A foray into the world of vinyl
Dec 3, 2007 at 4:17 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 66
unclejr

unclejr

1000+ Head-Fier
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Posts
1,044
Likes
10
Getting back into vinyl, just for the fun of it. Plus I've all these great records, some not on CD, and nothing currently to play them on. Anyone have any strong feelings about record players in the < $400 range? Looking at the entry level Music Hall, the Rega P1, and any other suggestions greatly appreciated.

Music is primarily jazz, looking for warmer sound through my Rega Brio 3 and Monitor Audio Silver RS1s. One day soon my MS-2s via an XP-7.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 3, 2007 at 4:45 PM Post #2 of 66
i just recently bought an mmf 2.1 and im very pleased so far.. thats my 2 cents
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 3, 2007 at 8:16 PM Post #4 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by derekbmn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
In the $400 range I would without a doubt go vintage. I'm VERY fond of the suspended AR turntables with the Thorens a distant second. With some various pretty basic DIY modifications they sound absolutely stellar.


Really, this is very intriguing. Could you give me a place to start looking (aside from google.com!) at suspended AR TTs -- AR = Acoustic Research?
 
Dec 3, 2007 at 8:38 PM Post #5 of 66
Obligatory devil's advocate post: You can get a Technics SL-1200 for $400 from Musician's Friend, with free shipping. I just bought one (I'm getting it in the mail today), to upgrade from.... a Music Hall MMF-5. Yes, a lot of people believe the 1200 is that good. It's somewhat of a foregone conclusion at this price point that unless you go direct drive, you WILL have audible speed issues. My MMF5 has them.

Also, the 1200 holds its value amazingly well. I couldn't find one used for under $300-350, which is why I just broke down and bought new.
 
Dec 3, 2007 at 11:29 PM Post #6 of 66
am i right to argue that direct drive turntables inherently add bearing noise to the playback? or is that low enough in frequency to not affect the audible sound?
 
Dec 3, 2007 at 11:50 PM Post #7 of 66
The existence of direct drive bearing noise, at least on the 1200, is an absolute lie. Nobody's ever proved they can hear it, and I'm not even sure that anybody has ever measured it, either. Besides, the rumble and SNR figures for the 1200 are spectacularly good in comparison to other tables in its price range, and if such bearing noise did exist, it would show up in those same figures. That bearing noise is exactly what the numbers were designed to show!

Granted, my 1200 is in a box at home right now, so I haven't had the chance to listen to it.
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 12:19 AM Post #8 of 66
I think the next best compared to the Rega P1 is the Rega P2.
smily_headphones1.gif
...and on up through the P3 with the RB300 arm and a good moving coil cartridge. Maybe you could find a used VPI, etc...but Rega is extremely hard to beat imo.

Vinyl still rules... Happy listening!
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 3:51 AM Post #9 of 66
So, how does that 1200 sound?

I think I cannot go wrong with a Rega, considering my amp and the whole synergy thing, blah blah. With the prices in NA (or is it just US), I'd be better off snagging one quickly. Any compelling reason to go with a P2 over the P1 given my system in mind?
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 3:55 PM Post #11 of 66
Thanks for the links. I'm already thinking of how to get away with some modifications to my Fake Turntable. There was also a moment of, man, I oughta try and build one of these things, but alas it was fleeting.
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 4:58 PM Post #12 of 66
Quote:

In the $400 range I would without a doubt go vintage.


and

Quote:

Originally Posted by Publius /img/forum/go_quote.gif
You can get a Technics SL-1200 for $400 from Musician's Friend, with free shipping.



The entry level tables available nowadays are cool, but they are mere toys next to the mighty Technics. It's the Remington 870 of turntables. I traded away my Marantz after I bought an SL1700 for $40 at a garage sale. The quality is obvious to me.
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 4:58 PM Post #13 of 66
I bought a Rega Planar 3 in 1984, it is basically the number 1 reason I went digital later that year - the sound was fine , well good actually, but it was a very noisy turntable it drove me bananas, I listened to a lot of classical music and the quiet passages were riddled with extraneous noise. I should have got the message when the chap demoing it at Billy Vee (Lewisham) wouldnt turn up the amp until the lead in groove was past...it certainly had a bad bearing, maybe I was unlucky ?
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 6:20 PM Post #14 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by unclejr /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So, how does that 1200 sound?


I haven't put the 1200 through its paces yet, but there's nothing immediately wrong with it so far. I will say that adjusting VTA and antiskate on the fly is ludicrously cool.
 
Dec 4, 2007 at 6:47 PM Post #15 of 66
I really hate to ask the obvious question. I clearly know in the little-to-nothing range about vinyl ... this Technics SL-1200. Highly regarded for what application -- these look like DJ tables. How are they for strict musical reproduction? Also there seem to be a million very similar SL-1200 out there ...

Thanks to all ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top