On a quest for a decent budget turntable

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by JNK, Nov 29, 2013.

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  1. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I think this Thorens in good order would be quite a move forward from a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. seaisletim, a good move if you can score it.
     
    seaisletim likes this.
  2. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    damn. i'm almost tempted to ask the guy if he'd ship it if I waved another benjamin at him.
     
  3. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    Please don't! I'm going to pick it up in the AM from the guy's storage unit
     
    bluemooze, mdm08033 and PhilBiker like this.
  4. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    I won't ... :)
     
    seaisletim likes this.
  5. awizard

    awizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massacusetts
    Well did you get it?
     
  6. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    Please keep us posted.
     
  7. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

  8. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

  9. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

  10. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    That Denon is a big brother to my DP-37F, which I love to bits. Easily worth the $300 clams. In fact I had a Pavlovian reaction on seeing the pics in the ad. Beautiful table.
     
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  11. thepluralofvinyl

    thepluralofvinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    I've got several turntables including pair of Numark TT200s. I love them. One day I will buy a third. They're built like a tank and do everything you need to plus they're easy to upgrade as you go. If that's one of your choices and you can locate them (I don't think they make them any more) I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm not going to claim it's an audiophile table by any means but with a good cartridge it'll sound great. It's direct drive which I love but many here hate.
     
  12. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    Proud owner of a Thorens TD 316.. Thanks guys for posting the link and not offering more than the asking price!! Any recommendations for a cart that would match up well? Also, the guy -original owner, super informative, claims to know Steve Hoffman personally- says I need a transport screw and anti-skating weight. I am officially in over my head..
     
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  13. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    Congratulation on your new turntable. You could look up Analog Kenobi aka Carl Ohrberg at my old employer STO Sound and Vision in Jenkintown. 215-886-1650.

    http://www.tsto.com/articles.asp?ID=244
     
    seaisletim likes this.
  14. JNK

    JNK Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Wash. DC area
    From cruising the internet and local electronics shops, it's really quite appalling just how many crappy turntables flood the market. And I mean FLOOD. Go to Amazon and look up "turntable". About half of the search results are the crummy rebadged Crosleys/Jensens/Electrohomes portable/all-in-ones with "cute" "vintage" styling, with prices that appeal to first-timers. Thankfully, the top 3 results are Technics and Sony, so there's some hope.

    Honestly, I'm willing to give up 78 capability, and keep the Crosley as a 78 player. It's not great, but it gets the job done nicely. Remember that 78s A) have a much narrower frequency response (60-8000Hz tops) compared to your average LP, and B) were made to withstand clunky, huge tonearms with steel needles that tracked at 180g with no antiskate and rarely a counterweight. None of these are anywhere near mint, anyway. Plus, I am/was more interested in conversion, so everyday listening is not really a factor.

    Soooo, with that said, here's what I've narrowed my options to:
    -Audio Technica AT-LP60 $80
    -Sony PS-LX300 $120
    -Pioneer PL-990 $140
    -Crosley Advance $140

    The AT, Sony, and Pioneer are my top picks, as they're available locally (Best Buy) and seem pretty good. My uncle is an actual audiophile and likes his Pioneer (I'd have to ask him what model when I see him next week. I think it's from the early-mid '80s and likely not the same model I'm looking at). However, the Sony and Pioneer are really similar, almost suspiciously so. The Pioneer does have a pitch control, which seems pretty handy in case the speeds are off. However, I've heard that these have "P-Mount" cartridges which aren't interchangeable (huh?). The Crosley Advance seems like the most bang-for-the-buck one. Even though it is a Crosley, it has an interchangeable cartridge, 3 speeds, strobe, speed control, counterweight, and anti-skate. The AT, Sony, and Pioneer don't have those! I'm really tempted to take a chance on it, against your advice. However, it is still a Crosley, so I'm also quite apprehensive about it.
     
  15. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    I bought a Denon DP-3ooF two years ago this month & have been quite happy with it. I chose it because I wanted a turntable with
    automatic turn-off. Got mine from Needle Doctor for $ 397 with Ortofon 2M Red cart included. It has an inboard phono preamp that
    can be switched off if you want use an outboard unit & a choice of 33 or 45 speeds at the push of a button. I think the current price is
    $ 419.
     
  16. JNK

    JNK Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Wash. DC area
    Hmm, that's a tad over my $250 budget :\
     
  17. JL6161

    JL6161 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan, USA
  18. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    M
    Man thats funny....and absolutely true. Someone should do the same thing to the people that design that garbage! Its destroying peoples records and does nothing to promote the great audio potential of vinyl. If anything, newbies probably wonder what all the fuss is about. Glad the poster at least wants to move up....you will be amazed at how much better your vinyl is going to sound. Hope you have an amp that will take the phono input properly! Forgive me if that issue has been mentioned already....still reading the posts.
     
    auburn278 likes this.
  19. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Oh man, please dont get that junkie Sony. I saw it at Best Buy and frankly doubt its going to be much better than the Crosley. Plastic piece of junk with a horrible tone arm. Im with those who recommend getting a used one. If you could find a few local to you on Craigs List I know we could help you pick the right one if you listed them here!
     
  20. JNK

    JNK Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Wash. DC area
    What exactly makes a tonearm good or bad? Materials, tracking weight, counterbalance, anti-skate, shape?
     
  21. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Well, I dont know about shape but all the rest sure apply. I am going to let someone else give you some specifics, but that Sony surely wont qualify! You should let a forum member recommend a couple of nice used ones that are ready to go at a reasonable price. You will get so much more for your money, unless you can swing the $400 or so for an entry level new table pre mounted with a cart. People here love recommending stuff and you can almost always trust their judgement. Im not up on the real recent new tables so I dont want to mislead you.
     
  22. Thing Fish

    Thing Fish “Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny.”

    Location:
    London, England
    Last year I bought a Lenco GL75 which with my Linn Ittok/Adikt fitted blew my LP12/Lingo into the weeds big style.

    And it has 4 speeds...!

    You could probably pick one up for $100 - $150
     
  23. Thing Fish

    Thing Fish “Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny.”

    Location:
    London, England
  24. I have no idea how far away from your house these tables are!

    http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/ele/4235789007.html

    http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/ele/4244833094.html
     
  25. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

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