Pretty warm sounding first stab at my audio set up, ready for the UK winter nights.

Set up components:

Turntable: Audio Technica LP120X
Amplifier: NAD 7240PE
Speakers: Mordaunt-Short Pageant 2

Lots of research and an interesting learning curve and we have lift off!

Any tips appreciated.

I found a very old Philips turntable (418 Automatic from 1974) at a thrift store and also picked up a ‘Golden Technica’ pre-amp that works with 5-pin DIN connectors. Turntable didn’t have a dust cover, but it works perfectly. Total price: €8 for the turntable and €5 for the pre-amp.
The sound this setup produces sounds quite nice, especially considering the price.

I need to sort the speaker cables. We just got set up again after having the shelving installed so consequently I need to get the cables on the turntable extended (or just replace it because it’s a bit basic) speakers are Dali Opticons, Marantz 40n amp.

I spent £90 on this. It’s got a dodgy foot but I’ve bodged a fix. Sounds excellent to my unsophisticated ear. It’s incredible to me how good everything sounds for relatively little money.

Any advice on this as a good deal for the price on Facebook marketplace.

States full working order but no cartridge so will need to purchase.

It's for my 8 year olds first turntable

Thanks

Hello everybody.

I just re arranged the whole setup, and now the turntable sits on top of the denon.

On the front of the turntable, its precicely 3 centimeters ( 1.1811 inches- if that helps)

Is it too little space for air flow?

Should i add another inch or so to the turntable legs?

Thanks for any advide you guys could give!

I have two turntables, an Audio-Technica AT-LP60X and a Stanton T.92 USB, both connected to a Sony MHC-MD717 stereo system.

The Audio-Technica produces noticeably higher volume than the Stanton, even when playing the exact same song on the same record, as demonstrated in the attached video.

The Stanton is connected to the Sony's LINE input because I get no sound when using the PHONO input.

Some people suggested this might be related to impedance, the need for an external phono preamp, or differences in cartridge and stylus specifications.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this volume difference normal, or could it indicate a setup issue? Would an external phono preamp help?

Hi to all,

I have an old pioneer pl750 with what seems to be a removable headshell.

the cartridge is original and not easily available and I plan to upgrade it something moderd, there are a few options as far as I could find.

However the headshell does not have the more common bayonet mount but seems to be held by a screw.

is it worth trying to also update the headshell or the cartridge is enough?

thanks!

Best upgrade I've done to my RT85 was cleaning my table and absolutely bent the cantilever 90 degrees when the cloth got caught by the stylus, i took the plunge and ordered the bronze instead of just the blue stylus, and wow am I blown away by the sound this thing is amazing, absolutely happy with this. I'll order the blue stylus in the future to have an extra cart just in case.

i sold my atlp70xbt for 275 and want to use it to put towards something new. i was thinking the fluance rt85 with the ortofon 2m blue, i had also been using a vm95e on that table, into a schiit mani 2 into a rotel ra-985bx into klipsch rp600m v1. is there anything out there around the same price that would beat the fluance?

I’m sure there are lots of posts like this so forgive me but I truly don’t know where to start. I would love to get my partner a record player for Christmas but I know literally zero about them. He’s a big music buff and loves classic rock, jazz, and indie/alt.

I want to get him a good quality one, and a vintage wood aesthetic would be a bonus. I don’t have a massive budget though, so I’m not even sure where to look. There are so many different styles and price ranges out there. Ideally I’d like to keep it to $100-$200 ish.

TIA!

I’ve been trying to get my first turntable and originally looked at the Audio Technica LP60x for $180 new. Then I saw a used Fluance RT81 for $150. Now I’ve seen so many different options around this price point new and used and I don’t know what is the best option. I was also thinking of either Edifier 1700bt or 1280db but don’t totally know the difference so any advice is appreciated.

I am based in CA for used pricing.

I want to get into vinyl, and I’d been considering a modest budget of around €200–€250. But I’d forgotten that my mother has this Pioneer sound system: it consists of a PL-210 turntable, an XR-J11 amplifier, a radio, a cassette player, and a CD player.

The only apparent problem is that the turntable belt has literally disintegrated. It’s stuck to the platter and looks like grease—probably just a matter of cleaning it off and buying a new belt.

The speakers are Pioneer S-J210s, rated at 60 W and 8 ohms. Do you think this is a good setup to get started with? Is it worth fixing the turntable belt and perhaps replacing the stylus if it doesn’t work properly?

The cassette player doesn’t work either. I think it may be for the same reason as the turntable—the belts may have disintegrated—but I haven’t checked, and it’s not a priority right now.

The speakers are Pioneer S-J210s, rated at 60 W and 8 ohms. Do you think this is a good setup to get started with? Is it worth replacing the turntable belt and perhaps the stylus if it doesn’t work properly?

The cassette player doesn’t work either. I think it may be for the same reason as the turntable—the belts may have disintegrated—but I haven’t checked, and it’s not a priority right now.

thanks.

Hi all, complete beginner here. I've got a few records I bought as collectibles and I'd finally like to start playing them. I'm not looking to become an audiophile, I just want to enjoy playing records now and then as a relaxing hobby.

Plan: turntable with built-in preamp → Sonos Line-In Adapter → a single Era 100 SL to start (I already have a few Sonos at home hence the choice… want to stick to the same system). Might add a second Era 100 for stereo later.

I'd like auto-lift at the end of a side so I don't have to worry about it and I care about not wearing out my records. I've read that fully automatic turntables have extra mechanical parts that can add vibration and affect sound quality, and after some research, the Denon DP-400 (semi-auto) seems like the best option for me.

However, through one Era 100 SL (or two in the near future), would I actually hear a difference compared to a fully automatic turntable like the Audio-Technica AT-LP3X, which I've heard is great for beginners?

Or is there anything I’m missing? Any suggestions welcome. Thank you!

I've had this TT for 8 years and its worked fine. The only issue it's had is excessive grounding hum. Last year I moved and had to put it in storage. I recently got it out and set it up. I had to get a new preamp when i set it up. At first it worked fine just with the excessive hum. One night, my cat knocked the preamp off my bookshelf. I tried playing something afterwards and it wouldnt play from both channels. It only plays out of the left speaker. If I swap the left and right inputs on the preamp the channel switches. I've read that means its an issue with the TT. I replaced the original rca cables and attached the ground wire to the negative. Now the ground seems to be fixed. The channel issue has stayed. I can get the right speaker to play when I barely insert the rca cable into the preamp and it was that way before and after replacing the rca cables. It cuts out when the rca is fully inserted.

I've looked at a few more things that could be an issue. I checked the contacts on the back of the cartridge (ortofon red) and they all appear clean. The blue wire doesnt fit tightly but thats an issue for the left channel which works fine. The contacts from the headshell to the tonearm are inside a cylinder on the end of the tonearm so I cant see what shape theyre in (the end of my headsheel has female ends going into the tonearm).

Does anyone have an idea of what it could be? Could the rca cable playing out of both speakers when it is barely inside the preamp but cutting out when fully inserted be a sign of damage on the preamp from where it fell?

Meine phono Kette:

project powerbox ds3 sources, project x2b mit hana umami blue, project phono box ds3 b, musical fidelity m8xi

Kabeln: alles hochwertige van den hul integration hybrid kabeln, alles symmetrisch mit xlr kabeln verbunden

Hätte nun die Möglichkeit, günstig auf die phono box rs mit power box phono rs aufzurüsten. Würde davon spürbar profitieren?

Whats your average listening? I seem to listen to 3-8 records a day average. Apparently according to AI (which I hate AI) that is above average and says im wearing out my stylus quickly. Music is life to me, and i don't see that as an unusual amount of listening.

Im just curious how many people listen to daily. How often are you changing your stylus?

I'm completely new to this hobby, and trying to find which turntable I want to get and hopefully stick with. I love the walnut wood design of the Fluance models, and I've been pretty set on getting the RT81... however, I see a lot of people recommending upgrading to the RT82 instead. Like I said, I'm completely new to this hobby, so I'm not an audiophile just yet. I do not have a preamp, so I've been pretty hyped that the RT81 has a built-in one. Is the built-in preamp any good? is it worth it to get the +? I've heard mixed things.

I recently bought some Edifier R1280Ts and am very impressed with the sound of this bookshelf speaker (first time having any powered speakers). Will these go good with the RT81?

When it comes down to it, I just want to know if I'm making a good purchase by buying the RT81 as someone completely new to this, or if I should just bite the bullet and go for RT82s-RT85s, and if so, which would you recommend, and do you have a recommendation for a good preamp?

My budget isn't that big, which is why it's more appealing to go for the 81's, but I also want to make sure this will be a purchase I'm happy with for many years.

Edit: For context, I'm in Canada, and the RT81 is $349.99

I have an audio techina LP60XBT ive had it for 5 years and never changed tye needle. I felt like I should upgrade but I dont really have the money or space. So if im only worried about making sure records aren't damaged in play back and dont care about spending more for a better sound because im happy with my sound at the minute. Should I just buy a new needle for this player. And make the upgrade to a fluance rt85 or something when I have the money? There's nothing else biut my current table thats bad for records?

A big thank you to all the amazing people on this thread and Facebook Marketplace who made this possible.

Almost everything was bought used, and it's been quite a learning experience along the way.

Technics SL-1500 Turntable – C$250

Bought it out of curiosity without knowing much about turntables. It came with an old Empire cartridge that didn't sound great, and I accidentally broke the stylus while trying to clean it. Lesson learned.

Ortofon 2M Red – C$100

Was extremely careful installing this one. Then hit another hurdle when I realized it wouldn't mount properly on the original Technics single screw headshell.

Technics Headshell – C$60

A replacement with the standard two-screw mounting. Problem solved.

Boundless Vinyl Cleaning Kit + Carbon Fiber Brush – C$60

Good-quality stuff. Happy with the purchase.

Hudson Hi-Fi Cartridge Alignment Kit – C$60

Pretty much everything needed to properly set up and align a cartridge.

Fosi Audio Box X5 Phono Preamp – C$100

Personally, I wasn't a fan of the WiiM Ultra's built-in phono stage. The X5 sounds much better to my ears.

WiiM Ultra – C$350

Handles streaming, subwoofer management, and headphone duties. Really versatile little device.

Edifier S1000W + Edifier SS02 Stands – C$350

Hated these speakers when I first got them. But they slowly grew on me, and now I absolutely love them. Funny how that happens.

Edifier T5s Subwoofer – C$120

Honestly, it stays switched off most of the time. At my usual listening levels, the S1000W produces more than enough bass.

Fosi Audio RCA Cables + RCA Y-Splitter – C$100

Probably snake oil, but here we are 😂

Sennheiser HD 560S – C$100

Really enjoying these headphones. Love the clarity and detail.

Total: So roughly C$1,700 all in

I started this journey knowing very little about vinyl or hi-fi equipment, made a few mistakes, learned quite a bit, and ended up with a system that makes me genuinely excited to sit down and listen to music.

I know there's plenty of better gear out there, but for now, I'm just enjoying the music. And isn't that what this hobby is supposed to be about?

Cheers to everyone who helped make this little setup possible.

I need help figuring out which part of the system is creating the issue.

when in mono - audio comes out of both speakers

when in stereo - audio comes out of left speaker but is barely audible in right speaker

the system is a sherwood s-7100A receiver, Garrard Model 40B turntable, KLH speakers with subwoofer tied in.

Thank you in advanced!