The digital technology has
altered our preferences with newly developed and much user friendly components.
But when it comes to music, the vintage turntables are still unbeatable when
compared to the digital palm-sized devices that can store thousands of songs at
a time. That is because none of these devices can provide you such enhanced
music experience as like as a turntable does.
If you have been fascinated by
the music from a turntable and want to have one for your own then this article
is for you. Here we will guide you to choose the right turntable that worth
your money.
1.
Know the Basics of a Turntable
The turntable is a simple device
which designed to spin the records at a specific rate of speed and convert the
date pressed in its groove to an electrical signal. That is the function of a
turntable and the turntable that complete the function precisely can give you a
better music experience. Besides using turntable mat for
vinyl record quite necessary from getting grind.
The first thing you will notice
about the turntable is its stylus also known as a needle. It’s the component of
the turntable that traces the grooves pressed in the records. There will be a
phono cartridge, a tiny component which produces a musical signal when the
needle moves. The tonearms is the rod that holds the needle and the stylus
steadily all the time.
The splatter is the round
component that holds your record and rotates while playing. The whole component
of the turntable is supported by the plinth, an optimized plate which also
isolates the vibrations.
2.
Determine your Needs
Not everyone buy the turntable
for playing music. Some has other purposes too. Such as, it is also a required
component for DJ’s. However, most of the customers buy the turntables with a
thought of playing records. If you are novice and going to buy your first
turntable then you should go for a turntable at a lower price. It will let you
understand your tastes about turntable and you can also upgrade to a better one
in future if you want. However, if budget is not a problem for you and you want
to get the best ultimate taste of music from the turntable then it’s okay to
spend as much as you want to get the prior quality.
If you are going to get a
turntable for DJ’ing purpose then go for a turntable that comes with a
direct-drive technology (We will discuss it later in the article). You will
also need to be assured about the connectivity of the turntable as you will
need to connect several external devices for different purposes. Such as, you
may want to equip best headphone
for vinyl for a much accurate listening experience.
3.
Manual vs Automatic
There are two types of operation
system in a turntable. They are automatic and manual. The automatic turntable
with respect to its name can do all the works automatically. All you need to do
is push a button and the turntable will lift the tonearm. You will need to put
the record in the platter and place lower the needle on the record. The album
will start playing automatically. The needle will rise and move the tonearm
back at its starting position automatically.
The whole process is needs to be
done manually. You will need to push a button to start the motor and then
manually put the tonearm on the record. Moreover, you will even need to return
the tonearm back at its position when the album is completed playing.
4.
Playback Speed
Playback speed is another
important thing to consider while buying a turntable. Turntables nowadays come
with different playback speeds. You will need to choose a turntable with proper
rotation speed according to your records. The most common playback speed is
around 33-1/3 and 45 RPM. There is some other which plays the records at 78
RPM. Check the playback speed of your album collection and then buy the
turntable according to this.
5.
Drive Technology
The drive technologies are used to
spin the motor to play the records. There are two types of drive technology. They
are belt drive technology and direct drive technology. The belt drive
technology spins the platter using an elastic belt attached in the motor. This
belt drives can absorb the vibration on a large scale but it has much lower
torque and less accuracy of playing the records.
The direct drive means the
platter is attached and move directly via the motor. Direct drive offer much
accurate playback but it cannot absorb the vibrations. You should choose the
drive technology according to your own preference.
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