Your opinion... best turntable for $300

But you didn't say whatever $800 deck Rega offers...you said ANY.

 

Oh I don't think it's a "waste" of anything.
I'm proud to have purchased a Rega planar 3 and pull the trigger for the Groove Tracer products and other mods. I know what my table is capable of.
Can you say the same just by speculating what TT 's in the entry level might sound like.

 

Im saying buying a NEW turntable that immediately needs upgrades to function correctly is a bit ridiculous.

 

All apologies I misread you.

 

Just two message above yours the OP did respond with

"Not looking to buy a new tt and then NEED to upgrade it just so i can get the proper speed. Seems like a big waste of time and money."

 

I have the Pro-Ject 5.1 which is out of your price range but I love it and have heard very good things about the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon for the price.
I haven't heard the U-Turn but some owners on the forum sing their praises and if they're built locally to you, I'd seriously look at it.

 

I have a U-Turn. It sounds great to me but it is a bit plasticky. For me personally, if I had a Technics I wouldn't have gotten the U-Turn.

 

If you didn't jump the gun so fast bub and read the message just before yours you would have read a sincere apology to the op.
Just for your info I don't need someone like you to enforce something that's already been corrected.

 

Lol, I was not trying to be the Enforcer. But hey that name does have a nice ring to it!

 

Did you get the premium? What color?

 

Yes, mine is the "Orbit Plus", except I have the Ortofon OM5e cartridge instead of the Grado Black they come with now. Mine is "Kickstarter Green" (if you look through my posts, I've posted a ton of pics of it in the "Listening to now on vinyl" threads). To be more specific about some pros and cons:

Pros: Simple to use, easy to set up, no ground wire required (still need a phono preamp/phono inputs though)
Cons: Non-removable headshell, counterweight is not heavy enough to balance all carts, no anti-skate adjustment or VTA (Shure M97xe specifically), no cueing lever, plastic in areas I would prefer were metal (dustcover hinges specifically).

The headshell not coming off is really only a con if you want to switch cartridges a lot. And on the minus side, I have experience with a Dual 1219 that has a removable headshell that causes a lot of problems (humming) and requires near constant fiddling. But to be fair, the Dual is 40+ years old. I'm not sure what to think about the counterweight; I guess that depends on what cart you want to run. I've had no issues with the plastic, so currently that's more of an aesthetic complaint.

I'm not really sure if the lack of anti-skate and VTA is an issue or not. I do know that it's less stuff to fiddle with.

U-Turn has an add on cueing lever that is supposed to be released this fall. I'm not sure if I'll get it; I'm pretty used to not having one now. You could also use the "Q-Up" to add auto-return (not both at the same time though).

 

have a look for a used Ariston RD11

 

Jtk that soumds pretty nice actually. Notice any flutter?

 

I have an AT LP120 arriving later today. If you would like, I could give you my opinion once I break it out.

 

There is a big difference between wrong speed and varying speed. That's called wow and is a big problem and would indicate a non-concentric pulley. Can you put a dial indicator on it and see if there is runout??

WRONG speed is a problem only if you have perfect pitch or it's very wrong. That is a pulley size issue on any belt drive with a synchronous AC motor, assuming you are on grid power.

 

The LP120 definitely requires an upgrade for proper performance. Not an expensive one, though.

It only comes with the felt slipmat. Give the platter a flick with that mat in place , and it rings like a bell. If you're not a DJ, replacing that slipmat with a proper mat is a must. I went with the 1/4" KAB Supermat (no longer available ) for $24.95. Platter resonance is a thing of the past.

 

I have an old rubber one. I'll try it out tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!

 

Listen to a piano record on many a Rega, tell me what you hear. Held chords especially. Solo guitar. I can hear the Rega to the point of distracting. Better once the Speedbox has been installed. The middle of the line Regas are better but still inferior on speed constancy. And yes, older Regas did run a bit too fast. It's very well known. This is on turntables I have heard (over a dozen Regas, the old US importer was a friend of mine. Old and new). RP1 lacking. After you have heard accurate disc playback, with my kind of pitch sensitivity, you don't go back.

 

I don't, but that doesn't mean it's definitely not there... I just don't hear it. I know other people have complained about it, although I think U-Turn blamed it on a defect of some kind.

From my understanding, some people are more sensitive to it than others (for example, McLover).

 

Love my Denon:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_033DP300F/Denon-DP-300F.html

 

Buy a Vintage Thorens TD-160 or TD-145. Much better than anything new in your price range.

 

Yes, and my default go to choice for a belt drive. Excellent, well built, reliable, excellent speed constancy, and don't need upgrade of the month.

 

McLover which one are you recommending?

 

The denon actually looks real nice and great reviews also.
Any gripes with it? Did you replace the cartridge?

 

rock solid note stability. at least I do on my P3-24.