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Post by catwolf on Dec 11, 2011 22:15:59 GMT
Anyone here a record player expert? I'm thinking of getting a record player for christmas but i don't really have a clue about them. I'm looking for one that's as cheap as possible, but is good quality (or are all the cheap ones rubbish?) And preferably one that could convert vinyls to mp3/CDs as well. I've been reading reviews of cheap ones i could find but some reviews say they're really good and some say they're really bad! And i don't have any idea what to look for. And i didn't realise how soon christmas was - my mum's saying i've probably left it too late to order one now
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Post by Chelsea on Dec 12, 2011 22:08:50 GMT
I bought one from the cash converters shop but it didn't have a needle (probably the reason it was ten pounds), i wasn't happy! So um... check it has a needle before you buy it...
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Post by catwolf on Dec 13, 2011 22:42:40 GMT
Ok i'll make sure it has a needle i've been looking online but there's so many and i don't know what to look for since i know nothing about them. And i've probably left it too late now I could always just get money for christmas to spend on gigs, which was my original plan (and then i have an excuse to see Patrick in London/England sometime next year)
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Post by catwolf on Oct 9, 2012 17:03:42 GMT
I'm going to resurrect this thread because i'm now thinking of getting a record player for my birthday (really want to listen to my EP and start a PW vinyl collection ) So emm... i'm completely clueless about them and i've no idea where to start, i'm looking for one that's cheap but still decent quality (...if that's not a complete contradiction!!!)
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jessie
Empress
https://twitter.com/JessieSpaceG
Posts: 166
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Post by jessie on Oct 9, 2012 17:59:54 GMT
You can probably find one decent in a charity shop but like you said make sure it has a needle. At our house we just have one of those newer combos that has the record player/cdplayer/mp3 jack. Then we have another turn table that connects to the PC so you can copy your vinyl into MP3 format. Kind of crazy I know but my husband had to have it.
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Post by schizoeclectic on Oct 10, 2012 1:48:47 GMT
I bought a BUSH one JUST for my Patrick Vinyl's in Argos over a year ago. It was about 120 euro, so say £90 for you. It does everything plays Vinyl, records Vinyl to mp3, plays CD, records CD to mp3 etc etc and I've never had a problem with it BUT I don't think they do my particular one anymore, however they might do a similar one in their new catalogue. You have to research it as ''turntable'' though ... ''record player'' will yield NO results.
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Post by Sorrow By Nature on Oct 10, 2012 4:14:46 GMT
I had a REALLY hard time trying to figure out what to get (Keep in mind that I'm slightly fussy about sound quality AND build quality.) and was reading reviews on the internet forever. If you care about sound quality (hearing more detail and a bit less crackle, depending on vinyl quality) and want to be able to get replacement parts when they get worn down (needle, belt etc.), definitely go for one of the bigger brands. Mine is a PRO-JECT Debut II, and I got it second hand for about 100 euros, which was a good deal. Have a look on eBay and whatever market sites you have. /t
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Post by catwolf on Oct 11, 2012 21:13:18 GMT
Damien i think they've stopped doing turntables in Argos, this was all that came up when i searched!!! www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerms/TURNTABLE.htm Tommy, i had a look for PRO-JECT turntables but i couldn't find any cheaply - they were all over £200, i think £100 is about my limit. I was looking on Amazon but none of the cheaper ones seemed to have great reviews. I was worried about buying one second hand in case there were vital parts missing, but i think i'll maybe go to a few record shops and see if any of them sell turntables too, or ask advice about buying them. Thanks for your help everyone
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Post by thehazelwoodfaye on Oct 12, 2012 9:24:38 GMT
oh I wouldn't be too worried about bad reviews, I think most people that get record players and even write reviews are kinda tech-savvy and want it to sound like a live orchestra or what-not. (which is okay, but I don't need that) I bought one new for around 50€ and it sounds just fine (for me at least). It can even convert vinyl to mp3 when you connect it with your pc (haven't tried that yet though). I think to buy one that's over 100 pounds only makes sense if you can spare the money easily or listen to your vinyl collection on a daily basis More important is that it's compatible with your stereo but I bet you thought of that
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Post by Sorrow By Nature on Oct 12, 2012 16:54:40 GMT
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Post by catwolf on Oct 12, 2012 22:51:40 GMT
Thanks I saw that one, but i wasn't sure because it looked like it was more for converting vinyl to mp3 rather than playing it - which was what i originally wanted but now i actually have mp3s of almost all the songs i wanted, so i'm mainly just looking to play vinyls. Although it would be useful to do both - i was just worried the sound might not be as good. Yeah i'm not sure how easy it is to play them through stereos - do you need extra cables or anything? I have one of those double ended cables to play my ipod through my stereo (like a headphone socket on both ends), would that work? Thanks Faye - yeah i'm not looking for amazing quality (just quite good quality! ) Some of the reviews i read were just saying the sound was horrible but some were saying other things like the needle kept skipping all the time which made me worry a bit about cheaper ones. Apparently one of the record shops in Glasgow also normally has a few second hand turntables for sale really cheaply (i was reading a review where someone said they got a good one for £35) so i think i might have a look there to see what they have.
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Post by catwolf on Oct 13, 2012 12:01:19 GMT
I'm now thinking that i probably will go for the ION-Profile one - it does seem to have everything i'm looking for The only thing is my mum was saying she thought i'd need to replace the needle quite often and i'm not sure how it easy it is to get new needles - i've found a few ION needles online and they list a whole lot of models they're compatible with but none of them seem to specifically say ION Profile... And how often do needles need replaced - is it worth stocking up on a few? Also, apparently it has a built in preamp and an RCA output to play it through a stereo - so does that mean all i need is a cable? And is this an RCA cable? I think it came with a portable DVD player or something but i could never figure out what it was for!
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Post by Sorrow By Nature on Oct 13, 2012 22:25:10 GMT
Firstly, you shouldn't have to buy a new stylus (sorry about confusing words, it's needle in Swedish ) very often at all unless you play a LOT or abuse it (let it hit the rubber mat or something). Secondly, it's good for you that it has a built in pre-amp. The output level of turntables is too low for standard stereos, so yes, in this case all you need is a cable. I have no idea what kind of inputs you have on your stereo, but ideally you should be able to connect it with one of these (an RCA cable): static.ddmcdn.com/gif/cables-to-use-2.jpg (left+right to left+right) or one of these: www.argos.co.uk/wcsstore/argos/images/412-5240511A71UC559495M.jpg (left+right to stereo plug) Possibly, the cable you have might work. Just connect the red/white (right/left) to your turntable and the other end to your stereo. The yellow connector is for video signal, which is simply unnecessary. /T
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Post by catwolf on Oct 14, 2012 23:13:33 GMT
I've ordered it now! (along with the Lupercalia boxset and the Sundark and Riverlight vinyl ) Thanks so much for all your help
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Post by catwolf on Oct 21, 2012 20:57:38 GMT
So it turns out you can't plug an RCA cable into it - it's got an RCA cable coming out of it. And the only audio input socket i've got on my stereo is the one that looks like a headphone socket. So i was searching online for an adaptor and i found loads like this, which looked like they fit: www.amazon.co.uk/Phono-Female-3-5mm-Audio-Adapter/dp/B000Q8FEQQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350837902&sr=1-17But then i noticed a warning in the instructions saying that the RCA cables are line level not phono level, and you'd damage your receiver plugging them into a phono level input. But all the adaptors i could find were designed for phono inputs, i searched everywhere but i couldn't find any line input versions. Does anyone know where i could get one (or if they even exist)? I tried playing it through my computer with the USB cable but at first i could only hear it really really quietly, coming from the actual record player. Then i set up the mp3 conversion software and when i opened that it started playing through my computer (which i can actually connect to my stereo), but it was still playing quietly from the record player at the same time which was really annoying. I think maybe that was because the conversion programme was playing it as well as the actual record player, so hopefully if i managed to play it directly through my stereo that wouldn't happen.
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Post by niwo on Oct 21, 2012 22:51:00 GMT
can you please take pictures of the connections on your record player and your stereo? i think then it'd be easier to give you advise how you could connect them. the really quiet playing from the record player i get as well when i don't have it connected to any speakers, i think it's just the needle-record contact doing that, but for proper listening it needs to be amplified. no expert here of course, but i had some cable works to do with my record player as well
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Post by catwolf on Oct 21, 2012 23:20:21 GMT
Sorry the pictures are really blurry and bright from my flash! This is the "audio in" socket on my stereo (the other one's for headphones), it's hard to see but it basically looks exactly like a headphone socket. And this is the sort of cable i need to go into it (just like the end of headphones): And this is the cable that's attached to my record player: Haha i love how i inadvertently have a PW vinyl in the corner - my desk was so messy i couldn't find a clear space to sit the cable on! So i basically need some sort of adapter i can plug those two bits into, that's like a headphone socket at the other end. But it has to be line input and not phono (whatever that means) and you only seem to be able to get phono ones.
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Post by Sorrow By Nature on Oct 22, 2012 19:34:30 GMT
Here's the kind of cable you need. You should be able to get it at any electronics shop in your vicinity. www.amazon.com/Female-3-5mm-Stereo-Male-inch/dp/B000I23TTOThe input you have is a "line-in" so it's definitely line level input. Having a line input means that it takes a pre-amplified signal = the audio source can play loud enough on its own. If you had a "phono" input, that would have been for audio sources souch as turntables without built in pre-amps (the phono input raises the volume of the signal to line level). Hope that wasn't total nonsense to you. /t
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Post by catwolf on Oct 22, 2012 19:36:00 GMT
Never mind, i got it working I went to a hifi shop to ask for help + they sold me some connectors and a cable. Then i realised they were "phono" so i went all the way back into town again, with the turntable manual to show them. But the guy in the shop explained to me that the warning in the manual was just for using it with amplifiers, and that "phono" had two meanings - it also means that shape of socket, and it would work fine with a stereo. So now i feel like an idiot but at least it's all working now ;D And i finally listened to my Patrick Wolf EP!!!!!!!! ;D (Empress and Pumpkin Soup were so much better quality than the versions i have!) I'll need try and figure out how to convert vinyls to mp3 next, so i can get better quality versions on my ipod
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Post by catwolf on Oct 25, 2012 21:24:50 GMT
Sorry i didn't even notice you'd replied before Tommy, it must have been at just the same time as me! I got the cable sorted, but thanks anyway I'm having another problem now though (Sorry to keep asking you all so many questions!) I was listening to Riverlight (for the first time) and towards the end of Bluebells i thought it was starting to sound a bit out of tune. I wasn't sure if i was imagining things, but when i turned it over Teignmouth and London seemed to sound a bit strange as well. Then i looked at the needle and it was at a 45 degree angle! I thought it pointed straight down before (unless i'm completely misremembering things, which i often seem to do nowadays! ), but i'm pretty sure it wasn't that bent. It feels secure so i don't think anything's slipped out of place, but i don't know why it would randomly bend in the middle of playing - i didn't knock it or anything. I'm not sure what to do - i don't want to touch it in case i damage it, and i don't want to risk damaging any of my records playing it. My dad had a look at it (not that he knows very much about turntables) and seemed to think it looked completely fine, which made me doubt myself. But i'm sure the needle was much straighter than that before - i always look to match it up with the edge of the record - and it definitely was not like that before! And i'm sure Riverlight sounded a bit out of tune. I'll try and take a picture of it - i'll wait til tomorrow though since my pictures normally turn out better in daylight
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