Jump to content
IGNORED

effective but cheap vinyl record player any suggestions


Markman

Recommended Posts

digging out some of my old vinyl - bound to be a bit crackly so I am not looking for high end geek kit but it seems you can pay between £40 and £150 for something that looks ok on Amazon

 

anyone got anything cheap and cheerful that sounds ok they can recommend?

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, clean your vinyl. It'll make a big difference if they've been stored for a long time.

There are expensive gadgets on the market. Here's the cheapest and it works brilliantly! 

I always use a very soft 2 inch paint brush (clean obviously)!

Add a few drops of fairy liquid to one side of your vinyl. Use your brush to clean the grooves. 

Then shove said vinyl under a tap. The purists would say to avoid the label. I don't worry about that any more as the water will run straight off. 

Use your brush again to get into the grooves. 

Shake off the excess water and then use a very soft cloth to dry the vinyl. I use my son's saxophone cloth. Works a treat!

Do same thing to other side of vinyl.

It's worth playing the vinyl prior to cleaning just to see how much of a difference the cleaning makes. You'll be stunned and chuffed!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got one about 2 years ago in HMV for about £60. Can plug external speakers/amp into it but I don't have the extra kit, nor the room for it. Plus an 18 month old that loves wires and climbing everything!! It has a built in speaker, decent sound, and does the job for me. Off the top of my head (in work) I can't remember the make or anything, but if I remember I'll check when I get home.

I came across a box of vinyl for sale for a fiver a few months ago, mainly loose, and the ones that had covers were water damaged, presumably as they were badly stored. I took a chance for the price (about 100, even if only a dozen were ok i thought it was worth a shot), and despite some of them looking really ropey, dirty and having parts of the sleeves stuck to them, have cleaned up really well, and actually play ok (the ones I've listened to so far anyway). Cleaned them up with some vinyl cleaner, and a brush kit, again from HMV for about a tenner, then wipe them over afterwards with a clean microfiber cloth. Even sorts out the light surface scratches....

Obviously if you have a bigger budget and want a better bit of kit, then you'll get what you pay for at the end of the day, but the one I have ticks the boxes for me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, redsince1994 said:

Make sure you don't go for one of those cheap "suitcase" style players, sound shit and will ruin your records.

At that price range I would recommend an audio technica LP60. 

£130 or there abouts, nothing fancy but sounds pretty good!

I’d agree with Audio Technica - got an AT-LP120X and it more than does the job 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, redsince1994 said:

Make sure you don't go for one of those cheap "suitcase" style players, sound shit and will ruin your records.

At that price range I would recommend an audio technica LP60. 

£130 or there abouts, nothing fancy but sounds pretty good!

Cheers - I confess I was.................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Taz said:

I got one about 2 years ago in HMV for about £60. Can plug external speakers/amp into it but I don't have the extra kit, nor the room for it. Plus an 18 month old that loves wires and climbing everything!! It has a built in speaker, decent sound, and does the job for me. Off the top of my head (in work) I can't remember the make or anything, but if I remember I'll check when I get home.

I came across a box of vinyl for sale for a fiver a few months ago, mainly loose, and the ones that had covers were water damaged, presumably as they were badly stored. I took a chance for the price (about 100, even if only a dozen were ok i thought it was worth a shot), and despite some of them looking really ropey, dirty and having parts of the sleeves stuck to them, have cleaned up really well, and actually play ok (the ones I've listened to so far anyway). Cleaned them up with some vinyl cleaner, and a brush kit, again from HMV for about a tenner, then wipe them over afterwards with a clean microfiber cloth. Even sorts out the light surface scratches....

Obviously if you have a bigger budget and want a better bit of kit, then you'll get what you pay for at the end of the day, but the one I have ticks the boxes for me.

Jam Turntable

That's the exact model I have, although the price has jumped up a fair bit. There is a chance that I may have paid a bit more than I originally thought, but not that much!

As I said it suits me for what I want it for, although if you aren't connecting external speakers, then play the record with the lid up, as otherwise the sound can sound a bit tinny as the speakers are underneath the lid!

Second the comment about the suitcase turntables - father in law had one brought for him for Christmas a few years before he passed, and it wasn't great at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First thing, advice I got given when I first bought HiFi equipment . Don't worry about the price, if it sounds good to you, that's all that counts.
Try and listen before you buy.
Richer were always good for prices, but I'm not sure they have a listening room any more. They used to let you take your kit up to listen with any new bits you wanted. It would be a good place to start. Getting some cleaning kit is a good idea too.

I'd steer clear of the really cheap ones though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

First thing, advice I got given when I first bought HiFi equipment . Don't worry about the price, if it sounds good to you, that's all that counts.
Try and listen before you buy

Absolutely correct.

I could tell you to listen to a Linn Sondek LP12 with appropriate arm and cartridge through your amp and speakers but if you thought you preferred the Amazon 40 quid special for its tonal qualities, then this is what you buy.

A visit to Sevenoaks AV would help you out as well.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if this interests you but you can pick up ION record players on eBay for anything from £20 and up. They are reasonable players and if you have a laptop or PC, the USB ones can be used to convert your albums into MP3's via their software which you can download off their site.

Failing that you could get lucky like me,  and have your muso neighbour give you a £500 Technics deck he just had laying around his garage. :) (I bought him a couple of premium bottles of Gin and Vodka as a thank you).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...