Record turntables

[nickyboy]

I've got loads of old vinyl but nothing to play it on. So I'm thinking of buying a turntable

I'm definitely at the luddite end of the hifi spectrum. I can choose a turntable hopefully without too much trouble. I like the idea that some have a USB interface so I can store my records electronically too. The price range is £40 to about £4000....I'm towards the lower end of the range

The speaker situation is confusing me. I've got soundbars and Bluetooth speakers that connect to the soundbars. I wonder if I could hook the turntable up to these? Son #2 also has a JBL speaker that works both wired and Bluetooth

I'm not going hifi-tastic here, it's for those occasions when we've had a few too many beers and fancy dancing around the kitchen to some old skool classics

Any thoughts on an up to £200 turntable and how the speaker connectivity might work?

 

[I like Skol]

'Classics' you say, maybe we should be the judge of that....

 

[doughnut]

.... those occasions when we've had a few too many beers ....

Say it aint so, Nick. I dont believe it.

 

[Bazzer]

There are I think some turntables with both Bluetooth and USB connectivity. ION Air I think is one. Never used them myself as mine is old tech through an amplifier.
Could be worth a visit to somewhere like Richer Sounds and see and hear the kit for yourself.

 

[Crackle]

The turntable will need to have it's own pre-amp to run it through anything but an amplifier but this seems to be more common these days as is bluetooth and usb connectivity.

 

[MontyVeda]

'Classics' you say, maybe we should be the judge of that....

View attachment 151980

Oi! ...get out of my record box!


As for @nickyboy ... the Pro-Ject turntables are supposed to be very good for the price tag ( around the £150-£200 mark)... some models have a pre-amp, some don't. No pre amp means you need a specific turntable input on your amplifier, usually called 'phono' but not to be confused with a phono (RCA) connector.

Another edit. You also don't need USB. Mine is connected to my PC via the headphone socket on my amp and the mic input on my PC with a bog standard jack lead. A free bit of software called Audacity does all the ripping, which is bundled with all the USB turntables. So you just need audacity to rip your vinyl (...and something to connect the turntable to the PC, be it a USB or a jack lead).

 

[mythste]

your soundbars will probably have an AUX in of some sort, then as crackle rightly mentioned you'll need a pre-amp to go between the turntable and speakers (in most cases, at least).

Last I checked Pro-Ject offered up some great value tables - in fact their Elemental unit paired with their pre-amp will sound lovely and probably last a lifetime and come in just under £200

 

[skudupnorth]

I showed the kids my old records once and they just looked fazed that this is what we used to use to listen to music back in the day AND have to physically turn it over to hear the other side ! The tape player in the car was another that threw them especially when their favourite Adam Ant song could not be played back instantly because my player does not have a rewind button. I love old tech just to fry the youngsters heads

 

[skudupnorth]

'Classics' you say, maybe we should be the judge of that....

View attachment 151980

NUTS !!!!! I've got the "Lets all do the conga" in my head

 

[nickyboy]

your soundbars will probably have an AUX in of some sort, then as crackle rightly mentioned you'll need a pre-amp to go between the turntable and speakers (in most cases, at least).

Last I checked Pro-Ject offered up some great value tables - in fact their Elemental unit paired with their pre-amp will sound lovely and probably last a lifetime and come in just under £200

So something like this? It has an "internal phono preamp" whatever the hell one of those is

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=elementalphonousb

All I'd have to do is plug it into a speaker or via some jack or other into a soundbar?

 

[Crackle]

So something like this? It has an "internal phono preamp" whatever the hell one of those is

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=elementalphonousb

All I'd have to do is plug it into a speaker or via some jack or other into a soundbar?

That's a bit young and funky for you isn't it?

 

[nickyboy]

That's a bit young and funky for you isn't it?

How come I make a nice sensible thread asking for advice and then all the nobbers crawl out of the woodwork like you, @I like Skol and @doughnut ?

Having said that it doesn't seem to have a "78" speed option which could be a dealbreaker for me with my very large Vera Lynn collection

 

[I like Skol]

How come I make a nice sensible thread asking for advice and then all the nobbers crawl out of the woodwork like you, @I like Skol and @doughnut ?

Having said that it doesn't seem to have a "78" speed option which could be a dealbreaker for me with my very large Vera Lynn collection

Get in the 21st century Nick. Move all your collection to mp3 and you'll have ....

 

[MontyVeda]

So something like this? It has an "internal phono preamp" whatever the hell one of those is

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=elementalphonousb

All I'd have to do is plug it into a speaker or via some jack or other into a soundbar?

the turntable will probably have these phono/RCA connectors...

...possibly along with an earth (although that might be a thing of the past now).

If your soundbar only has a headphone type connector for its Aux-in, you can get adapters for next to nothing.

 

[Profpointy]

For the two hundred notes you mention I'd suggest a 2nd hand rega. Back in the day the model was Rega Planar 3, with the slighlty cheaper planar 2 clise behind. £400-£500 would get you a Linn LP12 (2nd hand) which is another level again, though can be tempremental to get set up to sound just right. A good linn just sounds awsome but the rega is still a good bit of kit. A othere have mentioned your amp does need to have a phono input - which all old ones do, but fewer modern ones. Note there are moving magnet and moving coil subvariants of phono inputs too - according to the type of pick up you have. A usb thing from maplin or whatever will be crap in comparison