Looking for a decent turntable

mikeinfla wrote:

Mine came in today and sounds good, however now it is skating across the album for reasons I dont understand.

There should be a weight adjustment on the tone arm, the reason it is skating across the surface is there isn't enough weight on the stylus. You want to make a very small adjustment, then try again, only put as much weight on there as absolutely necessary, too much weight can cause damage to the stylus and the records.

Got it! Working again. I was playing some old records from 1956 and I just needed to clean the records and the stylus. The stylus I know how to clean but in the modern age what is the best way to clean records? Back in the day I used a record brush with some type of alcohol solution. Not sure if they make the stuff anymore. What's good for cleaning vinyl these days?

By the way it has an AT95E stylus. Tracks at 2 grams. Now I just need some rock records instead of big band!

Try adjusting your tracking force and then check the anti skate.

chewie wrote:

Try adjusting your tracking force and then check the anti skate.

Thanks we're all good now. Working perfectly. I'm in Nashville on business and my wife said she's been playing vinyl the whole time I've been gone. She picked up some 180 gram Beatles vinyl. She said it sounds awesome, can't wait to get back home and check it out myself!

mikeinfla wrote:

chewie wrote:

Try adjusting your tracking force and then check the anti skate.

Thanks we're all good now. Working perfectly. I'm in Nashville on business and my wife said she's been playing vinyl the whole time I've been gone. She picked up some 180 gram Beatles vinyl. She said it sounds awesome, can't wait to get back home and check it out myself!

AWESOME!!!!!

Just loving the turn table. Took some cd's to FYE and traded them in for some vinyl. Picked up 3 Beatles 180 gram remasters. Then when we got back from the mall there were 3 packages at the door. A used copy of Rubber Soul, The White Album (jacket in terrible shape but vinyl looks fine) and Styx Paradise Theatre with the laser etching, also in great condition. I cleaned Rubber Soul & The White Album right off the bat. I used a solution with 3/4 distiller water, 1/4 alcohol (91%) and a squirt of clear soap in a spray bottle. It's really hard to hold LP's and clean them off but I managed. Wiped them off with a micro fiber towel. Used a "paint edger" to clean the album with the home made solution. But there has to be an easier way.

mikeinfla wrote:

Just loving the turn table. Took some cd's to FYE and traded them in for some vinyl. Picked up 3 Beatles 180 gram remasters. Then when we got back from the mall there were 3 packages at the door. A used copy of Rubber Soul, The White Album (jacket in terrible shape but vinyl looks fine) and Styx Paradise Theatre with the laser etching, also in great condition. I cleaned Rubber Soul & The White Album right off the bat. I used a solution with 3/4 distiller water, 1/4 alcohol (91%) and a squirt of clear soap in a spray bottle. It's really hard to hold LP's and clean them off but I managed. Wiped them off with a micro fiber towel. Used a "paint edger" to clean the album with the home made solution. But there has to be an easier way.

Mike, there are as many ways to clean records as there are people listening to vinyl, or at least that's the way it seems to me! There's all sort of voodoo and home remedies in this area.

I know people that just wash them in the sink with tap water and a touch of dishwashing detergent.  They then let them dry in a dish rack and them wipe them down with a microfiber cloth.

I know people that think using tap water is insane and will only use distilled water, a bit of alcohol and some detergent in a spray bottle.  They then put the record on an old turntable and slowing spin it while cleaning.

Some people use steam cleaners, others (believe it or not) use wood glue!!  

There are mechanical washers like the spin clean and the nitty gritty washer that do work, but can be pricey.  I want a nitty gritty cleaner because I am lazy and they seem to do the best job within reason.

One thing to try is the old Discwasher brush and fluid that was originally made by RCA.  Track an old one down on Ebay and use that.  The versions being made and sold now kind of suck, but the old ones are excellent.  They are simple and very easy to use and do a good job for normal cleanings. Like this one:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/DISCWASHER-RECORD-CLEANING-KIT-/151078693384?pt=US_Vinyl_Record_Cleaning&hash=item232cfdea08#ht_947wt_958

Also, if you are buying used records and cleaning them, be sure to replace the inner sleeve with a fresh one. Don't put the clean record back in the old, dirty sleeve, or all your hard work will be undone. I like poly-lined paper inner sleeves, but poly only, or new paper work great too.

Thanks for the tip! Funny you mention the poly lined sleeves, I ordered some from amazon over the weekend. So far all of my new vinyl comes with this and not a paper sleeve. The old used ones tho have the old paper sleeves. I'll replace those as soon as they come in the mail. Also FYE gave me some free outer covers which was cool of them. Gave me about 10 or 15 he said "hey those cost a lot" when I was looking at them. "We have some open behind the counter ill put some in your bag". So that was cool but FYE tries to sell you a discount card for $25. It gives you 10% off purchases for a year. I said no thanks to that because most of my purchases will be online. FYE is just too expensive, overall.

They had the disc washer in there for 20 bucks and it looks like the old style one to me.

My nephew says he uses this to clean and swears by it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MG9YYQ?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

Also I like the ease of this way to clean but I am hesitant to try. Many people leave a lot of nasty comments for the way he cleans vinyl. My original thought was that if a huge record store in LA does it then how bad can it be???

I've used this before:

http://www.amazon.com/SPIN-CLEAN-STARTER-RECORD-WASHER-SYSTEM/dp/B002UKSZUU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1373917718&sr=8-5&keywords=vinyl+record+cleaner

OK, just got Abbey Road in the mail! 180 gram! but it is full of static and sounds like crap! How do I get rid of the static? My other new records didn't have static on them, at least not this noticable. It had so much it pulled the slip mat up when i flipped to side two. I'm hearing all kinds of pops

My LP120. So far very happy with it. I made some transfers to my iPod that sound wonderful. Here's a short video I made. Most of the others cover the other aspects of this player so I featured the USB capability of the player.

Just ordered the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB from Amazon, 250 w/free shipping courtesy of Prime. I was originally going to fix my old Sony but there's so much going south with it that I decided to just make the upgrade. Looking forward to spinning vinyl again; going to take a brake from CD purchases and build my collection again.

corplhicks wrote:

Just ordered the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB from Amazon, 250 w/free shipping courtesy of Prime. I was originally going to fix my old Sony but there's so much going south with it that I decided to just make the upgrade. Looking forward to spinning vinyl again; going to take a brake from CD purchases and build my collection again.

Awesome! I'll say mine is flawless but looking at the recent reviews on Amazon some people are getting warped platters. Got mine for around 240 from ZZounds and on the monthly plan of $62 a month. Had it since June and my wife and I both love it. In fact I think she plays vinyl more than I do because she is home more. You'll the the LP-120, I know I sure do!

mikeinfla wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Just ordered the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB from Amazon, 250 w/free shipping courtesy of Prime. I was originally going to fix my old Sony but there's so much going south with it that I decided to just make the upgrade. Looking forward to spinning vinyl again; going to take a brake from CD purchases and build my collection again.

Awesome! I'll say mine is flawless but looking at the recent reviews on Amazon some people are getting warped platters. Got mine for around 240 from ZZounds and on the monthly plan of $62 a month. Had it since June and my wife and I both love it. In fact I think she plays vinyl more than I do because she is home more. You'll the the LP-120, I know I sure do!

Interesting you mentioned that because Amazon is selling them through a third party now due to the problem you mentioned. Apparently they're investigating it for the time. Still got the Prime shipping on it though, so that's good, and perhaps this is more assurance that I won't end up with a defective product.

I'm looking forward to it...I've always purchase vintage equipment simply because of preference (if I were single my entire apartment would look like a time warp), but they always fell apart on me, usually burned capacitors. I could go in a recap everything but it's time and money I don't have, so I decided to invest this time around. Plus we have some old recordings of my late father-in-law on trumpet in his high school years that I want to digitize. Seems like this is a good way to go.

I also gotta give you props for how well you take care of your vinyl. I'm so lazy with mine lol.

Once you get back into it you will take care of it. I'm 42 years old and didnt clean a record in my life until I was.... Well, 42! My current cleaning solution has too much soap in it. 3 parts distilled water, 1 part 91% alcohol with a squirt of clear soap. Well should've been a DROP not a squirt now the records are getting sudsy when I clean them. Oh well I can always mix up some more. Need to buy some more poly lined inserts as well..... And if you have a static problem try my dryer sheet experiment. I'm curious to know if it works for anyone else.

You're going to enjoy the vinyl hobby I know I do, all aspects of it!

Oh yeah, another tip for cleaning. NEVER clean records on the platter on your working turntable!! My nephew just had his motor collapse on his direct drive table from exerting pressure on the platter by cleaning them on the turntable. I asked him how hard he was pressing down and he said not very hard but after years of cleaning them on the platter it finally gave up the ghost. I always put my records on an old clean shirt on a flat surface then scrub with the groove. Then dry with the groove.

corplhicks wrote:

mikeinfla wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Just ordered the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB from Amazon, 250 w/free shipping courtesy of Prime. I was originally going to fix my old Sony but there's so much going south with it that I decided to just make the upgrade. Looking forward to spinning vinyl again; going to take a brake from CD purchases and build my collection again.

Awesome! I'll say mine is flawless but looking at the recent reviews on Amazon some people are getting warped platters. Got mine for around 240 from ZZounds and on the monthly plan of $62 a month. Had it since June and my wife and I both love it. In fact I think she plays vinyl more than I do because she is home more. You'll the the LP-120, I know I sure do!

Interesting you mentioned that because Amazon is selling them through a third party now due to the problem you mentioned. Apparently they're investigating it for the time. Still got the Prime shipping on it though, so that's good, and perhaps this is more assurance that I won't end up with a defective product.

I'm looking forward to it...I've always purchase vintage equipment simply because of preference (if I were single my entire apartment would look like a time warp), but they always fell apart on me, usually burned capacitors. I could go in a recap everything but it's time and money I don't have, so I decided to invest this time around. Plus we have some old recordings of my late father-in-law on trumpet in his high school years that I want to digitize. Seems like this is a good way to go.

I also gotta give you props for how well you take care of your vinyl. I'm so lazy with mine lol.

So did it come in yet? I am curious what you think about it. It comes with a decent stylus too, the AT95E (green cartridge). I am impressed and when it comes time to replace the stylus I am sticking with what works. I'm not buying into the high dollar cartridge --- i'll stick with the AT95E or its big brother the AT120E.

I love it. Playing You Want Blood You Got It right now, cranked up high. I stole the rubber mat from my old (non-functioning) Sony to replace the cheap felt mat that came with the unit. Solid build quality, no cheapness about it. The preamp is impressive as well, sound comes nice and clear with a punch. Handles my lower-quality records better than my old Sony did. One thing I'm curious about is the lack of an auto-return function. Is that just mine or does yours do the same? I also love the cue drop...very smooth whereas my Sony just flew down. Overall the best choice, it seems, for a modern day turntable without breaking the bank.

My old Technics doesn't have an auto-return function either.

S.D. wrote:

My old Technics doesn't have an auto-return function either.

Guess it's not a standard feature. There goes dozing off to my Alan Parsons lol...

Yeah this does not have auto return but I knew that before I got it. I was used to a Technics 1200. I never owned one but was a DJ for 18 years and every radio station I worked at had a Technics with no auto return. When one side is done I simply use the cue lever to lift it up. And now that you mention Alana Parsons Project someone gave me a VG copy of "I Robot". Sound cool to hear the title track on vinyl sounds so much better than cd.

Check this out! New entry level turntables that are made in the U.S. They have been getting positive reviews in both Audiokarma and Vinylengine. It looks like you can build your own now.

http://store.uturnaudio.com/pages/build-your-own-orbit