[THESANTINI]

I'm looking to purchase a good turntable, one which should last my lifetime, unless of course I'd like to upgrade. I just started a vinyl collection. Where is a good place to look? Forgive me for my lack of knowledge, I know nothing about vinyls, etc. the word phono doesn't mean much to me yet.

 

[emphatic]

check the vinyl forum at audioasylum.com:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/bbs.html

read the past forum posts that are similar to what you're looking for, and start getting a list together. you'll soon be knee deep in the world of vinyl and you'll love it!

let us know how your quest goes... but be warned, it's just like head-fi... sorry about your wallet

b

 

[lini]

Well, there are a lot of fine tables out there that will last for a very long time - used and new.
Basically, you only need to worry about the belt (for belt-drive tables, of course) and the suspension of the cantilever in the phono cartridge getting old, hard and crumbly over time and maybe some lubrication for the bearing of the platter...

But as long as you don't give us a clue either on the price range you have in mind or on the quality level you want to reach, we can't really give you any good recommendations. Also, some additional info might be helpful: Do you just want that thingy for mome listening purposes, or do you also have some dj ambitions? Do you already have a stable non-resonant base to put the table on, or will it have to sit on some wobblier thingy (light bookshelf...)?

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[THESANTINI]

I think a good budget would be $1500. What am I missing by not spending more?

What could I get by spending less that would compare to a similar model.

 

[THESANTINI]

Pro-ject RPM 9

Pro-ject 1 Xspression

Rega P2

Mitchell Audio been making Tables for 35 yrs

Goldring GR2

 

[dvw]

For $1,500, you have a lot of choices. I think VPI Scout is the best choice, very tweakerable. It's the cheapest VPI.

 

[dknightd]

Nice budget. At that price you probably can't go too far wrong. Don't forget to allow for a good cartridge (and phono stage if needed). Once you have a half way decent turntable the cartridge is pretty much a matter of preference.
I use an old HK T-60 - cost me about $500 many years ago. Currently it has a
sumiko blue point cartridge on it. At the time the T60 seemed to be a good bang for the buck. I think it is essential that the tonearm/platter assembly be isolated fron the chasis and motor. I also think you need to be able to somehow clamp the record the the turntable (the t60 uses a simple weight, which seems to work well enough). Seems like you've picked some very nice options. Others may have more info on current turntables but most any $1K turntable should work well for a good long time. Enjoy.

 

[bubbamc119]

You can't go wrong with a Linn LP12, or an Axis if you want something cheaper. The LP12 is in your price range though. I have an Axis and it's great.

 

[lini]

I've only seen and briefly heard the VPI Scout once over here - seemed to be a very nice table, though. But there really are a lot of options - for example, you could go for a Clearaudio Emotion´with a really nice pickup, if you like acrylic tables. Or you could wait a bit for the recently introduced Thorens TD350 (basically a TD320-based construction with a Rega arm), which should be available soon - I guess, it will land in your price range.

As for spending less: Well, putting a bit less money into the table and instead into a better cartridge than the stock one is always an option. Then again, this will cost you the easiest upgrade path... To me, getting a vintage table would seem to be the better option, if you want to save a significant amount of money.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini