Entering the world of vinyl

Lysander

Lysander

Lysander

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Yes, I've finally become one of those people.

After years of swearing by CDs and mp3s I bit the bullet and got a turntable, a Pioneer PL 990 [preamped], which I will plug directly into my PC soundcard via a 2xRC to 3.5mm adapter. I only have a handful of LPs but of course the collection will grow.

So, what dos and don't should I know about vinyl, how to treat it/store it?

I've heard the vinyl experience is way different to the CD one, so am interested in finding out just how.

Sorry mods, please transfer to music forum.
 
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Store them vertically, away from direct heat and light. Get something to clean your stylus and vinyl regularly (water and a proper cloth will do it for vinyl, even, just don't play them wet!) You will want them dust-free and as clean as possible to get the top-quality sound.

Not sure how your turntable arm is set-up but sure the weighting and anti-skate is set-up properly. This will depend on your turntabletone-arm and whether or not it has a weight. You basically don't want the stylus to be too heavy on your vinyl. A good rule of thumb is you should be able to hear the music playing quite clearly - with no distortion - from the actual stylus tip itself, even with your speakers turned off. Distortion means it's weighted too heavy.

Oh and don't get addicted ;)
 
its way better but each part of your kit needs to be up to scratch, if your running through a pc then it better be a good soundcard and you might wanna invest in a phono preamp.
 
Oh yeah and a good stylus/cartridge will make quite a bit of difference. It's worth the investment. I'm using Ortofon carts at the moment but Shure make very good ones as well.
 
Lysander said:
So, what dos and don't should I know about vinyl, how to treat it/store it?
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In terms of storage, I can highly recommend IKEA's range of Expedit bookcases for 12" vinyl. It's a perfect fit.

I've got roughly 2,000 records stored that way and you get roughly 100-110 per 'cube' depending on how you like to stack them away.
 
Wow, you brave, brave man! As a novice audiophile, I wouldn't dream of touching turntables just yet haha.
 
Lysander said:
Right, I'm going to need assistance with these terms. I imagine anti-skate is to do with skipping. Already this is quite amusing.
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Weight is self-explanatory: every cartridge and stylus will have a different weight, and a tone-arm should have a counter-weight at the other end of it to make sure that you get an optimum contact pressure. Some turntables won't have removable cartridges or whatever and you'll just have to buy replacement stylii/needles - in which case, no worries.

Anti-skate is associated with weighting. It's basically just the force that counteracts the natural inward drag of the turntable's motion, i.e. the needle 'skating' across the vinyl surface. Anti-skate counterbalances this force so that the needle-tip itself sits optimally in the middle of the vinyl's grooves, rather than forcing against the edge of the tiny grooves whilst being dragged inwards (this makes your vinyl deteriorate quicker).

You'll find lots of documentation online that specifies how to calculate anti-skate settings.
 
InKursion said:
Oh yeah and a good stylus/cartridge will make quite a bit of difference. It's worth the investment. I'm using Ortofon carts at the moment but Shure make very good ones as well.
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Indeed,i love my Concorde Nightclub S,worth every penny.

Very important not to buy cheap stylus for a good record collection.

Must be 6 years since i have bought vinyl,but still have all my thousands of 12" still in the racks.

Even though my vinyl days are well gone,i can still understand people still using it,as it tends to have a warmer sound or a bit of soul in the music your playing:)

RIP Turntables:( but hello Pioneer CDJ 2000:)
 
Haha, can't understand CD-J's nowadays myself... CD seems like the awkward middle-ground. Vinyl has best sound quality and the best sense of touch and control, and for everything else there's DVS / digital ;) CD's are so awkward! Hate burning them. Most of my friends that DJ on CD-J's now just end up DJ'ing off a thumb-drive or plug-in media card anyway, i.e. may as well be full digital.

Vinyl is actually on the increase these last few years. It's making a big comeback. The CD single/album is considered dead as a dodo, but the benefits of the medium of vinyl are bringing it back for music lovers.
 
InKursion said:
Haha, can't understand CD-J's nowadays myself... CD seems like the awkward middle-ground. Vinyl has best sound quality and the best sense of touch and control, and for everything else there's DVS / digital ;) CD's are so awkward! Hate burning them. Most of my friends that DJ on CD-J's now just end up DJ'ing off a thumb-drive or plug-in media card anyway, i.e. may as well be full digital.

Vinyl is actually on the increase these last few years. It's making a big comeback. The CD single/album is considered dead as a dodo, but the benefits of the medium of vinyl are bringing it back for music lovers.
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hehe aye,i love using the cdj's even more than i did using technics,although i learnt the trade the correct way using vinyl i just felt that part is history for me now,i do miss the ratching about in record shops and rushing home to play the masses i used to buy.
I do not miss the carrying of record boxes to gigs now,Usb Sticks are fantastic for playing.
Getting back to vinyl what are they going for nowdays,i was paying up to £15 for american/italian imports in the early 90's.
 
I also made the leap over to vinyl a few weeks ago.

I bought a Rega RP1 to go with my hifi. I had to send it back after seeing that they had set the head shell at a god awful angle, and a bracket had broke in transit.

My new one works a treat though.

To set the counterweight I borrowed a gauge off a bloke at work who is really into vinyl. I had to set it at 1.75g down force. The anti skate is set at the same as the weight too.
 
Spook187 said:
hehe aye,i love using the cdj's even more than i did using technics,although i learnt the trade the correct way using vinyl i just felt that part is history for me now,i do miss the ratching about in record shops and rushing home to play the masses i used to buy.
I do not miss the carrying of record boxes to gigs now,Usb Sticks are fantastic for playing.
Getting back to vinyl what are they going for nowdays,i was paying up to £15 for american/italian imports in the early 90's.
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Quite a lot nowadays! A 12" single/EP will set you back anywhere from £6-10. 1xLP's are normally about £14-15 quid. 2xLP's £18-20 etc. It's not bad but it certainly is not cheap compared to any other mediums. Oh and you don't really have to worry about imports anymore, like your rare Italo-Disco stuff :p Can get mostly anything off the internet from a UK/EU store for a pretty flat-rate delivery charge (normally around £4). Sadly if you want to dig in a record store for proper niche records you had better live in London/Manchester/Bristol. No more record stores anymore!

Also if you want a real turntable, forget Rega, get some 1's and 2's and own a part of vinyl history :o
 
InKursion said:
Quite a lot nowadays! A 12" single/EP will set you back anywhere from £6-10. 1xLP's are normally about £14-15 quid. 2xLP's £18-20 etc.
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Bearing in mind most of the stuff I but is pre-2000 these days, it makes it cheaper.

At the moment this thing is rigged up to my soundcard. How much better or worse is that than hooking it up to a dedicated amplifier or is there little difference?
 
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