[copperdusk]

Whilst building my stereo I've had a vinyl epiphany. Currently all I have is a Peachtree Audio Nova and a pair of Boston Accoustic E70s, but I feel I need a most excellent turn table to go along with it all. Since the Nova has to phono in I've been looking at phono stages and the Bellari VP130 caught my eye(what with the reletivly low price and fancy vacuum tube). Since this is all still perspective, I don't have a solid budget, but I would say somewhere around $200-ish for a quality turn table. Would that proposition be doable?

Any and all suggestions and comments appreciated!

 

[pbalcer]

Hi,

Welcome to the wonderful world of vinyl!

I don't know any inexpensive turntables but from my own
experience, if you go cheap you might soon find yourself
with serious case of buyer's remorse. The reason: the vinyl
sounds so much better than CD and most likely you will
want to upgrade your turntable very soon!

I got my turntable about 2 years ago and since then
I haven't even considered upgrading my CD player -
there is no chance a redbook CD could ever match vinyl!
NEVER!

My turntable is Rega P3/24. Few months after I bought
the turntable I got Rega dedicated power supply, then
Cambridge Audio 640P phono preamp and recently I
upgraded the cartridge to Denon DL-304 (conformance
factor high - appropriate for light Rega tonearm).

And I must say, every single upgrade I did caused big
improvement in sound quality.

The result: as far as source goes, my "upgraditis"
is cured for very, very long time! It is pure sonic bliss
of vinyl!

Cheers!

 

[Quinto]

I don't have much turn table knowledge, but I am very happy with my Technics 1200mk2
I has perfect pitch, which you don't find much in cheaper belt TT IMO..

Good luck, vinyl rules

 

[copperdusk]

That Technics looks pretty nice, but it's a little over my porjected budget.

I was thinking if I ended up going for something more expensive I'd be interested in the Pro-Ject Debut iii.

Although Pbalcer did make the idea of upgrading sound very appealing. I'm not quite sure what most of those things are, but they sound awesome.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Once you get hooked, you will upgrade. A lot.

But I still think it's best to start out with an entry level deck. That's because you don't really know what you want or like until you get a chance to use a turntable for awhile. Once you've used it for awhile, you'll get to know what you want in your next deck.

Take a look a the budget turntable thread and start poking around thrift stores, junk shops and Craigslist for a cheap one. Do the maintenance, change the needle and start playing. You might also want to start budgeting for the inevitable upgrade.

 

[kb1gra]

You should be able to easily find a Technics 1200 or D2 (the 1200s predecessor) used for not that much now that vinyl has sort of phased out of popular consumption. They were hugely popular in the mid-eighties and a lot of people probably have one collecting dust. Replace the cartridge, and have a party.

 

[copperdusk]

Erik you're a freaking genious! Why is it that I never think to look on craiglist for things like this?

Anywho, I found 3 used turntables that seem acceptable for the situation.

A Yamaha YP B2:

Yamaha YP-B2 Turntable

An unknown JVC model:

JVC turntable w/ needle

And a Technics 1200 like Kb1gra suggested(although it would be a bit of a hike picking it up):

Two Turntables


All this looking at audio equipment is making me so excited. I hope I'll be able to fall asleep tonight!

 

[oeyhamre]

I`ve been using a 1200MkII for years and never found anything remotely close. This was Technics`s top bid at a making the ultimate TT and it shows! When buying used be aware of that quite a few of the ones on offer has been DJ (mis)used, so be sure to check the condition. The TTdrive is practically indestructible but the arm can be damaged/worn by misuse.

 

[ronnielee54]

If you buy used I would suggest trying your best to find something you can actually pick up. Turntables require a lot of care in packing for shipping. I have bought a couple off of ebay and have had mixed results.

 

[copperdusk]

I decided that I would look into the Yamaha further.

The owner says he's going to check it out to make sure everything is working properly.

I'm just curious if there's anything I should keep an eye out for, when I go to pick it up?

 

[jp11801]

the yamaha is a belt driven table and if it is the original belt you should check for speed stability and correct speed. You may be able to find a replacement belt but that will add $20.00 or so to the cost. Personally I'd hold for a decent DD table, shipping a table is almost not worth it unless the owner has the original packing from the manufacture.

Personally I'd hold out for a decent DD table but it is a personal preference

 

[copperdusk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally I'd hold out for a decent DD table but it is a personal preference

I'm probably going to end up doing that. I always thought the theory of direct drive sounded better than that of belt drive. Also the seller hasn't been getting back to me.


Another thing that I never really got opinions on:

What do you guys think about the Bellari VP130? From what I've looked up it seems to get mixed reactions.