A few years ago I started getting into vinyl and have built up a pretty good collection of records. Up until this point I've been using a $100 Sony turntable connected to my Denon home theater receiver and speakers, but I've decided to upgrade and want to improve the sound quality if possible. I signed on as a backer for the limited edition of the Orbit Turntable on Kickstarter a while back, which should be arriving in a few weeks. Couple of questions I need some input on: Should I continue to hook the turntable up through my A/V receiver, or should I just connect it through a preamp and speakers? Any significant advantages/disadvantages either way? I'd prefer to keep it this way just for ease of use, but would like to know if I'm really screwing myself out of the best sound. Any recommendations for furniture/stands to house the turntable? I've seen recommendations of the Ikea Lack table, but those are way too low to the ground so I'd need to possibly look at stacking multiple tables. Another option I've looked at is wall mounting, but my new house has old wood paneling that has been painted over, so it might be difficult to find the studs for the mount.
Whatever you put that puppy on, Harrisment, be sure that if you trip and fall on the floor 10 feet away, you won't hear the sound you dread... the needle going across your LP. So sure, get something solid and heavy, since you are going to some trouble to play vinyl (which I think is great!).
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I don't know about this turntable, but generally, turntables require phono input to drive the sound which most modern receivers don't have. A good phono preamp makes all the difference in the world. I like tube preamps but they are very expensive.
I mean avoiding added "noise" from going through receivers is nice but if you have a high quality one I don't see an issue with it especially if it has a nice amp. Do your best to keep connection cab libeling short because the length of your cables contribute to outside interference in the signal. (Ex. Don't have your receiver 15 feet from your turntable) Invest in turntable stabilizers and high end needles. The needles very in frequency response. I use Stanton hifi needles on my 1200's and make sure you invest in Monster cables! J/K on the last one
Marantz receivers are the way to go. If you have the cash, you can probably snag a one off of Craigslist for a few hundred. Ex. http://houston.craigslist.org/ele/3832778309.html Also, I prefer to have dedicated speakers for my set up. As far as storage, Ikea Expedit bookcases are the way to go. I've been using them for years without any problems. Built solid and sturdy. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50103086/ For your record player, I'd look into getting some type of console set up. Urban Outfitters had this simple media console set up that I wish I would've snagged (sold out). You can probably find something similar and cheaper if you look around, though. http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urba...jsp?id=25772468&color=021&parentid=MORE IDEAS
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how do you store them? I also have a bunch. I have been using a Calendar rack( similar to this ) but I'm still trying to find different ways to store'em and have them easily accessible .
I do something like that, keeping them in boxes with the records upright and inside the house. Actually, it's a pain, because I have more LPs than I have space inside my abode to store them. I used to keep them on deep bookshelves, which was great, but I have so many books, and so little space left that I had to go in another direction. Some of my LP's are in a climate controlled storage unit. I'm not happy about it, but I don't have much choice.
I'm in a similar situation as you. I've really gotten the vinyl fever over the past year and I've really built up my collection. I started with about 15 records and now I'm up to about 160. I had a Pioneer turntable that I bought in the early 90's but it was busted. Didn't want to break the bank, so I looked up "best turntable for under 100 dollars" and I decided on an Audio Technica for about $70.00. It sounds great for the price but I am looking to upgrade soon. The best thing that I've done with my setup to improve the sound was to buy a wall mountable shelf to get the turntable disconnected from my wood floor. Wood floors transfer vibrations from walking and bass from the music very very much and has an adverse affect on the sound quality. I can walk normally back and forth in my living room now with no skipping whatsoever. And there was a sort of grinding sound before that is completely gone. Here is a link to the shelf I got. Size is absolutely PERFECT for my turntable and I would guess it would ideal for most. http://www.private.abacus24-7.com/single-dvd-blu-ray-media-wall-mount-shelf-black.htm
I just put mine through a midlevel Onkyo Receiver / Speaker set. I use the audio-technica player that is essentially a technics replica.
you don't say whether your preamp would have a phono stage in it- one can't plug a turntable into a standard line level input (CD level)- the output isn't high enough. there are many good integrated amps (a preamp/power amp in one box) that are relatively inexpensive, and which include phono stages. look at NAD as a option. some great places to find vinyl, both new and used: http://store.acousticsounds.com/ http://www.musicdirect.com/ http://www.elusivedisc.com/ and Amazon has a great selection, and links to 3rd party stores. and if you buy vinyl from them, and use the amazon cloud service (part of amazon prime), they'll sideload the mp3s to your cloud collection free: http://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Records-Albums-LPs-Eps/b/ref=sv_m_1?ie=UTF8&node=372989011 buddy gave me a Rega RP1 a year ago, and I've been collecting again. had ~1,500 LPs, but got rid of them in the late 80s. am up to about 60 now.
Another great site, especially for buying used: http://www.discogs.com/ They have a database of every record label release known to exist, and even quite a few bootlegs that don't have labels. If you can't find what you're looking for used on the site, you can register, browse the release page, put the items in your "wishlist" and the site will email you as soon as any item on your wishlist goes on sale. I've gotten quite a few rare records on this site including Soundarden - Superunknown, Opeth - Ghost Reveries and Watershed. All at prices well below typical listings. Also, quite a few good records have not been released in the US and I've found them from Europe through this site.
