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Thomson 3 Speed Turntable TT-938 -- $29 @ Target [Clearance - Instore Only]

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Thomson 3 Speed Turntable TT-938 -- $29 @ Target [Clearance - Instore Only]
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LSelenium on 02/09/2016 - 14:07 files.ozbargain.com.au (774 clicks)

Just a little something I stumble across whilst in Target today. Plenty in stock, bought one. No volume control, but otherwise works surprisingly well for something so cheap. Cheaper than the record I bought! (Which I could now test)

Has AUX out, cable included. Tested on my computer, worked fine. Nothing special, but hey, it works. Thought someone else might be interested.

They also had the following:

Target Portable Turntable 33/45 RPM - also $29, but doesn't have 78 support so didn't bother. It does have MP3 and USB support though — http://i.imgur.com/ZBdHWJt.jpg
Thomson Turntable Encoder TT401 33/45/78 - $89. Feels less of a "deal" for me, but eh, it's on clearance too — http://i.imgur.com/A3iWsvs.jpg

Hopefully that'll be of use to someone, for themselves or for their dear ol' dad. (Check out lady was happily surprised it was for me and not my dad, had a nice little chat about records. There's my bit of being social for the week, sorted.)

Electrical & Electronics Turntable

Related Stores

Target Australia
Target Australia

closed Comments

  • puffinfresh on 02/09/2016 - 14:17
    +1

    A few months ago they were on clearance for $39, less 30% off clearance items, so $27.30. I decided after that deal to get one, and missed it, so I ended up getting a portable Crosley one that's pretty much the same as the Target one for $29.95 refurb off eBay. It's decent enough. No 78 support, but I have no idea if they are that common. The records that I own work fine on mine.

    • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 14:19

      Well that's good. :)

      Didn't notice that last sale, but then, records weren't really on my radar back then. This is a new development. And yeah, I'm not sure how common 78s are either, just figured I may as well get max compatibility even if it meant lugging a slightly bigger box back home on my bike.

      • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 14:35
        +12

        Hi Selenium. As a vintage Hifi restorer/collector I just want to part with some advice. These are perfectly fine little Turntables and I agree they can perform much better than most people ever expect them to (believe me, I've been very surprised myself!) however their performance can come at a high cost in the form of wearing down your valuable LPs prematurely so please be careful there. A 'proper' turntable has many adjustments which may baffle some but they're all pretty important. The most important is the tracking force allowing the user to fine-tune how heavy the stylus is pressing down onto the LP. This is mainly dictated by the particular brand/model of stylus you're using but I do know that most of these cheapies are setup far heavier than most and as there's no adjustment available you're just stuck with it.

        A heavier tracking force has its benefits including better bass and anti-skid as the needle stays in the groove better however it has one major downside too and that is the heavier the stylus the faster you'll wear out your LPs! This may/may not matter to you however can I just recommend that you use a cheapie Turntable such as this only to dabble in the hobby to play some charity shop finds or used LPs and if you really start getting into it then go buy something a little bit better. You can pickup a nice little Pro-Ject deck brand new for under $400 OR if you're keen to tinker & learn as you go you could get yourself a vintage TT off eBay or Gumtree for around $50-$100 then spend about $50 on a new cartridge/stylus combo plus another $10-$20 on a new belt and you'll be in vinyl heaven in no time plus with the added benefit of protecting your valuable collection for years to come!

        • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 14:47
          +2

          Thanks for the advice. :)

          Yeah, didn't buy this to be a regular player, just a tester until I can get something better. Don't really wanna spend a fortune on a good one, but I'm keeping my eye out nonetheless.

          Don't wanna wear out my records, that's for sure. Expensive buggers they are.

          Not sure if note-worthy, but the stylus on this is actually pretty light. So for the occasional play, I'll probably be alright.

        • pizzaguy on 02/09/2016 - 15:10
          +2

          Thanks, @SteveAndBelle. I just wonder how much it would affect my LPs. Provided I play them on a cheaper gear, is it a matter of 20, 100 or rather 500 plays until a vinyl wears off?

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 15:18
          +2

          @Selenium: A new TT is all dependant on if you get the 'bug' I suppose, just be careful with any LPs of actual value on that cheapie. A 'good' turntable through even moderate quality gear can sound breathtaking but in saying that a Mobile Phone or Chromecast Audio or even a Bluetooth receiver can also sound pretty darned amazing through a moderate quality/value system too. Keep it simple, get yourself setup with a nice 2-channel stereo Amp and a couple of decent speakers (going vintage can be very rewarding!) and you'll be amazed at what you get out of it versus most modern/multi-channel gear. If you buy wisely you can also enjoy some pretty decent value appreciation too so once you're in with the 'good stuff' you can then just keep turing it over & over each year or so to keep upgrading without any extra cash investment. It just takes a bit of time, patience and appreciation.

        • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 15:30
          +1

          @SteveAndBelle: Sounds good.

          http://www.graysonline.com/retail/TT600/audio-tv-and-home-th… Was thinking along the lines of this at some point. Something that plays cassette tapes would be nice too. The ones I really want though are on Amazon and don't ship overseas, so eh.

          Haven't really seen anything that's not really cheap and nasty on Gumtree or eBay here yet, but I'll keep my eye out. I only intend to have a handful of records, but it doesn't mean I wanna keep re-buying them due to wear and tear. :P

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 15:46
          +4

          @pizzaguy: You wont wear the vinyl 'off', you'll just wear it down. The results are only very gradual and in the form of an all-over 'AM Radio' type sound without any of the original low Bass or high Treble but of course some of that is the result of the stylus wearing down too so it's a bit of a dangerous combo for your LPs grooves. The problem answering your question is that it's all very subjective… it happens very gradually and with each play of the LP so you wont know it's happening until you have the opportunity to hear the exact same pressing on an identical system but with a new stylus & LP. Add to that there are many people who actually really enjoy that sound far more than crystal clear, squeaky clean digital-ness so it's really down to how you like to listen to music.

          The problem I have is that I can appreciate music in many forms… I can enjoy lots of different types of music recorded in different ways and played off different media through different systems and this is where the 'fun' begins! Listening to some of the early Beatles stuff off Reel-to-Reel tape in mono through a 2W Single-Ended valve Amp and a super sensitive full-range speaker is really enjoyable yet playing a digital version of LDRU through a high powered D-Class Amp and into a PA sized system inc. large Bass bins is just as enjoyable… but flip those scenarios around and you wont get the same outcome :)

        • pizzaguy on 02/09/2016 - 15:54

          @SteveAndBelle: awesome, thanks

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 15:58
          +1

          @Selenium: Hmm, the Turntable you linked to would be very similar if not identical to the one in this deal. Cheap & cheerful and potentially good enough output but yeah, still no tracking force adjustment let alone all the other stuff the differentiates a good from a bad TT (drive system, platter weight/density, isolation, this list literally goes on & on).

          For anyone interested in getting into Vinyl and already has an Amp/Receiver with a 'Phono' input, keep a lookout for the good old 70s decks like this Pioneer: http://product-images.highwire.com/4764100/6811-7.jpg They can be had for $50-$100 in 'as is' condition but are built so well that after chucking a $50 cartridge & stylus on and a new $10-$20 belt they'll sound very good indeed. These were very much the standard Turntable for most 'average' music fans back in the day so they're nothing spectacular however they'll blow these plastic cheapies out of the water and will continue to work for many, many years to come. They may not have USB ports or built-in cassette decks and still need to be pre-amplified if wishing to connect to modern gear without a Phono input but they're rock solid and you'd be hard pressed to find a better way of introducing LPs into your collection.

        • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 16:06

          @SteveAndBelle: Cheers.

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 16:26
          +4

          @Selenium: " but the stylus on this is actually pretty light."

          My Pickering XV14 D400 was a bit heavy for my liking, needing to be set at 1.75 grams so there was no rattle or skip on my Decca test disk, whereas the Stanton 500 which takes the same stylus will perform well at 1.2 grams. The wear and rumble are subject to the same laws as any other physical interaction, in that a doubling of the tracking weight will result in 10 times the force applied at the miniscule area of contact with the record.

          78 RPM records not only require a far thicker stylus, but a totally different emphasis/de-emphasis curve for playback. If the lower frequencies were recorded at the same amplitude as the upper ones, either the upper frequencies would be almost inaudible, but the excursion of lower ones would probably be wider than the area available for the groove. The low notes are recorded at a lower level, and boosted back by the amplifier. That's why many people consider a 78 as "tinny" sounding and a bit distorted. It is a combination of insufficient bass boost, and the stylus literally rattling in the groove.

          The advice to keep it to playing back " op shop" records is good - you can also keep this as a "wet play" turntable. If the record is old you can often get good recovery of the music by playing it while it is wet - but never ever ever use that stylus for your good ones…

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 16:30
          +1

          @SteveAndBelle: Nice one - I was just looking at my SPL-110 which is the model below that, manual and without the anti-skate. It's not a Linn, but with the Stanton still a nice unit and well worth looking out for.

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 16:48
          +1

          @Selenium: Despit the name, I've had great results with cassettes with a Digitech GE-4054 which I found at the local Crime converters. Windows 10 is happy with it as a generic USB device. Worth keeping an eye out for. It's on the bottom of the second screen of this old post.

          https://issuu.com/leebrochure/docs/jayaugust2010

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 16:53
          +1

          @terrys: Yes, the SPL-110 is one of my favourite TTs to buy cheap, chuck a new Ortofon Cart/Stylus on, fit a new belt, buff up, calibrate and sell on to friends. They all love the style and they're all still working perfectly to this day! Helps that I also try to match them up with a similar vintage Pioneer Amp and some lovely Pioneer Speakers with those sexy lattice (tiki) grilles :) Anything 'Made In Japan' from the 70s and 80s is a great starting point so if you ever see anything for cheap just buy it and ask questions later :)

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 16:54

          @SteveAndBelle: You can have my Sansui SP 3500s when you price them from my cold dead hands :-) The twin am tuner steromaster is going in my casket.

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 17:02
          +1

          @terrys: Oooh dreamy speakers you got there Terrys :) Some of that Sansui gear is just unbelieveably good I agree. Some of it isn't as good and a lot of it gets bagged out big time when it's really not too bad. 'Kabuki' is a word that gets thrown around a lot with gear of that age… lots of drivers, oversized Woofers, undersized cabinets etc. but it sounds pretty darn good to my ears so I can't fault it! There is a lot of vintage crap out there too so it's good to do your research before handing over too much cash. Personally, I've at the point now where I just can't collect anything more. I've managed to find some mindblowingly good stuff over the years for next to nix and I'm yet to restore some of it but yeah the last thing I need is another pair of sexy lookin' Sansuis so they're safe with you… for the time being ;)

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 17:08
          +1

          @SteveAndBelle: This one doesn't take much room tho.
          http://i65.tinypic.com/f1z5ug.jpg

        • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 17:22

          @SteveAndBelle: Sounds like you're a good friend to have!

        • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 17:43
          +1

          @Selenium: They're all paying customers otherwise there's no pride of ownership but yes, they do get pretty decent mates rates and after sales service :)

    • Diji1 on 02/09/2016 - 14:35
      +2

      portable Crosley

      For the bus obviously.

      • puffinfresh on 02/09/2016 - 15:28
        +3

        It's battery operated, has an earphone storage compartment, and a handle. Perfect for bringing to the cafe when I have my deconstructed soy-mocha-latte.

  • iamkuza on 02/09/2016 - 14:54
    +2

    apparently works great hatching those pokemon eggs as seen in youtube videos haha

    • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 14:57

      Really? Surprised that'd work! Thought you have to walk more than in a tiny circle for the GPS to actually register movement enough for egg hatching. :P

      Either way, not something I intend to test on this, hehe.

  • pizzaguy on 02/09/2016 - 15:07

    Does it have a preamp built in?

    There's no volume control, so I'd say no, but then, you could listen to it on your computer.

    • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 15:31

      Nope. And yeah, like I said, no volume control just a small speaker. Easy to test the record works at least!

      But yeah, also AUX out. I plugged it into my old laptop and played it through the line-in. Worked fine. Might plug it into my hifi system later though.

      • pizzaguy on 02/09/2016 - 15:37

        Alright. Didn't know it's possible without a preamp or a dedicated phono input in the receiver. I mean you can get a bit of sound, but it's not quite bearable, is it?

        • Selenium on 02/09/2016 - 15:40
          +1

          Surprisingly okay. Although even when using AUX out, it uses its own speaker. Which is a bit odd.

          But yeah, once I turned down Windows' mic boost and turned my speakers up, it sounded just fine. Surely it'd be better with an amp though, yeah.

        • terrys on 02/09/2016 - 16:41
          +2

          Without the pre-amp,if is is a [shudder] crystal pickup you can still amp up the output, but you would have none of the pre-emphasis/de-emphasis applied so you would get pretty much nothing below ~ 400 Hz and a fairly tinny sound. All the USB/Phono out TTs have pre-amps, and I have had decent results with a Kaiser-bass magnetic cartridge TT > USB/line-out adapter for transcription. For playback, I feed the turntable output to an old Peak amplifier, and take the line-out for the tape deck as input to my main amp.

    • INFIDEL on 02/09/2016 - 16:25
      +3

      It will have a basic built-in preamp for the phono input - otherwise there will be no real signal for the AUX out, or to the amp driving the internal speakers.

    • SteveAndBelle on 02/09/2016 - 16:46
      +3

      Yes, as per Infidel above these all come with a basic Preamp built-in… there's just no other way of getting a line-level out let alone enough to power headphones or a speaker!

      Works like this… the Stylus vibrates in the LP groove which moves coils/magnets in the cartridge that generate a very small electrical current. In a vintage turntable these very small currents are fed into wires that basically go up the tonearm then simply leave the Turntable as is either in a cable to the Amp or present themselves as sockets for the user to connect their own cable. There's usually a GND connection too but not all the time. The Amplifier will have dedicated Phono inputs which have a special PreAmp to lift the signals to something a bit more usable which is called 'Line Level' as per the output of a CD Player. The PreAmp may also have a special RIAA EQ curcuit to add a little bit of boost or cut to certain frequencies just to help shape the signal a bit so it sounds better… but it's only a very gentle EQ.

      Some (definitely not all) modern TTs work the same way however after the small/low signals are generated from the cartridge they are then fed into a basic PreAmp inside the Turntable itself then presented as standard Line Level on the back to allow connection to any Amplifier with an AUX type input (or CD or Tape or whatever). The PreAmp'd signal is also amplified further within the TT to feed a Headphone socket and/or a small speaker but to be honest most of the inbuilt PreAmps are pretty average and unless you're spending hundreds you really should stick to the original model of having a PreAmp in the Amplifier itself, not built-into the TT. The inbuilt PreAmps will sound very 'thin' and usually attract lots of noise & RF interference so they're just not good enough.

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