Play Your Records on the Numark PT-01
07.15.07 By Collin DavidPeople always ask me, “Collin, can you send me back in time to meet Dustin Diamond’s father so I can either warn him about his potential offspring or kick him so hard in the jewels that he’ll forever be unable to conceive of the abomination known as The Dustin?” I say to them, “No, you must be thinking of that other time-traveling Collin. Get off of my lawn.”
They also ask me, “Collin, I want to play my records, but I [can’t find needles for my mom’s old turntable / don’t have a turntable / spilled marmalade on my turntable and need a new one / think I left my pants at your place last night, can I drop by later and pick them up]? That last one is usually uttered by only the sexiest and smartest of women.
My answer is usually the same : Numark PT-01. That, and “no, I’m starting a pants collection.”
Repairing old turntables is an expensive and time-consuming project, and finding needles for turntables of yore is almost always prohibitively expensive, as most are vintage, out-of-production items themselves. I just about gave up on the decrepit, but still serviceable, record player that’s been circulating around my family when I found out that a replacement stylus would cost as much as a new turntable, and the old stylus had been worn down into a useless nubbin. I still had an unmanageably huge collection of vinyl, so I had to figure out a way to listen to them, and at the same time, have the ability to record them directly onto my computer to preserve them and listen to them with greater ease. A record can only take so many passes with the needle before it begins to fuzz and sonically wear away - an mp3 is ostensibly eternal and replicatable.
Many turntables were in beautiful and heavy wooden cases, or in neatly assembled suitcases. Many of these, however, forced you to choose between internal speakers (that would play directly from the turntable itself) or audio-out ports to hook external speakers into. Audiophiles know that internal speakers are often tinny and lack definition, while external speakers can really bring out the depth of the audio and allow you more freedom. The best solution I discovered to accommodate all of these experiences was the Numark PT-01 turntable. It ran about 100 bucks when I purchased it over a year ago, only days after it was released, but it can be found today for the discounted price of 75 bucks or less.
Bloggers here have lamented their inability to play 78s on many turntables, but the Numark includes all three common record speeds - 33, 45 and 78. The super-fast 78 speed, as well as the wide grooves of the 78 records, might wear down your regular 33/45 needles - but they’re not difficult to replace, should the need arise. I managed to snag an extra three from Numark directly, and for a low price. 78 needles, which can be quickly swapped when the need arises, are also available from Garage-A-Records, which also sells the regular needles. Numark was incredibly helpful when I inquired about these needles and directed me to this site. Thanks also to Derek for proposing that it was even possible to get 78 needles.
The player can be plugged into a regular outlet, or you can throw a few D batteries in there and rock out anywhere. It even closes up into a hard case to allow for extra portability, should you need to play your favorite albums, say, in the middle of the forest or while jaunting to Australia on a dirigible. Which I do regularly. The turntable also includes knobs to adjust pitch and tone, which basically amount to slight adjustments in speed, treble and bass. Essentially, it’s the perfect solution to all of your record-playing needs.
If it has a weakness, it seems to have a slightly flimsy build, all thin plastic and aluminum - but I’ve had no problem whatsoever with its durability. It has an on / off switch, though the record begins to spin only when the turntable arm is lifted over the record, with no other option to start and stop the rotation. The needle also seems to find the aluminum surface of the turntable kinda often, leaving scratches and marks across the arc between the armrest and the center felt pad.
Stay tuned for Wednesday, when I’ll detail exactly how to get your vinyl audio into mp3 form using the Numark. For now, just enjoy your old, trapped tunes, crackles and all.
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Article Tags: , Garage-A-Records, Numark, PT-01, records, turtables, vinyl================
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July 15th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
I was actually looking at getting one of these — I’m looking forward to hearing about it!
(did you have trouble finding 78rpm needles? The closest info I could find is that the Vestax Handytrax 78 needle fit the Numark, but couldn’t confirm it.)
July 16th, 2007 at 8:48 am
I actually haven’t found a sufficient 78 needle - you might be having more luck than me, really. I kinda take the risk of playing the 78s once with the standard needle, recording them to the computer, cleaning them up (sometimes) and hoping that the damage is minimal.
But I’ll try to find out!
July 16th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I got an answer for you, Derek! I’m going to amend the article to include the pertinent info.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:35 am
I just bought the Numark last month and I can’t stop vinyl hunting…it addictive. Can’t wait to see the mp3 transfer info!
Yeah, I was kinda confused as to why Numark didn’t have info for needle replacements…makes me a little nervous!