Does anyone still listen to records?

[Undertaker #59*]

If you haven't already seen it, check out the docu on that album "Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon" on Prime.

Also, I still have a turntable and a few boxes of albums, but I don't use it anymore and just have it in storage.

I used to have a belt-driven turntable that was some German make (can't remember), but it had no auto start or return. All manual. I know it
was considered super-accurate and was expensive then and imagine that it would be moreso now. I don't even remember what happened
to it. I probably gave it away because I couldn't really hear a difference and it was annoying to use.

Wish I still had it and I like the return to vinyl. I was never sold on the hype of CDs when they took over. No scratches, but the sound seemed
fuller (generally) on vinyl.

I've learned so much in the past week. What a deep well of info there is in the modern vinyl scene.

Anyway, what I didn't know when I posted the thread was the reasoning for the near total loss of automatic features.

The reason is those who buy quality turntables don't want those features. They add complexity to the machinery, the electronics can interfere and the stylus could pick up that noise. The bearings in the tone arm could be affected by a mechanism that autolifts.

Under all that context, it makes a lot more sense to me now and I don't mind at all. That player you had was that way because the people that spent the extra money wanted it that way.

One debate that still seems to exist is belt drive vs direct drive, each with pros and cons.

 

[Hawg73]

I've learned so much in the past week. What a deep well of info there is in the modern vinyl scene.

Anyway, what I didn't know when I posted the thread was the reasoning for the near total loss of automatic features.

The reason is those who buy quality turntables don't want those features. They add complexity to the machinery, the electronics can interfere and the stylus could pick up that noise. The bearings in the tone arm could be affected by a mechanism that autolifts.

Under all that context, it makes a lot more sense to me now and I don't mind at all. That player you had was that way because the people that spent the extra money wanted it that way.

One debate that still seems to exist is belt drive vs direct drive, each with pros and cons.

I put some thought into it and the belt-drive I mentioned was a Thorens TD 165 or something very similar. It was manufactured from 1972-76. They aren't crazy money and you can get one for around 600 bucks on EBay. As I suspected they seem to be valued by DJs, hence all the spinning. You obviously don't want to do that with a auto. The tone arm on it was relatively huge and bulky and I had to estimate the needle pressure by guessing what seemed right. There were no numbers or click-stops on the large counter balance, just a smooth-spinning wheel. It was way different than any other turntable I ever used.

One big issue I had with it is that I got it from a "friend" -- a heroin addict ripped it off from somebody and represented it to me as something he purchased. He owed me money for a long time (no, I didn't sell heroin) and I accepted it in lieu of cash, but over time discovered the true story and I just never feel right about it. I dumped it to somebody that didn't care. I'd totally forgotten that part. I do recall that after a while the belt started slipping and took a while to get up to speed and I didn't feel like bringing it somewhere since it was stolen and I didn't want to get blamed. All I know for sure is that a few audiophile acquaintances went nuts over it, but I didn't think it sounded any different from good quality autos from the era. Maybe if I had a manual and understood it I would have appreciated it.

Some of the contemporary Thorens go for huge money. I saw one on Ebay for over 7 grand.

I hope it all works out for you, but I have a feeling you love doing a deep dive into the tech stuff and will end up with
something you love and appreciate.