Beginners vinyl set up - not megabucks but good!

I know there have been quite a few threads on hi-fi so sorry for another one but as many of you are really into music and hi-fi I thought I'd ask your advice.

I've not had a record player since my teens (80s) when almost everyone had one. I'd like to delve into analogue music again but for someone with limited experience it's a bit of a minefield. I used to often pop into a retro store in London and they're always playing vinyl and I really love the sound. I've read reviews of various equipment but many are contradictory and leave me none the wiser.

It would be for a medium sized room so I don't need huge amounts of power. In fact, it needs to have a small footprint so I was thinking of active speakers - something like the Kanto YU4 or YU6?

For the record player, many of you on here seem to like Rega - would this be the best option or something from Pro-Ject, Technics, Audio-Technica? Should I go for a direct drive or belt drive?

My budget would be about £500-£600 for both speakers and player - is this realistic?

The other question is where do you guys get your records from? Is there anything I need to be aware of when buying vinyl from a physical store and online?

Thanks a lot :)

I have been considering this turntable AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB Direct Drive Turntable which seems to be a well thought of thing, with the advantage of incorporating a switchable pre-amp so could go directly into active speakers, also, USB output to facilitating the recording of vinyl. Can be bought for about £220 including cartridge.
My Rega Planar 3 is a great thing but is belt drive so mixing up compilations is less easy than with a direct drive device.

A few thoughts.

What are you expecting to play, albums, 12” singles and/or 7”?
Do you expect to swap between formats often?

Many of the belt drive turntables need you to move the drive belt to change speed, relatively easy on project decks, rega needs you to lift off the plater, neither are massively difficult but be aware if you plan on playing different formats regularly.

You also need to consider if your desired tt or amp has a built phono stage.

I’m sure some will be along with specific recommendations but I’d suspect you £600 budget will be close to the starting point as you’re starting from scratch

I’m not the best to advise on system set up...I’ve got a minty old Rank Domus BA-300 with an old Sansui AU4400 amp that plays through some old Monitor Audio speakers. Not the most modern of set ups but I like the sound it produces. That said I am thinking of getting a more modern set up.
There will be plenty of well informed advice shortly!

As for buying records online...there are plenty of decent online stores.

Norman Records
Resident
HMV can still provide some decent deals
Banquet
Rough Trade

plus many more independents in the UK easily found via the power of the internet!

You can also look further afield....for instance I order stuff from Third Man Records (Nashville and Detroit). They are owned by Jack White (same as his record label) and you can get some decent stuff. Or

Another option is to follow bands & artists you like on Instagram (for example) and sign up on their website..you can get vinyl through them.

I would also recommend looking at Discogs (app/website)... a great way to keep track of your collection and to get other info.

I brought a Rega Planer P1 Plus and run it through Sonos 5, Love it, clean and clinical and sounds fine, will probably upgrade the cassette at some point when bored.

Regarding Vinyl, HMV for the classics often in 2 for £30, Normans Records and What Records Both good, Amazon deliver fast, HMV very slow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notnowkato

I have been considering this turntable AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB Direct Drive Turntable which seems to be a well thought of thing, with the advantage of incorporating a switchable pre-amp so could go directly into active speakers, also, USB output to facilitating the recording of vinyl. Can be bought for about £220 including cartridge.
My Rega Planar 3 is a great thing but is belt drive so mixing up compilations is less easy than with a direct drive device.

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Did you sell the other Sony DD ?

Thanks for all the advice so far, guys.

I'll be playing a mixture of 7" singles and albums. I read that a direct drive turntable is more user-friendly for this but many reviews say that the Rega Planar P1 is the best budget turntable for sound quality.

I hadn't considered a Sonos before because I was thinking two speakers for stereo sound. I think the Kanto speakers have a built in pre-amp so they can connect to a turntable ok.

Thanks for the tips on where to get the vinyl from. There used to be a famous record store in Croydon called Beanos but I'm guessing that's long gone by now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notnowkato

I have been considering this turntable AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB Direct Drive Turntable which seems to be a well thought of thing, with the advantage of incorporating a switchable pre-amp so could go directly into active speakers, also, USB output to facilitating the recording of vinyl. Can be bought for about £220 including cartridge.
My Rega Planar 3 is a great thing but is belt drive so mixing up compilations is less easy than with a direct drive device.

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Yep, I'm getting that

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shane

Thanks for all the advice so far, guys.

I'll be playing a mixture of 7" singles and albums. I read that a direct drive turntable is more user-friendly for this but many reviews say that the Rega Planar P1 is the best budget turntable for sound quality.

I hadn't considered a Sonos before because I was thinking two speakers for stereo sound. I think the Kanto speakers have a built in phono stage so they can connect to a turntable ok.

Thanks for the tips on where to get the vinyl from. There used to be a famous record store in Croydon called Beanos but I'm guessing that's long gone by now.

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At the risk of sounding flippant, the best sounding system is the one you actually play.

Worrying about the n’th degree of sound quality especially at a modest budget can lead to analysis paralysis.

Also what constitutes sound quality, are you looking for a driving base at the expense of vocal performance, is a wide soundstage more important than base, are vocals the key or just all round sound quality?

It’s not just a case of simply buying ‘what hifi’ s lowest cost five star reviewed products to make a system (though that can sometimes work well)

There are few really poor components from recognised manufacturers these days imho. If they are poor then multiple reviews should point the way.

If part of your listening is going to be swapping between singles and albums regularly in the same session then I wouldn’t worry about losing perhaps the last word in audio performance for the convenience of push button speed change.

Yes, of course - I agree :) I guess I'm showing my lack of knowledge but as someone who doesn't have much experience of turntables all I can go on are reviews.

Just all round 'good' sound quality would be fine - the music I listen to doesn't have pounding base...it's mainly vocals / Latin so there are instruments but it's not heavy metal/techno/rock/hip hop etc. I'd also like to get some albums I used to have from artists like Sting / David Bowie / Elton John.

I'm very open to suggestions on the turntable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Captain Morgan

At the risk of sounding flippant, the best sounding system is the one you actually play.

Worrying about the n’th degree of sound quality especially at a modest budget can lead to analysis paralysis.

Also what constitutes sound quality, are you looking for a driving base at the expense of vocal performance, is a wide soundstage more important than base, are vocals the key or just all round sound quality?

It’s not just a case of simply buying ‘what hifi’ s lowest cost five star reviewed products to make a system (though that can sometimes work well)

There are few really poor components from recognised manufacturers these days imho. If they are poor then multiple reviews should point the way.

If part of your listening is going to be swapping between singles and albums regularly in the same session then I wouldn’t worry about losing perhaps the last word in audio performance for the convenience of push button speed change.

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I've owned 4 Technics turntables and liked each one. Haven't looked at any stereo equipment is 30 years and my stuff has been sitting downstairs un used.

If bought used, but clean. Can pick up a Technics DD turntable. Used integrated amplifier (preamp and amp in one - no tuner) or an AM/FM receiver

Speakers - under $200 - Polk Audio, Klipch (2 models). Do a "best" search under $200 and also do a Review search on brands to get a Pro and Con of the models

Could also buy a micro system, but anything new would have USB plugs, but can buy an adaptor for the TT

Do a bit of Best buy search on all the items you might want and set a price limit for each piece

DON

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JasonM

Did you sell the other Sony DD ?

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Jase,
Still have it, hasn't moved since its brother went away. I saw it a few days ago and thought lockdown, lots of time at home, unused mixers... Maybe time to dust it off, but, do you need one ?

reissues of classic vinyl can be a minefield, often best to research
this place is pretty informative, search band names and or albums

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/forums/music-corner.2/

discogs is pretty good for both new and used but get a feel for prices and buy the seller - check the feedback! used prices can be high but there are also bargains to be had. i often pick up new pressings and reissues there a lot cheaper than amazon, hmv etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shane

Thanks for all the advice so far, guys.

I'll be playing a mixture of 7" singles and albums. I read that a direct drive turntable is more user-friendly for this but many reviews say that the Rega Planar P1 is the best budget turntable for sound quality.

I hadn't considered a Sonos before because I was thinking two speakers for stereo sound. I think the Kanto speakers have a built in pre-amp so they can connect to a turntable ok.

Thanks for the tips on where to get the vinyl from. There used to be a famous record store in Croydon called Beanos but I'm guessing that's long gone by now.

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Beanos is long gone I'm afraid.
I used to know the owner Dave Lashmar and a team from Beanos often played in the pub quiz back in the late 80s/early 90s, no smart phones or internet cheating in those days, if we beat the Beanos team in the music round it made our day!

Remember that a budget turntable is going to have a Moving Magnet cartridge and is going to need some sort of phonostage before you get a line level output for any sort of pre-amp.
There are quite a few around that have these built in and if there is also a volume control you can connect them straight into an active speaker system which for your budget would be easiest if buying new.

You could get a set up of TT/Amp with phonostage/speakers for that budget second hand but you would need to know what to look for.

I wouldn't worry too much about about rare pressings and stuff for records with that sort of set up just buy and play what you like. A lot of second hand record shops have 3 for £10 bins etc. There are quie a few around depending on where you live but all sadly closed at the moment, so online is your best bet.

I'm researching a basic home set up too.

I'm thinking of getting a Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth Turntable and either a Sonos Beam or a Bose TV. My thinking is that use will be occasional, I want to connect other bluetooth inputs, and if it becomes an obsession I can upgrade.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notnowkato

Jase,
Still have it, hasn't moved since its brother went away. I saw it a few days ago and thought lockdown, lots of time at home, unused mixers... Maybe time to dust it off, but, do you need one ?

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Thanks Tim, I actually bought a pair of 1210s a while ago, gave the Sony to a Nephew, I had great plans to set up a mixing station, but just don’t have the room, I do listen to my vinyl though but the second deck is just sitting there gathering dust now.

I had a decent set up but a smaller house has meant a review

Now use active speakers connected to laptop via 3.5mm jack or TT with pre amp via Bluetooth , only cost £250 for the TT and speakers and ideal for when I get nostalgic

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Yep - I'm thinking active speakers with this built in so I can run any turntable without the need for any other equipment. If I had more space or the right set up I'd buy a proper set up with better speakers. Years ago I was running Arcam separates through Mordaunt Short speakers.

I've been looking at the links in the above posts and most of them are for more indie or (what seems to be) more niche artists. I cannot find the Older album from George Michael or any type of greatest hits from David Bowie.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kevin

Beanos is long gone I'm afraid.
I used to know the owner Dave Lashmar and a team from Beanos often played in the pub quiz back in the late 80s/early 90s, no smart phones or internet cheating in those days, if we beat the Beanos team in the music round it made our day!

Remember that a budget turntable is going to have a Moving Magnet cartridge and is going to need some sort of phonostage before you get a line level output for any sort of pre-amp.
There are quite a few around that have these built in and if there is also a volume control you can connect them straight into an active speaker system which for your budget would be easiest if buying new.

You could get a set up of TT/Amp with phonostage/speakers for that budget second hand but you would need to know what to look for.

I wouldn't worry too much about about rare pressings and stuff for records with that sort of set up just buy and play what you like. A lot of second hand record shops have 3 for £10 bins etc. There are quie a few around depending on where you live but all sadly closed at the moment, so online is your best bet.

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shane

... I cannot find the Older album from George Michael or any type of greatest hits from David Bowie.

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Might be a supply problem - Amazon UK have a lot of Bowie on vinyl but Legacy, the greatest hits album, is showing out of stock. Ditto some George Michael albums including Older.

Yep - Amazon do have some good stock though. Chris Rea is on my list so might have to be my first purchase!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SimonK

Might be a supply problem - Amazon UK have a lot of Bowie on vinyl but Legacy, the greatest hits album, is showing out of stock. Ditto some George Michael albums including Older.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by SimonK

Might be a supply problem - Amazon UK have a lot of Bowie on vinyl but Legacy, the greatest hits album, is showing out of stock. Ditto some George Michael albums including Older.

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Plenty on EBay and also here as well as Amazon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SimonK

Might be a supply problem - Amazon UK have a lot of Bowie on vinyl but Legacy, the greatest hits album, is showing out of stock. Ditto some George Michael albums including Older.

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Older is very rare on vinyl - expect to pay £400 plus

re bowie compilations there are many, this is a good overview of the classic years#

https://www.discogs.com/David-Bowie-...elease/1047260
or for a longer view legacy is availble here
https://www.discogs.com/David-Bowie-...elease/9605973

Thanks guys - so I can get Legacy easily enough but will have to give Older a miss by the sounds of it :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shane

Yes, of course - I agree :) I guess I'm showing my lack of knowledge but as someone who doesn't have much experience of turntables all I can go on are reviews.

Just all round 'good' sound quality would be fine - the music I listen to doesn't have pounding base...it's mainly vocals / Latin so there are instruments but it's not heavy metal/techno/rock/hip hop etc. I'd also like to get some albums I used to have from artists like Sting / David Bowie / Elton John.

I'm very open to suggestions on the turntable.

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If it were me I’d take a look at the following all have a built in phono stage which means a wider range of amps/powered speaker options.

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/t...609312822.html

https://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/...-om-cartridge/

https://www.richersounds.com/-1598606457.html

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/t...-sb-black.html

Amp wise I like the Yamaha sound and think this is reasonable vfm as it has a number of inbuilt streaming options plus airplay and Bluetooth

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/a...n303d-blk.html

Speakers

https://www.richersounds.com/q-acous...030i-grey.html

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/s...rban-grey.html

Is the rega P1 the entry basic model?
I remember in the 90s the rega planar 2 at £200 was the entry point were it sounded better than cd in some areas.

The basic models of a known brand like project or rega will not damage your vinyl but you might be disappointed with the sound.

At £500 the majority of your budget should go on the turntable maybe £300?. I think the project "carbon" is normally recommended for a good one up from base level TT.

On old amp with a phono stage built in and some okay speakers at this budget price i would think.

One thing that has not been mentioned if you are looking at second hand vinyl is to get a record cleaner.
The disco knosti antistat or spinclean are good basic cleaning baths. £50 when i last bought one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notnowkato

I have been considering this turntable AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB Direct Drive Turntable which seems to be a well thought of thing, with the advantage of incorporating a switchable pre-amp so could go directly into active speakers, also, USB output to facilitating the recording of vinyl. Can be bought for about £220 including cartridge.
My Rega Planar 3 is a great thing but is belt drive so mixing up compilations is less easy than with a direct drive device.

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I have this exact turntable and am really glad its the one I went for now. I connected it to a Pioneer DJ Controller (I am not a professional DJ), which works well as I can switch between mp3's on my laptop or vinyl. I kept my old records from my childhood all the way through to CD's coming out. They were in record cases, wrapped in bin bags in my garage and had survived 3 house moves, without being used at all. It was so exciting getting them out, giving them a clean and playing them again.

Once every few weeks I have a trawl through ebays vinyl section, which I haven't struggled to find anything I was looking for yet. I will warn you, it's quite addictive!

I have a good set of can type headphones and some Pioneer active speakers (so that I didn't need an amp).

https://i.ibb.co/KwX99nK/turntable.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andyb28

I have this exact turntable and am really glad its the one I went for now. I connected it to a Pioneer DJ Controller (I am not a professional DJ), which works well as I can switch between mp3's on my laptop or vinyl. I kept my old records from my childhood all the way through to CD's coming out. They were in record cases, wrapped in bin bags in my garage and had survived 3 house moves, without being used at all. It was so exciting getting them out, giving them a clean and playing them again.

Once every few weeks I have a trawl through ebays vinyl section, which I haven't struggled to find anything I was looking for yet. I will warn you, it's quite addictive!

I have a good set of can type headphones and some Pioneer active speakers (so that I didn't need an amp).

https://i.ibb.co/KwX99nK/turntable.jpg

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Ah, good to hear of your personal experience of the deck, if one is going to tinker around with DJing, having the built in phono amp means the set up is a bit more easy to manage with active speakers so not so much aggravation from 'er indoors. It is so satisfying when a little mix set comes together with nice fades and the like.

As far as cleaning vinyl goes, I have been collecting the stuff since the mid 70s and needless to say, some soiling has occurred, especially the 45s from the punk era. I find that simply washing the things removes so much muck and is easy to do, tepid water with a slight dash of Fairy Liquid ( other hand softening detergents are available) and a nice soft, previously unused , paintbrush, gently applying the soapy water in a circular fashion to the disk while rinsing it under a light stream of tepid water, leave to drain for a moment and dry with ones best linen glass drying cloth. Ty to avoid dampening the label too much though. Several well dirty discs from various Oxfams have come up very nicely using this method.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andyb28

Once every few weeks I have a trawl through ebays vinyl section, which I haven't struggled to find anything I was looking for yet. I will warn you, it's quite addictive!

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Tell me about it, I wanted a album from 1988 that I bought at the time on tape and CD, so I thought I needed the vinyl now, I could have bought one of the 4 reissues that have happened over the years for not much money, but no, I convinced myself that only the original 1988 release would do, had to spend a fortune. Damn the collector mindset.
Discogs is a great place to spend too much money too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JasonM

Tell me about it, I wanted a album from 1988 that I bought at the time on tape and CD, so I thought I needed the vinyl now, I could have bought one of the 4 reissues that have happened over the years for not much money, but no, I convinced myself that only the original 1988 release would do, had to spend a fortune. Damn the collector mindset.
Discogs is a great place to spend too much money too.

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We are quite lucky here in London N8, as there are 2 second hand vinyl shops within 20 mins walk from the house, both of which have been going for several years so there is certainly a market for the stuff, I much prefer it to CDs and MP3s, nice to get involved with the medium, I feel.

Lucky indeed, I think my nearest one is miles away.

remember turntables need to be set up properly too, many many people forget this now and wonder why it doesn't sound quite as they remember. level surface, isolated from vibrations if possible. follow the manufacturers instructions on arm height, skate force etc.
a test lp helps like this
https://www.discogs.com/Hi-Fi-News-T.../master/650136

and to set the arm height and check the cart is properly aligned
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pickup-Ca....c100005.m1851

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notnowkato

As far as cleaning vinyl goes, I have been collecting the stuff since the mid 70s and needless to say, some soiling has occurred, especially the 45s from the punk era. I find that simply washing the things removes so much muck and is easy to do, tepid water with a slight dash of Fairy Liquid ( other hand softening detergents are available) and a nice soft, previously unused , paintbrush, gently applying the soapy water in a circular fashion to the disk while rinsing it under a light stream of tepid water, leave to drain for a moment and dry with ones best linen glass drying cloth. Ty to avoid dampening the label too much though. Several well dirty discs from various Oxfams have come up very nicely using this method.

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For proper cleaning use a mix of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol (4:1) with a few drops of wetting agent.
Vacuum cleaning machines are an excellent investment if you have a decent record collection.

I use one of these

https://www.tonepublications.com/rev...ecord-cleaner/

You can picck one up 2nd hand for about £250

There's a lot of sound advice in this thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Curta

There's a lot of sound advice in this thread.

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i see what you did there...

Now,now....don’t needle him. There’s no arm in his comment. Just tone it down a bit and balance your reply. Treble check what you are going to write ,ensure there is nothing bass-less and styl(us)* it out.


* I admit it...this one was crap :livid:

Regarding cleaning records, I'd never use water or other methods other than Permoclean. I treated all my records with this from the early 80's and they remain clean and static free, brilliant stuff!
The problem is putting the record away in the sleeve, taking it out again and charging it with static electricity attracting dust again. It will also release microgroove particles trapped in the surface.
https://shop.mantra-audio.co.uk/acat...it-MA0229.html

Here’s my very modest setup. Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TT, old school Technics SU-4 amp and a set of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers (additional decoration courtesy of my wife and kids!!).
Not an audiophile system by any standards but I’m happy with it. I’ve also got an Amazon Echo Input plugged into the Aux input for Spotify (and switching the light on and off!).

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...daf91f955e.jpg


Once you’ve got a TT sorted then the next step is an amp. I’ve had good experiences with Cambridge as an entry level brand and these can be had pretty cheap from Richer Sounds - just make sure it has a built in preamp if you don’t want to buy a separate one. Again definitely not Audiophile level but it will get you started.

This NAD amp is a new version of a stone cold classic, well reviewed and a decent price. The old NAD 3020a was a beast!
NAD D 3020 V2 review
It’s difficult not to love this spruced-up version of NAD’s classic amp
By What Hi-Fi?
December 04, 2019






Comments (0)
5 Star Rating
NAD D 3020 V2 review
OUR VERDICT
NAD's first attempt at the D 3020 won a What Hi-Fi? Award - and the V2 lives up to its predecessor's hype

FOR
Full-bodied performance
Fine timing and dynamics
Phono stage
Easily accommodated chassis
AGAINST
Nothing really at this price
£299

^^^^^ An excellent amplifier, probably the best buy at that price point

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ktmog6uk

This NAD amp is a new version of a stone cold classic, well reviewed and a decent price. The old NAD 3020a was a beast!
NAD D 3020 V2 review
It’s difficult not to love this spruced-up version of NAD’s classic amp

[SNIP]

FOR
Full-bodied performance
Fine timing and dynamics
Phono stage
Easily accommodated chassis
AGAINST
Nothing really at this price
£299

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Unfortunately no longer £299 but £399 and difficult to source at present I believe.

Like this ad https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...7186877914532/


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