Turntable Overview

So far, in a couple weeks, I feel that I have learned a lot about turntables.  Certainly, I have learned a lot more than I ever knew before.

Being honest, I didn't really know anything.

The first thing I learned, and probably as good as any place to start, was learning all the parts.  Like showing a kid his nose, mouth, eyes, etc. I learned all the parts that make up the turntable, at least on the outside.  The guts of a turntable will have to wait for a few posts down the road, as I am nowhere near tinkering with that.

When you first look at the TT, you notice it has really two or three distinct parts.  The round thing the record sits on, called the platter (on top of which is a mat of some kind) is the first thing you notice.  The next would be the arm that you put on the record to make it play.  My TT is semi-automatic, which means that I have to manually put it down, but it will automatically come off the record.  Fully automatic does both, and fully manual, you have to do both.

When you look more carefully at the arm, or tone arm, you see a lot of different things that I didn't know about.  The end piece that goes on the record is the stylus, which is attached to the cartridge, which is attached to the headshell by multi-coloured tiny wires.  I have a standard mount cartridge, and there is also a P-mount kind, but I don't know what that is yet.  At the back end of the tone arm is a weight, as well as some kind of mechanism used for anti-skating, which is just another weight applying a different force.

The first weight is used for applying a downward force on the stylus, called a tracking force, usually 1.5 - 2g.  The second force, or anti-skating is an outward force, sort of pulling the arm back from centre, so it doesn't just skate across the record.

Pretty quickly, I found that these two forces should be balanced, and they are fairly delicate.  You can buy tools to balance them properly, and should definitely do so when/if you upgrade your cartridge.  I have not taken this step yet, but from what I have read, it is important to set it up properly for optimal improvement in sound.

I'm sure I am missing something, and the insides are for another day, but at least you didn't go too long before you found out WTF anti-skate was.

The System

You can collect records before you have a stereo system, but there really is no point if you aren't going to listen to it.  Maybe if you had a really rare record worth $15000, that might be different, but I would still listen regardless, just like I would drink a $10000 bottle of wine if I had the chance. 

So the first thing you should probably do, as I did, was decide on a system to listen to your records.  It can be simple - turntable, receiver, speakers.  It can also be more complicated - new or vintage turntable, upgrade the tone arm, the weights, the headshell, the cartridge?  Install a new cartridge yourself and you need the tools - the tracking weight scale, a protractor thingy, tiny screwdrivers and pliers.  Then the complexity of finding the right components to plug your source into.  You can go with an integrated amplifier (pre-amp and amp in one) or receiver (integrated amp plus tuner) or you can go with a dedicated pre-amp and power amp.  Then you also need to decide to go new, or go vintage. Then the same with the speakers, and connectors, and tweaks (turntable mat, anti-vibration feet, etc etc.)

For me, I have a tight budget (for now), so I found a pretty good deal on Kijiji for a bunch of components.  This is what I got:

NAD 2150 Power Amp
NAD 1020A Pre-Amp

I also got a Pioneer 6 CD player, which I kept, as well as an equalizer, NAD tape deck, and tuner.

A week or so later, I found another deal on Kijiji for a turntable.  I wanted a vintage look, at a decent price, that was decent quality.

I ended up getting a Realistic R8000 belt driven turntable.  This unit was made in 1977 by CEC, which is a Japanese company that also manufactured Pioneer and Marantz brands. Although Realistic is a Radio Shack brand name, it still shares a lot of the same components as other brands that would be considered higher quality. The same thing happens today, with Samsung making several iPhone components.

In the end, I think it depends on budget mostly, and what you are looking for in a system and sound.  Every component will add or subtract something from what the true sound of the recording is, and it comes down to personal preference.

A lot like most people don't know what they want to do for a career until they try many out, you probably don't know what sounds best to you until you try various components.

This will be a very expensive and long lasting hobby.

Why?

Why did I decide to get a stereo and start collecting Vinyl?

I love music, and used to have a decent CD and MP3 collection, but ever since my computer failed and I got an iPad, music has changed to streaming through Songza (which is awesome) or other means.  It seems most people I know has some kind of a hobby, but I don't really.  My wife crochet's hats, gloves, boots, scarves, and makes money at it.  My brother runs, my friend drinks single malt scotch.  I decided to collect vinyl.

I had or should I say still don't have any idea what I am doing, but I am learning as I go, and so I thought it would be a good idea to write it down for others who might be in the same situation - looking to set up the best system they can with no money, and start a new hobby, collecting and listening to records.

So is it really that simple?  Well, as I have found out in a few short weeks - it is not.  Each part of this hobby can be complex, and it is hard to distinguish between so called 'audiophiles' online who actually know what they are talking about and those who think they do. 

So lace up your anti-skates, and lets get to it.