Upgrade Angst: Buying a New Turntable

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Disionity, Jul 21, 2017.

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  1. Mike from NYC

    Mike from NYC Senior Member

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    Forget Duals. They are too complicated to repair and they're old and even when they were new they were decent but hardly state of the art, especially their arms which do not provide for VTA or many other adjustments which modern TTs allow, and which are required to get the best sound possible, although no entry level tables provide for those adjustments that I have seen.
     
  2. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Yea, there's been some pretty good VPI deals lately on the preowned sites (audiogon, usaudiomart, etc), and while the OP did rule out vintage, I started a thread so people could post good deals they see on vintage tables, or just general recommendations for tables that are a good buy on the vintage market (though it hasn't gotten much support, so hasn't become much of a resource, at least not yet :)). So that can be a very inexpensive way to get started with a great audiophile table, though of course, not without risk... Best buy in vintage turntables (2017 version)
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2017
  3. Potential Energy

    Potential Energy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Save for a Rega P3

    plug and play from the start and you can upgrade as much or as little as you like.
     
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  4. Mike from NYC

    Mike from NYC Senior Member

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    The problem with 'vintage' is that most highly regarded TTs are overpriced nowadays and for the more complicated electronic TTs like Denon and Yamaha is that the parts are NLA. Whenever someone lists a TT as 'vintage' the price is increased and I've seen cheap TTs sell more than they were new, especially Technics tables (other than the 1200). I need a part for my Kenwood 750, a vintage 80s TT, and it's NLA that I've owned it for more than 30 years. It plays well but I applied a band aid fix.

    The TTs of today are better than yesteryears stuff.

    YMMV
     
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  5. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    Again, thanks for all of the input. I think I've made a decision. I'll be saving up for the Rega Planar 3. Yes, I'd love to have a VPI Scout, but that simply isn't practical given the nature of my partnering kit. You can always get better for another $250 or $500, but eventually one must draw the line somewhere. As for used gear, yeah there's some killer deals out there, but a warranty is a wonderful thing to have. The way I see it, the Planar 3, especially with all of the optional upgrades is about as much turntable as I really need.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2017
  6. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    Fixed it for you. :winkgrin:
     
  7. Vinyl Addict

    Vinyl Addict Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
  8. PhxJohn

    PhxJohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Any Rega model can use a VTA spacer available from Rega or aftermarket.
     
  9. PhxJohn

    PhxJohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I don't know how my name got on this entry. Why avoid SOTA ? I am very curious.
     
  10. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    You made the right choice. I have one and love it. I bought it from @GoldprintAudio and you should too...
     
    IanL and GoldprintAudio like this.
  11. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    fixmydual.com- i love it!
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  12. SpeedMorris

    SpeedMorris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa
    Especially the $600 one with the aluminum tonearm. (Not that the regular carbon fiber arm version and 2M Bronze is a bad deal at a K.)

    1- Beefy dual plinth
    2- Pretty heavy platter
    3- Big ol' fat tonearm
    4- $236 cartridge
     
    Vinyl Addict likes this.
  13. Get a second job and get the upcoming P6 :tiphat:
     
    Gavinyl and andybeau like this.
  14. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    UPDATE: Still saving for the Rega, however the guy at the nearest stereo shop said he quite liked the Pro-Ject RPM 3. Its original MSRP was $999, but it can now be had for $800 and under. Seems pretty nice to me; 10-inch carbon fiber arm, real anti-skate (not that fishing line BS), isolated motor, and I believe VTA adjustment as well. The only crux being you can't use the Speed Box, and the unusual plinth design. Any input on this table?
     
  15. libertycaps

    libertycaps Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    Based on a quite terrible customer service situation a few years ago, i will never buy any Rega product ever again. YMMV.
    With your budget and loose time-frame, you could find an amazing refurbed vintage deck. Good luck.
     
    Tim Müller likes this.
  16. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    Sorry to hear that. Like I've stated before in this thread, vintage is great hypothetically, but I've been surfing Craigslist for the last year and a half, and still haven't really found anything. Not to mention there's many people who have grown to abhor vintage, because of perpetual "problem" decks they've acquired.
     
  17. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    This isn't for anyone in particular, but if not against buying used online, there's a Marantz TT-15S1 advertised for $700 that went up on audiogon yesterday that looks to be in good shape. They still have original box so should be well packed, which is always the biggest concern of mine with buying tables online. I'm not sure how popular they are in the used market so no idea how long it may last, and I have no knowledge of this seller, this is purely informational and not a recommendation :)

    Marantz TT-15S1 Including Cartridge | Turntables | Seven Corners, Virginia 22044 | Audiogon
     
    Helom likes this.
  18. Love "reading" the description. Code???
     
  19. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Yea, there's a big block of font stuff that doesn't convert to HTML on each side of the paragraphs, must've pasted it in from some editor, I've seen that before occasionally. But the text is still there, just have to look for it :)

    The Marantz poses kind of a unique issue on the used market for both seller and buyer because they are such a great deal new, people are apparently buying them easily quite a bit below retail, often below $1200 delivered, and they are even kind of a bargain at the retail price (the Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm with aluminum tube that it comes with used to sell for around that same $1200). So the price has to get pretty low on the used market, and the table has to be in very good shape to seriously consider. For me, $700 would probably be about that threshold because you have to add on shipping too. I'd probably make an offer below $700, depends how anxious I was to get a table (I'm not, have too many already). And of course, you would have to like that stylized cutting board aesthetic :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2017
  20. Tim Müller

    Tim Müller Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    [QUOTE="Disionity, post: 16867786, member: 76859" Out of these two, which do you guys prefer?[/QUOTE]
    None of these.
    If sound and reliability is a concern, get a Technics SL1200. Or a "DJ"-like turntable from other renowned manufacturers, like Pioneer or so.

    But, it's a hobby, and decisions are based on feelings rather than on hard facts. If you like the looks of Rega or Project, then you will buy one.

    Best regards
     
  21. Linto

    Linto Mayor of Simpleton

    P3 was, or even still is, the turntable gateway drug, you will love it, but you'll be wanting more.
    Then, my advice is don't upgrade the P3, sell it and upgrade the turntable itself. (Maybe keep the arm though)
    I know a lot of people "pimp" their P3 but I've always found it's more effective to move on.
     
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  22. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    The big draw with that turntable is the included cart. No way to truly know how used it is. Getting a real used cart or no cart at all with this turntable isn't too appealing, IMHO.
     
  23. ZenMango

    ZenMango Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Don't lose your focus. Rega P3 is the way to go. If you can stretch budget and hang a Dynavector 10x5 cartridge, you got a monster setup that plays MUSIC.
     
    WapatoWolf, IanL and HiFi Guy like this.
  24. ZenMango

    ZenMango Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I'm sure the Marantz is a good sounding table, but I can't get past the look. Reminds me of a bar of soap :hide:
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  25. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Yea, I know, it looks kind of funny from the top. The frontal views are much more elegant looking, but a lot of tables nowadays have that love it or hate it look. Guess it's a good way to get noticed in a store full of painted MDF rectangles :)
     
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