Point me towards the turntable I need

[TheLordThyGod]

Hey,
So I need a new turntable. I have an old Sony that is just not cutting it and I know little to nothing about turntables although it's something I've always been interested in learning more about.

So here's what I'm looking for. $300-$400ish. I'd like to stay as low as I can but I'm not interested in buying something I'm not going to be happy with. I also need it to have a preamp built in. My reciever (HK AVR 140) doesn't have a phono input on it.

What are my options? I just got my In Rainbows box set and want to listen to the vinyl that came with it but my current set up is a pretty sorry excuse for a record player and the $20 preamp I have still doesn't get the sound amplified to where it needs to be.

I'm looking to piece together a decent stereo/ home audio set up and I like my receiver but it leaves me with little options for a turntable I'm afraid. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Uncle Erik]

First, I wouldn't buy any turntable with a built-in phono preamp. Most of those are junk. Maybe there's an exception or two, but I haven't heard of them. If you need an inexpensive phono preamp, look here:

Garage 'A Records: Phonograph Cartridges and Needles, Record and Vinyl Accessories, Turntable Parts and Accessories and More!

You can get one for $35. There are also a number of kits on the market, but I don't know if you're interested in DIY.

As for the turntable, the Rega P1 goes around $350 new and comes with a cartridge. It's a pretty good deal. I think Music Hall has one around $300, and there are probably others. You should also look at the used market. You can turn up a used Rega Planar 3 around $400, and those are excellent decks. They sound great stock and there are plenty of aftermarket upgrades for them later.

 

[ssportclay]

Musiciansfriend has the DD Technics 1210 for $399 the last time I looked.Its a better turntable than any any of the belt drive Rega or Music Hall offerings.LP Gear carries the Audio Technica AT95E cartridge for $49.95.The only inexpensive Phono preamplifier I recommend anymore is the Hagerman Bugle.You can either build or buy it complete.It may be a bit over your budget but you will probably never need a better one.

 

[dcstep]

Take with a grain of salt anyone that disses a whole class of turntables and then says there's only one phono preamp to consider. Rega, MusicHall and Pro-ject make great tables in this price range. The Technics was ok back when I last heard it... thirty-years ago. Seriously, it's ok in the price range, but far from the only valid choice.

Be prepared to move up down the road. These tables are good enough to wet your appetite for vinyl, but just good enough to hear the potential. I think they'll be a step up from you Sony, but there's a lot more in the grooves that you won't be able to hear with these sources.

Let us know what you do.

Dave

 

[Lazarus Short]

Your proposed budget is capable of snagging one of the best tables ever made. Yes, it's my worthless opinion again: a Sony with the linear Bio-Tracer arm. What more could you want? If I could find one, I'd never look back.

Laz

 

[fran]

Just to second uncle eriks opinion that TTs with a built in phonostage are usually very low end and poor value IMHO. Also dcstep is correct too - be careful of the advice you read. Luckily, there has been no such advice in this thread yet!

You will have to get a separate stand alone phonostage. A NAD PP2 is a good buy, I have also read good things about the hagerman bugle as well. There are more too of course.

If you can find a big old DD japanese deck that would probably be a good buy, or failing that something like a thorens TD160. They are a good learning ground for someone newish to vinyl and TT set up. Good performance point too.

Fran

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcstep /img/forum/go_quote.gif Take with a grain of salt anyone that disses a whole class of turntables and then says there's only one phono preamp to consider. Rega, MusicHall and Pro-ject make great tables in this price range. The Technics was ok back when I last heard it... thirty-years ago. Seriously, it's ok in the price range, but far from the only valid choice. Be prepared to move up down the road. These tables are good enough to wet your appetite for vinyl, but just good enough to hear the potential. I think they'll be a step up from you Sony, but there's a lot more in the grooves that you won't be able to hear with these sources. Let us know what you do. Dave

I have nothing against belt drive turntables as a whole. It is just that the above entry tables are kind of light weight and built at a low cost.They do have the advantage of having better stock tonearms than the Technics 1200/1210 but the tables themselves are sadly inferior.The reason I recommend the Hagerman Bugle is that it performs and sounds more like a $600 Phono preamplifier than the $129 fee that Hagtech charges.The Bugle has replaced a Graham Slee Fanfare Phono preamp with the optional power supply in my system.I was skeptical that the Bugle was that good at the time but it is clearly better.It does all the Hi-fi detail and soundstage tricks that are expected only in the very expensive units.Other units in this price range should all work fine but none that I know of will sound like a Bugle.

 

[Herandu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcstep /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Technics was ok back when I last heard it... thirty-years ago. Seriously, it's ok in the price range, but far from the only valid choice. Dave

The Technics is also the most popular TT ever built. The 30 year old one has been improved over the decades and it is far more than OK in the price range. With a decent arm and cartridge no equivalent set up for U$1000 or less can touch it. Few others up to U$2000 could either. Not only that: if you bought a MKI all those decades ago, it is very likely still working and parts are the easiest thing to find for any TT currently still rotating.

 

[TheLordThyGod]

Awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for. So it sounds like I need to be thinking about a good preamp as well. I suspected that might be the case. The Hagerman or even the NAD sound like what I'm after. I wonder if it would be better to start with the preamp and get the TT a little later? Probably not much later.

Also, it's important to me to not feel like I immediately have to upgrade so if there is a really good value outside my price range I'm definitely open to it.

On a slightly unrelated note, where are some good places to be shopping for this sort of thing? I live in Seattle but am going to be in Portland for the weekend. Anyone know of some good home audio shops? I wouldn't mind not paying sales tax if there is a place worth stopping in while down in P-town. Online store suggestions are welcome too. Although since working as a delivery courier and seeing how impossible it is to handle each package with the care it probably needs (especially delicate audio equipment like this) I tend to shy away from online ordering of expensive stuff these days.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ADD]

Hi,

Whilst it is true that turntables with inbuilt phono stages are usually of poor quality, an exception is the Project Debut III phono with the built in speedbox. I have that particular turntable and it is superb. The minor shortcomings it has are pretty menial considering the price, and quite frankly I think it is competitive with a lot of high quality older turntables when teamed up with a better cartridge and decent mat.

To ignore the above turntable as a potential purchase is in my opinion doing yourself a great disservice.

 

[ssportclay]

The best place to get a Technics SL-1210MK2 is at musiciansfriend.com.They are also available at Pro audio places like Guitarcenter.They don't come new with a cartridge so one of the Audio Technica cartridges would be one of the better choices.The AT95E,AT120E,and At440MLa are all good choices depending on how much you are willing to spend.Should you decide to upgrade down the road,better tonearm and cartridge etc. options are available because this very popular turntable is very well supported.There will never be any reason to sell it short of giving up on vinyl.

 

[bigshot]

You can't go wrong with a used Dual, Technics or Thorens. You should be able to find a good 70s turntable cheap enough that you'll have plenty of money left for a new cartridge and preamp and still come out under $300 to $400. You can get great sound at this price range.

See ya
Steve

 

[TheLordThyGod]

So I picked up a turntable this weekend. Got myself a Pro-ject 1 Xpression III. I know... that probably shouldn't have been on my radar screen with the budget I set but I figured, why settle. I do still need a better phono preamp so if anyone has other ideas let me know.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLordThyGod /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I picked up a turntable this weekend. Got myself a Pro-ject 1 Xpression III. I know... that probably shouldn't have been on my radar screen with the budget I set but I figured, why settle. I do still need a better phono preamp so if anyone has other ideas let me know. Thanks for all the advice.

The turntable should sound fine.I am still not a fan of most of the modern lower end belt drive offerings.At 5.5 Kg.,this table is not near as substantial as the 12Kg. Technics 1210.On the other hand,its nice to have a new turntable with a nice tonearm and cartridge already installed.The battery powered Hagerman Bugle is still the budget SS Phono preamplifier to beat.It seems like most of the better less than $600 amplifiers are all pretty much DIY kits.The Rogue Stealth and Jolida Phono preamplifiers are highly thought of but I have no personal experience how they compare with a kicked-up Bugle.

 

[double LL]

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