Crosley makes some dirt cheap players that are in portable cases with built-in speakers that can handle 33 and 45 rpm.  They even have one with a USB port so you can record your records onto your computer.  They sell them at Target stores over here in the US.  However, I've heard that their needles are horrible and can wear your records prematurely.  All of my turntables are vintage, and I got them cheap, but all of them have needed professional servicing in order to get them to run properly.  I know people in The States that can fix vintage players, but I wouldn't recommend you go the vintage route unless you know someone that can service them.

Crosleys are shit, they'll destroy your records man.

Jesus, a turntable with built in speakers? And you saying that you prefer the sound of vinyl to CD? Unbelievable.

Just buy a turntable that has a USB ouput, plug into your laptop, rip the tracks then store on a SD card for portability and/or use an iPod/USB/Portable Boom Box thingy.

Audio Technica make one, and there are probably several others.

^^
What Stan said.

I see little mini portable turntables at record fairs and vintage shops. 

Bop - if I where you, I would look into used Technics turntable. Wheels of Steell will last you forever and the market for parts is huge. Easy to upgrade and repair. Check on Craiglist (or ebay) and look for lightly used ones. Lots of ex dj's are posting them for sale.

Do it. Do it now.

Last edited by Senorservo2.0 (2014-09-10 22:13:12)

Anyone running a subwoofer on a decent sound system? Does it make much difference, say in freeing up the normal speakers a bit more for mid range? I haven't studied it at all. Does it overemphasise bass or can it be made to sound normal.

Thanks all.
formby - you are preaching to the converted - I'm always boring people going on about toe in - speaker separation, optimum distance and having tweeters/high end at ear listening level. And room treatment. Even going bonkers and propping doonas (duvets over there?) up against the wall with brooms to show people!! Shit with a bit of this I can get even most peoples' crappy old speakers sounding better than most expensive stuff.

Acton - I'm thinking more in my 3rd room/TV system. (the main system in the big room is good although the room is L shaped and in the office I have my Yamaha NS10s for near field listening through an old Luxman with digital radio in).
At the moment the TV is in its own room with just its own inbuilt speakers and I was thinking of using some bookshelf speakers I have in the shed (just sitting round with about 3 other pairs) and putting them through a TV tuner/amp and a sub woofer.

Don't those TV tuner/amps have a thingo where you select what frequencies go where? I haven't studied it I must admit - just musing. BTW I hate theater surround sound and don't watch much TV. I was thinking mainly of Digital Radio and CDs and the odd concert DVD.

Thanks - I'd probably be looking at a cheap second hand AV amp tuner. I'm a hacker by nature.

I've got stereo in garage and also another one outside under eaves!

Most I've seen with digital radio inboard are silly expensive when I can get stand alone digital radios at next to nothing compared. I have one of the digital radios with wifi streaming and its great to access internet stations like specialist cajun, zydeco, jazz, Nu Awlins, Bob 24/7, exotica etc.

I think I did a a Internet radio thread years ago

^ de-coupling any drivers in an array would alter the impedance of the speakers anyway so it's a pointless exercise anyway, potentially damaging both end of the signal path.

The psycho-acoustic properties of bass frequencies are a well known and much utilised phenomenon, so it's not in the same range of psycho-acoustic theories as the  'lossy compression' techniques you mentioned. It's formed the basis of most of Bose and B+W speaker products over the last 20 years.

You'd have to have a very wide head to tell where the bass was coming from Formby, maybe 6ft across, even Bishop's head isn't that big.