Best turntable under $1,000

In build quality and technology, I'm suggesting your current table is superior.
The newer tables may best yours in SQ but most of that will come from the cart as P-Mounts of quality are no longer being produced...to my knowledge.

 

My comment was about build quality of old mid-fi vs modern mid-fi. A point that the OP stated was of import.
The gain in SQ of the modern may have more to do with using 1/2" mount vs P-Mount of the old linear's as quality carts are no longer being sold.
Most modern tables are made of MDF material with none of the features of the old.
Effective - yes....on par with build quality/materials that was available in the past? Hmmm......

 

What do you have for turntable dealers in your area?

 

There's a person on eBay selling NOS AT450 P-mount cartridges for $65 - you might try one of those before buying a new TT.

It was a big improvement for my SL-QD33, which is exactly 17 inches wide ...

 

Technics SL 1200 MK7

 

Take your $1000, buy the new Technics SL-1200 Mk 7, be done with it. The best you can buy for the price, and the only one in this class which suits most needs for a daily driver, rugged, reliable turntable.

 

It's hard to say what is "best". But there are descent players out there.. A Rega or Pro-ject comes to mind. But since you can't reach for the new Technics sl1500C check out the Fluance RT 85 Reference belt drive [servo controlled], with acrylic platter, and Ortofon 2mblue installed on the head shell. for only $670.99 CDN. That like $60 bucks US, right? ..Just kidding. I think it works out to $515 US or so. Read the rave reviews and decide. However it sells out fast and a waiting list is back up again on www.fluance.com. Still, it may be all the tt you need, at least fo awhile. Just a suggestion. Good luck with what ever you choose and happy listening.

 

This seriously opens up things considerably as most plinths aren't 19 inches, especially in this price range where ultra long tonearms are out of play. Most aren't 18 inches. So even that inch of tolerance opens you to almost anything.

 

Music Direct has an additional 10-percent off open box items today. At MD, that means it was opened for a photo shoot or to use in their small demo room. MD isn't really retail store, although they have events where you can go in and look over some equipment, and demonstration gear isn't handled by hundreds of people. It's typically handled only by a few employees.

This well-reviewed Pioneer direct drive table can be yours for $540 delivered, which leaves you with a lot of cash for a cartridge. You could probably buy one from MD and have them mount it.

Pioneer - PLX-1000 Turntable **DEMO** | Shop Music Direct

 

That has been my assumption. Particularly as the cartridge on this is a generic one of no distinction whatsoever. It was the only one I was able to find (several years ago). It's described as a "Diamond needle/stylus 798-D7; stereo aftermarket for Technics/Panasonic EPS-30, 33CS, EPS-510CS & many more" which I found a few years ago on TuntableNeedles.com. They were so cheap, I bought several just so I'd have something--fearing that cartridges of any kind would become unavailable altogether. Again, my assumption has been that this existing set-up I have (the Technics SL-J2 with abovementioned generic cartridge) would be easily and vastly improved upon by just about anything in the price range I'm asking about here. Would be surprised to learn otherwise, but I'm all ears. Do you all have some secret source for high-end cartridges that would work with this model? I'd be happy to keep it if a great cartridge for a few hundred dollars truly would give me sound comparable to a modern turntable in my budgeted price range. But I'm skeptical. I'm all ears.

 

That opens a new can of worms, as I have zero idea who made a good p-mount cartridge that would be an improvement on the ones I have (which five or six years ago cost only about $19.99, I think--maybe less; as I say, just generic and of no distinction). Is the AT450 a decent cartridge?

I hope you will excuse my ignorance, but will ANY cartridge described as a p-mount cartridge work on my TT?*

*[Update: I found this thread (I hope it's not bad form here to post links to other forums): What P-mount cartridge for Technics SL-J2?- Vinyl Engine This is a thread all about replacement styli for the SL-J2. I will humbly try to educate myself. Maybe I don't need a new turntable at all? Perhaps I should invest in better speakers. My closest high-end dealer has a brand new open-box pair of Bowers & Wilkins 686s for $399. Maybe those and a new, high-end stylus for the existing turntable would be a better investment in improving my sound?]

 

The stylus is a 0.3 x 0.7 Nude BiRadial, and it has been discussed here approvingly - do a search. In theory any P-mount is supposed to work in any P-mount TT, but I don't know much about linear trackers, that might make a difference.

 

They need servicing often as not unless recently done. T4p is also an obsolete mount, and dwindling support for it. Not something with a long term future. Theory and practice two different things. Many a discontinued T4p mount cartridge must rely on either New Old Stock styli or aftermarket styli which don't always track at the 1.25 gram force which is needed, along with 6 grams mass to meet T4p compliance. Any cartridge which does not meet these criteria doesn't work on some turntables without adjustments for tracking force. And also the servo linear tracking is something to give issue with age. Simple beats gadgetry, fewer moving parts better.

 

I support the idea of looking at open box, but I will clarify from experience some open box items from MD are returns (the rep told me that directly when I ordered my phono stage). Most likely returned like new or close, and you still get the 60-day satisfaction policy to make sure it’s up to your own standards/no problems. They won’t sell it as open box if it’s damaged, but there can be very minor cosmetic imperfections that don’t quite rise to the level of “scratch and dent” condition. Their open box items are definitely worth a shot, considering the savings!

 

No, I have no secret source of 'amazing high end p-mount carts' (whaa?). And I agree that a good new $1K-ish TT should be quite a lot better than your 'J2.

Another option to look into would be a used Technics SL1200MkII (or Mk3, 3D, or 5). These can be found in good condition for $500-ish, and will also beat your J2 handily. And, they're built like tanks.

If you do go that route, I would make sure you can inspect it prior to purchase, in order to eliminate any 'outrageously abused' outlier cases. But that's true for most pieces of equipment.
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I gave up with the "delicate" therefore new analogy........... sometimes the hill is just too steep to climb!

 

After I heard how great the AT450 sounded I bought a second one, so I should be good for many years. It comes with the Audio Technica adapter for a standard mount, too.

 

Well, this has been an education (hearing all your comments, for which I'm very grateful). Today I had an opportunity to visit the only high-end audio store actually in the city I live in, Lavish Audio, in Santa Rosa, CA. Super friendly and helpful. Listened to my situation. Spent a couple of hours with me making suggestions and letting me listen to various components. Their ultimate suggestion was to listen to a pair of ELAC speakers and a pair of small Tannoy speakers and to spend my money on better speakers and an upgraded cartridge before replacing the turntable. But they too recommended the Rega Planar 2 as best for my situation and money, as so many others and reviews have. Specifically, they suggested that the top-of-the line Ortofon p-mount cartridge (at $95) combined with either of the two speakers they recommended would give me the best bang for my buck. I preferred the sound of the under-$300 ELAC speakers to the over-$700 Tannoys, which sounded excessively bright and strident to me, especially listening to chamber music (string quartets) and, at the same time, lacking in bass. The ELAC speakers, are only $295. So, I could perhaps make a significant sound upgrade for a total of only $400 and keep my existing turntable, which solves the space problem, and leaves me with nearly $600 in hand.

So, now I'm wondering if that makes sense to you all, who know so much more than I do. Seems to make sense to me. But I'm going back tomorrow because he has two other speaker pairs he wants me to listen to.....

 

If you really like the ELACs and feel they'd be a significant upgrade over your current speakers, then I'd get 'em, but I disagree with the salesman on the Rega Planar 2 recommendation. Basically, the Planar 1 and Planar 2 are more 'lifestyle products' rather than hi-fi ones, the Rega lineup doesn't really 'get good' until the Planar 3.

So, your speaker and cart upgrade idea might be a good one for the interim, until such time that you've got enough saved for a 'serious' TT. Or, you could go used (Technics SL1200MkII for around $500 is probably the best bet).

Also, IIRC, the store you checked out seems to be a bit more 'home theater/lifestyle audio'-focused. For the truly audiophile-oriented stores (with lots of higher-end TTs/carts/phono stages, etc), you'll probably have to hit SF.

Happy hunting, let us know how it goes.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I do think even the ELAC speakers would be an upgrade in sound. I had originally said in my post that changing the Yamaha NS-10s was not an option because they are ceiling-mounted, but, as the new Outlaw Audio rr2160 amplifier I bought allows for two pairs of speakers, there’s no reason why I can’t keep the NS-10s in place and simply add a new set.

But, I don’t want to go too far a field with this post, which is about turntables. And here’s a new idea: I hadn’t thought much about it until now, but my son uses an old turntable that was my father’s before he died, a Technics SL-BD3 that is in perfect working condition. What about simply mounting a better cartridge on that machine and giving the SL-J2 to my son (setting aside the space issue for the moment)? I’m looking at reviews online, but having a hard time deciding how the two turntables compare. Perhaps the SL-J2 is the better of the two.

By the way, I’m very impressed with this forum. So much accumulated knowledge here—and how welcoming (and not condescending) you have all been to someone like me not up to speed with a very complex subject.

As for the local audio shop, yes, they do a lot of home theater type stuff, but have a much greater range of equipment and apparent expertise than the only alternative in town, which is Magnolia at Best Buy. The shop I went to the other day is World of Sound in Mill Valley about 45 minutes south of me (which again recommended the Rega Planar 2 or 3 or similar Pro-ject models). San Francisco I imagine has better stores, And that’s not too far away, but I don’t know which one is worth going to....

As an aside, the prettiest TT I ever saw was called an Oracle Delphi, but that was about $6,000 30 years ago. I still vividly remember seeing it in a Tokyo show room.

Finally, I realize my existing SL-J2 is older than I remembered. I probably bought it in the late 80s, not the early 90s as I was thinking.

 

No offense to P2 owners, but as a Rega owner and lover, i also recommend to skip the P2 and start with the P3.

 

IMO the best in that price bracket are TTs from Pro-ject, Rega, Audio Technica...

All these tables are all-in-one package, including a lid. So if you like to fettle, changing the arm, cartridge, it's best to look at more premium tables.

 

While it's great right now, big issue is going to be when the stylus wears (and all styli do) and you have no more NOS styli. And the only stylus options for it are aftermarket, and some of them likely needing more tracking force than T4p mount allows you. Folks. there's a few currently offered Audio-Technica models in T4p mount and Grados, that's the only ones which aren't new old stock or depending on those supplies or the aftermarket. Not what I recommend someone buys freshly. And spare parts supplies for T4p mount turntables are mostly unobtainable.

 

Add the Rega Planar 3 to your demo list, and maybe a Technics, if you are buying new.

 

The Music Direct deal on a Pioneer PLX-1000 is really good at $599, and Zu Audio is selling the Denon VL12 Prime for $899. If it were me I'd grab the Denon and get a DL110 cartridge for it. The deck will run for decades.