So you want to play LPs and 45s
Sales of turntables are starting to grow again and interest in playing LPs and 45s is growing. I was at a second record stall the other and there was a young man with his mother asking the salesman about vinyl records and how to play them, so below I have included some history and a few tips.
History
Like many people of my age I started listening to records in the 1960s. I have used a complete variety of turntables and some of the turntables from the 1960s had a really distinctive sound. You can hear this on Youtube.
I grew up with LPs and during my youth the records of the day and the equipment we played it on was not HiFi. It was not until the early 1970s that really good quality turntables and cartridges were produced that young people could afford. We were then able to appreciate high quality music reproduction.
The old turntables used sapphire needles and ceramic cartridges and the earlier ones were set up for mono reproduction only. Stereo turntables did not start to become popular or affordable until the later years of the 1960s. When I went to university in 1969 not many of the students had stereo record players.
In the early 60s most popular records were issued in mono and there was a gradual conversion to stereo which was completed in the latter part of the the decade. When you converted to stereo you had to change the needles in your ceramic cartridge or else you would damage the record immediately.
The sound coming from the records from a technical point of view was pretty awful. The portable record players that we used as teenagers had some bad faults. There was mains hum because the electronics were poorly filtered. There was wow and flutter from the speed variations of the motors. The platters were driven by idler wheels which transmitted a lot of rumble from the motor drive to the cartridge. All these faults were easily audible.
The cartridges were not very responsive and added to the harmonic distortion inherent in the vinyl records themselves. The cartridges were heavy and wore out the records quickly.
The vinyl itself was quite tough and better quality than the vinyl products of the 1970s and 1980s. Nevertheless LPs were still prone to scratching and attracted dust and static. If you lent an LP to a fellow teenager then there was a fair chance that it would come back scratched.
The amplifiers in the record players were poor by today's standards. Some of the early 60's ones were valve amplifiers which added to the harmonic distortion.
Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbU71k1LF2Y
All in all it was a HiFi disaster area; the record players sounded tinny and had to be played at full blast to give any sort of presence but of course turning up the volume to full added to the distortion. It was also useful to have some spare valves or tubes around and know how to change them. You also had to wait for your valves to warm up before you could start to play anything.
All the same and despite all the difficulties we enjoyed our music and shared the experience with our friends. There was lots of dancing and jiving to the Beatles and the Stones.
People who had stereo separates systems, usually adults, fared a little better but not much. You had to be really rich to buy top quality kit.
In the early 1970s matters improved. Young people at last had enough money to buy some have decent gear. Turntables were improved enormously and belt driven tables almost eliminated the sound of rumble and the stroboscope and improved motors helped to almost eliminate wow and flutter as well. Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges with diamond needles also helped to improve frequency response and reduce harmonic distortion.
The problems of scratched records, static from dust and dirt and distortion from over playing remained and these problems remain today.
Usually someone scratched the record when they paid a visit. I was never a control freak and I never prevented anyone either playing a record or turning it over or changing track in the middle of a record. All of this was guaranteed to cause damage.
Records could also attract static at any time and the simply act of pulling them out of the sleeve created pops especially in dry weather.
To get round the problem of damaged records many of my friends made audio cassette copies of their favourite LPs and rarely played their vinyl on a turntable. They also "lent" records to friends by making a cassette copy. The audio cassette allowed party tapes to be produced so that the best rock tracks could be played continuously.
Everyone had a turntable or record player and we were all "tweakers". I was never ever able to tell much difference when I played around with tracking forces and anti-skate devices so I gave up messing around with these controls. Some people love "tweaking" and enjoy trying to perfect the sound. My hearing was almost perfect when I was young and I can still pick out the person singing out-of-tune in a choir.
What is HiFi?
But, what is HiFi? This is a difficult question to answer but it means that the record and its sound reproduction must sound life like and as close as possible to the original live performance or the master tape. A good LP record and a good HiFi system can achieve this and you do not need to spend a fortune to get this especially if you do not listen to classical music.
So what do you do if you are new to vinyl? Well first of all decide what sort of music you want to play as it will dictate what sort of equipment you will need to buy and its cost. You also need to decide whether you are going to become a complete enthusiast and only play vinyl. Are you only going to play older records like me? How often and for how long are you going to listen to LP music? Are you going to play 78 rpm records as well as 45s and 331/3 LPs? How much can you afford to pay? Are you interested in vintage equipment and records?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fidelity
Consumer decks
Do not let the cheap cost put you off ; you can can get a good consumer turntable in the lower price range. Just be aware that you will not get high quality mechanics or a high quality cartridge. It will not have many adjustments and it will not be "upgradeable". It will have lots of plastic used in its construction and some even have plastic turntables!
Such a deck will not reproduce classical music very well or jazz with a wide dynamic range. Otherwise a cheap player will be fine for pop, rock and folk music. Just, make sure it has a moving magnet cartridge and a diamond needle. Most of them have a built in phono-stage so you can connect them to the auxiliary line inputs of your amplifier. You will be able to avoid the cost of a special phono-stage or buying a new amplifier with a built in one.
I use one of these turntables myself and it is connected to a "high end" amplifier and speakers. You may ask why? I only play older and well used records from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. These records are well worn in and a high quality turntable will hardly improve their performance. I do not play classical music or opera via a turntable: I use CDs for this or listen to BBC Radio 3 on FM or HD internet radio. I love classical music but of course nothing can beat a live performance.
I can afford to pay for a top notch turntable but I only have about 40 playable albums and I do not not intend to build up a collection of new 180 gm LPs. The few albums that are not replaceable have been archived to CD and Audio Cassette tape. I do not play LPs and 45s often; about a couple of hours a week maximum but I love it when I do. The turntable suits me fine and it gives HiFi quality sound but for how long? If it fails within couple of years or so then I can buy a new one.
Such a player should not be sneered at and if it is the only way you afford to find out about vinyl it will give you a taste of what it is all about until you can afford to buy something more substantial. Some of my old LPs have survived OK, about 8 of them, from the 1960s. Do not worry so much about tracking weights a modern consumer player won't damage your records as much as a 1960s model with a ceramic cartridge.
A consumer turntable will have some or all of the faults listed above but to a much lesser extent than a 1960s player and despite what it says on many vinyl forums these faults cannot be completely eliminated from any LP or turntable no matter how cheap or expensive it is. Harmonic distortion is an example.
These players are simple to set up and use and this can be a bonus. Most of them are belt driven but some are direct drive.
Some consumer players can play 78s, so this is an advantage if you are interested. I bought mine over the internet and I was delighted with the "retro" sound and I figured that I could easily get my money back if I was disappointed or it arrived damaged or faulty. Do not do this if you are buying a better player but go to a dealer and audition the product.
An example of a consumer deck but it is not a recommendation:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/marantz/tt5005/mara-tt5005
So called Budget Audiophile Turntables
These players can set you on the road to being a vinyl enthusiast. They should be better made than a consumer table but they might still have lots of acrylic, mdf and plastic etc.
Their performance should be better than a consumer table especially for wow and flutter and pitch control.
You can upgrade the cartridge or fit your own. They will have controls for tracking weight and anti-skate. They will allow you to adjust the tone arm for height and vertical tracking etc. They should have an improved frequency response for bass, mid range and treble. They should be well damped and resist vibrations better than a consumer model.
They should be of sufficient HiFi quality to reproduce classical and all other forms of music very well.
The lower tracking weights will not damage your LPs as much as a consumer player. The players themselves should be built to last years.
Many of these players cannot play 78 rpm records.
All in all, they produce good performance for the money. Some of them can be difficult to set up with little dangling weights for anti-skate devices. On some you might have to move the belt to another capstan when you change from 45 to 331\3 replay. These decks are a "tweakers" delight.
These players will be the next stage on an upgrade path to where the sky is the limit. If you buy this type of player you should audition it at a dealer with a record that you know well and which has a wide dynamic and musical range such as Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
Once again an example but not a recommendation
http://www.royjowetthomecinema.co.uk/pro-ject-debut-mk3-turntable.html?gclid=CNPrxPe-rLcCFXMctAod6FQAcg
So called Audiophile Turntables
If I were ever to become an enthusiast for vinyl and classical music I would get of of these but I would severely limit my budget and resist the temptation to keep upgrading to find a sonic utopia which does not exist. They are the next stage up and should provide almost electronic and mechanical perfection for playing the best quality records with hardly anything added or taken away. They are very expensive and you could spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on improved tone arms and cartridges etc.
But, always remember the law of diminishing returns. A £20,000 pound set up will not sound 20 times better than a £1,000 budget player. Any technical improvement might be inaudible. It could even sound worse if you do not get the set up right. The quality jump from consumer, to budget and audiophile player is not as great as some commentators, advertisements and salesmen would have you believe.
Unless you are very rich, you might be better off saving exorbitant amounts money on equipment to go to live performances or buy more records. If you can afford it and like the look, sound and feel of really well engineered equipment then why not spoil yourself.
Remember that your ears cannot hear frequencies above about 20 khz and most adults cannot hear above 15 khz. The top note on a violin is around 4.5khz and this is hardly enough to move a tweeter. OK, the harmonics are higher but you cannot hear a harmonic above about 15 khz if you are an adult.
Remember that an orchestra can have a dynamic range of 80 decibels but an LP has a range of about 70. An LP has harmonic distortion built in and this cannot be eliminated by any turntable and cartridge combination no matter the price. A classical performance on LP may therefore disappoint you compared to a live one.
An audiophile turntable is also a "tweakers" delight and needs careful set up and maintenance. You need to adjust the tonearm, the tracking force, anti-skate force, cartridge and speed control etc. and use instruments to measure them. Doing all this could give you a real buzz but I find it frustrating.
An audiophile turntable should give you the best quality sound reproduction and should be made of the best quality materials including metal and wood. They should be exceptionally well damped to reduce vibrations to a minimum. All in all the engineering should be great.
But, remember that a sensitive deck of this quality will really reveal any noise generated by the LP from dust, static electricity, scratches and warps. You need to look after your records with great care.
What better way to listen to Miles Davies, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven or the Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald and the Beatles?
Once again, you must go to a reputable dealer to buy this sort of equipment and audition it with your best records.
This is reputed to be top notch equipment but not necessarily a recommendation from me:
http://www.houseoflinn.com/mall/departmentpage.cfm/houseoflinn/_214345/1/Linn%2520Turntables
The Second Hand Market
There are some bargains to be had in the second hand market but do your research well and, of course, buyer beware. You could find a high end audiophile turntable for a reasonable price. This approach is useful if you are good at do-it-yourself maintenance. Some HiFi magazines have a second hand advertising section.
Buyer beware but you could find a really good bargain!
http://www.gumtree.com/for-sale/uk/turntable
What Else Do You Need
You will need a decent amplifier and speakers and if you go for a better quality turntable you will need a "high end" equipment but remember the law of diminishing returns. Many people settle for an amplifier with a built in pre-amplifier others swear by a separate pre-amplifier which increases the costs again.
You will need a really strong and steady equipment rack to place your turntable. The rack is needed to reduce vibrations and the effects of footfalls etc. This applies to all turntables.
HiFi Magazines
HiFi magazines are not prone to critically examining either their own claims or the claims of advertisers. Sometimes this can be a hindrance to making the correct decision on what to buy. Be careful of the reviews of ancillary equipment and interconnect cables. Good quality cables should not cost a lot of money and most of the claims that cables costing thousands of pounds perform better are preposterous. Usually there is no science to back up the claims with peer reviewed double blind tests. The powers of suggestion are very strong.
HiFi forums and blogs
The opinions on blogs and forums are sometimes outrageous and sometimes I think common sense has gone out of the window. Remember that your ears and perception are limiting factors and the sound reproduction performance of lots of equipment in both the analog and digital domains exceeds that of your ears and perception. No-one has been proven to hear a tone above 22.5khz so there is not much sense in providing equipment which can exceed this limit. It is a waste of money.
Trust your own ears
Why not audition equipment at an honest dealer and visit your friends to hear their equipment? If the first set of equipment does not sound better, to your ears, than the second then why be convinced otherwise by a dealer, a forum or a blog. You could save yourself a a lot of money by using your ears and perception wisely and trusting your own judgement.
Frustration
Vinyl is fun but setting up all the kit can be tiresome. Scratches and dust spoil the vinyl experience for me when I play classical records. So decide what kind of music lover you are. Are you prepared to put up with all the set up and maintenance and the cost of buying top class vinyl. And, also note that I have never heard a record that has not produced a popping sound at some time when it is being played - not even a brand new one.
Have fun.
So where do you start?
Unless you are absolutely convinced that you are going to be exclusively a vinyl enthusiast then I suggest that you start with a budget turntable until you are certain that you can live with playing records. Some things to consider are the following:
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