I'm aware that vinyl records tend to have better engineering and mastering (particularly in terms of dynamic range) than CDs and digital releases. Therefore, I'm putting some thought into acquiring a record player.

What can this forum tell me about what I should be considering about this purchase?

And before you ask: yes, I'd like to hook the USB interface (they all have them these days, right?) up to a Linux box.

I can see how this could develop into a flame war ... I grew up in the vinyl age so the record is all part of the listening experience. IMHO the CD does have better dynamic range but a lot of music is compressed. In addition CDs have a lower noise floor. Many people like analog sound better then CDs since it better matches our hearing.

It does seem like the basic models you see in retail stores have USB but then it depends on the class of player you want to purchase. I have read that Audio-Technica are decent. They have a built in preamp so you can plug them in to either a tape/aux or phono inputs in addition to USB.

Hi dugan.
It's difficult to quantify the sound quality, there will never be enough bit's to truly justify vinyl recordings. How ever because of my age and I lived through the golden age of vinyl I would suggest, don't buy an all in record player. You would be disappointed.
Anybody who loves the sound vinyl (Well in the Uk at least) and on a budget wanted Rega Planar 1 with either Ortofon or Grado catrage. The only thing missing in modern times is A2D MM Phono Stage with USB. Why spend so much. Because it's fantastic. You only get out what your deck can deliver. I may go back listening to vinyl on analogue.

Regards
Ray

If you buy. I like Bang and Olufsen. My analog one I bought while in the USMC is decades old and is in cherry shape. The needle arm is pretty high quality and with a good amplifier. Can't be beat for good quality play back.

But mine is not usb. It was made before personal computers were made.

How much money are you willing to spend. Mine was not cheap back in day.

Edit:https://www.audiogeeks.com/accessories/turntables

(At least not until we have to move? )

I have (for four or so years now (and I don't golf but fore)) a cheap Ion Profile Pro, works great... and for older or different speeds (eg Fats Waller &c) I picked up a thrift store 3 speed plus find tons of players cheap* online.

You can use a laser to play with zero wear on your precious LPs.

http://www.cultofmac.com/321881/1400...l-what-a-deal/

Probably not a safe as a laser but cheaper (than most things on a we'll rip you off ma¢ site): http://weheartit.com/entry/186037453
https://www.ionaudio.com/products/de...vertical-vinyl &c...

Smallpond, not to mention forget about why we love vinyl with that digital sounding big-black-CD player. (I do hope* you were joking tho? )

Ditto.
I have a Dual 1019 turntable I bought in 1969 and and upgraded my stereo receiver/amp to a Mazantz a few years later. Both work just fine. IMHO,
vinyl is superior to digital, no doubt about it. A tube amp is even better
as it has a "warmer" sound, but some say that is all subjective.

I second the motion to stay away from all-in-ones for the simple reason that with dedicated main-job specific hardware you know what you are paying for, so no hidden cut corners. It is still possible to get AR, Thorens and other quality turntables both used and New Old Stock. The same is true for some high quality cartridge and stylus models. I was never able to afford really top-end players and cartridges like Grado but cheaper direct drive and belt drives both do an admiral job without the "bells and whistles" and I still have a couple Shure V-15 IIIs left that do a great job.

My sound card is an ESi Juli@ which has professional connectors both phone and phono jacks so connecting to quality outboard equipment is considerably simplified. It's also semi-pro quality sound. Highly recommended.

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The primary complaint I heard about CD's from one particular vinyl enthusiast I used to know was this: that the sound on the CD was so pure that it was, in his opinion, lifeless and hollow, even plastic. I do enjoy listening to my LPs, but the primary reasons I have not replaced them are that I have so many I couldn't afford to, some of them are irreplaceable--digital versions do not exist--and all of them are full of memories.

I have lots of vinyl, ranging from Pink Floyd to Airplane to Cannonball Adderley to Sound of Music to Carmen and Scheherazade (my all-time two favorite pieces of music). I bought an ION turntable (my old Dual died after years of faithful service), but I've been too lazy to rip them to digital. Nevertheless, the turntable also has RCA outputs and works quite nicely to play the vinyl directly through my stereo receiver. I did, however, find it necessary to buy a pre-amp.

I've converted hundreds of vinyl records to CD using a Sony PS-LX250 turntable, an external preamp, sound card on a PC and an ancient windows program CoolEdit 2000 (audacity works also). Unfortunately my Dual 1218 turntable isn't working or I'd use it, the Dual was one of the Gold Standard turntables in the early 70's.

Be careful with your vinyl. Pick up the record by the edges or youl'll get finger grease in the grooves, degrading the sound. Don't use automatic multi-record changers. Make sure your tone arm weight is correct, cheap turntables put way too much weight on the needle and that will ruin the record quickly.

My guess is you'll get better fidelity using an audio interface to the PC rather than USB, but that's just a guess. A good audio card will probably have a better DAC circuit to convert audio to digital. Also, you'll get better control over your playback audio levels.

I beg to differ. Not about that all-in-one (those things should be outlawed)! The ONE thing better than a Rega Planar 1 rig is the ELP player. It reads a standard LP using laser for a touch-free experience. Your records sound great (The pure analog sound envelope!), and there is no stylus wear: EVER. Keep them clean, and your vinyl might last forever! The problem? You can pay $15,000 USD for one, and they can be difficult to find without ordering from Japan. You need to be a very serious audiophile, with deep pockets to justify one.

You have a contradiction in desires. USB ports are for binary output. Records, and record players, are analog output. That's why, to me, records sound better. Sound is a waveform, not a binary stream. No matter how many bits per second in your sampling of a wave, you're leaving a ton of sonic information on the floor. If you want to have a binary conversion -- for your USB output -- you might as well forget the record and buy a great CD player. A turntable is not going to have a great wave sampling mechanism inside it.

Analog IS best for music, and if you can find vacuum tube pre-amps (one for each channel) and amps, all the better.

or just a sucker( ("oh won't someone think of the children") how much are CD players $15+ ), most of my best: Beatles, Floyd, Santana, Hendrix, Snoop Dogg, Harry Belafonte, Grateful Dead, Tarkovsky, Bach I digress Johnny Cash and on and on few near $20 most 0.99¢! (Thrift stores... I only have two major scratches in my collection and imagine if I bought online could be worst. )

IMHO
Will you let alone LPs last forever; a player won't wreck them, storage may or you?! Silly contours of the world...