Playing old vinyls?

hennerz

Looking to play my old vinyls but would I need a turn table + amp + speakers? If a turn table has a headphone or aux output direct to the speakers will this result in terrible sound quality? I'd like some good bass and decent sound quality.

Would a micro hi-fi system work nicely + turn table?

jbainbridge

Hmmm ... a vaguely decent turntable won’t have a headphone / aux out. You’ll want an amp that can take a turntable input.

flashg67

I have a cheap Bush turntable with an aux out that sounds ok connected to the aux in on my small hi-fi unit. Though I'm no audiophile so it may sound poor to you!

Heedtheadvice

^^^ as per JB. Simple question, no simple answer!

The parts you need in a deck are a turntable (the rotating part) tone arm(the bit that puts the needle onto and follows the grooves the vinyl record) cartridge (in olden times the "needle" - but it is more than that) and a preamp for amplification and equalisation (to RIAA curve -recordings are made with some frequencies emphasised to aid quality and it is essential to counteract that on playback).

That will get you to a 'general purpose' line level analogue signal level that can then feed all sorts such as amplifier (to speakers) or mini hifi, or computer (analogue) line input, recorders, mixers etc.

Top quality is obtained usually with a combination of separate 'turntable' parts listed above (usually very expensive into the several hundreds of pounds) but you will find several cheaper (under £100, such as the Bush one mentioned above) units comprising all the above 'turntable' parts 'off the shelf' in one package, sometimes of not particularly good quality. You can buy the package too that includes conversion to a digital usb output for computer connection as well as the analogue line level signal versions.

If you do not already have an amp to power speakers (or provide a headphone output) or hifi then you will need that to listen as you play. ...or use computer or recorder speakers if recording is your aim. It really depends on your end requirement.

Whether it is worth spending a considerable amount to get high quality sound depends upon several factors, your desire, the quality of recording or amplifying/speakers you may have (or obtain) and the quality of the vinyls. It is worth noting the most important parts of a reproducing system are those that are the transducers (converting mechanical to electrical and back. i.e. in this case the turntable and it's cartridge or later on the speakers or headphones. That should be where any spend is concentrated but if the vinyls have been played a lot or damaged (quite often done by cheap record players or dirt) then it would be a waste of money to buy expensive equipment. They would just tend to show up the defects!!

Only you know what will be suitable or acceptable.
So you will have to make your choice and pay your money. The very cheap are sometimes very disappointing, the very expensive will not give you CD quality!

I assume you mean 33rpm or 45 rpm records and not the even older 78s that were usually shellac not vinyl and require a different cartridge and a turntable unit capable of rotational speeds of 78 rpm.

another_casualty

hennerz wrote: »

Looking to play my old vinyls but would I need a turn table + amp + speakers? If a turn table has a headphone or aux output direct to the speakers will this result in terrible sound quality? I'd like some good bass and decent sound quality.

Would a micro hi-fi system work nicely + turn table?

To get a decent sound, you would indeed need a seperates system
However it comes down to how much cash you have available .
Assuming you are playing 33/45 rpm , then the best budget turntable is arguably the rega planar 2 ( I used to have this a while back).
Project are good too, and come in nice funky colours.

Regarding amp and speakers , you could get something like the marantz mcr -611which is basically future proof for £299 in richer sounds. You would need to buy speakers and Speaker wire as well. It doesn’t have a turntable tho

Richer sounds would be the way to go imho. Have a look at their website . Try to avoid the usb turntables / sytstems you get in the likes of hmv. I bought a couple of what hifi mags recently as I had to get new speakers for my new small flat. I went for q acoustics.
£179 but awesome sound.
Best to get decent speaker wire also. 79 strand ( thick) won’t cost the earth and it makes a big difference to the standard wire supplied with all in one systems.
I’ll leave it there for now;)

buglawton

Another idea (which I'd do to save space) is get a decent USB turntable and convert the records to MP3s or DVDs.

Norman_Castle

hennerz wrote: »

If a turn table has a headphone or aux output direct to the speakers will this result in terrible sound quality? I'd like some good bass and decent sound quality.

Would a micro hi-fi system work nicely + turn table?

Headphone or aux output direct to speakers will not work unless you have powered speakers.

Headphone or aux out to aux in will work and shouldn't reduce the sound quality.

The majority of turntables will need a phono amplifier to connect to any amplifier without a dedicated phono input however some modern turntables have this built in. Ask before buying or ask on here.

buglawton

This just popped up
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/ion-stereo-lp-turntable-with-stereo-speakers-and-usb-lidl-2999-2822017
On a budget ION is a good brand. Speakers supposedly included. At that price they'll be flying off the shelves though.

fred246

I went to someone's house the other day and they had paid £30 for a new vinyl album. And they were playing it on a £30 turntable. All seems crazy to me. I bet the whole lot will be in landfill within a year or two.

another_casualty

I trimmed down my vinyl collection , when cds came out .
Some I never got round to buying on cd . What I tend to do now is buy CDs and load hem onto iTunes . Buying them from amazon, it’s even easier . They send cds and it gets loaded straight onto amazon player . I was gonna offload the vinyl , but no the sound is too good so it’s staying .

SouthUKMan

Avoid anything with a plastic platter and a ceramic cartridge. The combination is the cheapest of the cheap and will destroy your records over several plays. I mention that because there are a number of these sub £100 turntables being sold by different companies. They cost pennies to manufacture and yet sell for £49 / £69 / £89 because a lost of people don't know any better. They're attracted by the retro look. Personally I would consider buying an original retro separates system from the 70s or 80s. Choose wisely and you could end up with a great looking system that's good quality and doesn't cost the earth.