I've got these old records, what do I need to play them?

[Phoenixkh]

I've had separates for years now, but I did have an old Yamaha receiver early on..... no chips, all discrete components. It had pretty decent sound. I bought it used for $50 or something.

We got our sons Onkyo gear when they were in HS.... They make good stuff. Denon is also excellent.

Spendor makes nice bookshelf speakers. I'll bet you could pick up a pair for a reasonable sum.

But ask 100 people about the stereo gear they prefer, and you'll get 100 different opinions.

 

[Whisky]

Lots of good advice and suggestions, thanks. The main reason I want to be able to play these records if for the physical connection to my mom. She passed away very quickly and unexpectedly a couple of years back. I didn’t get to have the end of life conversations with her that I think we all hope we can have with loved ones before they pass. I have plenty of great memories but I find myself sometimes looking for a tactile remembrance of her and I think actually playing the LPs will give me that plus the memories that go along with some of these songs. I can remember laying on the couch during the summer when I was kid with the attic fan going and I vividly remember the curtains being sucked inward and fluttering with CCR playing in the background.

Most of the LPs I already have in a digital format, so there’s more to it than just listening to the albums. I’m willing to spend some money to put together a system that sounds good, but not necessarily “clean.” I don’t want to hear them as a digitally remastered copy, I want to hear them as the original pressings.

 

[Jay21]

Lots of good advice and suggestions, thanks. The main reason I want to be able to play these records if for the physical connection to my mom. She passed away very quickly and unexpectedly a couple of years back. I didn’t get to have the end of life conversations with her that I think we all hope we can have with loved ones before they pass. I have plenty of great memories but I find myself sometimes looking for a tactile remembrance of her and I think actually playing the LPs will give me that plus the memories that go along with some of these songs. I can remember laying on the couch during the summer when I was kid with the attic fan going and I vividly remember the curtains being sucked inward and fluttering and CCR playing in the background.

Most of the LPs I already have in a digital format, so there’s more to it than just listening to the albums. I’m willing to spend some money to put together a system that sounds good, but not necessarily “clean.” I don’t want to hear them as a digitally remastered copy, I want to hear them as the original pressings.

I love this reply. It might even be worth, if you can somehow remember it, to replicate the exact system your mother had. That would be pretty neat.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Lots of good advice and suggestions, thanks. The main reason I want to be able to play these records if for the physical connection to my mom. She passed away very quickly and unexpectedly a couple of years back. I didn’t get to have the end of life conversations with her that I think we all hope we can have with loved ones before they pass. I have plenty of great memories but I find myself sometimes looking for a tactile remembrance of her and I think actually playing the LPs will give me that plus the memories that go along with some of these songs. I can remember laying on the couch during the summer when I was kid with the attic fan going and I vividly remember the curtains being sucked inward and fluttering with CCR playing in the background.

Most of the LPs I already have in a digital format, so there’s more to it than just listening to the albums. I’m willing to spend some money to put together a system that sounds good, but not necessarily “clean.” I don’t want to hear them as a digitally remastered copy, I want to hear them as the original pressings.

I still have around 300 LPs, but I’m getting close to around 1500 CDs. I’m still not a fan of compressed MP3s, but I do stream music through our TV surround system. If I want better quality, I end up buying the CD and enjoying the music through my dedicated two channel stereo system.

 

[Frito Ray]

Reading this thread makes me kick myself for all the stuff I threw out in the past for the newer and “better”.

 

[Jay21]

Reading this thread makes me kick myself for all the stuff I threw out in the past for the newer and “better”.

I understand exactly what you mean, and I've done the same thing. But don't kick yourself too much because technically the newer technology is better from a measurable performance perspective.

Tubes had harmonic distortion and wore out, so transistors were invented. Vinyl albums had popping sounds, so tapes were invented. Tapes had too much background hiss, so CDs and other digital formats were invented. Later on, we realized that we liked the imperfections in the older technology and equated that to musicality. Whether or not the older formats sound truer to the source is another debate for another time.

 

[Whisky]

I love this reply. It might even be worth, if you can somehow remember it, to replicate the exact system your mother had. That would be pretty neat.

Unfortunately I have no idea what it was other than the turntable was a silver color. By the time I really started paying attention to music she had traded it out for an all Sony console system that had state of the art (for the time) CD player in it. We didn't own any CD's but liked thinking we could play one of someone stopped by with one.

 

[luvmysuper]

If you do a little looking you can find a used Console set, such as Zenith or RCA, that has the turntable, AM/FM Radio and if your lucky, an 8-Track player. These were popular in the late 60's and 70's and they do a pretty good job.
They have RCA outputs in the back so I can digitize anything it will play.
I have an early 70's Zenith that cost me all of 50 bucks because people want components these days.
Downside is that it does take up some floor space, but the upside is there is counterspace available when not in use.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I understand exactly what you mean, and I've done the same thing. But don't kick yourself too much because technically the newer technology is better from a measurable performance perspective.

Tubes had harmonic distortion and wore out, so transistors were invented. Vinyl albums had popping sounds, so tapes were invented. Tapes had too much background hiss, so CDs and other digital formats were invented. Later on, we realized that we liked the imperfections in the older technology and equated that to musicality. Whether or not the older formats sound truer to the source is another debate for another time.

Respectfully, I disagree. Newer technology does not necessarily sound better.

The acoustical waveforms we perceive as music are analog. Human beings hear in analog.

Analog reproduces the analog waveform intact.

Digital takes slices and samples of the music and attempts to recreate the continuous waveform.

Analog recording and reproduction, even with the inherent imperfections, is still the truest form of high fidelity.

Once you hear an appropriate system properly set-up for analog reproduction, it's difficult to go back to digital.

Just the opinion of an old fogey who has been playing records for nearly 60 years.

 

[Jay21]

Respectfully, I disagree. Newer technology does not necessarily sound better.

The acoustical waveforms we perceive as music are analog. Human beings hear in analog.

Analog reproduces the analog waveform intact.

Digital takes slices and samples of the music and attempts to recreate the continuous waveform.

Analog recording and reproduction, even with the inherent imperfections, is still the truest form of high fidelity.

Once you hear an appropriate system properly set-up for analog reproduction, it's difficult to go back to digital.

Just the opinion of an old fogey who has been playing records for nearly 60 years.

I didn’t say it sounded better. I said it measured better. Whether or not one thinks it sounds better is the debate.

 

[luvmysuper]

For a guy like me, with damaged hearing from 4 decades of work in industrial areas, high end equipment is a waste of money.
There is very little difference in perceived sound quality between a top of the line and a lower mid-range setup.
Cheap crap still sounds like cheap crap though!

 

[cleanshaved]

For a guy like me, with damaged hearing from 4 decades of work in industrial areas, high end equipment is a waste of money.
There is very little difference in perceived sound quality between a top of the line and a lower mid-range setup.
Cheap crap still sounds like cheap crap though!

I was running some sound sweeps through a new set of speakers. These speakers go up to 30 kHz.
Damn these speakers were silent at 15 kHz. Downloaded a cheap and nasty app on my phone and yep, they were making sounds at that and above, but it was just me who could not hear it. A at home hearing test LOL. Plus, the dogs confirmed it was playing some high pitch sounds.
Google tells me that range of hearing loss is normal for my age, so all good.

Still the speakers do sound better than the ones I upgraded from, just not as good as if I was 20 years old.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I didn’t say it sounded better. I said it measured better. Whether or not one thinks it sounds better is the debate.

Thank you for the clarification.

With all things audio, pleasure is in the ear of the listener.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I was running some sound sweeps through a new set of speakers. These speakers go up to 30 kHz.
Damn these speakers were silent at 15 kHz. Downloaded a cheap and nasty app on my phone and yep, they were making sounds at that and above, but it was just me who could not hear it. A at home hearing test LOL. Plus, the dogs confirmed it was playing some high pitch sounds.
Google tells me that range of hearing loss is normal for my age, so all good.

Still the speakers do sound better than the ones I upgraded from, just not as good as if I was 20 years old.

Experience compensates for the ravages of age.

 

[Frito Ray]

Oh…if you have young kids of dumb young adults in your life, make sure to keep an eye on them and your turntable. They will want to manually move the record back and forth like the rappers do on tv (don’t know what this action is called). Just tell them rappers use special turntables and LPs.

 

[brucered]

Oh…if you have young kids of dumb young adults in your life, make sure to keep an eye on them and your turntable. They will want to manually move the record back and forth like the rappers do on tv (don’t know what this action is called). Just tell them rappers use special turntables and LPs.

HA! My Technics is technically a DJ table, meant for scratching. If you check the used markets, they are often sold in pairs, with no lids and usually some sort of "mixer". It's a beast of a table, fully servicable, parts are still available and many use them as "audiophile" tables. If you can find one, I highly recommend them for listening and everyday use. KAB is a great source for Tehcnics parts and supplies.

While it wouldn't do any harm, I still don't allow it on my table and luckly mine was not used for DJing and came with the lid and all accessories. My kids are past that stage now, but earlier they wanted to try.

I always told them in elementary school years ago, they are probably the only 2 kids in the school who know what a Turnbable and Record is, let alone how to operate it. I have a couple tables lined up for when they move out, if they want one each.

 

[Columbo]

Adam, I didn't read all the responses on this one. Everything I listen to either is through vintage era tube gear, or passes through sand equipment made before 1975. Vintage and classic gear, mixed with some later higher end pieces. All thoroughly reconditioned. I don't want to get into the particulars to avoid audio food fights.

We still spin vinyl (but increasingly less in recent years, mainly at Christmas). Vinyl can be a considerable investment if you want to do it right without destroying the media. So depending on how many discs your library has, it may or not make sense.

If you have less than 50 LPs, and don't plan on buying more, a better option might be to have the non-reissued titles sent out for digitizing, replace the rest with CDs and 24 bit versions, and sell the LPs to someone who collects old vinyl and already has made the equipment investment.

For modern LP vinyl from the mid 50s on, you'll need at least three things. A turntable, an RIAA phono stage (or a pre amp with one), and the balance of a line level audio system. You may have most of the back end already, and need only a turntable and a good phono preamp stage. A fair sounding MM phono preamp can sell for as little as $100 new.

But if not, a good opening suggestion is a turntable & receiver combination from the 60s through the 80s, connected to a more modern pair of 2-way bookshelf speakers. Sometime in the 1990s, phono stages started disappearing from mass market gear as digital took over.

There are usually dozens of old vintage and classic receivers available on the various auction sites that come equipped with a built in phono stage. I'd start there, and assign 1/3 of your budget to that. Try to find one that is either bona fide working and/or has been reconditioned. For your budget, I would absolutely avoid earlier tubed receivers. Stick with solid state, and look for models with discrete output devices.

A good choice for an all-in-one basic vinyl system that can also handle digital sources can be something as simple as an early 1970s Marantz receiver, tethered to a pair of bookcase speakers. We have a 2230 in a secondary system, and while it doesn't spin vinyl, it could. More importantly, it sounds very good and is not too large.

For turntables, any mid-grade Thorens, Dual or Garrard should still be serviceable, spin well, and most were built like tanks. The key to a decent sounding vinyl deck is the bearing. Arms and cartridges will be all over the place, from straight factory setups to many aftermarket options. You may need to budget for a replacement cartridge depending on condition.

Bear in mind that unless you move towards the higher end, you will likely be looking at a turntable based on a moving magnet cartridge. Moving coils and their corresponding phono preamp stages can get very expensive, and are not normally found in mass market equipment such as receivers and old consoles. Steer clear of ceramic cartridges. While they are a mainstay of older console systems and the popular compact systems of the 1970s, they are very hard on the vinyl and don't sound all that great.

Alternatively, you can go to an online vendor such as Audio Advisor, and buy whatever their latest $300 entry level new turntable package happens to be. That is not necessarily a bad choice, as it will work right out of the box and is unscathed by prior owners.

High-End Audio Turntables | Shop Top-Tier Components | Audio Advisor - Page 2

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Similarly, I would set aside 1/3 of your budget towards a turntable/arm/cartridge pairing.

Lastly is a set of decent 2-way bookshelf speakers. For your budget, I would opt for a quality set of bookshelf speakers over a marginal sounding pair of larger free standing or 3-way speakers. Most music lives in the midrange, all the vocals in particular. Give up some octaves on the bottom for quality performance elsewhere. You'll be happy you did. You can go new, or you can go older. There are so many options that it makes no sense to list them all. Again, set aside the remaining 1/3 of your budget for the speakers, and just go shopping. One piece of advice I will share that will offend some (but I do not care) is to avoid Bose, from any era. Overpriced gimmickry IMO.

So for a budget of $1,200, that is $400 for a vintage receiver, $400 for a vinyl deck, and $400 for the speakers. That will play vinyl, and play most any digital source, too.

...

I would be leery of the old consoles unless you are really into them. Most will need a lot of work to sound their best, and the ones that still remain that have been reconditioned will be expensive. Not to mention that you have to haul them home. Many of the lesser mass market consoles do not sound all that good, IMO. And the higher end Magnavox, custom Fisher and German consoles from the 50s and 60s can get very expensive, very fast, particularly if still intact with tubes. Some are limited as to what auxiliary sources they can accommodate. And many before 1970 suffer with the aforementioned ceramic cartridges.

Any electronics much over 25 years old, if not already reconditioned, is going to likely need to be at a minimum recapped.

...

Most old vinyl if not still factory sealed can be pretty dirty (depending on the past owners), and many pressings are not as spectacular sounding as you might think. Dirt can dramatically affect the playback, and in the worst case can wear down an expensive stylus faster than usual. While I don't recommend going out and buying a VPI vacuum system, if you can find a nice used record store, many have record cleaning machines, and would probably be willing to give your records a quick clean to suck all the accumulated gunk and PBJ from the grooves.

All this typing has tired me out. So I'll see you all tomorrow. Good luck in whatever you do.

 

[BlacklistedPoet]

Someone recommended these speakers to me a while back. Never got them but if I need a pair at some point it will be these. Klipsch also makes the same style but a bit more powerful for around $250

Amazon.com

Then this turntable For about 500

Pro-Ject: Debut Carbon EVO Turntable - High Gloss Black

Buy Pro-Ject: Debut Carbon EVO Turntable - High Gloss Black at TurntableLab.com, a Better Music Store Experience since 1999.

www.turntablelab.com

I run an older model of this table with an upgraded cartridge, platter, and a speed switch (33 or 45). You can also slip the belt underneath to run 78s.

I did buy it from TTL and have been really pleased.

It's plugged directly into a set of Klipsch: The Fives. They're powered, and have a pre-amp and phono input built-in. Means we run the whole thing without a receiver.

 

[Frito Ray]

Just to get you started, I‘ve seen guys hook up a cheap Sony turntable to their TVs.

Though not highly sophisticated, it saves a lot of space.

 

[Tirvine]

If you have a very large room, larger speakers will generally be a better match to the room. That could range from a good sized three way like the new JBL L100 or KLH model five to good sized towers. Not the prettiest in the world, but I have Tekton towers and love them. Often larger speakers are more efficient, my Tektons are very efficient. Also with two ten inch woofers they really do not need an accompanying subwoofer. They can run on very little power or handle a lot. An integrated like a Rega Elex or Rogue Sphinx is great. Both of those have built in phono amps and can handle moving magnet cartridges. As for turntables, I like belt drives. I have a Vinyl Nirvana (redone and souped up Thorens). I also think highly of the Polytable. There are also superb direct drives. Many good idlers run into serious money. To me the Ortofon 2m Bronze is a superb "sweet spot" cartridge, very detailed, very easy to listen to for extended periods, and not in the rarified price range of moving coil cartridges (which require an additional pre or a step up transformer). A system like that will come in around $5000 and probably keep you smiling forever. It is easy and inexpensive to add digital streaming capability. There are loads of less expensive approaches, many quite good, but I would urge you to get a fairly high quality turntable and cartridge. Some of the lesser ones can degrade your most valuable item, your record collection.

PS I just bought a used Adcom tuner off eBay for a little over $100. When you want to zone out, a tuner is nice.. BTW, if you decide to go for separates, Adcom is an awfully good but often overlooked brand. You can get high quality used separates fairly inexpensively.