Getting back to vinyl!

[Oldlistener50]

Midlifer here who is interested in getting back to listening to vinyl...

I have a Yamaha RX-V659 HT receiver and some Pioneer stereo speakers (CS-722A) up on stands.

My plan is to first add a decent turntable. The budget isn't unlimited so I am looking at the Pro-Ject Debut III. Other choices would be the Rega P1 or the Music Hall MMF2.2. From what I've read the Pro-Ject is currently my first choice.

So I'm wondering if a good plan is to get the turntable so I'm able start listening to good analog music again, then follow up with a stereo tube amp. Or am I better off upgrading speakers first?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[TLS Guy]

Midlifer here who is interested in getting back to listening to vinyl...

I have a Yamaha RX-V659 HT receiver and some Pioneer stereo speakers (CS-722A) up on stands.

My plan is to first add a decent turntable. The budget isn't unlimited so I am looking at the Pro-Ject Debut III. Other choices would be the Rega P1 or the Music Hall MMF2.2. From what I've read the Pro-Ject is currently my first choice.

So I'm wondering if a good plan is to get the turntable so I'm able start listening to good analog music again, then follow up with a stereo tube amp. Or am I better off upgrading speakers first?

Thanks for any suggestions.

That receiver does not have a high gain RIAA compensated input, in other words a phono input. So you can't connect a turntable directly to that receiver.

So in addition to a turntable will you need a phono preamp.

Good choice of turntable.

Definitely upgrade your speakers and don't waste money on a tube amp.

Upgrading your speakers need to be a high priority.

Your receiver is very out of date and is due for replacement. So you might want to consider upgrading to a more modern receiver that has a phono input.

 

[Oldlistener50]

Phono preamp

Help me understand.. it has jacks marked phono input L&R on the back... doesn't that mean it's set up for a turntable?

 

[Guinness6]

Great choice for getting back in to vinyl. I have one and I love it. My sister bought one for their household & they love it, too.

The Debut has a built-in phono preamp so you don't need one & I'm pretty sure it connects using standard RCA contacts.

I say go for it & start saving for speakers!

 

[TLS Guy]

Help me understand.. it has jacks marked phono input L&R on the back... doesn't that mean it's set up for a turntable?

If it does you are good to go, but a phono input is not listed in the specs, nor in the AH review.

 

[Oldlistener50]

Yeah, it's there, I just checked. That's good news.

 

[Rickster71]

It looks like it does have one.
I zoomed in on the picture from the Yamaha site.
RX-V659 - Stereo Receivers - Hi-Fi Components - Audio & Visual - Products - Yamaha United States

 

[3db]

Great choice for getting back in to vinyl. I have one and I love it. My sister bought one for their household & they love it, too.

The Debut has a built-in phono preamp so you don't need one & I'm pretty sure it connects using standard RCA contacts.

I say go for it & start saving for speakers!

Careful... Project offers the choice of Debut models complete with a built in phono stage and others without.

 

[slipperybidness]

Check out the technics SL1200 line of tables. Built like a tank, will last a lifetime, and excellent quality. Open to debate that it may be the best TT ever built.

 

[bikdav]

Check out the technics SL1200 line of tables. Built like a tank, will last a lifetime, and excellent quality. Open to debate that it may be the best TT ever built.

That is an awesome turntable! I sometimes wished I owned one of those. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a built in phono pre-amp. So, if anyone buys one _ but there receiver or amplifier has no phono input _ they are going to have a separate phono pre-amp.

 

[3db]

Check out the technics SL1200 line of tables. Built like a tank, will last a lifetime, and excellent quality. Open to debate that it may be the best TT ever built.

I'm not a big fan of this table because of its tone arm. It may be build like a tank but its tone arm is its failing. My Project XpressionII with its graphite tone arm plays much nicer than the Technics.

 

[slipperybidness]

You can replace the tone arm. There are literally hundreds of mods that can be done to the 1200. There is also a universal tone arm adapter.

 

[3db]

You can replace the tone arm. There are literally hundreds of mods that can be done to the 1200. There is also a universal tone arm adapter.

With all the mods, you are up over a grand and there are some very nice tables at that price range.

Unless one is a DJ, there is no reason for a TT to be built like a tank. The technics was designed as a DJ table.

 

[slipperybidness]

With all the mods, you are up over a grand and there are some very nice tables at that price range.

Unless one is a DJ, there is no reason for a TT to be built like a tank. The technics was designed as a DJ table.

This is all open for debate and has been debated a lot here before. Yes, there are very nice tables available at over 1K, but I feel that the 1200 is one of the ones that would be worth that investment too. I have one and consider it the best ever made, wouldn't trade it for any other TT.

The 1200 was not originally designed as a DJ table, it was designed for consumer use. It was built so well and rugged that the club DJs adopted it for their purposes. In fact, a better description may be that it became a "turntablism TT". You are well informed, and I'm pretty sure that you know this.

"No reason for a TT to be built like a tank" -- C'mon, I try to be careful and I know what I'm doing with electronics and mechanics, but I still make mistakes and break stuff. Great build quality is near the top of my list of priorities. I have a 1200 and have no doubts that this will be the last turntable I ever buy, and I'm only 30yrs old. Also, some people may have children running around the house.

All in all, it would be foolish to dismiss the 1200 because it is a "DJ turntable".

To be fair, there are a couple of nit-picky items on the 1200. The RCA and ground connections are hard wired to the TT, so you can't use better quality cables unless you mod that too. Also, they don't do 78rpm without another mod.

But, now you've got me curious, what is it that makes the stock tonearm inferior? What in particular do you look for in a tonearm? Any good recommendations at a good price? I'm interested in bang for the buck, sound quality, and build quality.

 

[slipperybidness]

I could make the argument that this is a great TT BECAUSE it is a DJ table.

Also, +1 for its quartz crystal timing scheme

Also, +1 for its stylus light. I can play my Curtis Mayfield without having to turn up the room lights and kill the mood

 

[chelsea429]

Check out the technics SL1200 line of tables. Built like a tank, will last a lifetime, and excellent quality. Open to debate that it may be the best TT ever built.

You opened the debate so I can't help but respond~

Rockport Technologies System III Sirius turntable and tonearm | Stereophile.com

"~"Analog overkill"? I don't think so. The Rockport System III Sirius is the finest piece of audio equipment I have ever heard or reviewed.~"

(Thank you Michael Fremer)

I have personally listened to hours of tunes on this system and I have to agree!

73k.... yah yah, I know

 

[3db]

Built like a tank doesn't mean best sound. It just means, it can handle some abuse without throwing it off kilter. But how many of us take our turntables off our audio racks, throw them in the back of a pickup and ....

I'd rather have the cost put into the tonearm and noise isolation. To call the Technics the best tt ever built is a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar stretch. There are turntables that would but this bed sonically ...maybe more expensive but still much better sonically then the technics.

 

[bikdav]

You opened the debate so I can't help but respond~

Rockport Technologies System III Sirius turntable and tonearm | Stereophile.com

"~"Analog overkill"? I don't think so. The Rockport System III Sirius is the finest piece of audio equipment I have ever heard or reviewed.~"

(Thank you Michael Fremer)

I have personally listened to hours of tunes on this system and I have to agree!

73k.... yah yah, I know

Would someone please take a gun and shoot my damn brains out if I ever decide to spend $73,750 on a turntable.

 

[skizzerflake]

Midlifer here who is interested in getting back to listening to vinyl...

I have a Yamaha RX-V659 HT receiver and some Pioneer stereo speakers (CS-722A) up on stands.

My plan is to first add a decent turntable. The budget isn't unlimited so I am looking at the Pro-Ject Debut III. Other choices would be the Rega P1 or the Music Hall MMF2.2. From what I've read the Pro-Ject is currently my first choice.

So I'm wondering if a good plan is to get the turntable so I'm able start listening to good analog music again, then follow up with a stereo tube amp. Or am I better off upgrading speakers first?

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'd go with speakers first, since they are probably the most critical component after a well functioning turntable and cartridge. It's worth checking out Ebay for components. A few years back I had some "surplus" Vandersteen speakers (wildly wonderful) and a 400 WPC Carver stereo amp (I had moved on to 5.1 HT). For a few hundred bucks, I got a used Dual turntable (excellent, reconditioned and old) and a reconditioned, pre-CD Rotel pre-amp. That became a vinyl-only system that sounded just great. Sadly it got hit by lightning which fried the Carver and the Rotel. One of these days I will go on another Ebay spree and try to get another similar vintage system.

 

[Adam]

Would someone please take a gun and shoot my damn brains out if I ever decide to spend $73,750 on a turntable.

I don't know if I could do that...but I'd take the turntable to help you forget about it.