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Ready to try vinyl

I would like to buy a turntable just to see what all the fuss is about. Since I remember the pops and scratches all too well, I do not want to spend alot just to satisfy my curiosity. I want a turntable that is capable of giving me a "taste" of what the vinyl sound is all about without going overboard. I can always upgrade if I like what I hear. I would also like to avoid deciding against vinyl because the turntable was not capable of capturing at least the basics. What turntables should I be looking at and how much should I spend? I would prefer to buy used due to the experimental nature of this adventure. Current gear is Sunfire processor with phono input, a pair of Classe M 701's, and B&W 800N. I am relying on your responses since I don't know squat. Thanks for your help.
baffled
ohlala
993 posts
 
For the TT, arm, cart, and accessories, I reckon around $2500 for a rig that doesn't have large drawbacks relative to cd playback.
dsremer
210 posts
 
I to recently returned to vinyl and after lots of questons bought a VPI SCOUT with a Dynavector 20 high output cart.
ALL THE ABOVE ADVICE ON CLEAN VINYL is very important and makes a big difference in overall sound quality. So keep a portion of your budget for a record cleaner and fluid.
jeromedny
61 posts
 
I am enough of a rookie that I have picked up some tips just reading through this thread. But I would second the vote for the MMF-7. They do show up hear from time to time for $6-750. It is a great entry level table that you will be able to live with for a while to make up your mind about joining the cult. If you decide otherwise, you can resell it for probably the same price. If you do grow to like it, you may want to trade up to something that allows the tweaking and modding. Or you could be just as happy continuing to enjoy the MH.

Good luck.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
Wow, Nick Gowan at Truesound eh? Basically dismisses the usefulness of RCMs (almost specifically VPI and Nitty Gritty) overall but then endorses an expensive Clearaudio? Any agenda there? Glad he doesn't steer his customers wrong.
r_f_sayles's avatar
r_f_sayles
827 posts
 
Understand that you must drop a bit of cash to get a turntable that will do the trick. The Rega 3 with a Dynavector was an excellent suggestion. Matching a TT and tone arm is a lot like matching amplifiers to speakers. A definite synergy is called for and deserves good research. There are so many ways to go and most of it all comes down to how much cash you are able spend on this venture.
If you buy something of quality used chances are you will not loose too much in the case that you fall in love with analog but want to move upscale. Considering the relative quality of what your other equipment is you might look at lending a TT from a dealer in the range that you ultimately would be willing to invest. The benefit here is that you get some support and at “no obligation” get to try some things and in the end you don’t undersell yourself on the analog and then walk away dissatisfied.
Understand where I’m coming from. I have had a Linn Sondek Lp12 with a Linn Ittok LVII tone arm since 1983 and have had nothing but excellent analog performance with little interest in changing decks. I have done a number of upgrades to the table over the years and imo it has kept it competitive. Are there better tables out now? Sure, I guess. Do I care? Not in the least.
Bottom line is I find vinyl superior in many ways and so do a lot of other A’goners. I would hate to see you miss out. As for the answer to your question… there are so many good or even great choices. It is going to take some looking and listening around on your part and a dollar figure in mind before you should jump imo. Best of luck. Enjoy!
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