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Topic: Vinyl setup help? (Read 6538 times) previous topic - next topic
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Vinyl setup help?

Basically im only 16 so i have no knowledge on vinyls and i want to buy a set up. I only want to use it to play tunes im not interested in mixing, the music i want to play is trance, jungle, hip hop and house. My room is 11ft x 10ft, i dont know hom much i need to spend, but i will not be able to spend more than £500. I really know hardly anything but my guess is that i need a turntable, amp and speakers? I want some big, loud speakers as i have a lot of m8s round my house and we share a love for loud, thumping beats  Can you give me some tips on what to buy and possibly even a list of what to buy ( make, model ect.). Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #1
This looks like a good starter TT that could take the thrashing you and your mates are likely to give it (I jest.) Audio Technica amazon uk.

It has a built-in preamp and USB and is very reasonably priced IMO. All you need is a cheap amp and some second-hand speakers and you're all set. There seems to be a shorter supply of these turntables on Amazon.co.uk as there are on .com. You may have to look elsewhere.

You don't need too much amplification or too big of speakers to fill such a room. A small pair of three-ways will suffice to get you into trouble 
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #2
Basically im only 16 so i have no knowledge on vinyls and i want to buy a set up. I only want to use it to play tunes im not interested in mixing, the music i want to play is trance, jungle, hip hop and house.

Can I ask why you want to get into vinyl? If it's simply that the music you want to play is only available on vinyl, then fair enough. But apart from that, the only really valid reason for using vinyl is if you enjoy the rituals involved. Good quality playback is much easier to achieve with a digital setup.

OK, let's suppose you really do want to get into vinyl. Your desire for loud thumping beats in the context of a £500 budget gives you two problems:

1. Acoustic feedback. The loud thumping beats will impinge on the turntable, possibly resulting in groove skipping. If you and your mates are likely to be jumping up and down while listening, this will make matters worse. To avoid this you need either a massive turntable or one with a well-designed suspension. Neither of these come cheap. You should also think about mounting the turntable on a shelf firmly attached to a solid wall. Putting it on a stand on the floor or a shelf on a flimsy stud wall will mean any vibrations will easily transmit back into the turntable and provoke skipping.

2. Loud thumping bass only comes out of big speakers. Good quality big speakers cost a lot of money. Be prepared to sacrifice sound quality in exchange for lots of (ill-defined) bass at your budget level. Perhaps look out for secondhand Cerwin-Vega speakers, which are renowned for their ability to shift large volumes of air, albeit in a somewhat uncouth manner!

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #3
Here's the speakers covered...
http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/0...his-were-12.jpg


Seriously, you might have to buy second hand equipment.

You might not want to mix, but I bet one of your mates wants to (at least) cross fade between two turntables for seamless music.

Cheers,
David.

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #4
I know where you are coming from mate. If I was your age that's just what I'd want as well.

£500 is a challenging budget but I reckon you can just about do it even buying new.

That Audio Technica turntable Engelsstaub recommends is your  best bet. £200.

I'd get a mixer. It'll have phono pre amps if you want them ever and it's an easy place to control everything. Use a CD player or connect your computer to the second channel.

Here one within budget. Stanton SMX 202 £60.

Active speakers with > 8 inch cones and > 100W ouput? Try these. Behringer B210D. £240 the pair.

There you are. Hours of neighbour bothering bass based fun. All for under £500.

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #5
Unfortunately for that otherwise bang-on total price:
Quote
This turntable doesn't come with a cartridge in spite of there being one in the picture of the device which for me is misleading and a bit of a problem now I have to spend £140 to get the same cartridge that they get in america or the one in the picture.
It's like selling a car without wheels.
Aside from that it seems like a good well built product.
Quote
It is advertised as with one in all markets but the UK.
Someone offers some kind of consolation:
Quote
most of the US Amazon reviews recommend buying and installing a different carrridge to the one supplied so it's probably just as well it's not included.

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #6
A typical set-up would look like this:

Turntable > Phono Preamp > Receiver > Speakers.

If you get a turntable with a built-in preamp (with line-level outputs), you can skip the phono preamp.

In the old days, every receiver had a phono preamp built-in .  But most modern stereos don't have turntables, so it's now a rare feature.

DJ mixers usually have a pair of phono preamps.

Beware that most turntables (especially the expensive ones) are sold without a phono cartridge (AKA pickup...  the thing with the stylus/needle).  However, many lower-priced are ready-to-go, including the cartridge.  Most turntables that have a line-output and/or a USB output are ready-to-go.

The receiver has various inputs so that you can connect your CD player, phono-preamp, TV audio, iPod, computer, etc.  It will have a volume control, input selector, a  variety of other controls such as bass/treble, etc.  It also has a built-in AM/FM tuner, and an power amplifier to drive the speakers. 

A "home theater receiver" will have a digital audio input for stereo or surround sound from your video system and a 5-channel power amp for 5 speakers.  Plus, there will be a line-level output to connect an active subwoofer.  The Dolby Pro Logic decoder has various "soundfield" settings for taking advantage of the  surround speakers when you have a 2-channel stereo source.  I have mine set-up to generate reverb in the rear channels. 

Regular stereo speakers are passive, and these require a power amplifier.  Active (powered) speakers (like the Behringers) have a power amplifier built-in so they don't need a separate power amp and you can get-by without the receiver.  But, you might want the convenience of the receiver volume control (and remote control).

Computer speakers are active, so you don't need a separate power amp.  But you won't get the "thump" you're looking for with most computer speakers.


P.S.
It wouldn't hurt to go to an audio/video shop to check-out some equipment, see how it's hooked-up, and especially to listen to a variety of speakers.    Every speaker system sounds different and listening to a variety of speakers should be helpful, even if you don't buy from that shop.

You'll see lots of high-priced equipment,...    The salesman will probably try to talk you into spending more money...  But, I'd stay on the cheaper-side with your 1st turntable.    You can spend thousands on a turntable/cartridge/preamp, and yeah...  It will sound better than a cheap setup, but you are still listening to "scratchy" analog vinyl.      After you live with vinyl for awhile, you might want to upgrade to some mid-priced equipment, or you might want to just go all-digital.

The vinyl issue is really a separate issue from good-loud "thumping" sound...  If you want to get the most sound for your money, skip the vinyl (use a CD player, iPod, or computer as your music source) and spend the extra money on speakers!   

Vinyl setup help?

Reply #7
If you live near a neighborhood of older homes, those homes may have older residents that had very good legacy turntables that are no longer used. All you need to do is track them down and then replace the rubber parts.
Kevin Graf :: aka Speedskater