Affordable Turntable options

[narvarr]

After hearing how good albums can sound, I am considering purchasing a record player. I would like to get something high quality but affordable, any suggestions? I have seen the Pro-ject Debut III on ebay for a decent price, but not up sure if they are good units that can be upgraded if necessary. Any input that is offered would be helpful as I am not up to speed on what brands are reputable reputable.

Thanks,
Narvarr

 

[ATD]

Hi there!

What is your price range?

Maybe something from Rega?

 

[narvarr]

Hi there!

What is your price range?

Maybe something from Rega?

I was thinking $350 range maybe? I guess it depends on where the price of the good quality units start. I don't want to invest too much initally until I'm sure I'm going to stick with it.

 

[ATD]

Pro-Ject Debut is ok to start with and maybe Rega P2 would be one choice. With a bit of luck you can find Rega P3 or Pro-Ject Xpression near that range. First model of Xpression is actually pretty good deck, but they changed the arm to later models.

 

[twich54]

Ok....lets see here......how many albums do you own ? How competent are you in TT set-up ? do you have phono pre-amplification already in your existing gear ?

Now without even answering those questions and given your rather low budget I wouldn't even consider getting 'into' vinyl.........unless you answer 'alot' to my first question above.

 

[narvarr]

The Pro-ject xpression seems to be way over my budget, but he Rega units may be more doable. How about the Pro-Ject RM1.3 or MUSIC HALL MMF-2.2? They seem to be around the same price as the used Rega P2 units.

 

[tsv_1]

I was thinking $350 range maybe? I guess it depends on where the price of the good quality units start. I don't want to invest too much initally until I'm sure I'm going to stick with it.

Honestly, with vinyl - if you want exceptional sound at home, it's gonna cost you. I've futzed around with entry level TTs and they've all had SQ issues. I also came to realize that (for me) the extreme convenience of a good music server (backed-up by an excellent amplifier/speaker combination) is like another universe compared to the 20 minutes of play time with a TT - plus there's the maintainence aspect. Now, some will say that handling vinyl and thoughtfully choosing the next album is "part of the glory" (or something similar) and that's great for them. Doesn't work for me though. They will also argue, more than anything, that analog playback simply can't be beat... and perhaps at a certain stratospheric cost, that might be true in some instances. I've heard extremely high-end TT front-ends and they are drool-worthy - no doubt. But so are high-end digital front-ends.

Bottom line, if you're gonna jump in and you want stellar analog playback, get ready to drop some coin.

My 2

 

[zaphod]

if you are not opposed to vintage - and who would be there is an excellent article
found here on the sound and vision site.

 

[narvarr]

Honestly, with vinyl - if you want exceptional sound at home, it's gonna cost you. I've futzed around with entry level TTs and they've all had SQ issues. I also came to realize that (for me) the extreme convenience of a good music server (backed-up by an excellent amplifier/speaker combination) is like another universe compared to the 20 minutes of play time with a TT - plus there's the maintainence aspect. Now, some will say that handling vinyl and thoughtfully choosing the next album is "part of the glory" (or something similar) and that's great for them. Doesn't work for me though. They will also argue, more than anything, that analog playback simply can't be beat... and perhaps at a certain stratospheric cost, that might be true in some instances. I've heard extremely high-end TT front-ends and they are drool-worthy - no doubt. But so are high-end digital front-ends.

Bottom line, if you're gonna jump in and you want stellar analog playback, get ready to drop some coin.

My 2

Thanks, for the insight. The system I heard was Steve's (SlowGEEZR SYSTEM#196) and it was jaw dropping to hear an analog source sound that good! I understand that it takes a lot of money to get to that level, but I have to start somewhere. I am not afraid to spend the coin to get to that level...one day, but due to the large amount of money I already spend on another audio addiction I have, I need to start modestly.

 

[ATD]

Very good points there.

We have this own little forum here in Finland with little under 10 000 user. In our forum there is this Rega P3 TT that members can borrow. Even if it is an entry level TT, many users have got the chance to get to know what is the world of vinyl like and then got their own rig.

So even if you have no records yet and don't know a thing about TT's I would still give it a try.

 

[tsv_1]

Thanks, for the insight. The system I heard was Steve's (SlowGEEZR SYSTEM#196) and it was jaw dropping to hear an analog source sound that good! I understand that it takes a lot of money to get to that level, but I have to start somewhere. I am not afraid to spend the coin to get to that level...one day, but due to the large amount of money I already spend on another audio addiction I have, I need to start modestly.

Absolutley... and good luck. I was not able to get over the threshold to where the sound was good enough, compared to my digital front-end, for me to put up with all the other aspects (convenience being a definite factor for me). Hope it works out for you and that more than anything, you are able to truly enjoy your music collection. BTW, I tried both the entry level Rega and Pro-ject... neither was worth the time (IMO).

 

[ATD]

It's kind of sad there is so little options at entry level TT's. :/

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Narvarr,

Assuming you proceed despite the cautionary (and valid IMO) insights offered above, check out "Music Direct" for a good selection of "budget" tables.

Don't know if they offer the 30 day money back on this type item but it would be worthwhile to verify.

GG

PS: MD's main lines, in that category, are Project and Rega.

 

[zaphod]

It's kind of sad there is so little options at entry level TT's. :/

well it's how you define "entry level". personally i think that you'll do a lot better with vintage for entry level. a Thorens in good shape start at a few hundred, and give you lots of good listening. for me anything with a price less than 4 figures (with the first figure not being a 1) is entry level.

 

[wrat]

I have to second twitch54, while I am heavily vested in vinyl IF you dont have a collection already I dont think I could recommend starting

 

[twich54]

Thanks wrat..............I posed several serious questions to the OP and haven't heard back.........

 

[narvarr]

Ok....lets see here......how many albums do you own ? How competent are you in TT set-up ? do you have phono pre-amplification already in your existing gear ?

Now without even answering those questions and given your rather low budget I wouldn't even consider getting 'into' vinyl.........unless you answer 'alot' to my first question above.

Sorry for the slow replies guys. I work nights so during the day I'm sleep. To answer your questions, I have not held a record in my hands since I was 10 years old. Needless to say, my vinyl collection is none existent. However, my mom and her six siblings have a collection that dates back to the early '60s at my grandmothers and there are several large record shops in the DFW area. Setup experience, I have none but I am confident in my abilities as my profession is a technical one that involves machine setup and maintenance.

 

[twich54]

Ok...........now with no vinyl other than 50 year old stuff that I would wager has not been well cared for and what seems like more of a curiosity phase that you might be going through ........ maybe...maybe not, I think a nice Technics 1200 would provide you with ease of set up combined with a great value TT (best under $500, IMO). You still need to decide on cartridge......mm or mc and how about a phono stage, does your pre-amp have one ? how much gain does it provide ?

nav, please don't take my response to you as anti-analog, not at all, I'm one of the biggest fans on this forum. But keep in mind, I'm old, my vinyl collection is large and well taken care of and I have a fairly serious analog front end to my system. So to me, analog has always been a part of my life whereas for someone to start out anew I would really think long and hard.

 

[slowGEEZR]

I have a different take on this topic. I don't care if you haven't any albums whatsoever, the sheer enjoyment of listening to good vinyl playback and the thrill of the great record hunt awaits and is worth getting into vinyl for. Vinyl still does some things that the best digital can't, IMO. Know that you will spend many times over the price of the gear for the media, in order to have a decent vinyl library, so it makes sense to get the best playback system you can afford. I don't think you need an ultra expensive turntable to get great sound, either. Pro-ject, Music Hall and Rega, all have turntables for under $500, some even with cartridges (they're in the Acoustic Sounds and the musicdirect catalogs) and you can usually find near new examples for much less. If you can spend a little more, the VPI Scout is a great turntable package and with some sensible mods can be made to sound even better. I've seen them for sale on Audiogon for a little over half price of a new one. Have fun!

 

[RichTeer]

I have a different take on this topic. I don't care if you haven't any albums whatsoever, the sheer enjoyment of listening to good vinyl playback and the thrill of the great record hunt awaits and is worth getting into vinyl for. Vinyl still does some things that the best digital can't, IMO. Know that you will spend many times over the price of the gear for the media, in order to have a decent vinyl library, so it makes sense to get the best playback system you can afford. I don't think you need an ultra expensive turntable to get great sound, either. Pro-ject, Music Hall and Rega, all have turntables for under $500, some even with cartridges (they're in the Acoustic Sounds and the musicdirect catalogs) and you can usually find near new examples for much less. If you can spend a little more, the VPI Scout is a great turntable package and with some sensible mods can be made to sound even better. I've seen them for sale on Audiogon for a little over half price of a new one. Have fun!

+1

I would also caution against buying a used TT unless you can be sure that its been well looked after and will be shipped in proper packaging.