OT: Vintage Audio - Turntables

[wtex]

Originally Posted by jtbadge

Wait, what turntable comes with a remote?

I wish I were completely joking - when I first set it up, it got to the end of the record, and I was sitting on my couch, looked around, thought 'man, it sure would be nice if this thing had a remote control to save me the bother of having to get up . . . .'
Not one of my finer moments. I'm a child of the CD and MP3 age.
So there are no remotes that I know of, but if anyone has some ideas, I'm all ears!

[GOTHBROOKS]

get a turntable with an auto return tonearm.

[Ozz]

I had an old Sony PS-T22 back in the '80's that was great. Had a really nice Grado cartridge on it and I never complained....converted to CDs () and sold it to a buddy for a six pack. He is still using it....


Just saw one on ebay for about $80...

[19wisconsin64]

Music Hall and Rega both make excellent turntables. They have, like Shimano, many price points. My advice as a long time audiophile would be to consider looking for a good condition used one on the audiophile listings online- audiogon and audiomart. Do some research on good cartridges, the Needle Doctor has some well priced options there, as well as new turntables.

Take a little time to set up the turntable properly too-this affects the sound quite a bit. You should be able to find something great sounding between $200 and $500 all in. Sometimes even less!!

Enjoy the music

[mtechnica]

If you can find an old Technics direct drive table, get that and upgrade the cartridge and it will do just fine. In today's dollars it would take $2000+ to manufacture a mid grade technics deck from the 70's or 80's that you can buy for $200. They're not audiophile grade but they are damn close and they last FOREVER.

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

If you can find an old Technics direct drive table, get that and upgrade the cartridge and it will do just fine. In today's dollars it would take $2000+ to manufacture a mid grade technics deck from the 70's or 80's that you can buy for $200. They're not audiophile grade but they are damn close and they last FOREVER.

This would be my suggestion if you’re comfortable buying used. I suggested rega planar 1 because I thought it would be easier to find that new and just buy.

If you want a step above I’d consider a vintage thorens like suggested above.

Personally I’m fond of the 125 mkii but I’m biased as I have one. I found mine for $300 but it was a LONG search.

Champagne taste on a beer budget....

[scoobydrew]

Agreed on finding a used Technics direct drive turntable. I'm fond of the SL-1XXX (1200, 1600, 1700, 1800 etc.) series and had a SL-1700 Mk1 back in the day. As someone mentioned earlier, the SL-1200 is legendary and can be "compared" to Shimano Dura Ace level.

Also, as others had mentioned, the Audio Technica AT-120 provides a lot of bang for the buck that you can occasionally find for <$300. It's a decent copy of the SL-1200 and has a built in preamp, so it's essentially plug and play.

[William]

Lots of info, thank you! The Forum collective never disappoints.


I have a vintage JVC receiver with a Phono input so I could go that route with a turntable. I saw the place in East Providence during a google search so I may run by there and check it out. I can also see there is a guy on the East Bay who seems to refurbish audio equipment and sell it on CL. He has a number of turntables listed from Technics to Bang & olufsen.





William

[572cv]

In your area, there may be some old AR turntables floating around, from Acoustical (?) Research in Cambridge. These were good quality. Getting a good needle is also key, as others have noted.

[Ken Robb]

I just replaced my J.A. Michel Focus 1 with an Audio-Technica LP-120 with the standard cartridge. It sounds just fine, is a bit easier to use, and has some extra features. I had the Focus 1 for 30+ years and it was getting a little tired. Even the best mechanical devices wear enough with use that their performance deteriorates.

I agree that SOME people can detect the differences in sound among various turntables but I think they need to have pretty fine systems downstream to do so AND great recordings in mint condition. If your records and current system are not like that it's probably not worth going to a lot of trouble to find a used esoteric wonder-table and hope it and its cartridge/stylus are still performing like they did when new.

You may not need a table with built-in pre-amp now but if/when you replace your aged receiver most new surround sound A/V receivers lack built-in pre-amps and decent external ones cost $150 and up.

[sc53]

Somewhat OT, but do any of you turntable aficionados know what model the stepfather in HBO's Sharp Objects (referenced by a previous poster) is playing? Also what are those electronics? Classe Audio?

[bob heinatz]

Check out Vinyl Nirvana. Mostly Thorens and AR restorations.

[Ken Robb]

In 1968 I bought a total AR system: Integrated Amp, AR3a speakers, turntable with Shure V-15 cartridge which was regarded as one of the best at that time. The speakers were great for that time. The amp made disconcerting thumps when I turned it on/off. The TT was very poor tracking and the tonearm would bounce off the disc unless I was very careful walking across our wooden floor. I returned the amp twice for warranty repair to eliminate the thumps. AR couldn't fix it so I got my $$ back. AR sent me a printed sheet of instructions on how to disconnect the damping system on the tonearm to improve tracking. I sent it back too. I enjoyed the speakers until I replaced them with ADS 710 in the late 1970s.

I replaced the AR TT with a Dual 1019 which was better in every way.

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by Drmojo

durable, choice of DJs for decades now

Another vote for Technics. I have the SL D2 (lower model) and, with an adequate cartridge I can listen to my ECM jazz records and love it.

[el cheapo]

Up until four years ago, I had a 1978 Technics SL-D1 that worked great. Then my new kitten ate the wires. So I bought an Audio-Technica AP-1240usb. Got it at B&H Video for $389. Awesome sound! Better IMO than the Technics.