
After the all-in-one level, most turntables also have a thin wire known as the ground wire, which you need to attach to a screw on your preamp or receiver (otherwise, the turntable will produce an annoying hum). The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB, for example, has no built-in phono preamp, so you’d need to either plug the RCA cables into the phono input on the back of a receiver/amp-or plug them into a preamp, and then plug the cables from that into the regular RCA input on a standard receiver. The main thing to focus on is the type of input, where the wires go, and the settings on the turntable itself. Both of these turntables have phono preamps, so there’s no need for a receiver with a specialized “phono” input.Īs you move up the pricing scale, more variables can come into play. Something similar goes for the Audio-Technica AT-LP60: Just plug the RCA cables into the receiver.
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With the portable Numark PT-01, if you’re not listening over its built-in speaker or using batteries, you can plug it into the wall using an AC adapter, plug in headphones or powered computer speakers using the 3.5mm port, or hook it up to a stereo by plugging the RCA cables into an input in the back of a stereo receiver or amplifier. “I wanted the heaviest weight I could find.” D’Eugenio recommends a $40 weight from psych/doom label RidingEasy Records.

He says that’s the thinnest part of a record, and simply applying weight there can offset the weakness. It’s totally optional, but Blackwell recommends a weight to put over the center spindle. “I prefer these glow-in-the-dark cones.” Weights “It’s always good to have some plastic ones, as dinky as they may be, as back-up,” he says. Blackwell says he happens to prefer “really thick and heavy 45 adapters.” But he has noticed that certain metal 45 adapters don’t fit the hole on some records. Old 45 RPM singles that have a hole in the middle require an adapter-this is a cheap place to add a personal touch to your setup. If you have more money to spend, Turntable Kitchen points to some specifically vinyl-oriented furniture from CB2 and Atocha Design. Ikea’s successor Kallax shelves are still essentially the same dimensions, though, and should fit the bill. Ikea’s Expedit modular shelving units were for some time a cultishly favored way to store records, to the point that a social-media backlash emerged when the company said it would replace them in 2014. What’s important is to store your records upright-not stacked or at a tilt-to avoid warping. That said, he adds that a given system’s sound depends on such factors as speaker placement and the acoustics of the room. “The whole system is only as good as the weakest link,” Hartog says. For vinyl listening as part of a full-fledged home theater setup, he suggests the Marantz SR5013 7.2 Channel AV Receiver or its successor model, praising Marantz’s audio performance and ease of use.
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The showroom’s Hartog says the $600 Marantz SR4023 Stereo Receiver, which also features Bluetooth connectivity as well as connectivity to apps like Spotify, is another good pick for vinyl setups. The amp that makes Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” seem unusually striking at Des Moines’ Audio Labs is the Parasound Halo Integrated Amplifier, which costs $3,000. Like everything else, amps and receivers are an area with a wide variety of options and price ranges. Because older receivers are more likely to include a phono input, buying used can be a particularly good bet. Better turntables don’t include what’s known as a phono preamp, which boosts sound to the level of other audio components, so vinyl newcomers should look for amplifiers and receivers with a dedicated “phono” input if you buy a receiver that doesn’t have a phono preamp, you’ll need to buy some kind of standalone preamp.

While the most basic turntables can be connected directly to computer speakers via the headphone jack, once you’re dipping more fully into the vinyl world, you’re going to need some other equipment, like an amplifier or a receiver-the latter of which is essentially an amplifier that also has a radio tuner and may be part of a home theater setup. “Getting too far down that rabbit hole detracts from the whole purpose, which is to enjoy the music,” he says. At less than half the price, Grado’s more mid-range cartridges also draw a positive mention from Third Man’s Blackwell, who cautions against worrying too much about needles. The Platinum3 cartridges aren’t Grado’s most expensive model- far from it-but they showcase the company’s woodworking and how the material can have a unique resonance. The high-end headphones and cartridges from family-run Brooklyn company Grado stand out for their use of natural wood.
