CRM114

Speaking of expensive records, I'm contemplating buying a used copy of Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do but am sure it will get reissued a week after I buy it.

Dan

Thanks guys. Decided to go for it.

Also, there's a new Aphex Twin EP that was announced today:
http://www.cheetah-ep.com/


Ordered that today as well.

so it goes

Thanks to those who answered, I'll probably go for the u turn orbit. I like the automatic mostly for nostalgia and pure laziness. Also, I sometimes fall asleep while listening and the auto return was nice, there is no potential for damage if it just spins for a while, is there?
How easy is it to switch from 33 to 45 on the orbit? Looks like you just slip the belt up an down? Not as quick as pushing a button, but looks easy enough.
I'll need to get a preamp as well, amazon has some by Pyle for under $30 that I'll most likely get for a starter and then upgrade down the line.

so it goes

To join the discussion: most I ever paid for a record was $70 for a UK only record store day release a few years ago. I can get obsessive and feel I need something and afraid I won't be able to get it if I wait, which more often than not isn't true. It can be had mint condition for under $30 now...
That's not counting the Bowie 5 years box and Beatles in mono for which I paid about $180 each.

Dan

Switching from 33-1/3 to 45 gets easier the more you do it. But it was a pain the first few times, especially going from 45 to 33... the belt can pop off easily. Luckily, it's easy enough to pop back on.

I've accidentally let it go for a couple hours, just spinning in the middle. Doesn't seem to have done any damage, but I can't be certain.

You can get the UTurn Orbit with a built-in pre-amp. I went for that option, and I'm glad I did. One quirk is that the pre-amp power is completely independent of the motor. It makes sense to have a separate power button, yes, in case you want to bypass the pre-amp, but I still think that if the main power is OFF then the pre-amp should also be OFF. So when I turn it on, I have to remember to turn on both the motor and the pre-amp. Not a big deal at all, but my wife didn't know this, and I got an earful.

Supermallet

This is what you'll want for the tonearm: http://www.thequp.com/

It automatically lifts the arms when it reaches the end of the record. It doesn't return it to the start position, but it's significantly better than letting it sit in the runout groove for hours if you've fallen asleep.

so it goes

Thank you Supermallet! I'll have to add that to my list. A little pricy for right now, but definitely something to get in the future.

Dan

Oh, I'm definitely going to get one of those.

MBoyd

I think if you get the q up you can't get the cue lever though. I'd rather have the cue lever personally. Especially after coming from an automatic.

Supermallet

I haven't seen the cue lever on the U-Turn, is it on the left side of the arm? That seems like bad placement.

The Q-Up just gets attached to the turntable with adhesive, it's not attached to the arm or base of the arm.

CRM114

Me too. Thanks Supermallet.

Supermallet

Rock on, vinyl friends!

Why So Blu?

Ordered this one from Brookvale Records.






It's about $40 shipped. Just be careful and make sure you enter your zipcode in correctly, because it initially was charging me sales tax and it wasn't supposed to, because they're in NY. That cut the cost down.

Rocketdog2000

I asked the same question about a year ago. Never got a reply. Just seems crazy to me that you wouldn't considering how much some of these cost, unless you were doing it soley as a collectibility investment.

Paff

My plan was to buy a copy at the end of the show and get all three to sign it. Didn't want to lug around an LP during the set. They were getting set up, and Roy was working the merch table. Asked how many copies were left, and he said five. Shit. Change of plans. Had to get one then and there or risk a shut out. And then take it to my car, eliminating the possibility of getting signatures.

Still, glad I got it. It's a great release (if you didn't get yours yet), with all three members contributing liner notes. Kim has a little to say about the writing of each song. Sounds pretty damn good too. Spinning it as I type this.

Note: for those who forget the post I'm responding to, this is about The Muffs' re-release of Blonder and Blonder, their 1995 album that most people consider to be their best work.

starseed1981

I think we all know the answer to that already...

CRM114

I just bought The Shining soundtrack on vinyl because I collect Kubrick stuff in general. It's pretty damned hard to find.

Ravenous

So my question from a few pages back still stands.

How do I know when I need a new needle/stylus? Why do I need a new needle?

I have only had my player since December and I dont play it every day but there are days it plays for a few hours. Latley though, it has begun dropping sound from the right or left channel. Whenever I play a CD though, it sounds fine. So I figure the needle. Any help?

MBoyd

This is obviously not a high quality turntable, but the commercial made me this morning.

https://www.zeczec.com/projects/spinbox

MBoyd

It really depends on the cartridge brand. Probably anywhere from 800-2000 hours. Next time I get a new one, I will be getting one of those clicker counter things and click for every side I play.

Now that said, I think it could be any number of things with your setup. The stylus is probably the least likely and it could be some kind of loose tone arm wire.

Dan

Yeah, I'd say wiring is the first thing to look at.


On a related note, my UTurn Orbit has been acting a little funny. The last couple records I've played, it sounds like the motor isn't turning at a constant 33-1/3 RPM. Hard to explain, but it has that "wobble" sound to it, even though the records in question weren't warped at all. New, even. (Sorry, I haven't learned all the correct terminology yet)

So I turned it off, and slowly turned the platter, and noticed that the drive belt seems to be almost bent in one spot... likely sitting stationary on the pulley for too long somehow formed it or something. Anyway, I bought a new belt ($10, fee shipping), but haven't had a chance to swap it out yet.

Should I be removing the belt whenever the record player isn't in use?

slop101

Just got Spiritualized's masterpiece (and one of my all time favorite albums), "Ladies & Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space" on blue vinyl:



Though it's not nearly as clever as the limited-edition CD packaging, going with the "medication" theme, each song was broken up into a single CD, presented in "pill-packaging":

MBoyd

Don't think you need to remove the belt when not using it, but to make sure it isn't something else going on, you can check the speed of your turntable with a couple of different apps on an iPhone. Turntabulator and RPM. Don't know if they are on Android too. It's unlikely to be exact without some kind of speed box electronic correction. Even on my VPI I think I got a reading of 33.48, but that isn't noticeable to the ears. Or at least mine. I was at 33.335 on my MMF with the Speed Box.

Dan

Thanks for the app recommendations! I went with RPM. While spinning the platter, it varied between 33.40 and 33.50. It seemed to change the most when the "bend" in the drive belt came off of the platter and across the pulley, but it was hard to tell for sure.

When I threw the new drive belt on, it seemed more stable. 33.40 to 33.45.

So yeah, it looks like my original belt got stretched in one spot somehow. Probably one of the times I switched to 45 RPM, I imagine, I must have pulled it or something.

I'm going to try both belts at 45 RPM and see how they do. If the old belt still works fine at that speed, I'll use it exclusively for that. I don't "need" to, but I'd rather avoid stretching my new drive belt if I can. I don't play 45's that often anyway, but I do have a handful of 12" albums (not singles) that need to spin at 45. That seems very uncommon, though.

auto

That's awesome! How much?