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As there have been so many posts recently from Head-Fiers wanting to get a taste of vinyl without the risk of blowing 500USD or more I thought it might be useful to compile a list of decent quality turntables which should be available for next to nothing ( or under 100 USD anyway !).
I think the best bang for buck to be had in 2nd hand turntables in this category is probably confined to designs from the late 1970s. This was what many people regard as 'a golden age' of audio equipment when most consumer electronics were still expensive per se and engineered to high standards compared to what was to follow. Sad then that the writers of Hi-Fi Choice, the UK magazine I used as the main source of this list, thought that they had barely reached an acceptable standard back then!
The perspective may be unavoidably Eurocentric being drawn from an English magazine but it does include once famous American corporations like Audio Dynamics and Pickering along with the more obvious Japanese brands which, although they may not be upto much these days, at that time were able to produce very good quality components at competitive prices due to their highly skilled workforce and under valued currency.
Lastly I have left out some of the more obvious brands like Thorens, Dual and Technics on the basis that they didn't really make (m)any duff turntables so listing them serves little purpose. I also omitted Bang and Olufsen on the grounds that although their turntables are very fine and often available quite cheaply, the replacement cartridges are proprietry and therefore cost 150USD and up on the more recent models, or require expert rebuilding on the older ones.
Sony PS-T15
Sony PS-1700
Sony PS-3300
Sony PS-4300
Sony PS-5520
Toshiba SR-255
Toshiba SR-F530
then there are a few decks that have retained more of an audiophile pedigree due to the high-end models they made but may still be available cheaply enough...
Luxman PD-282
Micro Seiki MB-10
Micro Seiki MA-505
Other possibilites? Going back to the earlier part of the decade and into the 1960s there are a few decks that deserve a mention.
haha, when I saw "No Budget" in the title, I thought it meant budget was not a consideration and this thread would list the best turntables available.
Where was this thread when I needed it a few weeks ago ? It would have saved me a lot of time searching and pouring through multiple threads. I see a sticky-worthy thread in development!
For those looking for sub-$100 turntables, buy locally and save yourself the shipping cost and possible grief from shipping damage.
My all time greatest turntable in terms of bangs for your bucks is the Strathclyde Transcription Developments STD305 series. The 305D was my favourite. It is superior to the Linn in every way, but history was unkind it. A 2nd hand one of these is rarer than gold, but worth snapping up if it comes your way. With the SME 3009 MKIIIS arm you have a deadly combination that is just impossible to beat IMHO.
Where was this thread when I needed it a few weeks ago ? It would have saved me a lot of time searching and pouring through multiple threads. I see a sticky-worthy thread in development!
Actually it was all the posts asking "how good is this Audio Technica on Amazon?" (crappy!) compared to your experiences with the vintage pioneer which prompted me to do this.
It's easy to forget as you progress up the upgrade path how impressive a simple classic old deck like your Pioneer can be if you've never heard vinyl before. Especially when you can pick something like this up for the price of a CD box set and then have access to such a huge amount of music for as little as a dollar a pop...
Should I change the title? how do you go about doing that? I meant no-budget as opposed to low-budget...
I bought a Technics SL1600 for $55 and a Shure M97eX for about $65. With good setup and clean records this sounds amazing. I agree that used vintage is the ONLY way to buy vinyl equipment. I wouldn't trade my $55 technics for anything on the new market under $500. The commonly touted rega and Debut tables do not impress me at all.
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You can approximately replicate the sound of my stereo system by listening to your stereo system while wearing shooting muffs full of BBs and eating cheerios while stomping on a Speak-and-Spell.
It's easy to forget as you progress up the upgrade path how impressive a simple classic old deck like your Pioneer can be if you've never heard vinyl before. Especially when you can pick something like this up for the price of a CD box set and then have access to such a huge amount of music for as little as a dollar a pop...
So true. I was blown away by how good vinyl sounds, and how inexpensive it is to get such good sound. Analog just sounds so... right and natural. The occasional crackling and popping just add to the charm and experience (I haven't bought any cleaning supplies yet but I promise I will very soon ).
I picked up about 150 records in the past two weeks. I bought a hundred in one exchange and paid $25. By buying batches of records, I've gotten the chance to experience other types of music that I'd otherwise not listen to. Blue Oyster Club anyone? I saw the name in the Music forum thread title, and included it in my batch of 100 just to see what it was. It was only 25 cents.
Originally Posted by memepool
Should I change the title? how do you go about doing that? I meant no-budget as opposed to low-budget...
You can change the title by clicking the Edit button in the post and changing the title field. I don't have a good suggestion at the moment.
__________________ ⁞⁞⁞ analog heaven ⁞⁞⁞ Pioneer PL-12D4VPP-14MPX3 Slam SE (6BL7GTA)4RS-1 ⁞⁞⁞ auralicious diy amps ⁞⁞⁞ Nugget Audio β22 ¡ Rockhopper M³ ¡ PINT ¡ Mini³ ⁞⁞⁞ on the go ⁞⁞⁞ iRiver iHP-140 (ALAC)4Etymōtic ER4P (APureSound recabled) ⁞⁞⁞ pre-Head-Fi ⁞⁞⁞ iRiver iFP-395T4MX500, SR60 ⁞⁞⁞ turntables ⁞⁞⁞ memepool's Low Budget Vinyl Source
If one is careful and patient, older Acoustic Research XA 'tables can be found. They are excellent, reliable, great-sounding, and very tweakable should the itch arise.
Contributor Headphoneus Supremus Thought the last line in Citizen Kane was "nosebud."
memepool: Nice list - good idea! May I suggest to add the Hitachi PS-38/48/58?
Of course, there were also quite a few good ones from Telefunken, Grundig & Co. (Blaupunkt, Nordmende, Siemens et cetera), but it probably doesn't make much sense to list these here with the majority of Headfiers being in the US...
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
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No p/hun intended! :D
Bavarian headphone barbarian and professional computer journalist, suffering from bad consumer electronics collectitis. ;)
Favs: AKG K240S - "The new Groovalizer" as well as Beyerdynamic DT531 & DT440 - "The old Groovalizer" & "The Funkalizer"
Low Budget Vinyl Source
? It would have saved me a lot of time searching and pouring through multiple threads. I see a sticky-worthy thread in development!
but I promise I will very soon 
Linear Mode
