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Topic: Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out (Read 6490 times) previous topic - next topic
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Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Hello,

I would like to hear you suggestions regarding the choice of a turntable.

- Approx. budget 100~225 EUR
- Just to rip some vynils but I want to be sure to have good quality (I like natural sound, so no need for bass improvements or stuff like that).
- I'd like one with a pre-amp/line out (I have an Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard and I trust line out more than USB, any reason this would be wrong ?)
-- I'd like to rip to .wav, I don't want any system that would force MP3 encoding (but If I can use direct line out instead, then I don't care about this).
- 45 rpm, 33 rpm
- Ideally it should be easily available for order in order.

Some models I have in mind after a quick search : Lenco - L-81 USB, Ion - Proflash, Ion - Profile LP, Pro-Ject - Debut III


Thank you for your help.

Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #1
For everything you'd ever want to know about USB turntables,  seeKnowzy.com

Quote
(I like natural sound, so no need for bass improvements or stuff like that).
Any alterations to the sound would be done in software after digitizing.  If you want to remove clicks & pops, check out this page for software suggestions.  (I use Wave Repair ($30 USD).  In the manual mode, it only "touches" the audio where you identify a defect, but usually takes me a full-weekend to clean-up a digitized LP...  There are more-automated solutions.)

Quote
-- I'd like to rip to .wav, I don't want any system that would force MP3 encoding
That's up to the software too, and you can almost always use the software of your choice with any hardware of your choice.  Most recording software records to uncompressed WAV (or raw PCM), and then there's an option to compress when you save.

Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #2
Quote
-- I'd like to rip to .wav, I don't want any system that would force MP3 encoding
That's up to the software too, and you can almost always use the software of your choice with any hardware of your choice.  Most recording software records to uncompressed WAV (or raw PCM), and then there's an option to compress when you save.


Thank you for you reply.
Yes but, I've read that some USB turntable force you to record in MP3 128 kbps for example. What I would have like is to have to model names I should avoid.
Also some model names that will be good, and also excellent in terms of sound quality.


Now, I'm still waiting for suggestions and opinions about the idea the pre-amp turntables.

Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #3
I saw a pair of Technics SL1210 in a 2nd hand shop yesterday priced at a very reasonable £170 each.

Add a new stylus, even complete cartridge, and a phono pre-amp from the likes of ART (£25) or B-Tech (£18) and you have a genuine quality system within the top end of your budget. It's a risk free investment too because if you changed your mind later you could pass it on again easily for more or less what you paid.


Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #4
I saw a pair of Technics SL1210 in a 2nd hand shop yesterday priced at a very reasonable £170 each.

Add a new stylus, even complete cartridge, and a phono pre-amp from the likes of ART (£25) or B-Tech (£18) and you have a genuine quality system within the top end of your budget. It's a risk free investment too because if you changed your mind later you could pass it on again easily for more or less what you paid.


Thank you for this suggestion. Actually, I don't know much about stylus/cartridge so I'll probably use the one I get with a new turntable. And it seems that you're suggesting a seperated pre-amp. Here I'm really interested in having the pre-amp included in the turntable.

Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #5
No idea whether this thread is still current, but for the sake of posterity:
I'd probably prefer even an '80s "plastic fantastic" P-mount (quartz) direct-drive Technics 'table (<50€ and quite plentiful) with a cheap but decent external pre (e.g. TC-750, <30€ new) to most anything new in the price range specified. (And we haven't even gotten to decent middle-class players of yore, which would also be within the budget.) Even if the original stylus should be wrecked, a few decent P-mount (T4P) cartridges are still around (avoid Grados though - hum problems), and they are super easy to set up since most parameters are standardized. The cartridge has a fairly big influence on sound quality, so some attention to this topic pays off.

Vinyl snobs are likely to scoff at the so-so vibration isolation of the rather basic models I have in mind (e.g. SL-DD/QD series), but for vinyl ripping this is not nearly as important as in direct playback. A stable, vibration-free surface is nonetheless recommended. If needed, a sufficiently large concrete / stone platter with halved tennis / squash balls as feet provides some extra isolation without breaking the bank. The comparatively light weight of the players also has its advantages - they are not as easily damaged in transit. (I don't even want to know how many turntables have been wrecked as a result of improper packaging.)

When recording, speed accuracy should be paid attention to. It is usually a non-issue for quartz DD 'tables unless defective (which is why I'd prefer those); others should be equipped with a strobe indicator. Rumble is another factor. I'm not entirely happy with my little belt driven SL-BD20 in that regard - it's just fine for the casual listener, but for greater demands you really want a more massive platter in a belt drive. Once you get to something like a QD33, things have gotten a fair bit quieter - not up with models higher up the food chain maybe, but definitely OK. Then there's wow&flutter, which benefits from direct drive, a heavy platter and a good platter bearing. Then there's tonearm effective moving mass, rigidity and bearing quality. (Again, the tonearm bearings in those inexpensive Technics units aren't bad at all, and they generally do well on wow&flutter.) And finally there is cartridge / phonopre interaction and RIAA deviation.

If quality is a factor, vinyl playback quickly becomes a fairly complex business. Time literally is money here, as with some accumulated knowledge, assembling a good setup on a budget becomes much easier.

Suggest a turntable to rip vinyls: HQ, 100–225 Euros, pre-amp/line out

Reply #6
...


The more I read your posts, the more I long for an SL 1200 
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.