results, but after reading through the process to set up an elliptical cartridge on a half inch mount, and got scared away. I figured out how to set the azimuth on dad's tape deck when I was a kid, but this had so many parameters ( it reminded me of my car's wheel alignment process!) a bit scary, especially without the proper tools.

EDIT: apologies to the OP, I think I might have taken this thread a bit off topic. Can one of the mods move these posts to a different/new thread ?

You should opt for half inch mount carts.They are very easy to mount,no special skills required.Watch this video for TT set up http://www.hifivision.com/phono-turntables/27836-how-setup-turntable.html
There used to be some good P mount Technics cart but now we ave very limited options.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[murali_n]

Hi all,

I think half inch mount is the way to go if you are seriously into vinyl. But if one feels he is technically challenged, he my opt for P-Mount, but the available cartridge options are quite limited.

N.Murali

 

[denzong]

i source all my english vinyls from abroad. they are cheap and very good quality. all indian sources have either been already ransacked by all or they have become smart and have started charging a lot. not worth the efforts.
buying from abroad is much more easy and relaxing.

 

[Record Player]

i source all my english vinyls from abroad. they are cheap and very good quality. all indian sources have either been already ransacked by all or they have become smart and have started charging a lot. not worth the efforts.
buying from abroad is much more easy and relaxing.

Thats nice. Could you please share your best practices on this? i.e. do you shop when abroad or do you order online Etc.

Cheers...

 

[denzong]

online buddy. best i found. dont need to run around any physical stores too.

there are many online websites. just google and there would a be a huge list.

 

[Sandesh]

Can you post some of your fave sites Denzong? Reliable ones... especially for Turntables...

 

[denzong]

www.discogs.com

this is my fav. have ordered around 100+ from it

 

[Sandesh]

www.discogs.com

this is my fav. have ordered around 100+ from it

Ah know of these guys but have never ordered from them. Any idea how much would the shipping cost ordinarily? And how much have you paid for vinyls on the site?

 

[denzong]

prices vary as per your requirement and so does the shipping

suggest you browse

 

[kaukhan]

Picked up about 12 albums for Rs.1500/- last week including Sholay Movie 3 LP set, Bazaar, Saath Saath and few others in very good to mint condition.

 

[Sandesh]

Picked up about 12 albums for Rs.1500/- last week including Sholay Movie 3 LP set, Bazaar, Saath Saath and few others in very good to mint condition.

Where from?

 

[kaukhan]

Where from?

From a person I know in Mumbai. I get very reasonable rates, great transparency and good titles. He calls me up when he has something new and I usually buy not less than 15 records at a time. Someone on the forum was talking about record sleeves etc. He said he would bring me some. If I am happy I will post here and others can source as needed.

 

[P-36]

nice thread !! Even i used to wonder if i am that unlucky in finding used vinyl or if there are secrets in finding them...coz i had a few really bad "you snooze you lose" situations...one was when i had the chance to buy a mint Technics SL1200 along with some 70 odd LPs of some of the best english and german rock bands from the 70s/80s from an old lady... my mistake: i took a nap to go pick em up later but someone beat me to it...was quite disappointed...another incident...i do not miss a single flea market coz i know i cud find some gems in there...there was this one time when i scouted thru the whole market for about 3 hours and even asked around if anyone was selling off vinyl...after i gave up and was abt to leave....i see this dude who walked in abt 20 mins ago ...and hes got a Megadeth - Peace sells....25th anni edition vinyl pack under his arm....i was floored...i had to talk to him...went up and asked where he got it....he said from that guy at stall 3...for 900 buck....brand new in its shrink wrapping and it came with 3 vinyl, 5 cds, a poster-autographed !!!! there was no way he was gonna share that with me no matter how much i offered.....one of those days when i cried like a baby but after those bad days ive learnt that theres only one way to get vinyl.....make sure all ur friends and family know ur crazy obsession abt vinyl and keep finding ways of bringing in that fact with almost everyone you talk too....u wont believe the ways and the ppl that ive got vinyl from ever after that.....im always sleeping with one eye open and searching for more vinyl.....and ive just started.....no pride when it comes to being a crate digger i guess.....

 

[P-36]

From a person I know in Mumbai. I get very reasonable rates, great transparency and good titles. He calls me up when he has something new and I usually buy not less than 15 records at a time. Someone on the forum was talking about record sleeves etc. He said he would bring me some. If I am happy I will post here and others can source as needed.

brother..this thread is all abt how we can help share ways of finding more vinyl to add to our collection and sandesh just asked u where u got it from and u said "from a person u know " !!?? no offense but isnt that what we are trying to spread here....contacts and secret digging places??? pls share ur persons name and contact number if ud like to help sandesh and others in bbay.....that wud be much appreciated Kaukhan....thank you.....