Reply With QuoteCan get a good 1200 / 1210 with that budget, plenty of ways of upgrading when funds allow.
I stupidly sold my old Pro-Ject turntable to Simon (Foxy100) a while back but kept my vinyl and really miss that sonic quality that CD's can't capture.
Having drooled over the turntables in the rediscovering vinyl thread I'm now actively looking for a budget turntable and advice as to what to consider. The coffers are low, around the £300 mark and it'll be used through my Fatman itube 452 and a pair of AVI floorstanders.
Any recommendations out there? New, second or vintage all considered. I'm guessing that Pro-Jects will be a popular recommendations for a new purchase but I'm also looking at vintage Thorens TD 160's and the like.
Cheers,
Gary
Can get a good 1200 / 1210 with that budget, plenty of ways of upgrading when funds allow.
Get a Project Debut Carbon or a Project Genie.... superb at the price.
Rod
I believe Goldring make one that should be around £300. IIRC, Eddie has one and he likes it. Budget 'tables are OK, but are usually let down by the budget cartridges that go with them IMO.
What he said.Originally Posted by Rod
I had a tricked-out Planar 3 for 20 years ( like many, I fell for the 80’s British Hi-Fi press biases ) with AT150, upgraded motor and Origin Live arm and was quite happy with it. Until I bought a direct drive Denon DP50L for £40 ( original price twenty times that ) with Denon DL103 cartridge. So much better it's comical, daft, mad. Even Mrs TT can't stop buying and playing records now. The British press supported the local industry, which I can understand. But if you can find one the upper end Japanese decks from the late 70s or early 80s ( not much later ... they all went cheap and plasticy once the CD market took off ) you may find it a total revelation. I can't listen to the Rega any more.
Trouble is, because of the pre-internet stranglehold the Brit Hi Fi mags had on swaying UK opinion, I imagine the great Denons of the era are hard to find. The Technics SL1200 as mentioned is a reasonable alternative. Not built like the Denons, but it's where I'd start, along with a DL103 of some sort.
Paul
If you're looking at vintage, then you might consider a 1970s B&O Beogram 4000 tangential deck.
They are built like tanks and a good one is hard to come by for £300, but they sound great and you can wow visitors by telling them that MoMA have one on permanent display (well I used to like doing that, anyway).
Last edited by j0hnbarker; 8th December 2013 at 17:58.
You can have my old Thorens for £50, if you want. You need to come and collect it mind.
I've a Project Debut....would highly recommend.
Hi Gary,
not sure if you're interested in looking at the vintage route but it does have its merits. It does come with some pitfalls though. I have a few DD tts that are all getting on a bit now but are still capable performers IMHO.
For eg have a look here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-PS-X7...item1e83ead944 (no connection to seller)
I have a PS-x7 (and a PS-x6) and it's a fine TT. It's a complex machine though and like a lot of others from the era difficult to repair as some parts are made of unobtanium. Fully automatic but can be switched to manual (with auto return). It's a really under-rated deck too.
I have two other vintage Pioneers and they are both in great voice too.
No desire to get caught in the old chestnut of DD vs BD, British v Japanese arguments (which are plenty!) but there are many good choices out there for a pretty sensible cost if you're prepared to venture down that road. The bargains are getting much harder to come by these days though as the merits of this type of deck seem to be more widely appreciated.
I would advise collecting in person too as these old decks can be pretty heavy (my Pl-630 weighs in around 30lb for eg) and unless they're packed with care and some knowledge are unlikely to survive the couriers' attention unscathed.
Old or new I hope you find something that fits the bill,
jeff
Totally agree with you. The British HiFi and AV press is a joke. I can only assume most of the journos are just passing through.
Second on the SL1200 , and you can pick them up by the truckload on ebay from failed wannabe mixmasters , get a good one and whack a decent arm on that ( tonnes of upgrades available on the web) and I reckon you won't better it much below £1500 .
The rega's and the like are what they are ...decent budget turntables but fantasised a good bit by the hifi press.
You cant go wrong with Technics.
Can`t claim to be an expert re turntables, but I know 2 things:
1). It has to sit on something v. solid. If the floor's timber I would try to decouple it from the floor completely; a very sturdy shelf mounted into the wall is worth considering, provided you can mount into brick/breezblock and not plasterboard. (I know Gary wouldn`t be daft enough to do that!)
2.) Buy a good quality cartridge In my limited experience this makes a huge difference.
I`m considering getting my old Thorens deck out from hibernation; it didn`t survive the last dining room makeover which involved new furniture (instigated by the resident female after a lively debate). I did warn her that it may come back, and I think that's going to happen. She won`t be happy.....but I`m not asking her to be happy about it!
I even took photos for ebay and prepared to list it....but in the end I couldn`t do it.
Decision made: It'll be coming back in the near future, she can like it or lump it.
Paul
Brave words, i await the outcome with interest..
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
I bought one of these from eBay (both items actually), very pleased I was too :cool: (with both!). I've only ever had plasticky 80s onwards Japanese stereos before and the difference is immense.
It has the early R200 tonearm and an A & R Cambridge C77 cartridge.
Even with a service and a nice new cartridge you'd be way under budget.
Paul.
I've gone down the vintage route and if you can find someone you trust to repair or are handy yourself then I reckon you'll find a load of choice out there. Part of the fun is whittling it down!
Thanks for all the replies chaps, plenty of food for thought as ever and top advice. I had a rare moment of rashness last night and bought the Sony PS-X7 that Jeff linked in his post (thanks Jeff). Really looking forward the settings it up and hearing how it sounds at the weekend.
Next job, in the meantime, is to get a cartridge and a phono stage, thinking about an Ortofon 2M Red and a Cambridge or Pro-Ject phono stage. Any advice or recommendations on these at all?
Cheers,
Gary
I have an Audio-Technica AT140LC cart on my TT. Full sound, meaty bass and very detailed. I got mine in good used condition for £45 on the bay. Phono stage? I once saw a custom builder of phono stages on ebay also, but his name escapes me. Cheap but great, supposedly.
Good luck, nothing is quite like vinyl!
Here's my table: Revolver w/ Pig Puck and theloudspeaker cork mat, Linn Basik, AT140LC. Wasn't expensive but it's brilliant.
Blimey I've got one of those, only in red. Sadly the Pig Puck has lost it's elasticity (I've owned it for more years than I care to remember) and no longer grips the spindle; so to speak.
It's doing sterling service still, Gary!
"A man of little significance"
Note to self; must get a turntable set up.
Whilst we're debating turntables, can anyone recommend a good cartridge for my Thorens TD 166 Mk iv? Might also need a decent phono stage too and I`d welcome suggestions. what's the current view on moving coil catridges? 20-odd years ago they were deemed to be the dog's bollocks; I had one but unfortunately I bust the stylus whilst cleaning it over-enthusiastically.
If my turntable returns from storage and gets set up again, I`ll be wanting to get it sounding good!
Paul
I don't know whether it's suitable for a TD166, (which has a light arm IIRC so may have some compliance issues?) but I fitted a Denon DL-110 cartridge to my Rega and it sounds superb, I'm very happy with it.
It's a high-output moving coil so you can use it with a moving magnet phono stage.
Thanks......didn`t know high-output moving coils existed! Might have a look into this.
Paul
Fingers crossed for you Gary!
It looks in good shape from the listing. Hopefully it hasn't been interfered with (ooh err!). I don't know too much about the cart you're looking at apart from what I've read on t'net. It looks like it's well thought of though and upgradable to the blue spec if desired. I'd be interested to know how you find it if you do go with it.
I've been using a Shure m95 on mine and it's ok to my (less than pristine) ears, as is the V15 iii that I have in another headshell. Lots of these older carts can be nicely upgraded with new sylii from somewhere like Jico. Buying cartridges/stylii can quickly become a slippery slope I think.
Set up can be interesting on the x7 but someone with your skills should find it a breeze. I have the owners and service manuals on pdf and you're welcome to a copy. Drop me a pm if you want one.
regards
jeff
As I don't have any LP's any more (boo hoo) I really need to sell my Rega Planar 3 with RB300 arm......sad days....
If anyone's interested send me a PM.
I was trying to remember this, as I had a Shure V15 with Jico stylus in a Linn Sondek I acquired and sold on and very nice it was too. I suspect something like a V15 with Jico would work nicely in Paul's (walkerwek1958) Thorens with its lightweight arm.
A quick update. My Sony PS X7 was delivered yesterday and after buying a new cartridge, phono stage and setting up the tone arm, I had a blissful afternoon playing my old vinyl
The turntable appears to be in excellent condition and everything functions as it should. It was extremely well packaged and the seller included an original instruction manual, which was just as well as setting it up would have meant a lot of guesswork otherwise.
In the end I went budget with the phono stage and cartridge and bought a Cambridge Audio 551P-B and an Audio Technics AT91. I didn't want to splash out on expensive gear only to discover that I didn't like the turntable or it wasn't working properly. Anyway both sound extremely good to my ears, the cartridge was a little bright initially but that seems to be settling down nicely.
A heads up for anyone considering buying a cartridge, in person, from a Richer Sounds outlet - they don't keep them in stock for some daft reason. Thankfully there's a Seven Oaks Hi-Fi shop almost directly opposite Richer Sounds here in Bristol and they do stock cartridges. They were also extremely helpful, installing the cartridge for me, replacing a missing wire, tightening up the others and giving me a free power lead. All for just the price of the cartridge and despite me carrying a Richer Sounds carrier bag. So a big thank you to them.
Chatting to the chaps there it seems vinyl and turntables are undergoing a massive resurgence and are out selling CD players. After an afternoon playing records I can fully understand why, my second hand 1970's turntable with cheapo phono stage and cartridge beats my £1000 CD player hands down.
For anyone considering getting a turntable just do it, you won't regret it.
Cheers,
Gary
P.S. Many thanks for the recommendation Jeff, as you can probably tell I'm extremely happy with it!
That sounds like a great re-entry to the world of vinyl! I've used Sevenoaks in the past and they have pretty much always been really good. Great to hear that you are getting on well with your new turntable.A quick update. My Sony PS X7 was delivered yesterday and after buying a new cartridge, phono stage and setting up the tone arm, I had a blissful afternoon playing my old vinyl
The turntable appears to be in excellent condition and everything functions as it should. It was extremely well packaged and the seller included an original instruction manual, which was just as well as setting it up would have meant a lot of guesswork otherwise.
In the end I went budget with the phono stage and cartridge and bought a Cambridge Audio 551P-B and an Audio Technics AT91. I didn't want to splash out on expensive gear only to discover that I didn't like the turntable or it wasn't working properly. Anyway both sound extremely good to my ears, the cartridge was a little bright initially but that seems to be settling down nicely.
A heads up for anyone considering buying a cartridge, in person, from a Richer Sounds outlet - they don't keep them in stock for some daft reason. Thankfully there's a Seven Oaks Hi-Fi shop almost directly opposite Richer Sounds here in Bristol and they do stock cartridges. They were also extremely helpful, installing the cartridge for me, replacing a missing wire, tightening up the others and giving me a free power lead. All for just the price of the cartridge and despite me carrying a Richer Sounds carrier bag. So a big thank you to them.
Chatting to the chaps there it seems vinyl and turntables are undergoing a massive resurgence and are out selling CD players. After an afternoon playing records I can fully understand why, my second hand 1970's turntable with cheapo phono stage and cartridge beats my £1000 CD player hands down.
For anyone considering getting a turntable just do it, you won't regret it.
Cheers,
Gary
P.S. Many thanks for the recommendation Jeff, as you can probably tell I'm extremely happy with it!
Some pics?? (you know we all love a picture here!)
^^^^^ Great news Gary!
You have scooped IMO a real gem. I've had a fair few TTs and I won't be letting my x7 go lightly.
Lots of this older gear gets overlooked sadly (especially Sony ES). It has suffered somewhat at the hands of the partisan Hi-fi press over the years, which leaves a lot of sleepers out there. I hope it give you many years of service and enjoyment.
jeff
Great thread, I have not owned a turntable for 10 years and I have lot of vinyl to play. So added to the list of things to do in the new year.
On a different subject my old hifi technics was retired today after 20 years service to be replaced by a Denon DM 39 with a pair Audio Cambridge s30 speakers. I am sat in the dark listening to Annie mac, OMFG it sounds amazing and the speakers have not even run in yet.
I blame my friend who after helping him build custom cross overs from Russian military capacitors, for his custom home made speakers with valve amps and kit costing more than my car, I realised on listening to the results I needed to get some decent sounds in my own home while I still have the gift of hearing.
Happy days.
A member has just reminded me about this thread and I realised I didn't post any pics. Forgive the noise in the pictures it was getting dark when I took them.
I bought a slightly used Audio Technica AT120E cartridge off ebay which really brings the sound to life. Sounded a little bright initially but it calming down nicely now. It has good punch, very impressive separation and a fast but taught bass.
Using it through a valve amp which really brings out the sonic quality of vinyl.
I've rediscovered the art of just relaxing and listening to music, with no distractions and just that little pause of getting up to turn the record over : )
Cheers,
Gary
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