vinyl newbie, turntable question

[TZona]

i'v thought about picking up records, i have no turntable. is a pioneer PL-990
a good start? im a pioneer fanboy at heart

[richteer]

Originally Posted by TZona

i'v thought about picking up records, i have no turntable. is a pioneer PL-990
a good start? im a pioneer fanboy at heart

I have to be honest, Pioneer isn't a name that comes to mind when thinking about decent budget turntables...

Talking of budget, roughly how much are you looking to spend?

[TZona]

when i thought about it 100 was max, i found a pioneer for around 50, have not bought it

[TeresofBlood]

Just to fill you in, if $100 is all you're looking to spend, get a USB turntable. Otherwise you're going to have to spend some serious dough (well, serious for a youngster such as myself).

I bought a Music Hall MMF-2.2 for $469, a Creek OBH-18 preamp for $220, a Grado headphone amplifier for $400 and a pair of Grado headphones for $350. Plus about $50 worth of accessories.

As of now, I'm about to purchase about $900 worth of upgrades (including a better cartridge). That totals well over $2000. And I have nowhere near a top of the line system. Trust me, if you don't want to spend a lot, get a USB turntable. It will satisfy if you're not overly critical. Plus it has a built in preamp. You just plug it into your receiver or headphones.

http://www.amazon.com/Ion-ION-ITTUSB...6319307&sr=8-1

My friend has this. It is good enough, if you don't want to spend a lot.

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by TZona

when i thought about it 100 was max, i found a pioneer for around 50, have not bought it

Your budget doesn't give you much to work with. If you're buying used on ebay be careful of broken or malfunctioning equipment. Try audiogon.com.

Try this: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica...366504&sr=8-30

entry level as it gets.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by TZona

when i thought about it 100 was max, i found a pioneer for around 50, have not bought it

To be honest, save more money. The cheapest TT I'd not have problems recommending to people is something like the Pro-Ject Debut III (or Rega P1, etc.). By exercising a little patience you'll have something much better than blowing $100 on instant gratification now wil get you.