>Finally gets an interview
>Manager loves me
>Tells me to start as soon as possible
>Surprise tip pool. Sometimes over 1000$ in credit card tips every day split among 5 people (one of those 5 being me now)
>Jesus Christ
I want a good turntable, price range $300-600. Help me out?
>>66141622
don't fall for the meme, vinyl is a waste of money
save it or pick up an instrument or do something else
nice speakers would be a good upgrade to whatever system you have now. good mp3s on those sound better than records for 1/10th the effort/price/etc
>>66141672
Thanks, you actually reminded me that I need a good speaker system. I've always wanted to learn how to play the saxophone, but I don't know how to play any instruments. I actually own 100+ records at the moment, many of which are my favorite albums. The sound of vinyl is just so crisp and nice, and seeing my favorite albums spin and have that slight audio difference is really satisfying.
>>66141622
literally that picture
>>66141672
Dude it's a hobby, some people like to own music.
Anyway OP you have a lot of options in that range, depends whether you need an entire setup or just the TT but you'll probably want something solid that sells in the $200-$350 range and upgrade the cartridge, you could have a very impressive sounding rig for that much.
>>66141622
Most Audio Technicas will be great
>>66141739
I would like an entire new audio setup at some point. Right now I'm running off some decently old speakers with an attached subwoofer which sounds okay but not amazing. Do you have any suggestions where I could start for a good audio rig?
>>66141726
Anon pointed out that this is a fine turntable, which costs 300$ so I could just buy that and use the remaining 300$ or so to buy some new audio equipment?
>>66141622
I've been really pleased with my Pro-ject debut carbon, which still retails for $400 AFAIK. Had it about three years and it's still great. If you pushed your budget to the $600 limit you could probably get a nicer Rega or something, but I would recommend upgrading the other components in your stereo system.
What kind of amp are you using?
>>66141795
I apologize I'm really unfamiliar with audio, I don't believe I have an amp. Just a simple sub woofer attached to two small speakers with a auxiliary cord. :(
>>66141782
You could save money and get a U-Turn Orbit which is just as solid but doesn't have the DJ features, Audio-Technica AT-LP120 would be good too
For a cartridge, get a Shure M97xE if you want a warm sound that's forgiving of damaged records, Audio-Technica AT440MLB if you want extremely crisp and clear and low distortion (but less analog sounding), or Ortofon 2M Red for something sort of in-between.
For speakers and amp I'd look around Craigslist and thrift stores and try and get something vintage, 70s ideally. Get big full range speakers and a nice old metal and wood amp.
>>66141878
No Dj features as in no mixing, usb port, and pitch shifts? Also how easy is it to replace cartridges? Thanks for the all the info as well
>>66141840
Okay, sounds like you're just using powered speakers then. If that's the case, I would recommend getting a nice entry-level setup including new speakers and a receiver instead of dropping $3-600 on a turntable immediately.
If I were you I would definitely look into getting a vintage receiver like pic related, which is the same model I use. They perform great and are very robust with a tiny bit of maintainence, and you can usually score good models for $50-100 off your local craigslist if you know where to look. A good friend of mine scored a real powerful Pioneer model off craigslist for $80 a few years ago and it works great still. And their main benefit is that they include dedicated phono inputs with their own pre-amps, so you won't need a standalone pre-amp as you would with a modern receiver.
My main advice right now would be to spend a bit of time playing the field and researching various components and weighing your options. A lot of people start out with vintage equipment because it's easy to get a really good setup for relatively cheap.
>>66141622
get a music hall mmf or a project carbon.
I got the at lp 120 meme and honestly...it's really ugly to look at and not as aesthetically pleasing also the built in pre amp is shit you can take it out but who wants to do that... what a hassle.
>>66141972
All you need to replace a cartridge is a screwdriver, it's fairly simple, there's just four little wires that you carefully put on pins. Everyone has to learn how to do it eventually, they also sell (and I think there's printable) alignment charts so you can make sure you get that right. Alignment with the grooves (what's called "tracking") is probably the most important part of sound quality, especially since records normally distort more the further towards the center the grooves are ("inner groove distortion"). This can be avoided with a great cartridge, and the Audio-Technica cartridge I listed is very good at it.
The U-Turn is indeed lacking those things, but it's a whole $120 cheaper. The Audio-Technica is obviously more of an all-in-one unit but those also aren't really things you need for serious listening. The AT has a built-in preamp which means you can use it on modern equipment without a separate one but if you get a vintage amp it'll have a phono input built in anyway. And there's a ton of ways to record off a turntable without built-in USB that are preferable to that.
>>66142012
Found this stuff in my basement. Is there anything there that would get me started?
>>66142207
That amp will probably be able to push sound to speakers fine but given it being 90s or later it's likely lacking a phono input. You could still buy a little preamp and hook any turntable up to it, or use the built in one if you get an LP120 or something else with one.
>>66142260
So what am I looking at in that picture exactly?
>>66142177
You're very intelligent with this stuff, I can't thank you enough for your help.
>>66142343
from top to bottom,
a PlayStation 3,
a CD changer,
a cassette deck,
and the amplifier in question.
>>66142343
kek @old ass ps3
So I should still look for a receiver?
>>66142207
>>66142343
Yeah what >>66142260 said. Looks like you got a huge CD player, a cassette deck, and a basic receiver/amp. This sort of stuff is generally referred to as 'BPC' (black plastic crap) because it's usually generic and low quality. But, I think it is actually a pretty good place to start for someone who doesn't have any sound system at all.
>>66142413
I would, at Goodwills around here they rarely cost more than $15 and every once in a while I walk in and see an impressive looking Pioneer.
>>66142453
So once I have the receiver and the amp I already apparently have, what are the next steps?
>>66142507
Well you'd be using either one or the other (the name and functionality of the two are interchangeable), either way I guess the next steps are connecting speakers (which is all color coded and self-explanatory) and plugging something in to test it out. I would probably get your speaker system functional and good sounding before dropping the cash on turntable stuff, having a TT without a way to blast it is torturous
>>66142669
great, you and everyone else except for >>66141672 have been a HUUUUUGE help. Can't thank you guys enough, have a great night
