Vinyl on a budget

[jimbouk]

So, I bought my other half a record which she really likes a while back. We're still to listen to it.

The original plan was to inherit her dad's old record player (very basic part of a stack, built in pre-amp) and run it though my Yamaha AV receiver. Total cost £0. Unfortunately after years of storage and transport it was broken on arrival. Given the non-standard parts (square rather than round arm) and a bit of spare cash we've decided it's probably best to get something new.

Currently I have the aforementioned Yamaha AV amp. It's of the old variety so only does component video, but is only used for audio anyway. Speakers are a pair of Keltron (sp?) boxes, large, older than me probably, but fine for the job.

The scene is set, onto the questions.

Pre-amp or new amp?
- £25 pre-amp, £70 pre-amp or £130 on a new amp with built in pre-amp (option 2).

Which record deck?
- given the budget nature of the system, spending lots on a record player would seem like a waste. This was leaning me towards the Pro-Ject Essential 2.

Throwing all that out the window, just how much would I lose getting something like the ION iLP as we only have 1 record at the moment?

Totally up the most expensive options I'm only looking at around a £350 budget so options below £500 if people have bright ideas. The selfish part of me just wants to go cheap and put the rest towards a laptop...

[peterb]

If you are on a budget, the iLP is the one to go for - but the more expensive deck will give you better sound quality - if the rest of your kit is capable of reproducing it. It also depends on whether you have other vinyl disks you want to play, or if you plan to transcode them to CD or not.

I suspect (but haven't seen either product) that the build quality of the more expensive deck will be better, and the cartridge/stylus combination will be higher quality too.se looks better

As for the pre-amps, they aren't that complicated, an equalisation filter built round a couple of op-amps. Cambridge Audio have a good reputation, and the case looks better - whether it sounds better is hard to say.

If you are near a Richer sounds, it might be worth going in to see if they have demo facilities and listen to the more expensive deck through the pre amps you have linked to and listen against the cheaper deck.

Audio seems to be as much subjective as science!

[jimbouk]

Audio seems to be as much subjective as science!

Having read the What Hi-Fi review of the Pro-Ject Essential II with phrases such as "a good level of insight into the production" and "pleased by the deck’s scale and composure" I can agree!

Sounds like the best tactic is to head down to Richer sounds and be a fussy customer. I should get a chance to pop into the store before the new year.

[peterb]

What hi-fi? LOL That is the site that published this

And the sound? This HDMI served up a tight, punchy sound through our reference kit, with the well-integrated treble and mid-range underpinned by thudding bass that not only had incredible grip and was able to dig deep when required. All for £95, too.

And that was for an HDMI cable!

[g8ina]

Ears Vs HiFi Reviews : Ears 100 Reviews 3

[Ttaskmaster]

Given that you were initially looking at an old record player, does it really matter if you don't get the sort of sound quality that makes total audiophiles wet their pants?

Plenty of good nick record players and hi-fi stacks on 'a well known auction site' (can we actually mention external places like that on this forum?), as well as local jumble sales and junk shops.

Time was you could get a reasonable standalone turntable for £20-40 from Argos!
As is, I'd simply go with that ION iLP and copy it to/play it through the PC, doing any editing to suit your individual taste.
Part of the reason I still keep and play my LPs, EPs and singles is the scratchy vintage sounds. I have lossless FLAC file copies for the high quality side - Nothing but happy memories when you get the scratching followed by a bit of Suzi Quatro belting out and waking up the neighbours!!

[jimbouk]

Given that you were initially looking at an old record player, does it really matter if you don't get the sort of sound quality that makes total audiophiles wet their pants?

Well that was before I was intending to spend any money. Now it's a question of value. But I'm not going anywhere near top end, I've seen the prices of some of this kit!

I kept and eye on fleabay, gumtree and even visited some pawn shops on the high street, not many bargains. I think the cheap stuff got binned and the good stuff held it's value.

I don't think we're planning to record the records though, simply for the playing 'experience'. Like putting a CD on rather than queueing things up on your computer, it encourages you to take a break, sit and listen rather than just carrying on with hectic day to day life

[peterb]

Well that was before I was intending to spend any money. Now it's a question of value. But I'm not going anywhere near top end, I've seen the prices of some of this kit!

I kept and eye on fleabay, gumtree and even visited some pawn shops on the high street, not many bargains. I think the cheap stuff got binned and the good stuff held it's value.

I don't think we're planning to record the records though, simply for the playing 'experience'. Like putting a CD on rather than queueing things up on your computer, it encourages you to take a break, sit and listen rather than just carrying on with hectic day to day life

The Ion LP then - best of both worlds - you can (if you want) play through your PC, or with its built in equalisation amp, play it through your existing amp set up. If you decide later that you want to go up market, you can. If its a 5 minute wonder, you have only spent fifty quid!