Vinyl Virgin

Who says Fen Dancer has to spend £1000's? I gave reasons why better decks are better. It is up to him how far he wants to go and how much he wants to spend. He can get a good sound for under £200 but will get a better sound for £500.

There is also a lot of good decks 2nd hand. If he went for a good 2nd hand deck, say an LP12, if he didn't like it he can sell it for what he paid for it (or even more). For example, a good LP12 with arm & cartridge can be picked up from £375 to £500.

The records that Fen Dancer has may provide good memories. Been able to play them may further enhance those memories. Also some of the music on these records may not be available or very rare.

Buying a good 2nd hand or ex dem deck will reduce depreciation. It can even prove an investment.

A new Rega P3 is £298 + cartridge. So call it £350. If Fen dancer wants to spend more he will get a better sound.

SCIDB

 

If you buy a decent 2nd hand LP12 you are not going to lose much on it.

Most decent LP12/Akitos go for the prices SCIDB quotes. Sadly the actual Lingo power supplies themselves go for about £500 judging from what I see on ebay - it's a daft world.

I still think £ for £ a 2nd hand LP12 is one of the bargains of the hifi world thanks to so many people buying them and then ditching them due to cd - one good thing to say about cd there.

Personally if I was looking at getting a new deck for the first them then the Michell Tecnodec and the Roksan Radious fills the gap nicely between the starter decks and the silly cost decks to such a point upgrading may not be an issue in the future. Both these decks are well made and sound excellent.

I'm still pondering about selling my LP12 - it took me 6 years to finally decide to sell my Michell Mycro - it depends how much they are going for at the moment and whether I really need the money.

 

That's a good deck for the money. Looks good too. It really sings with a Denon 103 on!

 

Apart from the cart - I'd say second hand is definitely the way to go here - that way there is no chance of depreciation. If it doesn't work out, you shouldn't lose anything much. Can't go too far wrong with any Rega's or Pro-Jects - just buy the best you can 2nd hand in budget and you should be fine. If you want something a little more stylish (albeit pretty old - so be careful of condition) I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Michell Focus One - easily the equal of the sub £300 Pro-Jects and Regas and unlike them it looks great too.

Personally I'd stear clear of second hand LP12s unless you know what you are looking at. Yes you could stand the chance of a real bargain ... but if its way out of setup it'll sound crap and unfairly put you off for life ... far less to go wrong with the simpler solid plinth models - just put them somewhere sensible.

Cartridge choice? To some extent depends on what arm you wind up with and what younplan to use for a phono stage. Best sub £100 cart I've had in the past few years is the current Denon DL-160, Its a high output MC, so should work fine in most MM phono stages.

 

So, reading between the lines, a second hand deck with a good reputation is a good move (bought with all three eyes wide open). Bang in a new cartridge and be transported back in time to a golden era when all music was in black and white. I'll follow the traditional plan of start low and upgrade later, in order to maximise the amount of money I end up paying. I've also noticed that there is a similar thread in ZG about LP12s which is giving sound advice as well.
No doubt I'll follow up at some point with inane questions about Ford Transit starter motors.

 

Yep, I'd say that pretty much sums it up. Don't forget you need a phono preamp which is compatible with your cart though if your current amp doesn't have one built in. If it does have one built in, then be sure to pick a cart which is compatible with the built in phono amp.