Turntable purchase help for dad in his 70s
Discussion
I'm thinking of buying my dad a turntable for his birthday. He's in his 70s so needs something really simple.
Can you get decent record players with built-in speakers or is that a big no-no?
If not is it possible to buy a turn table and separate speakers without amps and god knows what else?
The budget is around £500ish it will also need Bluetooth output to connect to his Sony wireless WH-1000XM3 headphones.
Any suggestions please?
Can you get decent record players with built-in speakers or is that a big no-no?
If not is it possible to buy a turn table and separate speakers without amps and god knows what else?
The budget is around £500ish it will also need Bluetooth output to connect to his Sony wireless WH-1000XM3 headphones.
Any suggestions please?
TwigtheWonderkid said:
The all in one ones are total crap. But you can buy a decent Bluetooth turntable and some decent active bluetooth speakers thus no need for an amp. But probably not for £500.
But why?Vinyl is analogue. Why convert to digital and beam it to speakers over Bluetooth? Might as well just stream. Yes I guess you’ll still get some crackles and suchlike but that’s about it.
Sorry!
miniman said:
But why?
Vinyl is analogue. Why convert to digital and beam it to speakers over Bluetooth? Might as well just stream.
There may be stuff on vinyl that isn't available via streaming - or not easily available. There's also perhaps a nostalgia factor. Maybe there are some treasured recordings that might trigger certain fond memories? Vinyl is analogue. Why convert to digital and beam it to speakers over Bluetooth? Might as well just stream.
miniman said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
The all in one ones are total crap. But you can buy a decent Bluetooth turntable and some decent active bluetooth speakers thus no need for an amp. But probably not for £500.
But why?Vinyl is analogue. Why convert to digital and beam it to speakers over Bluetooth? Might as well just stream. Yes I guess you’ll still get some crackles and suchlike but that’s about it.
Sorry!
Stu-nph26 said:
I'm thinking of buying my dad a turntable for his birthday. He's in his 70s so needs something really simple.
Can you get decent record players with built-in speakers or is that a big no-no?
If not is it possible to buy a turn table and separate speakers without amps and god knows what else?
The budget is around £500ish it will also need Bluetooth output to connect to his Sony wireless WH-1000XM3 headphones.
Any suggestions please?
The Sony PSLX310BT sound like it might be right up your dad's street. This is a fully automatic turntable. Not only will the arm lift and return to its rest at the end of a side, it will also motor over and lower the needle onto the start of an LP or 45 single with the minimum of intervention. All that needs to be set is a dial for the size of record (7" or 12") and one for speed which is 33 or 45 rpm. Having these controls means that 12" singles which run at 45rpm can be played too if your dad fancies banging on some '80s picture discs or DJ white labels. Can you get decent record players with built-in speakers or is that a big no-no?
If not is it possible to buy a turn table and separate speakers without amps and god knows what else?
The budget is around £500ish it will also need Bluetooth output to connect to his Sony wireless WH-1000XM3 headphones.
Any suggestions please?
One consideration though is the selector dials themselves. They're quite low profile, so if grip or feeling are a bit of a problem then I'd suggest viewing the TT first hand at a John Lewis or Richer Sounds store.
The Sony has Bluetooth. There are also a set of switchable outputs on the rear for Line Out and Phono Out connection. The deck price is £229
Here's a link to What Hi-Fi's review. It covers the basics.
Line Out is what you might use to hook up a pair of powered speakers. These are speakers where the amplification is built in. A pair of Pioneer DM10 (£129/pr) would complete the system and provide far better sound than any deck with built-in speakers.
If you think about it, it makes sense to keep the deck and speakers separate. A turntable works by picking up the tiny wiggles in the record groove. You can think of those as vibrations. That means putting speakers in the same bit of gear that's trying to pick up these microscopic undulations is always going to be a compromise. Make the speakers loud enough and bassy enough for decent musical performance then means the deck's needle will be swamped. Make it so that the needle can still work and the sound from the speakers will be weak. It's a no-win situation. Running external speakers makes more sense.
The Pioneer speakers are quite simple. Once the connections are set up then all that remains is to turn the On/Volume dial to switch on the speakers and set the listening level. A green LED shows when the speakers are on. Here's a link to those speakers.
There are other powered speakers available, but they're primarily Bluetooth - and this next bit is important.... the volume is controlled by the sending device. However, the turntable doesn't do that. So spending extra to get BT as a feature in the speakers will work against you and your dad. Keep it simple. On/Off/Volume; job done.
Richers does both the Sony deck and the Pioneer speakers. The combined price is £360. You'll probably have to spring for some interconnect cables (TT to speakers) if the one with the Pioneer speakers is too short. An Amazon Basics RCA to RCA lead will do fine, and they're available in 1.2m / 2.4m / 4.57m lengths. The speaker wire link between the two speakers comes in with the Pioneer speakers.
If it was me, and with an 'up to £500' budget, I'd get a carbon fibre record cleaning brush to go with the kit. Most of the ones you'll find coming up first on a Google search aren't that good. Some have two rows of carbon fibre but no velvet pad. Others have the velvet pad but only a single carbon fibre row. This one though has it all. Velvet pad and 2x carbon fibre rows. The price is good as well. It's just £12.99. I bought something similar to this 35 years ago. It's still going strong today. Here's a link
There you go, simple to use, decent sound, usefully accessorised, and 20% under budget.
Edited by Lucid_AV on Thursday 12th January 08:07
I agree with Lucid on this. We Our lad got the same Sony deck for Christmas and for the price it sounds pretty reasonable. He uses the bluetooth at the moment for headphones and wireless speakers, but is looking to upgrade to a 'proper' amp and speakers at a later date. It obviously isn't on the level of my Rega/Naim/Focal kit, but for the money it's a good starting point.
Lucid_AV said:
The Sony PSLX310BT sound like it might be right up your dad's street. This is a fully automatic turntable. Not only will the arm lift and return to its rest at the end of a side, it will also motor over and lower the needle onto the start of an LP or 45 single with the minimum of intervention. All that needs to be set is a dial for the size of record (7" or 12") and one for speed which is 33 or 45 rpm. Having these controls means that 12" singles which run at 45rpm can be played too if your dad fancies banging on some '80s picture discs or DJ white labels.
One consideration though is the selector dials themselves. They're quite low profile, so if grip or feeling are a bit of a problem then I'd suggest viewing the TT first hand at a John Lewis or Richer Sounds store.
The Sony has Bluetooth. There are also a set of switchable outputs on the rear for Line Out and Phono Out connection. The deck price is £229
Here's a link to What Hi-Fi's review. It covers the basics.
Line Out is what you might use to hook up a pair of powered speakers. These are speakers where the amplification is built in. A pair of Pioneer DM10 (£129/pr) would complete the system and provide far better sound than any deck with built-in speakers.
If you think about it, it makes sense to keep the deck and speakers separate. A turntable works by picking up the tiny wiggles in the record groove. You can think of those as vibrations. That means putting speakers in the same bit of gear that's trying to pick up these microscopic undulations is always going to be a compromise. Make the speakers loud enough and bassy enough for decent musical performance then means the deck's needle will be swamped. Make it so that the needle can still work and the sound from the speakers will be weak. It's a no-win situation. Running external speakers makes more sense.
The Pioneer speakers are quite simple. Once the connections are set up then all that remains is to turn the On/Volume dial to switch on the speakers and set the listening level. A green LED shows when the speakers are on. Here's a link to those speakers.
There are other powered speakers available, but they're primarily Bluetooth - and this next bit is important.... the volume is controlled by the sending device. However, the turntable doesn't do that. So spending extra to get BT as a feature in the speakers will work against you and your dad. Keep it simple. On/Off/Volume; job done.
Richers does both the Sony deck and the Pioneer speakers. The combined price is £360. You'll probably have to spring for some interconnect cables (TT to speakers) if the one with the Pioneer speakers is too short. An Amazon Basics RCA to RCA lead will do fine, and they're available in 1.2m / 2.4m / 4.57m lengths. The speaker wire link between the two speakers comes in with the Pioneer speakers.
If it was me, and with an 'up to £500' budget, I'd get a carbon fibre record cleaning brush to go with the kit. Most of the ones you'll find coming up first on a Google search aren't that good. Some have two rows of carbon fibre but no velvet pad. Others have the velvet pad but only a single carbon fibre row. This one though has it all. Velvet pad and 2x carbon fibre rows. The price is good as well. It's just £12.99. I bought something similar to this 35 years ago. It's still going strong today. Here's a link
There you go, simple to use, decent sound, usefully accessorised, and 20% under budget.
Lucid that is absolutely fantastic advice I appreciate it so much. I'm off to buy them now. Thanks again! One consideration though is the selector dials themselves. They're quite low profile, so if grip or feeling are a bit of a problem then I'd suggest viewing the TT first hand at a John Lewis or Richer Sounds store.
The Sony has Bluetooth. There are also a set of switchable outputs on the rear for Line Out and Phono Out connection. The deck price is £229
Here's a link to What Hi-Fi's review. It covers the basics.
Line Out is what you might use to hook up a pair of powered speakers. These are speakers where the amplification is built in. A pair of Pioneer DM10 (£129/pr) would complete the system and provide far better sound than any deck with built-in speakers.
If you think about it, it makes sense to keep the deck and speakers separate. A turntable works by picking up the tiny wiggles in the record groove. You can think of those as vibrations. That means putting speakers in the same bit of gear that's trying to pick up these microscopic undulations is always going to be a compromise. Make the speakers loud enough and bassy enough for decent musical performance then means the deck's needle will be swamped. Make it so that the needle can still work and the sound from the speakers will be weak. It's a no-win situation. Running external speakers makes more sense.
The Pioneer speakers are quite simple. Once the connections are set up then all that remains is to turn the On/Volume dial to switch on the speakers and set the listening level. A green LED shows when the speakers are on. Here's a link to those speakers.
There are other powered speakers available, but they're primarily Bluetooth - and this next bit is important.... the volume is controlled by the sending device. However, the turntable doesn't do that. So spending extra to get BT as a feature in the speakers will work against you and your dad. Keep it simple. On/Off/Volume; job done.
Richers does both the Sony deck and the Pioneer speakers. The combined price is £360. You'll probably have to spring for some interconnect cables (TT to speakers) if the one with the Pioneer speakers is too short. An Amazon Basics RCA to RCA lead will do fine, and they're available in 1.2m / 2.4m / 4.57m lengths. The speaker wire link between the two speakers comes in with the Pioneer speakers.
If it was me, and with an 'up to £500' budget, I'd get a carbon fibre record cleaning brush to go with the kit. Most of the ones you'll find coming up first on a Google search aren't that good. Some have two rows of carbon fibre but no velvet pad. Others have the velvet pad but only a single carbon fibre row. This one though has it all. Velvet pad and 2x carbon fibre rows. The price is good as well. It's just £12.99. I bought something similar to this 35 years ago. It's still going strong today. Here's a link
There you go, simple to use, decent sound, usefully accessorised, and 20% under budget.
Edited by Lucid_AV on Thursday 12th January 08:07
Interesting discussion.
I turn 70 later this year and would be insulted if something must be simple because of my age. Just think a bit, like me he grew up in a world where records played on devices such as gramophones or a simple portable "dansette" type all-in-one. My father was a bit of a hi-fi enthusiast but his system was strictly mono (turntable, amp and one large speaker).
No mention was made about the OP father's hearing. I am now deaf (but not quite as a post) and I have a pair of NHS hearing aids, My current system consists of a cheap Audio-Technica turntable, a cheap class D amp and a pair of very small speakers (labelled Acoustic Research 1ms). The turntable and amp cost less than £200 with the speakers of unknown cost as I've had them for years.
As an aside my grandson who sings semi-professionally in a church choir and has one of those "totally crap" all-in-ones.
I turn 70 later this year and would be insulted if something must be simple because of my age. Just think a bit, like me he grew up in a world where records played on devices such as gramophones or a simple portable "dansette" type all-in-one. My father was a bit of a hi-fi enthusiast but his system was strictly mono (turntable, amp and one large speaker).
No mention was made about the OP father's hearing. I am now deaf (but not quite as a post) and I have a pair of NHS hearing aids, My current system consists of a cheap Audio-Technica turntable, a cheap class D amp and a pair of very small speakers (labelled Acoustic Research 1ms). The turntable and amp cost less than £200 with the speakers of unknown cost as I've had them for years.
As an aside my grandson who sings semi-professionally in a church choir and has one of those "totally crap" all-in-ones.
FlossyThePig said:
Interesting discussion.
I turn 70 later this year and would be insulted if something must be simple because of my age. Just think a bit, like me he grew up in a world where records played on devices such as gramophones or a simple portable "dansette" type all-in-one. My father was a bit of a hi-fi enthusiast but his system was strictly mono (turntable, amp and one large speaker).
No mention was made about the OP father's hearing. I am now deaf (but not quite as a post) and I have a pair of NHS hearing aids, My current system consists of a cheap Audio-Technica turntable, a cheap class D amp and a pair of very small speakers (labelled Acoustic Research 1ms). The turntable and amp cost less than £200 with the speakers of unknown cost as I've had them for years.
As an aside my grandson who sings semi-professionally in a church choir and has one of those "totally crap" all-in-ones.
The wife of a Hi-Fi dealer friend sings with the Halle. Through that connection, my friend Larry has done a lot of work with- and around- the Halle. There have been some customer events where he has taken along Hi-Fi and played back the recordings made live on an evening. It's all tremendous fun. Anyway, something that came out of this is just how many musicians have terrible stereo systems. The reason isn't fidelity. The stereo systems are simply acting as a an aide-mémoire, helping the musician recall their own memories of a piece. The rest the brain is filling in. I suppose that's a bit like listening on the car radio. I turn 70 later this year and would be insulted if something must be simple because of my age. Just think a bit, like me he grew up in a world where records played on devices such as gramophones or a simple portable "dansette" type all-in-one. My father was a bit of a hi-fi enthusiast but his system was strictly mono (turntable, amp and one large speaker).
No mention was made about the OP father's hearing. I am now deaf (but not quite as a post) and I have a pair of NHS hearing aids, My current system consists of a cheap Audio-Technica turntable, a cheap class D amp and a pair of very small speakers (labelled Acoustic Research 1ms). The turntable and amp cost less than £200 with the speakers of unknown cost as I've had them for years.
As an aside my grandson who sings semi-professionally in a church choir and has one of those "totally crap" all-in-ones.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff