Which of these is the best choice for a decent turntable?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Fleet Fox, Apr 10, 2018.

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  1. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    Dead right, the vinyl revival has made them less frequent, but I've seen things like original Roksan Xerxes go for that sort of money, that or the Townsend are in a different league, some very nice mid-range Japanese decks also slip through.
     
  2. Mark broadhead

    Mark broadhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newcastle England
    Yes I agree regarding those Jap decks - some of them look gorgeous. In all honesty I have never heard any of the Japanese super decks, but regardless of sound they are lovely pieces !
     
  3. Mark broadhead

    Mark broadhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newcastle England
    There is a Linn Axis with Basic Plus arm on eBay.co.uk for £ 350.00. Im not a linn fanboy but the Axis sounds pretty good. Looks in good nick and price includes carriage, has the original box too..should leave some shekels for a nice cartridge.
     
  4. Night Rider

    Night Rider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Agreed.

    Several years ago I had a total nightmare with an Ebay purchase of a Dual turntable from a seller who had no idea how to pack. It arrived with the lid sheared off and the hinges consequently destroyed. He had not even thought to remove the lid and wrap it separately ! To make matters worse the table would not even power up, so maybe the electronics were damaged too. This was only after a journey of approx. 125 miles via Royal Mail from London to Nottingham. I lost money on the postage sending it back. The seller conveniently ignored all my numerous messages and e-mails until I made a formal complaint through Ebay and left him negative feedback. Thankfully he closed down his account a few weeks later after yet more bad feedback from other angry buyers.

    Anyway, best of luck to the OP on whatever he chooses, but Caveat Emptor.
     
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  5. Tetrack

    Tetrack Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    That original s-shaped Rega R200 arm is a rebadged Acos Lustre. They can have issues with the anti-skate mechanism breaking and needing repaired. I don't think that seems like a good deal personally.
     
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  6. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

    New Planar 3...
     
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  7. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    If you can swing it, I'd recommend that you go for the new P3. It's a very good turntable even if it doesn't quite have the same cachet that other tables might bring with them. A boring choice by that sort of measure perhaps, but it will be properly packed (which is probably a huge bonus in the context of your particular situation) and you won't have to worry whether or not someone else has jacked up any of the bearings, etc.. Setup is a breeze (there would be almost none to speak of) and upgrades are readily available down the road if find that you're into that sort thing later on.

    All that said, what is the rest of your system comprised of, do you already have a turntable or did you have one previously? Are you set up with a phono preamp either onboard an integrated amp or a standalone unit? What about the records themselves? By the way, I didn't see the P3 listed on the Amazon UK site, but I'm assuming that it comes bundled with a cartridge, correct?

    If you aren't set up with a phono preamp and don't have any records, then I'd probably change my recommendation. I'd still recommend a new turntable over trusting someone on ebay to pack and ship theirs correctly, but I'd probably recommend starting with a less expensive turntable of which there are a variety to choose from. This would leave more money for the purchase of some albums. Plus, if you happen to discover that vinyl isn't your thing (despite how much some of us enjoy vinyl playback, it's not for everyone) you won't likely have as many regrets. Just some food for thought.
     
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  8. JoeSmo

    JoeSmo SL1200 lover....

    Location:
    Maidstone
    The six month warranty would swing me towards the Technics. I had a brand new Rega P3 and couldn’t wait to get rid of it, speed issues. Regas play fast. Pitch is most important element of vinyl reproduction for me but it might not be for you and the security of brand new could swing it the Regas way?
     
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  9. JoeSmo

    JoeSmo SL1200 lover....

    Location:
    Maidstone
    ....Can be real horror story brand new too. Uk Rega dealer offered to install my cart, set up the deck and shipped my brand new RP3 with the weight attached to the tone arm! Turned up a right mess.
     
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  10. englishbob

    englishbob has left the SH Forums...19/05/2023

    Location:
    Kent, England
    Technics

    You can adjust all of it easily
    You can change a cartridge easily
    You can put whatever cartridge you want on it
    It runs at the correct speed
    Build quality
    You won't need another turntable as long as you live
     
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  11. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    I feel embarrassed saying this but I just got back into Vinyl 9 months ago and without researching much, only after one review I seen on-line (as well
    as a very convincing salesman) I purchased a Lenco L-85 budget usb turntable for 159 euros. Review here: Lenco L-85 review
    Since I have accumulated over 100 precious vinyl some original but mostly represses but the value according to my discogs catalogue is over 4k. You
    can check out my collection here: Check out Trev1234EO's music collection on Discogs
    After a lot of research on this forum and others I have come to look at my current deck as a plastic piece of junk that could potentially damage my precious
    records. Initially I actually thought the sound as okay but already after 9 months I hear some distortion and already the stylus seems to have worn.
    Therefore I have stopped playing them , I am back to CDs until I get a top quality deck that will last me for years if I look after it. I would also like a flexible deck
    in terms of being able to change some of the components if I so wish somewhere down the line.

    You are right the P3 is not on amazon, but I can get it from a local Rega dealer in Dublin for 717 euros. and yes it comes with a cartridge.

    As for a phono preamp , I have a Sony s-master multi channel AV receiver (complete with speakers), which I am currently using with my Lenco.
    The sound from the sony speakers imo is excellent.

    Thanks so much for the help and the detailed comment. I think I have been bitten by the Vinyl bug so I don't think it's a fad for me. I'm in for the long haul LOL
     
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  12. dpg3

    dpg3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Halifax, NS Canada
    I got back into vinyl about 5 years ago, just sold a Dual 1019 turntable, too many problems. Currently have a Technics SL 1200 Mk2 I picked up at an estate sale for $280 cdn about 5 months ago, I highly recommend it. Just stay away from the DJ ones. Have a Thorens and another Technics as well. It's a very addicting hobby, lol!! Let us know which one you choose?
     
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  13. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    I sure will my friend! I have heard so many great things about the Thorens. And that Technics was a bargain.
    I am actually also looking at a vintage pioneer . There is something I like about the older models. I like the new P3 but
    as with a lot of these newer models there is something very 'clinical' about the design.
    It actually crossed my mind to buy 2 different models but how I can get that by the wife is another matter LOL
     
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  14. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    It appears that your Lenco table has a built-in phono stage. You wont be able to plug a traditional turntable directly into a line level input on your A/V receiver like you can with the Lenco. If your A/V receiver does not have a built-in phono stage (you would see an input labelled specifically for phono), then you'll also need a separate phono preamp to go along with the turntable.
     
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  15. Alan2

    Alan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    The new Rega.
     
  16. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    Good spot thanks. Now that's a headache.
     
  17. JoeSmo

    JoeSmo SL1200 lover....

    Location:
    Maidstone
    .....good point Guth. Strangely, as adverse as I am to Rega TT’s, their MM phonostage is an absolute cracker! I won’t use anything else.
     
  18. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    That's another couple of hundred bucks for the phone right?
     
  19. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    what value is the MM phonostage?
     
  20. Hudo

    Hudo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    They're selling those cheap Lenco TTs all over the Dublin, every hipster store like H&M has it. The result of that is bunch of ruined vinyls on 2nd hand market.

    I bought 2nd hand Rega RP1 with perf pack at Cloneys Audio, Blackrock, upgraded it with decent cartridge (denon dl110), cork matt, 3mm spacer for tall cartridge (well, regular nuts from woodies), and have 2 preamps, cheap Project box, sounds ok, and better but still cheap chinese Yaqin ms23b (waiting for new tubes). Your first next upgrade will be probably preamp, since that would be the weakest link after TT upgrade.
    So i would first check 2nd hand market around Dublin and drive there instead of the post...
     
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  21. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    One thing Richer Sounds Ireland does stock is cheap phono stages, the £60 Pro-ject is adequate, but not very exciting, the £100 Cambridge is better, the cheapest Rega is £90, but I have no experience of that one.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018
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  22. Dhreview16

    Dhreview16 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    If you are in it for the long haul, I'd be tempted by a new Rega Planar 3 (£625 here with the Elys 2 cartridge), particularly if your Irish dealer can do you an offer with the £85/90 Fono Mini phono stage (if you need one). There is no doubting the quality of Technics decks but I would be wary of buying it from the UK unseen, and you may well have to stump up for a new cart. Here's a thought...if you have a local Richer Sounds go try and hear the Technics 1200 currently on offer here for £1000. A lot more than the P3 but it might give you an idea of a comparison between say belt and direct drive. BTW You can upgrade the Rega with mods, but I think a few people would suggest instead a trade-in when you are ready for whatever the equivalent of the new P6 is at the time (currently £1400 with cart). If you are unsure, a new deck gives you warranty and a home dealer. (I've had my old Planar 3, now a second deck, since '82, with a new Elys in it, and the £200 Fono MM phono).
     
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  23. JoeSmo

    JoeSmo SL1200 lover....

    Location:
    Maidstone
    The Rega MM phonostage is £200.00, I replaced it with a £500 phonostage and went back to the Rega!....we all learn through trial and error!...lol
     
  24. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    Assuming the OP goes for a new Rega them getting the Rega phono stage thrown in or at least heavily discounted makes sense, I'd expect to get some sort of deal over here, not sure how things work with such limited competition in Ireland, but the dealer should have margin to do a package deal.
     
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  25. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    I was talking to Noel at Cloneys Audio, Blackrock yesterday. They have a P3 coming in , in a few days. He sounds genuine so hopefully he can give me a
    fair price on a package deal with the phono included. at least i hope
     
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