Buying First Vinyl Setup (Second Hand)
Reply #4 – 2010-04-06 21:03:46
I just went through putting together my first vinyl playback+ripping rig a couple months ago, in about the same price range as you, and here's what I ended up with: - Used Pioneer PL-4 direct-drive turntable: $70 w/shipping on eBay - Shure M97xe cartridge: $80 from lpgear.com - Shure SFG-2 stylus force gauge: $30 from lpgear.com - Audio-Technica AT-PEQ3 phono preamp: $44 from lpgear.com Total: $224 + ~$15 shipping I also bought a carbon-fiber brush ($20), and ended up buying the little KAB EV-1(?) vacuum record cleaner ($170), which didn't make as big of a difference as I had hoped. Overall, I think that setup sounds remarkably good - absolutely zero hum or rumble, and with good pressings, very clear sound, with little to no distortion. In particular, the cymbal crashes on a double 7" EP by Bowery Electric are amazingly clear...almost digital. Of course, you can put on a different record, and get constant surface noise, horrendous inner-groove distortion, etc., etc., etc...but hey, it's vinyl. A couple months and about 30 records later, there is absolutely no love lost between me and vinyl (in fact, I've come to appreciate even more just how good my little $80 M-Audio USB Transit sounds), but if you want to upgrade from your ION - and you can keep your expectations realistic - I think it's absolutely possible to get surprisingly good sound for your budget.