good suggestions..thanks guys...i think i might look into getting this....kind of pricey..but not outrageous from some I have seen...gonna have to save a bit. what do you guys think? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Technics-SL1200MK2-Turntable?sku=807053
Being a professional DJ, as well as having my home studio I hope i can add onto your venture for advice. =) Are you looking to just play classic old time records or actually get into some sort of business with them? I was always a big fan of hip hop from a young age, and hated the whole CD business, so I invested in turntables back when i was 15-16. Started out with 2 Numark TT200s, and now have in my home studio the holy grails of turntables (for DJs at least), exactly what your looking at to purchase, the Technics 1200 MK2s. The setup: Depending on where your looking to go with turntables, we can break this conversation down into a variety of different ways: Needles: If your looking for a professional DJ setup, depending on if your gonna be more of a blend DJ or a scratch DJ, blend DJ you wanna go with some ortafon brand needles, but usually any brand will suffice as long as you dont put too much wear and tear. Scratch DJ? MUST HAVE SHURE M44-7s. Once again, holy grail for scratch djs in needle work. Don't try to scratch with a non scratch needle, it'll work but it'll rip the needle up and you'll be spending another hefty load on another needle. As for mixers, once again, if your a casual listener, no heavy DJ work, any stereo output would be just fine. If your looking to get into the business, Behringer makes a good knock off of a bunch of high end pioneer products, they dont last as long but they def fit the bill if your on a budget. And lastly, if you want to listen to your MP3s AND your vinyls on the turntables, I'd suggest investing in serato. It's a digital MP3 emulation hardware/software that most industry club dj's are using right now, allows me to stay true to my touch of wax while still being able to drop mp3s that you can't get on vinyl these days. Hope I was of some help at least. And now for your pleasure, some vinyl photos: Good ol' milk crates. Those were the days. I got at least 15-20 sitting around everywhere, garage, basement lol
In that case, I would suggest the 1200s still, just because of durability. BUT, I would also suggest to pick them up used, from a local DJ, club, craigslist, DJ msg boards, etc MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper. I picked up a pair for $300, simply because the person that owned them undervalued them. You'll find alot of people out there that might have one sittin around that just dont know what kinda' value it'll fetch. Oh and them being durable and long lasting, you wont have to worry too much about used ones being broken, or damaged. If you do look into the used ones however, couple of things you should check to make sure are working right is the pitch fader, the 33/45 speed switch, the turntable arm adjuster knob, and the arm (to see if its bent or not). Good luck!
The Technics sound pretty good and last forever. And there will always be replacement parts available. And the resale value is unbelievable. But, you'll get better sound from a Rega. Buy a good needle.
There is only ONE turntable to consider. The Technics SL-1200 series has been made continuously since the late 70s. There are replacement parts available everywhere and if it ever breaks, any knowledgeable mechanic can fix it. Period. They will be made until the earth's oceans boil.
I would probably start with a Shure m97xe. It's a good neutral sounding performer that won't break the bank. Also, you should listen to the Ortofon 2M Red, the Audio Technica AT440, and the Denon DL-160 to get a better idea of what you like. Also, what are you using for a preamp?
i guess another question i have is what all parts am i going to need? record player, cartridge, pre amp then hook up to speakers? am i missing anything?
Turntable, cartridge, preamp, power amp and speakers. Of course, most use a receiver with a phono section in lieu of the separate pre-power amp route. What are you using now?
Ok, so you are looking at a receiver with phono section and speakers to complete your vinyl system. If you don't plan on listening to any radio at all, then you can get an integrated amp instead of a receiver. As far as "traditional" receivers with phono sections go, there are not a whole lot of affordable options in the retail market. Home theater is the focus nowadays. I would look for a good vintage 70's receiver that has been restored by a tech. The brands to look for on ebay and craigslist include: Pioneer (Silver-faced SX series) Marantz (Siver-faced 22xx and 23xx series) Sansui (G series) McIntosh (pricey) Yamaha (Silver-faced CR series) Luxman (McIntosh of Japan) You can find something really nice for as little as $50 in this arena. If you are looking at getting an integrated amp, then I would look on audiogon.com for a good deal. NAD, Rotel, Marantz, Creek and Cambridge are all solid brands to look for.
Like he said, you need a power amp, and how powerful that is depends a lot on the type of speakers you use. In the old days, you wanted as many clean watts of power as you could afford. The large speakers demanded it, whether they were excellent ones or were mediocre. Now the trend is small speakers for the highs and midrange, with a powered subwoofer for your bass. Theoretically, you can't skimp on any component, as your sound system is only as good as its weakest link. That's where your budget comes in. I think it's worth getting the turntable you're looking at, as it will last forever, and you can always upgrade some of your other components later. You need to give some thought to how much you can pay and where you want to put your money. Speakers are another item that, excepting space limitations, will last many, many years. I have a Klipschorn speaker that I inherited that was built in 1951. It still works perfectly.
