Turntable recommendations?

ggw wrote:
If you are willing to be patient, you can find some great stuff on ebay and/or craigslist.  I got a pair of mint condition Paradigm Mk3s (the big boys, not the minis) for $300.  Those would be right up your alley considering they're Canadian.

ohhhhh those look (sound?) sweet.  they're up my alley b/c they are rated as having excellent bass response.  i'll be cranking the dance/electronic/etc out of whatever i buy and i prefer to not have to add a sub so these just might be the ticket. 

chaz wrote:
Floorstanders or bookshelves? 

towers.  i've got an OK bookshelf setup but looking for something with a fuller spectrum.

I'd try and haggle with this guy to get closer to your budget:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/ele/2256880958.html

great tip, chaz - thanks!  and i'm working in ashburn most days, so picking up these bad boys wouldn't be a problem.  hummm…

i've found another deal, but they need a repair: "the surrounds on the woofers need replacement".  there are 4 woofers total.  any idea how much this might run?  is this a repair worth doing, or is this telling us that these things are shot & beyond salvation?

sweetcell wrote:
great tip, chaz - thanks!  and i'm working in ashburn most days, so picking up these bad boys wouldn't be a problem.  hummm…

i've found another deal, but they need a repair: "the surrounds on the woofers need replacement".  there are 4 woofers total.  any idea how much this might run?  is this a repair worth doing, or is this telling us that these things are shot & beyond salvation?

Well that depends on what they are and how much….

Crosley record players are about the worst things ever. Those 80's all in one player/amp/radio/cassette decks are better! I would take the advice and cruise craigslist for cool old 70's equipment. Spring cleaning is beginning and people will have yard sales and most will sell old players, speakers and receivers for next to nothing. I even saw an ad about 3 weeks ago that read something like "technics record player, speakers and amplifier with a stack of old records…FREE in my driveway"

i have a Dual 1219 in fantastic condition (dust cover intact, all parts working well), with a fairly new Shure v15 III cartridge for sale/trade

http://dual-reference.com/tables/1219.htm

also an Onkyo TX-8555 receiver

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-8555&class=Receiver&p=i

PM me if you're interested, price negotiable

if i had the money…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054

Hey, can I suggest something?    If I'm reading correctly, your main goal is to be able to play records, not necessarily construct an audiophile's dream.  The main point here is that you need three separate components, a turntable, an amp, and speakers.  It doesn't need to get complicated.

Since you seem very focused on scrimping cash, I'd focus on getting a good turntable.    You mentioned having computer speakers – well, they suck, but they'll play music, and they have a built in amp.  You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.

Later on when you want to spend more on your system, you can upgrade to an amp and better speakers, at which point you'll be glad you spent your initial money on a good turntable.

Doctor wrote:
You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.

you could technically connect the turntable to the computer speakers using a RCA-to-1/8" adapter, but it'll sound like hell.  frequencies on a record aren't flat - the highs are boosted and the lows are very quiet. this is done to prevent the needle from skipping during loud bass notes.  also, the overall output is very weak.  the phono input on an amp has built-in compensation to make the turntable's output sound normal.  try plugging your turntable into "tape in" or any other input - it won't sound very good, neither will connecting your tape deck to the phono ins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phono_input#Phono_input

sweetcell wrote:

Doctor wrote:
You can connect the turntable to the computer speakers (there's no reason you need an actual computer involved in this) and play your music.

you could technically connect the turntable to the computer speakers using a RCA-to-1/8" adapter, but it'll sound like hell.  frequencies on a record aren't flat - the highs are boosted and the lows are very quiet. this is done to prevent the needle from skipping during loud bass notes.  also, the overall output is very weak.  the phono input on an amp has built-in compensation to make the turntable's output sound normal.  try plugging your turntable into "tape in" or any other input - it won't sound very good, neither will connecting your tape deck to the phono ins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phono_input#Phono_input

well, ya learn something new every day.  But my point was, he is looking for something cheap that works, and that's cheap and would work.    You could add one of these, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PP999-Phono-Turntable-Pre-Amp/dp/B00025742A

Yes…any receiver/amp/preamp you plug a turntable into need a phone pre-amp and a phono ground.  Without the results will be very very bad and possibly harmful to the equipment.

sweetcell wrote:
if i had the money…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054

If you really wanted to get into electrostatic speakers, this is the cheapest way in.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG

You can buy them direct brand new for $599, but if you had a little patience you could probably find a used pair for a lot lot less.  Electrostats need a lot of power to be their best though, so you'll end up paying in that dept….

chaz wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
if i had the money…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170615245054

If you really wanted to get into electrostatic speakers, this is the cheapest way in.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG

You can buy them direct brand new for $599, but if you had a little patience you could probably find a used pair for a lot lot less.  Electrostats need a lot of power to be their best though, so you'll end up paying in that dept….

I have always wished I had the right space for a vintage pair of MG1s.

Here's your chance!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnepan-MG-1-Improved-recently-totally-restored-/130501224678?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1e627aa8e6

There's tons of speakers I'd like to check out, but yeah, a lot of stuff won't work in the wrong room.  Can't put these babies back against the wall.

chaz wrote:
Here's your chance!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnepan-MG-1-Improved-recently-totally-restored-/130501224678?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1e627aa8e6

There's tons of speakers I'd like to check out, but yeah, a lot of stuff won't work in the wrong room.  Can't put these babies back against the wall.

awesome, thanks!  i've been getting some domestic push-back on my plan to upgrade the sound system.  working on that…

Thanks. 

I don't have the right room for them.  And I would get the six footers in cherry or oak with the white socks:

This is what i'd get if i was blowing a few grand on speakers…

The Anthony Gallo speakers are amazing.  My boss has them so I have had the pleasure of listening to different kinds of music with them.
If I had the $$ it would be my next audio purchase.

And they look cool.

If you want to see some serious audiophile equipment, swing by this place in McLean. He's got some great vintage stuff.

www.dejavuaudio.com

ggw wrote:
If you want to see some serious audiophile equipment, swing by this place in McLean. He's got some great vintage stuff.

www.dejavuaudio.com

I demo'd some quaud 22l's there a few years ago.  Ended up buying a pair, not from there though.