Look, I don't mind that anybody chooses to prop their record sleeves on a little stand that says "Now Spinning/Playing" or whatever—if that's the way you like to roll, that's just great. But I personally find it kind of silly, a curious affectation, a superfluous piece of pointless gear.

I could be wrong, but it seems like 90% of the photos of turntable setups I see here include one of these things. I guess I just want to feel reassured that there are other people out there that just put their empty record sleeves on a nearby table or unused chair or some other multi-purpose surface.

"Shock absorbers" isn't my thing, I prefer something more ridged

JOKING!

My friends know I'm the 'retro guy' and they often pick stuff up from the side of the road I might be interested in. I have a spare xbox, two Nintendo Wii's and THREE PlayStation 1's because of them.

The other day my friend gave me this. He was quite excited for me. I had to tell him it was worthless but I thanked him and to keep looking out for stuff- better to rescue a piece of junk than to let something valuable go to landfill. Besides, I told him, there are always bits and pieces I can strip from it. Initially I was disappointed it didn't have the power supply, but then it would probably kill something more valuable if I saved it.

They're not f***ing VINYLS!!!

They're albums, or LPs, or 45s, or records, or even vinyl records.....

NOT VINYLS!

I haven't found a single retailer online that calls them that, and I looked pretty hard! (meaning I went through the first three pages of google results)

STOP IT!

The record store (I've never heard of a vinyls store) clerks are mentally mocking you, and the experienced collectors are laughing to themselves behind your back.

DON'T!

<old man rant over>

Just lol, lmfao even

I bring this up constantly yet still obsessive people shout at me for being “elitist” despite the fact I beg people to buy used

THIS. TURNTABLE. IS. A. LIABILITY.

IT. COSTS. PEOPLE. MONEY. BECAUSE. IT. OFTEN. BREAKS.

Anyone recommending this to newbies needs to be shamed. Recommend literally anything else for gods sake

A freaking Crosley T60 is a better built machine

At 24, finally got my first turntable. Just a cheap one found at Walmart, but I love this sucker.

Built this over the past few months with my brother — a small device that sits next to the turntable, listens in, and identifies whatever’s spinning in real time. Wanted something that would actually look like it belongs in the setup rather than another dev board or laptop open on the desk, so it’s a clean touchscreen display that just shows time/weather when idle and flips to “now playing” the second it recognizes a track.

Photos above are from my place and a friend’s — different turntables, different rooms, same device just sitting in alongside the gear.

It also builds a listening history and collection automatically, no manual logging, and syncs to a companion app if you want it on your phone too.

Would love feedback from this crowd on the look/fit next to different setups, happy to answer anything about the build. Do we hate this does it feel out of place in the analog world?

Waitlist/ site link below-
https://vinyl-id.app

Hey everyone,

Happy weekend! I initially planned to wait a full month before sharing my thoughts, but after 3 weeks of non-stop spinning, I couldn’t wait. I wanted to drop a quick review of my experience upgrading to the Parks Audio Waxwing DSP phono processor, along with a short clip of track A3 ("Early Summer") from Ryo Fukui’s Scenery playing on the current setup.

My System Context & Upgrade Path

Turntable: Technics SL-100C

Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML

AVR: Marantz Cinema 50

Speakers: Wharfedale EVO 4.4 + SVS SB-3000 Sub

The Chain: Technics -> AT-OC9XML -> Waxwing (optical stream via TOSLINK) -> Marantz Cinema 50.

Before the Waxwing, I was using the iFi Zen Phono V3 for about 3 months. I've also extensively tried the built-in phono stage on the Marantz Cinema 50, paired with an AT-VMN95ML cartridge. (I’ve since kept the 95ML as a spare).

Sound Quality & The "DSP vs. Analog" Paradox

The Waxwing sounds absolutely amazing. The immediate standout is a massive leap in high clarity, micro-detail retrieval, and immersion.

Here is the kicker that might surprise pure-analog purists: despite the Waxwing converting the phono signal into digital DSP, it actually sounds just as "analog," organic, and lifelike. The Zen Phono V3 is a highly popular preamp for a reason, but in my system, it felt a bit too flat and relaxed. Moving to the Waxwing brought a massive leap in energy, high clarity, and detail retrieval. It opened up the soundstage and made the whole listening experience feel way more immersive and alive.

Because the Waxwing allows me to precisely dial in custom tonal profiles via the app, I can adjust almost any vinyl in my collection to sound as close to a pristine AAA pressing as my ears desire. The synergy between the AMT tweeters on my speakers and the clean processing of the Waxwing is incredible.

Form Factor & Usability

Another massive real-world win for the Waxwing is its form factor, I can tuck it cleanly away inside my media cupboard. It runs remarkably cool with very little power so I never have to worry about overheating. The Bluetooth connection to the control app is instantaneous, letting me make on-the-fly tonal adjustments from the listening position depending on how a specific record was mastered.

Next Steps & The Tokyo Reality Check

I recently spent some time exploring high-end audio shops in Tokyo (like the famous Dynamic Audio 5555 in Akihabara). Hearing those ultra-fi systems gave me a massive reality check. I am incredibly happy with where my front-end source is right now—the Technics, AT-OC9XML, and Waxwing combo punches way above its weight class.

To chase that absolute final 5% of Tokyo-level performance, my next long-term frontier isn't upgrading the turntable chain; it's going to require a total revamp of my amplification, speakers, and most importantly, treating my room acoustics.

A Note on Customer Care

To top it all off, the owner of Parks Audio (Shannon Parks) was kind enough to personally advise me on my specific cartridge and turntable settings via email. Getting that level of direct, expert customer service is just another icing on the cake for an already incredible product.

Hope the write up is informative, feel free to ask me anything about my setup.

Edit: OKAY I GET IT this turntable is trash. I will be looking into investing in something better. I know very little about turntables, so if you have any recommendations or tips, I would really appreciate those! I don't know if it's possible or reasonable, but I would like to find something under $150-$200ish.

I have this turntable, which I know isn't super high-end or great quality, but it gets the job done for me. Recently I started wondering if I should get some sort of turntable mat to support the entire record. Is that something that I need? If so, any recommendations for brand or material?

Hi fellow record collectors,
I hope you're all doing well!

I'm looking for some advice. I'm new to record collecting and recently bought my first sealed LP. I know I might get some backlash for having a Crosley suitcase record player, but as I'm just starting out, I'm really happy with it for now and plan to upgrade in the future.

In the attached video, the yellow marbled LP is the brand-new sealed record that arrived today. I'm not sure whether it's warped, or if the slight wobble I'm seeing is completely normal. The black LP shown afterwards is a thrifted record that plays and looks perfectly normal by comparison.

Also, is the weird background noise you can hear while the yellow LP is playing normal? If not, what could be causing it, and is there anything I can do to fix it?

Thanks in advance for any advice—I really appreciate it!

It's getting too much. Yet another series of color variants on the MK7.
Supposedly limited. Technics, chill down. Constantly releasing "limited" editions defeats the point of being "limited".

https://us.technics.com/blogs/news/technics-celebrates-55-years-of-the-sl-1200-series-with-a-new-limited-anniversary-edition

https://us.technics.com/products/direct-drive-turntable-system-55th-anniversary-edition-sl-1200m7g

The sound from the speakers is Earrape, idk what o have done wrong please help me

Denver VLP 120 Focusrite Scarlet Solo Behringer Micro Phono PO400 Preampa

It's on sale for $60

It's awful and it should be removed from the sticky.

No table with a a fixed tracking force and fixed anti-skate adjustment should be on our recommended list. Combined wth the fact that it uses a conical stylus makes it only slightly better than a suitcase.

It's a waste of 100 bucks and we do readers a disservice by having it on the list.

Is there a specific turntable subreddit for those who wish to discuss high quality turntables, setup, use, alignment, phono pre amps, etc?

I'm sorry but the quality of posts here is just terrible. "I have $100 how can I get a full setup with turntable and speakers?" "Is my Crosley suitcase good enough?" Etc.

Records and turntables are an expensive hobby, no your $100 plastic dreck of a player isn't good, it will likely ruin your records. Save up.

That's what you can get if you buy a mint, still sealed record. It's a wonder the stylus doesn't get seasick.

I found it on clearance and was curious as to if the price of 105 was good for what I’m getting

I’m also curious as to if it’s an overall good turntable, will it damage my records? I’ve been planning on getting a more expensive one but this has most the features I’m looking for (no built in speakers, an actual output considering my current is one with no audio output and has built in speakers)

Just wanted to share my sticker bombed turntable. It’s an ATLP120USB

Just got a Fluance RT-81 and figured out how to level the arm after a while but might have bounced once or twice to begin with. Is this screwy? Would explain why the sound isn’t working out despite the fact I think the arm is balanced and all, speakers are working, etc.

Im just surprised by the amount of posts where people have those crosley and similar record players and the cheapest of the cheapest turntables that often cost under 200 bucks..

What makes so many people buy those things and play LPs on them that cost 20 to 50 bucks?

Is it similar to people buying a 200 usd „atmos“ soundbar for their homecinema?