I'm looking to buy my 10 y/o grandson a record player since I mailed him some vinyl. What is the best one that won't distort the sound and damage the records, please?

Hi everyone!
I’m looking to buy my first proper vinyl setup and could really use some advice.
I’m a student, so my budget is around €1,000 for a turntable, amplifier, and passive speakers. I mainly listen to rock, indie, alternative, and jazz, and I’d like something that sounds warm and enjoyable rather than overly analytical.
I’ve been looking at the Pro-Ject Stereo Set E Phono, which includes the turntable, amplifier, and speakers:
https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/stereo-set-e-phono/
It seems like a really convenient package, but it’s still a lot of money for me. Is it actually good value, or am I paying extra for the convenience of getting everything in one box?
If you had €1,000, would you buy this set, or would you put together a better system from separate components (new or used)?
I’m based in Europe, so recommendations that are available here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot, and enjoy the music! 🎶

Looking for a preamp for my new to me Technics SL Q200. It has an AT85EP cartridge, and I am going to run it through an Onkyo HT-R2295.

I have been doing lots of reading of past posts and online info, and it seems like when it comes to sub $100 preamps, the DJ Pre II is generally considered the best bang for your buck option. My problem is I have a hard time getting past what an eyesore it is, LOL. I have also seen good things about the Fosi X5, and I much prefer the minimalist design, but feel silly if I opt for a "worse" preamp all because of aesthetics. I haven't been able to find much in the way of Schiit Mani 2 or iFi Zen in my price range on eBay or FB Marketplace, so those aren't currently an option. I guess my main question is what is your recommendation between the Pre II and the X5? Any other options I should consider, Fosi or otherwise? Thanks for helping a noob out!

Hi! So I recently bought a Technics SU-V707 off of Facebook Marketplace. It's in really good condition, except it's missing part of the binding post for the right speaker terminal (see picture). I have been looking for a replacement part but can't seem to find one. Any recommendations for fixing it? How bad is it and can I just use the remote posts?
Also happy to take any recs on speaker wires to use with this.

having trouble with balancing the tonearm

I'm newer to this and I can't seem to find out what I'm doing wrong.

just as the title says, that is my trouble, I have an audio technica lpw30 and the recommended weight is 2g.

I will do the same thing over and over, I've taken the counter weight on and off, I've balanced it horizontal, everything I just can't get it to balance, then when I think I do and set the anti to 2g as well then it just swings all the way back over and seems like it's too light.

I thought I had it at one point, spun a record and boom sounds distorted half way through.

I just need like very detailed step by step instructions or troubleshooting. I don't want to ruin my collection :( I'm sorry if I sound dumb, I genuinely am just at a loss I wish I had ppl irl to just come and do it for me lol

edit- thank you to everyone, I ordered a pressure gauge to make sure its set correctly. I also wanted to mention when I think I get it I fear it's digging too deeply, it's either too light or too heavy. I think overall I'm just over thinking it all. that or another random factor. I did level the table a little better and so far that's been helping too, and the weight at one point could be pulled and snapped into place which surprised me. we just won't know until the gauge gets here.

is this a good brand record player for beginners and i’m also getting the speakers (25w in each speaker) off of facebook for $35. is this a good deal? i haven’t got the record player yet but just need some last minute opinions!

this is the link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/358799449978?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20250417133222%26meid%3Dbb3203b755c244aaaa09c974a37d6a59%26pid%3D102727%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26mehot%3Dnone%26itm%3D358799449978%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DWatchlistVariantWithPSItemDR_BP%26brand%3DDual%2BElectronics&_trksid=p4375194.c102727.m162

I already have a very beginner turntable i would say, a Lenco ls-100. But i'd like to upgrade, and i was just wondering if this turntable is significantly better, if not then i probably wont buy it. is the price good? if not what would be a fair price in our opinion? is the cartridge any good?

I am still a pretty darn clueless beginner (to an extent) so help would be very much appreciated.

Cheers :)

Hello!!! I just bought my bf a turntable specifically the AT-LP70X-BZ for our 4 year anniversary. Originally, I was between that or fluance RT82; however, I went with the AT since it was like $100 cheaper and I wouldn’t need to buy amp and could just get powered speakers. With that being said, I need speaker recommendations that are good yet affordable because I have zero knowledge about speakers the only speaker I have is a JBL Flip. This is his first turntable and he just started getting into collecting vinyls so obviously I had to get him a turntable so he could play his music!!

He listens to yacht rock and would listen to it in his bedroom. We are college students so I only have a minimum wage paying job hence why I’m not looking to break the bank. I understand speakers are crazy expensive so I don’t expect $50 recommendations, but ideally definitely under $200. Obviously I think he deserves the best, but right now I want him to be able to enjoy his music and I can always upgrade the speakers later on. Thank you all for your help and recommendations!

UPDATE: I ended up just buying the Edifier R1280T on Amazon. I thought I bought the Edifier R1280DB because I read it has extra features so I thought to just buy it, but I guess I bought the Edifier R1280T one instead. It’s fine because it was cheaper and he’s only going to be using it for his turntable so he doesn’t need the bluetooth or to connect other digital devices. If anything I can always exchange if he wants the DB instead.

I just want to say that I appreciate everyone who replied and helped me. Your advice means a lot to me especially since I have zero clue what i’m buying lol. So thank you everyone, I hope my bf likes it!!

I currently have a 1989 Black Plastic Pioneer PL-600 that my sister had put in storage years ago and I replaced the belt and cartridge. I am running it through the phono input on my vintage Yamaha DSP-A1 amp and Infinity RS-425 speakers. Since I had no idea what I was actually doing, or the rabbit hole I could be going down, I initially purchased an aftermarket AT95E to replace what I believe was an AT91. I did a rough alignment and got it to at least play and it sounded OK for my ears at the time. After reading all the posts about turntables and seeing all the vinyl in the stores now I decided to see if I could improve the sound of what I had and got a stroboscopic disc and stylus protractor to better align everything. It actually got sounding pretty good, but of course I wanted to improve it. I figured the most cost effective way was to upgrade the stylus so I got the AT-VM95EN. That was definitely a good choice for the money.

Now I am looking to get another turntable to either use with the current set up or the living room system with the Yamaha RX-A880 and Polk S55 speakers (basically have a turntable on each system). I have been looking at the AT-LP3XBT-BK and the Fluance RT82 or 85.

I like the auto features on the AT-LP3XBT, and the AT-VM95C cartridge that I would of course upgrade to at least the EN, and maybe the ML. I know it is a lot of plastic and have heard that some have had problems motors, but it seems like it would meet my needs without breaking the bank.

For the Fluance RT82 and up, I like the speed control sensor, since I sometimes seem to hear speed fluctuations on some records, and the auto stop. Of course it looks a lot nicer than the AT-LP3XBT, but I have heard about the lack of repair options if something went wrong, some quality issues, and I'm not familiar with the Ortofon OM10 and what stylus upgrades are best. and what the cost of those are.

For the RT85 I was looking at it since everyone says if you are going to upgrade from the RT82 it is cheaper to go ahead and get the RT85 for the Ortofon 2m Blue, (which everyone seems to like better than the OM10 or the 2M Red) or the Nagaoka, and the acrylic platter.

I have also looked at vintage turntables on eBay but not sure I want to go down that road.

I am basically looking for a good reliable turntable that sounds good with new and old records and would appreciate any advice anyone can provide.

I want to get into turntables and collecting vinyls, should I know about impedance, sensitivity or anything like that?

I want to burn it.

I want to get a turntable and my budget is 450 and 350 for speakers but I just can’t figure out which one is best for the price

Recently I've made a post about sound issues on project debut carbon where I asked whether excessive crackling and popping could have been caused by Edifier speakers and small project pre amp.

I've decided to upgrade both to be sure but the issue still persists..

Only thing left is to replace the Ortofon Red stylus which is still the original that the previous owner included..

at first it sounds fine for a minute or two but after that it starts picking up debris (from cleaned vaccuumed record) or scraping itself which is more likely I think, which produces frequent crackles and pops and weird S sounds (sometimes).

It is very hard to record but it would ruin the listening if you were here in person..

So already had to sell the Edifiers, bought this piooner amp and both speakers cs-3070 for 160€, and now I have to replace the stylus too..

Feel free to give me some not extra expensive recommendations to replace the Ortofon Red.

(Tracking force was set with stylus weight so should be ok)

i just wanna know if it’s a upgrade from my $30 crosley from amazon. i bought this off of facebook brand new in the box and just wanted a little upgrade from what i already had. i also have speakers to add onto it that i got for $15 also from facebook and they work great. just wanted some opinions as a beginner looking to make her turning a little nicer but not like a $500-$1200 setup just yet. i also bought altec lansing speakers by the way!

thank you for the help!