@mArc01H1
To me, this man is 1000 times more helpful than all of those audio experts with expensive equipment that are out there. Yes, I don´t blame them for they have, yes that´s awesome you pretty superior and amazing set up, but a lot of people are interested in smart, not sleazy guidance in buying the product for reasonable prize when began doing this hobby. Myself being a beginner to stereo set - up, whole technology about vinyl spinning, and this man helped and saved me a lot of money!
@velchuck
Well said! A breath of fresh air! Thank you. I’m just a average guy and on a fixed income! I spent 500.00 for a Fluance RT85. I love this turntable. My amp cost me 170.00 and my speakers were 400.00. I’m happy. I will bet that the audiophiles are going crazy over your video. I applaud you and thank you. Keep up your videos.
@chuckheinze7
Thank you sir! It’s a breath of fresh air listening to you. The word practical has been lost in our present day world. My turntable is a JVC JL-40. I’ve had it since new. It’s a great turntable. Back in the 70s when I bought it, it was I guess a mid level unit. It works for me. Has never let me down, and sounds great. I’m 72 years old now. My hearing is not what it was when I was in my 20s when I purchased the JVC. No reason to replace it. Even though I’ve thought about it. No, I think I’m going to go for a new cartridge. Thanks for your practical approach to hi fi. Keep up the good work.
@mus1970
That's not a rant, that's just thoughtful and sensible.
It all boils down to what you enjoy and how you do it. Some people want to buy bragging rights with super expensive audio/brewing equipment? Fine for them. I'll enjoy my own setups, humble though they may be.
("Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" is a great motto to live by!)
All the best from the Netherlands,
John
@hiresaudiocosta873
You contradict yourself when you talk about the bearing. A poor quality bearing in the platter can introduce noise / vibrations into the playback system. A low quality bearing on the tonearm / faulty anti skating mechanism can apply pressure on one side of the groove more than the other side which will affect the volume and imaging. However, I'm with you on the price vs performance aspect. And I agree with your bottom line. A decent rig ( not cheap but not top of the line ) will give you great performance. I'm glad that you made this video. Very informative!!!!
@jgeaton
Only recently I discovered your videos and a have to say I am hugely impressed. Not only is the advice and guidance you provide refreshingly simple to follow and honestly presented, your presentation skills are a fresh approach compared to most of the you tube videos I have watched. Your attention to detail in terms of lighting and audio recording is streets ahead of most others. I often turn to you tube for guidance on my hobbies and more often than not find the presentations are so hard to hear and see I end up turning them off with frustration. Please continue to cover all aspects of the vinyl world as they are both entertaining and helpful. I have just started to renew my interest in vinyl and am about to purchase new products from turntable to speakers and amplifiers and your guidance will give me greater confidence when making my choice. Many, many thanks and good wishes,
@DJLNR.
You made me laugh so much.. I'm with you when it comes to majority of today adding extra nonsense to something so pure and simple when setup correctly. . This video was a pleasure to watch and listen to all the way through. Thank you.
@skunk12
When this video covered belts and RPMs, all i could think was "You spin me right round baby. right round. Like a record baby right round, round, round"
@SparkY0
Thanks for the shaving advice. I tried it today and my stubble has a much richer and deeper bass.
@BPaul803
This video is just a good reality check. Around 3 years ago or so my sister had gifted me one of those crosley cruiser things. Obvious points aside, I knew that there was better out there. Now being a student, money must be allocated elsewhere, but I remember reading up as much as I possibly could on what this crazy record collecting world offered. The following summer I came across a teac-300 in my searches. Naturally, this is not necessarily an "audiophile" deck but damn the thing is gorgeous. I fell in love with it. Most of that summer was spent saving remainders of my paychecks for it. When that package arrived at my door it was like I was 6 years old on Christmas morning again. I still use that deck nearly daily. Although I have since replaced the cartridge a year later. It's quiet and the speed is stable to my ears. It's does what it is supposed to do; play records and add some color to an otherwise greyscale color palette on the days I require its service. This hobby is meant to bring joy; not elitist snobbery because some have the money to throw around
@Eyelonso
I want to thank you very much, I'm looking into buying my first turntable and have been going through so many videos that go overboard into the parts that make up these machines. It has clogged my mind and made me feel that my budget wasn't sufficient enough for this hobby. I knew that there was going to be some diminishing returns, the only problem was the line had been blurred within these videos that pushed for higher end setups. I am more confident in knowing what to look for in a turntable and for that I am grateful.
@jnc1771
The saying is an audiophile spends money to listen to the perfect sound, whereas an audio fan spends money to get loads of good music to listen to.
@TheNoncritical1
Having my Rega P3 played with a cartidge I was auditioining, and then hearing that same cartridge played on a Linn LP12, convinced me that tables not only sound different from each other, but some sound markedly better. If I could have afforded it I would have taken the Linn home with me. I still have the Rega, thirty eight years later, because it's a table that sounds good enough to enjoy music with, but I have no doubt that there are many tables that can outperform mine.
@reworkfpv7359
How refreshing, someone who understands the concept of diminishing returns and that the world does not revolve around the mighty dollar.
@martinmullen71
I love the rant, good sensible comments and ways of thinking.I have a vintage Thorens TD160 Mk ll its 46 years old I’ve just replaced the belt which cost me £9 on eBay there were other belts with the word Thorens on them, they were £40, but this is the first belt I’ve had on there that’s perform properly when switching from 33 to 45 without jumping off. A good friend of mine says just enjoy the music. I’m playing the same vinyl on there that I was playing all them years ago and don’t see the point of upgrading as it’s not a format that I use all the time, but I still enjoy listening to my classic vinyl rock albums.
@BlankBrain
Leaving the dust cover open when playing makes a difference on my turntable (when playing loud music). If it's down, low notes can make it vibrate and feedback to the cartridge. Static can be very difficult to control in low humidity. I found that cleaning the record on the platter with a grounded carbon-fiber brush helps a lot. Grounding is important! I have a Sony PS-X75 turntable that I bought, I think, in 1982. It has several unique features that gave it noticeably better performance than my previous (pretty good) turntable. It has a computer controlled "Biotracer" arm that responds up to 10 Hz. So, like a camera lens stabilizer, it gets rid of low frequency sounds like people jumping on a wood floor in the room or bumping the cabinet. It tracks warped records flawlessly. It also has a magnetic head under the platter that compares the speed to a quartz clock and adjusts. Here's the problem. The processor chips in these turntables fail at a high rate. They are unobtainium. This may be due to bad caps in the PS. The lubricants dry out and may cause the motors to draw more current. Due to "stuff," I haven't used the table in six years. I need to re-cap and re-lubricate everything in it before I use it. The turntable was not designed to be serviced, so it will be a challenge. If it works, great. If not, I've read that someone replaced the processor with a Teensy++ 2 micro-controller (with lots of time spent programming). Some old gear is worth repairing.
@andywray3446
This is one of my favourite videos on the reality of getting a decent system together. My wife bought me a "decent" turntable as a birthday present. I have never had to replace it. I did add a decent cartridge and a good phono pre-amp stage and now have everything I would want from my setup. I've never stressed about the turntable or the arm as the cartridge and the rest of my system had far more impact on the sound. Well done on this video.
@Gamer420life
This is a must watch for new LP enthusiasts. Learning sooo much.
@petrofski88
(disclaimer: I'm an audio noob!) Assuming the motor does vibrate (even if quiet), wouldn't the belt be able to conduct vibration onto the platter? And so a belt made of a material that dampens vibration would further reduce transmission of vibrations onto the platter? Of course if that is true (or potentially true) there is still the question of "is it noticeable? is it relevant? and if yes, is fixing it worth the cost?" I suspect the reason for those "luxurious upgrades" as well as the 33.5 vs 33.3 RPM, is the never ending search for absolute fine tuning and perfection some people enjoy tinkering towards, even when the gains are no longer noticeable for our ears. Where it gets silly is if someone makes such an improvement, ears no difference but will state otherwise xD then it's just sad. So I totally get your points :) for most people a $200 turntable will serve them super well. But I also get those who seek "perfection" at insanely out of portion pricing, perhaps even beyond what they can actually perceive. I mean certain listening room installments are like works of art imo. What I hope will be possible is to buy an upgrade, try it and really listen for improvements, and if I hear no improvements just return it and get my money back :P because ultimately... that's all that matters: does it sound better? and if yes, are you willing to pay X to make it sound that better?
@simonheffernan1767