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How can I get back into vinyl very cheaply?

Hi and thanks for taking the time to read my thread. I grew up in the 70's and amassed a relatively large record collection. Moreover my buddies from high school are willing to give me their old Lp's. However I don't have much in disposable income so I am wondering if there is a good TT,arm, cartridge, combo to be had for ~350$ I had a denon direct drive turntable when I was a kid, but reading this site makes my think that a belt drive table would generally be superior. I particularly am wondering what old units I should look for on ebay. There are almost 1000 units for sal on ebay and most of them are in my price range, but I really don't know for which units I should be looking. Finally as I don't even know what VTA is, ease of set up is important. I appreciate all opinions.

PS. My Musical Fidelity pre has a phono stage that is purportedly good but not great for MM and adequate for MC
rgcards
stne418
90 posts
 
Of all the items to be shipped I suspect turntables are the most easily damaged so do emphasize double boxing, etc IF you buy a used TT from out of town. I personally would not buy a TT that had to be shipped.
mwilson
430 posts
 
If you are looking for ease of use and less headache than a vintage rig, buy something current - like a Music Hall, Rega or Sumiko. Lurk on Audiogon for a few weeks, and see what you find. Music Hall MMF 2.1, Rega 3, various Sumiko models (overlap with Music Hall in plinth manufacturer and tonearm)... all all well within your pricerange, and usually with a respectable entry-level cartridge.

Personally, I'm using a MMF 2.1 (~$250) and a Shure M97xE (MM) cartridge (~$95 with user-replaceable tip ~$50), and a Parasound P/PH100 phono stage (~$90). The phono stage in particular used to cost much more, but the retail price went to $120 at some point, so the used price makes it a superb bargain. Overall, this is a very nice entry-level setup.

I'd love to fly with angels, but my priorities lie in other places. This setup gives a great vinyl experience, and a taste of what lies beyond.

PS - the Michell record clamp that I just added made a palpable difference in this setup, I would put it in the "keep your eyes peeled for a good deal" category (< $40 shipped) and jump all over it when you see one - it really tightens up the sound and articulates the bass to a very noticeable degree.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Quote: "I had a denon direct drive turntable when I was a kid, but reading this site makes my think that a belt drive table would generally be superior."

The Psychic says: "Don't believe everything you read..." To get good speed and rotational stability out of a belt drive you need to spend *quite* a bit of money!

If you want cheap and fast, Technics has a FG Servo belt drive w/ plug-in cartridge hookup that will outperform the other 'glass and particle board' entry level belt drives by a far margin. Quick and easy. If you can get some more cash get a Technics 1200 and you'll be far ahead of the game--that's what I have (on steroids, though!).
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