Help with a beginner Vinyl system

[Beet Farmer]

Lots of comments on buying a TT and such. I want to mention the 'perils' of buying used LPs.
Particularly buying off eBay. or a not so great local used LP store.
(In comparison a 'great' local used LP store allows return of any used LP, at least for store credit. A 'bad' store will not take returns, or makes it very hard to return a used LP at all) Ebay can be OK but more often terrible. Amazon for new or used LPs is better than eBay. But be leery of high prices. There are always a few sellers with sky high prices, and sprinkled in low cost ones that sell fast.

Most eBay sellers have no idea how to grade a record. And you can count on the LP being one or two grades below that claimed.
(plus LPs that have no marks or scratches, but are just plain worn out. It only take one pass with a blunt damaged stylus to 'kill' a record forever.)
So my recommendation is to buy used records carefully. Find trusted sellers others recommend And always clean* and play any record you buy, immediately. So you know it does not have hidden failings.

I have purchased LPs from eBay in the distant past. Never again. From Amazon, never a problem. There are major LP sellers online that have B&M stores too. I am lucky I have a wonderful used LP store locally. And several others which range from good to poor. I suggest finding out where any are in your area, and ones worth a half day trip to explore in your region.

Ahh yes *cleaning. Right off never just play a used LP. NEVER. There are as many ideas of what is REQUIRED to clean an LP as any other audiophile thing. I 'clean' records with a vacuum cleaner using a brush attachment I softened the bristles on, Every record. If the used record has fingerprints, or still seems to 'crackle' if played I go to the next level. And using a brush from a Stylast** bottle, and plain dish detergent, I clean it using the sink. Blot dry them vacuum dry. Playing a washed record right away. No just putting away is better.
Many folks use a cleaning machine. Plenty of those around. I would skip the purchase of a cleaning machine until you are committed to LP playback for real.
**Stylast is a stylus 'preservative used before each play. Plenty of folks love it and use it every time. Me too. Some dislike it. I highly recommend using it. It includes a small brush to 'wipe' the stylus with each time before application. Works great.

[pete6737]

There’s a Fosgate on Audiogon for $1300. Man, buying unknown off the internet makes me queasy.

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by pete6737

There’s a Fosgate on Audiogon for $1300. Man, buying unknown off the internet makes me queasy.

I cannot over emphasize recommending the Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage, and for $1500 cannot be touched. Read the reviews online...........

Ron

[pete6737]

Lots of great info here. Thank you for all the input. Lots to think about, for sure. I think at my price point there’s going to be trade offs. To get me up and running with a lesser phonostage while getting a good deal on the ProJect table is one, buying a cheaper table, cart with a better phonostage is probably a good bet since from what I understand here is that the phonostage is very important in the chain.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by Beet Farmer

Lots of comments on buying a TT and such. I want to mention the 'perils' of buying used LPs.
Particularly buying off eBay. or a not so great local used LP store.
(In comparison a 'great' local used LP store allows return of any used LP, at least for store credit. A 'bad' store will not take returns, or makes it very hard to return a used LP at all) Ebay can be OK but more often terrible. Amazon for new or used LPs is better than eBay. But be leery of high prices. There are always a few sellers with sky high prices, and sprinkled in low cost ones that sell fast.

Most eBay sellers have no idea how to grade a record. And you can count on the LP being one or two grades below that claimed.
(plus LPs that have no marks or scratches, but are just plain worn out. It only take one pass with a blunt damaged stylus to 'kill' a record forever.)
So my recommendation is to buy used records carefully. Find trusted sellers others recommend And always clean* and play any record you buy, immediately. So you know it does not have hidden failings.

I have purchased LPs from eBay in the distant past. Never again. From Amazon, never a problem. There are major LP sellers online that have B&M stores too. I am lucky I have a wonderful used LP store locally. And several others which range from good to poor. I suggest finding out where any are in your area, and ones worth a half day trip to explore in your region.

Ahh yes *cleaning. Right off never just play a used LP. NEVER. There are as many ideas of what is REQUIRED to clean an LP as any other audiophile thing. I 'clean' records with a vacuum cleaner using a brush attachment I softened the bristles on, Every record. If the used record has fingerprints, or still seems to 'crackle' if played I go to the next level. And using a brush from a Stylast** bottle, and plain dish detergent, I clean it using the sink. Blot dry them vacuum dry. Playing a washed record right away. No just putting away is better.
Many folks use a cleaning machine. Plenty of those around. I would skip the purchase of a cleaning machine until you are committed to LP playback for real.
**Stylast is a stylus 'preservative used before each play. Plenty of folks love it and use it every time. Me too. Some dislike it. I highly recommend using it. It includes a small brush to 'wipe' the stylus with each time before application. Works great.

All good advice with the exception of the bit about Stylast. As a general statement I caution anyone using to check with the cartridge mfg first to be sure there will be no issues with cantilever / stylus interface.

[AudioGremlin]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

All good advice with the exception of the bit about Stylast. As a general statement I caution anyone using to check with the cartridge mfg first to be sure there will be no issues with cantilever / stylus interface.

A friend ruined his expensive cartridge using Stylast. His eyesight wasn't too good, unfortunately the Stylast spread contaminating the suspension causing collapse of the cantilever. So please go carefully.

[W9TR]

......buying a cheaper table, cart with a better phonostage is probably a good bet.....

That scenario hasn't played out for me personally. I've found in order of importance wrt the end result are; cartridge, arm, preamp, turntable.

Using a good preamp on a mid-line cartridge and arm will give you middling result that you can only fix by replacing the arm and/or cartridge, an expensive proposition. A less than ideal preamp will still let the character of the cartridge and arm come through, and replacing it with something better will reveal more of what's there.

There are a lot of very respectable phono stages out there. It's natural that everyone will recommend what they have. I think there is a lot of preamp/cartridge synergy - ideally your dealer could let you try out a few preamps in the store if you get the Pro ject / Ortofon combo. Happy hunting.

Tom

[pete6737]

My dealer is going to let me audition the suggested vinyl system with similar components that are in my room. Hopefully I’ll make the 90 mile trip next week.

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by pete6737

My dealer is going to let me audition the suggested vinyl system with similar components that are in my room. Hopefully I’ll make the 90 mile trip next week.

Try to compare that vinyl system to another vinyl system in the same room, using the same preamp, amp, and speakers. This way you can see if you hear any difference in a vinyl setup.

Remember, your room does not sound like the dealers.

Ron

[pete6737]

Originally Posted by Poppyhome

Try to compare that vinyl system to another vinyl system in the same room, using the same preamp, amp, and speakers. This way you can see if you hear any difference in a vinyl setup.



Remember, your room does not sound like the dealers.



Ron

Good idea!