Just picked up a turntable.

[Cygnus 2112]

I've got a few RUSH albums and am curious about the proper handling of records. Will fingerprints have an effect on playback like with CD's? Some of my albums such as 2112 skip horribly on side 2. Is that fixable or is it unuseable. Edited April 22, 2013 by billybobjoe1881

[Blue J]

I don't know of a record that skips ever being fixed. My advice would be just to find another decent copy.

 

Don't get fingerprints on the playing surface, either...especially of you've just eaten a big sloppy slab of barbecue ribs or something. Heh heh.

 

Seriously, though, common sense rules here.

 

(uses caveman voice)- "Fingerprints bad!"

 

[Kingdirk]

The rule of thumb with vinyl is...the less contact that foreign objects such as dirt, dust, fingerprints attributed to too much BBQ sauce from the ribs (shout out to Blue J!) the better. Always try to handle the vinyl by the edges, or by the label. Also, at minimum, invest in an anti-static brush (about $15-20). Every time you put a disc on the platter, run the belt so the disc is spinning, but don't drop the needle just yet. Run the brush in the opposite direction and gently brush the residue to the outside of the disc. This process ensures that anything found on the disc (that is floating, like dust) doesn't get caught under the needle, leading to potential scratches. If a disc is really dirty, there are some record washing systems out there that would probably do the trick.

[rushgoober]

My advice:

 

Go back to CD's - albums are too much damn work! ;)

[canadianice]

Make sure you play Clockwork Angels Backwards( pretty cool message in there).

[rocketom]

What the hell is a turntable, What the hell is an album, in a few years someone will ask, What the hell is a cd.

[zappafrank]

How much did it weigh? Did you lift with your legs?

[Jaminbenb]

My advice:

 

Go back to CD's - albums are too much damn work! ;)

 

Exactly! If you want your CD's to sound like Vinyl, push the BASS WAAY UP and crinkle cellophane while playing your CD.....

[John V]

What the hell is a turntable, What the hell is an album, in a few years someone will ask, What the hell is a cd.

 

Actually the CD is almost extinct today. Computer files are king and easily transported. Re......I-Pods and MP3 players and hard drives.

 

Analog albums (vinyl) sound better than both of the aforementioned. Analog is what music is. Digital is a remake of the original analog unless it was originally recorded in digital format.

 

I see many returning to vinyl albums and I am seeing very nice turntables on the market. I saw one at Costco that will copy your vinyl analog album to digital format. Basically doing what the early CD manufacturers did. Now you can re-master.

 

I love the pure sound of a pristine vinyl album. It cannot be duplicated.

Think about a part of a Rush song that used to make your heart stop a beat and then find out on CD that sound is gone. While the body of the music remains the nuances sometimes get lost in the reproduction.

 

Music is analog. To hear music in its purest form is analog. While vinyl albums have gone the way of the dinosaur, I would give my left nut to have all my old albums back in mint condition. I would listen to albums, not CD's and music files.

Of course digital music can go with you. Analog albums cannot.

So we can now have the best of both worlds.

 

I wonder if all the original manufactures of vinyl records still have the master discs? (they made many master disks of each vinyl disc) If they do, we may be able one day to actually hear how music was intended to sound.

[canadianice]

What the hell is a turntable, What the hell is an album, in a few years someone will ask, What the hell is a cd.

 

Actually the CD is almost extinct today. Computer files are king and easily transported. Re......I-Pods and MP3 players and hard drives.

 

Analog albums (vinyl) sound better than both of the aforementioned. Analog is what music is. Digital is a remake of the original analog unless it was originally recorded in digital format.

 

I see many returning to vinyl albums and I am seeing very nice turntables on the market. I saw one at Costco that will copy your vinyl analog album to digital format. Basically doing what the early CD manufacturers did. Now you can re-master.

 

I love the pure sound of a pristine vinyl album. It cannot be duplicated.

Think about a part of a Rush song that used to make your heart stop a beat and then find out on CD that sound is gone. While the body of the music remains the nuances sometimes get lost in the reproduction.

 

Music is analog. To hear music in its purest form is analog. While vinyl albums have gone the way of the dinosaur, I would give my left nut to have all my old albums back in mint condition. I would listen to albums, not CD's and music files.

Of course digital music can go with you. Analog albums cannot.

So we can now have the best of both worlds.

 

I wonder if all the original manufactures of vinyl records still have the master discs? (they made many master disks of each vinyl disc) If they do, we may be able one day to actually hear how music was intended to sound.

Joe Walsh said it best " im an Analog man" ( great album by the way)

[Kingdirk]

I enjoy digital music as much as the next person. The convenience of being able to take along over 4,000 songs on my cell phone (!) is an incredible privilege. However, my life is a hectic one...working 14 hours a day and always on the go, so digital music suits me. That being said, when I get home...take off my shoes...crack open a cold beer...select a disc from the rack...carefully slide the album out of the plastic protective sheath...carefully slide the inner sleeve out...carefully slide the vinyl out of the sleeve and balancing it my outstretched fingers so as not to touch the surface...placing it on the platter...turning the motor on...gingerly lifting the tonarm and with precision, lowering it down into the awaiting grooves...and sitting back to listen to music the way it was originally recorded...pure magic.

 

When I listen to a record, I get transported back to the studio where the artist first began the process. I get transported to my bedroom at my parent's house a couple of decades ago when I first listened to the album on my cheapo rig. I feel invested in the album. Sure I can lift the tonearm and move it to my favorite track, but why? I'll get there. In between is another message the artist wanted me to hear. This is how music was meant to be heard, and the greatest albums of all time live by the credo - "all killer, no filler".

[WIDE-ANGLE WATCHER]

I enjoy digital music as much as the next person. The convenience of being able to take along over 4,000 songs on my cell phone (!) is an incredible privilege. However, my life is a hectic one...working 14 hours a day and always on the go, so digital music suits me. That being said, when I get home...take off my shoes...crack open a cold beer...select a disc from the rack...carefully slide the album out of the plastic protective sheath...carefully slide the inner sleeve out...carefully slide the vinyl out of the sleeve and balancing it my outstretched fingers so as not to touch the surface...placing it on the platter...turning the motor on...gingerly lifting the tonarm and with precision, lowering it down into the awaiting grooves...and sitting back to listen to music the way it was originally recorded...pure magic.

 

When I listen to a record, I get transported back to the studio where the artist first began the process. I get transported to my bedroom at my parent's house a couple of decades ago when I first listened to the album on my cheapo rig. I feel invested in the album. Sure I can lift the tonearm and move it to my favorite track, but why? I'll get there. In between is another message the artist wanted me to hear. This is how music was meant to be heard, and the greatest albums of all time live by the credo - "all killer, no filler".

 

Well said.... I spin vinyl all the time. It sounds so much better than digital. Convenience is not an issue....I just close the beads, turn on the lava lamp, relax in the bean-bag and let the grooves take me back to a better time....crap, I've got to get up a turn it over.

[Cygnus 2112]

How much did it weigh? Did you lift with your legs?

 

It was fairly heavy so I made sure to lift it with back and quick jerky motions.

[hogtown]

Some of my albums such as 2112 skip horribly on side 2. Is that fixable or is it unuseable.

 

Depending on your turntable, sometimes there are knobs on the arm that can be adjusted that can fix this. Sometimes people have been known to tape some coins on the arm (near the part where the needle is, but on top)...sometimes there is nothing you can do. On a side note, I have had a few albums in my life where there is a slight skip in one song that sounds weird when you finally hear it without the skip.

[Kingdirk]

Some of my albums such as 2112 skip horribly on side 2. Is that fixable or is it unuseable.

 

Depending on your turntable, sometimes there are knobs on the arm that can be adjusted that can fix this. Sometimes people have been known to tape some coins on the arm (near the part where the needle is, but on top)...sometimes there is nothing you can do. On a side note, I have had a few albums in my life where there is a slight skip in one song that sounds weird when you finally hear it without the skip.

 

I agree with hogtown...most turntables have minor adjustments that allow you to determine how much pressure is put on the needle in the groove. A couple of things to remember as well.

With a disc like 2112 which was pressed over 35 years ago, dirt might have accumulated in the grooves over time and this may be pushing the needle out of the groove. Not noticeable to the naked eye, it is treatable. There are disc cleaning systems out there, but even a mild soap and a microfibre cloth can do a decent job. I have some new vinyl that curiously skips and for the most part, its because my tonearm is very sensitive. A little tap here and there, and away we go. Now...if the disc is scratched all to hell, there might be no saving it. That would be your call though. How much do you love the disc and are you prepared to replace it?

[RushBoingo]

I have most of Rush's albums on vinyl (as well as others by recent artists, which I get a way bigger kick out of listing to than back in the day albums), and I have to say, I have not found fingerprints a huge problem like they are on CD's, if I touch the surface by accident, I just use a cloth and wipe it off, and it sounds fine. The scratch is more likely wear and tear that you can't fix easily. One peice of advice I can give you is to not leave any record in sunlight (direct or not) it will warp.

[Kingdirk]

I have most of Rush's albums on vinyl (as well as others by recent artists, which I get a way bigger kick out of listing to than back in the day albums), and I have to say, I have not found fingerprints a huge problem like they are on CD's, if I touch the surface by accident, I just use a cloth and wipe it off, and it sounds fine. The scratch is more likely wear and tear that you can't fix easily. One peice of advice I can give you is to not leave any record in sunlight (direct or not) it will warp.

Good point about the sunlight!

[Kingdirk]

I've listened to vinyl for well over 25 years. Over the course of time, different media types have emerged (and fallen) that have offered artists' musical wares to us, the adoring public. The advent of the cassette tape (Maxell, TDK, or Memorex, people?) and the compact disc brought a new sound and a new portability. The revolutionary arrival of the mp3 player offered us our music in the smallest possible way. I have over 25,000 mp3s, so I'm not going to slam the format. This is a posting about vinyl, and more specifically, turntables. I mentioned I love vinyl, but I am in no way an expert on turntables. I recently learned a vaulable lesson regarding turntables that I would like to share.

 

My previous set-up included a relatively inexpensive fully automatic Sony turntable powered by a 20 year old Pioneer receiver, pushing out to 3-way Bose bookshelf speakers. I say "previous", because things have changed. The turntable had a permanent stylus without a cartridge. A simple switch allowed me to change speeds with ease. Press a button and everything just happened. I was given this piece of equipment almost 10 years ago as a gift to replace my old Scott "found in someone's basement - weighs 82 lbs" special that had fallen on some hard times. At the time, I was thrilled. Music played. I kept buying vinyl. Life couldn't be better.

 

Recently though, I was noticing some aural deficiencies from my set-up, especially when playing some of my classic rock and jazz albums. Something was just not right. At first, I thought it was the receiver. Then, I experimented with the speakers. Nope...they seemed to be OK. Maybe its the cheap-ass turntable? So I decided to do some research into market options. Do I go used, or should I buy something new and shiny? Decisions decisions. When I went into my local audio store, the phalanx of turntables facing me was somewhat overwhelming. Who would have thought that turntables would hold such a resurgence (just ask Atlantic who chose not to put Test For Echo out, or the limited number of Vapour Trail discs!)? I sure didn't.

 

With the helpful adivse of the shop owner, I examined all of my options. He had some terrific old pieces...solid pieces, that stood the test of time and would no doubt suit my needs perfectly. However, as dramatic as this sounds, I considered this purchase an evolution, and as such purchased a new turntable - specifically, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon in jet black with the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. Certainly not a cheap upgrade, but defintely not the Ferrari of turntables either. The cartridge alone was worth more than my old Sony. The reviews of this device (yes, I went right home and checked every review I could before buying!) were heavily favourable, so I was confident in how I wanted to proceed. I took my new "toy" home and joyfully swapped the old with the new. Two words...blown away!

 

Now, this isn't a post to advocate going to buy a new turntable (although if you are in the position to do so, and have a bit of "mad money" to spend, I highly recommend procuring the best equipment you can afford). This post is a reminder of the lesson I learned that I was hastily educated about by the shop owner. He said that there are two things you want out of a turntable: 1) silence 2) unnoticeability. Your turntable should be a simple device. Put the disc on the platter...turn it on...drop the needle. Done. There shouldn't be mechanical grinding or things moving. The only thing that should move is the record...that's it. He likened it to the make-up of a car. Think of the record as the asphalt - your tires as the needle and a cartridge. The better the condition of the road (record) and the tires (cartridge), the better the drive (sound output). When driving, the perfect scenario involves driving on fresh asphalt with new high-end tires. The same goes for listening to records on a quality turntable. The better the cartridge and the tonearm, the better your listening enjoyment. I found that out very quickly. The sound I hear now is not the vinyl...its the device being used to transport that sound. And I couldn't be happier.

 

Disc...needle...cartridge...tonearm...motor...cables...receiver/amp...cables...speaker = the reward of true analog fidelity.

[Cygnus 2112]

What is the Cartridge?

[Kingdirk]

What is the Cartridge?

The cartridge is the squarish piece at the end of the tonearm that houses the needle or stylus. On most higher end turntables, this is an interchangeable piece. For example, if you are planning to play 78s or shellac pieces, a conventional cartridge/stylus won't work...well, it will work, but the sound won't be quite right and the cartridge could get damaged since the grooves on a 78 are apparently different than a 45 or LP.

 

My old Sony didn't have a replaceable cartridge and as such, the sound that the needle was picking up was substandard (well, it was good for the first 10 years I guess...getting older seems to be bringing on more discernable tastes it seems).

 

There are several manufacturers and types of cartridges out there to work with whatever turntable you may have. The rule-of-thumb (or so I've been told) with upgrading a turntable is to start at the cartridge, if you can. Then from there, replace the platter with something like acrylic, cork, or leather (it all deadens the unnecessary resonance found when two things rub together, such as a needle and a disc). Again, its like a car...anything can be upgraded if you want it to be.

 

Again...not an expert...just a newly informed and educated vinyl lover trying to spread the information.

[Smegger68]

Mine:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/smegger68/DSC00006.jpg

 

Lenco '88' in custom plinth, LAD Jelco arm and Decca London Super Gold Cartridge. Seen here playing my copy of 'Counterparts' :rush:

Edited May 11, 2013 by Smegger68

[ReRushed]

I've been collecting music my entire life and I had hundreds of albums on vinyl. It's overrated. If I like a song I can enjoy listening to it on a transistor radio. If you have the money to burn on a "proper" turntable and "proper" speakers, go for it. Overall, I don't find vinyl necessarily sounds better than other formats, only different. Anyway, the "vinyl cult" is strong. Choice can be a wonderful thing.

[goingbald]

I'm a member of the 8 track fanclub. Nothing like listening to Foghat's Greatest Hits when it jumps to another track mid-song.

[Aikenrooster]

I got a turntable and some old records, because I hadn't heard a record since I was a kid. I had to turn his volume up all the way to hear it. Apparently, I need something called a preamp, for it to work properly with my receiver. I don't know how to set the weight or counterbalance at the end of the arm and I don't know if I need new needles or how to change them. If someone could give a quick primer on how.to properly set up a turntable, etc.etc, or provide a link, I would appreciate it.

[Smegger68]

I got a turntable and some old records, because I hadn't heard a record since I was a kid. I had to turn his volume up all the way to hear it. Apparently, I need something called a preamp, for it to work properly with my receiver. I don't know how to set the weight or counterbalance at the end of the arm and I don't know if I need new needles or how to change them. If someone could give a quick primer on how.to properly set up a turntable, etc.etc, or provide a link, I would appreciate it.

 

For the best advice, see the Vinyl Engine forum: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/