just bought three records...

[Mr. Josey Wales]

i really want to get a record player (turntable etc.)

i was in a record store in athens just browsing...and i saw albums called pawn hearts by van der graaf generator, something st dunstan by caravan, and close the edge by yes. i had heard these bands mentioned on this forum, and i respect an opeths fan's music taste more than others.

so i randomly bought them. now i am on the hunt for something to play them with...any ideas for 100 dollars or less? i asked my dad about his and he said he had 700 dollars in his.....any tips on used equipment or anything would be awesome.

and oh by the way...ive never heard ANYTHING by VDG or caravan or yes....i just bought those albums because of some of you guys. if anyone could give me a preview or tell me what they sound like that would be cool.

hopefully i will have a record player to play them soon! :hotjump:

thanks.

 

[dcat]

^ Cheap Turntable's are a no no, save up and get a good one ! one with a separate, upgradable tonearm.

It will be a good investment and give you years of listening pleasure.

 

[Mr. Josey Wales]

ok thats what i'd ideally like to have...

will it mess up the records if i play it on a cheaper turntable?

 

[dcat]

^ Oh yes, don't risk it Please !

If you have a massy tonearm and the stylus is skewed it will rip the music waveforms right out of the groove...

 

[Mr. Josey Wales]

thanks for the feedback..

 

[narcoleptic haze]

I'm always directed to this brand:

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debut&cat=turntables&lang=en


Though in my country they are bit more expensive than others, so I ended up getting a Stanton turntable.

If I could change which one i picked, i would. The Stanton's not bad, but I reckon the Project ones would be better.

But definatly invest a bit more and buy one for the future. Cheap ones just arn't worth it.

 

[dcat]

^ Mmm don't know to much about Projects, I'm more into Classic Audio, Turntable's with floating sub-chassis you know the one's that bounce up and down when you tap the "Center-Spindle," they have a lower frequency and are less prone to Acoustic Feedback.

And as for Tonearm's I prefer Unipivot's for their freedom of movement's in all planes rather than the up and down, left and right of conventional arm's. They are a pig to set up but WOW these deliver...

Check out the "Naim Aro." pricey but gooood, I can't afford one of those, "£1k" so I'm happy with an old Decca Unipivot which I think might be better, they are old and quite scarce,+ even harder to set up but I enjoy a challenge

 

[annt]

and oh by the way...ive never heard ANYTHING by VDG or caravan or yes....i just bought those albums because of some of you guys. if anyone could give me a preview or tell me what they sound like that would be cool.

Let's see now.

As you might have noticed, Pawn Hearts was at the very top of my list on the "top ten albums of all time" thread. Don't expect it to blow your mind on the first listen though, I didn't find it very interesting at first but it definitely grows. I'd describe it as diverse, melodic, intelligent and bordering on insane.

Yes is a band you either love or hate. Most of the time they're over-the-top dramatic and cheesy, but they make gorgeous melodies and arrangements. Again, don't give up after the first listen. Close To The Edge is probably the best choice of all their records, being their #1 classic and one of the best albums in the whole prog genre.

Caravan is a band that I have never listened to very much, I have "In the Land of Grey and Pink" but it (still) hasn't done it for me. I haven't even heard the album you got, so I'm not the person to comment on that. But the other two records are essential classics, masterpieces of prog and music in general. Very good choices. I just hope I'm not ruining them for you by giving too high expectations.

 

[Kenneth R.]

great classic albums you got... but nothing like Opeth, so it may take a while to "click"

 

[Mr. Josey Wales]

thanks a lot annt, i remembered somebody had that album high on their list. i'm not expecting anything too much, i got the record used. should make for some fun listening though. i like progressive type music, but havent gotten much into the older stuff yet. i have heard 2 camel songs: lady fantasy and lunar sea. cool songs.

thanks dcat and others for recommending equipment.

yeah its hard to beat opeth, but for me, its all about moods. opeth can get old for me....hard to, but they can..



aggression: strapping young lad

raining: porcupine tree

mellow: damnation

etc...sometimes i'm in a mood to just kick back and groove with some prog.

sometimes i listen to 2pac if it strikes me.

i'll go on foo fighters and red hot chili pepper binges. and 80's pop binges.

gotta love music. there's a genre for pretty much every mood.

 

[Kenneth R.]

gotta love music. there's a genre for pretty much every mood.

quality.
i appreciate all the bands you mentioned.

 

[annt]

Hmm... it seems my post was full of typos, lousy school computer keyboards.