OT: Vintage Audio - Turntables

[William]

We have been cleaning out some of our storage areas and re-discovered my album collection from back in the day. It also turns out that our daughter has recently been exposed to vinyl by a friend of hers and she's giddy at the fact that we have a collection. She appreciates and listens to a lot of music from that era so she's looking forward to perusing it. Now, I haven't had a turntable since shortly after CD's came on to the scene. Now I find my self looking at CL and some vintage audio sights trying to figure out what would be a decent turntable to pick up. She has a birthday coming up so I'm thinking it might be a good birthday present since I know she will appreciate it.

Any recommendations for something reliable, good sound, and won't break the bank? Think 105 or Ultegra level equivalent.












William

[jtakeda]

You might want to include a budget but based on your description I’d suggest a Rega Planar 1.

Ultegra/105 level TT

[CDollarsign]

I have a Rega Planar 3 that I got off email for around $500 bucks and its pretty awesome. You could try some of their lower level models. If going for vintage the old B&O beograms are pretty sweet and can sometimes be found at decent prices.

[jtakeda]

Beograms are really cool but if something goes wrong it’s not easy to fix whatsoever.

[classtimesailer]

Get one like the step dad has on HBO's Sharp Objects. (Or at least on that looks like that.)

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by CDollarsign

I have a Rega Planar 3 that I got off email for around $500 bucks and its pretty awesome. You could try some of their lower level models. If going for vintage the old B&O beograms are pretty sweet and can sometimes be found at decent prices.

Yes, any non linear tracking B&O would be a great choice. Simple, easy to operate, very easy on the vinyl. Not much to break...and you might find one on CL for $50, or on ebay for $150.

The linear tracking turntables, while very nice, are a bit more complicated (and expensive), and are overkill for this application.

I've owned nothing but B&O turntables since the early '80s. That having been said, I haven't played a record in 15 years, except on my Victrola. I'm not sure that any of the receivers in the house have a phono input!

[Ken Robb]

The Needle Doctor has a wonderful site. They specialize (bike content?) in all aspects of vinyl playback and the staff is very helpful on-line or on phone calls.

[DuddyJ]

For 105 level Audio Technica makes some okay-ish entry level stuff. It have a phono included so that is nice if your receiver does not have a phono included.

For ultegra level the Rega is very nice and the pro-ject debut is pretty nice.

I scored a Pro-ject Xpression with a black cartridge for about $400. Way more than I will ever need but it certainly makes some pretty noise.

[djg]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

The Needle Doctor has a wonderful site. They specialize (bike content?) in all aspects of vinyl playback and the staff is very helpful on-line or on phone calls.

Agreed about needle doctor — I’ve also had good experiences dealing with a site called music direct.

To the OP — there are probably all sorts of used turntables available at low prices, including old belt drive tables from Thorens and Dual that were both decent and inexpensive even when new. Rega has been marketing their “planar” tables since the ‘80s, at least. Any of these might be in good working order still. I’m still using a table I acquired in the ‘80s, although a more expensive one— and not with the original cartridge.

But with inexpensive used table, I’d be inclined to buy locally, with a demo, or from an established dealer, for several reasons. One, packing a table for shipping isn’t exactly rocket science, but it’s easy enough for some guy to botch in a way that does serious damage. Two, an old table in decent working order might seem fine to the seller while really needing a new cartridge — not the end of the world by any means, but a quick way to drop 100 bucks on a non-exotic fix to a 100 dollar table. Three, you can get new tables, complete, from, say, project or music hall for 2-300 bucks and rega for not much more. I read something about a new-ish company building tables in Boston for about that, although I haven’t heard them in person. So that’s 2 dealers and 3-4 brands to consider, ready to rock, or folk, or quartet for a few hundred bucks. New.

You might find a very good deal on a used table at a local audio repair shop, or an audio (or audio/video) dealer, or even a record shop (we have a local one that carries old gear). Or maybe local CL — I’d just keep the whole package in mind. And consider that a decent new setup doesn’t have to cost a fortune (although it can if you want it to).

[Duende]

Find a techniques 1200. they're indestructible... plus she can scratch on it too if she likes dj'ing.

[smead]

I still have my Thorens TD 166 MKII that I bought in college , sorry, not for sale.

[pjm]

I’m intrigued by the VPI Player. It comes complete with a pretty nice Ortofon cartridge, and built-in phono and headphone amps. All she would need is a pair of headphones or earbuds as it has its own volume control.

[jtbadge]

My go-to reccomendation for a good starter-level deck is a Denon DP-300F. Fully automatic, built in phono preamp. Good deal on one here with an upgraded Ortofon cartridge at $299: https://www.turntablelab.com/product...2m-red-upgrade

Something a little nicer would be a Rega, Music Hall, etc.

U-Turn is the startup company alluded to above by djg. Decent specs and nice options for an affordable price, seems like there were some growing pains a couple of years ago, but they look pretty nice now. I might get one of these for my second system.

Technics SL-1200 is an obvious vintage answer, but the resale value is through the roof so they are probably not a great value option for starting up. You can probably find one of their less "collectible" models and have a solid direct-drive setup that will last forever.

If you would rather vintage than new, your best bet is probably finding something that's already been fixed up at a local shop. Will usually have a new cartridge/stylus and a little bit of warranty. This would lessen a lot of the headaches with buying on Craigslist/eBay/etc.

[Paid In Full]

If you are looking for something vintage, dependable, and not so expensive that you have to worry it'll get trashed, I've had good luck with the Yamaha YP-B2 turntable which can be had for $200 or less on ebay. I think it's handsome.

I bought mine in decent shape, had an audio shop tune it up, and it has worked flawlessly for 5 years with moderate to heavy use.

[daker13]

The Rega RP1 is a good recommendation, but if you're looking for something more affordable, definitely go vintage: something pretty solid like a Thorens or a Dual (I'd avoid B&O), and get it from somewhere that will give you a warrantee and has someone on hand to fix them. Stereo Discount Center in East Providence has plenty of sub-$200 turntables and the owner is a nice, trustworthy guy. Steve at Round Again on Wickenden might have a few turntables, but the guy who used to sell audio gear through his store left the area.