I miss the old tables but whats a good new one?

Depends on what you want to do.

Technics SL=1200 MKII is a good direct drive table.

Pro-Ject. Rega, Music Hall and others make nice new belt drive units.

Other that that particular model of Technics, avoid anything you can get from a musician supply house or big box electronics place.

My best understanding is that unless you want to spend over $300 on a table, vintage or used is the only way to go. To echo Louie, the cheapest decent tables are the Technics SL-1200 Mk2 or the crop of ~$300-400 "entry-level audiophile" tables from Pro-Ject, Rega, Music Hall, Goldring or Denon.

I agree with what Louie said also.

I was able to swap a tuner for an Onkyo CP-1400A TT over the weekend, a good starter table that I found on CL. There are quite a few out there to be had for under $50 that would work well until you can get into something else.

I used to own a Technics SP-10 direct drive TT with SME 3009 arm. That was ultra-high end in 1977. I sold them to fund a rebuild/restore project on my GAS Son earlier this year.

There are reasonable Sansui belt drive tts out there that do not cost a lot. If you buy on the bay make sure the seller knows how to pack a tt.

What's your budget? $500? $5,000? $50,000?

What's your budget? $500? $5,000? $50,000?

It might also help to know what the table will be hooked up to? Receiver or high end system with dedicated mm/mc preamp, etc...

There´s plenty of choice in both the new and vintage markets.

Don´t mean to sound rude, but your question is as vague as it can be.

Jorge

For new entry level I highly recommend the Music Hall 2.2...but only if you buy from a reputable dealer who will back you up if there is trouble. Excellent table for the bucks...better IMO than the Rega P1 and Project Debut...but just a bit...

If I had to choose a second place it would be the Debut.

The Rega is simply more money than it ought to be.

Both the MH and the Project can be upgraded with the ProJect Speed Box II which makes a heck of a difference for jus a few bucks.

Let me try this again. I would like to stay under a $1000.00 if possible , and am hooking into Onkyo TX-DS575X reciever w/ Bose 701's and Infinity towers.
I think it will work pretty well with a nice turntable.
I've been looking pretty hard at the Rega P3 but ,man they're pretty proud of
that table.895.00 whew!!!
I really really like the vintage tables but dont kow where to start!

Can you guys give me any ideas, some already have but maybe this post will help.

Thanks Alot

Between vintage and new is recent used audiophile turntables.

That's what I would recommend in the $500-1000 range. If you stretched a little, you might even be able to pick up a VPI Scout.

checked out the M.H. 2.2 table, really nice. Do you know what cart comes with it?

Very nice but I dont kow if I can stretch that far. Thanks for the advice though!

OK, there are some other fundamental questions to be asked. Are you capable of mating your receiver with a Moving Coil cartridge ( does it have selection for MC as well as MM, or only say PHONO? )? Do you have any interest in playing mono or 78 records? If so, you will need a TT that will support a universal headshell so you can change headshell/cartridge combo's. If not, you might like one of the fixed arms with only one cartridge possibility mounted directly to the arm? How big is your LP collection? What do you listen to the most ( to some extent classical makes different demands on systems than acid or metal rock )? What is your cartridge budget? I'm a firm believer that most decent tables will support cartridges costing twice what they cost. So if you drop $800 on a table, you might drop anywhere from $150 to $1500 on a cartridge.

Whether to go vintage or new or slightly used depends on a lot of different factors. Vintage almost always requires some work. I have a Garrard 401 but cleaned, lubed, and built a new plinth and tonearm pod for it which took some time, effort and skill. Some tables are just clean, lube, belt maybe if you are lucky. Condition is everything. Some folks seem to overestimate their handiness and end up with a few piles of junk and others end up with nice tables for peanuts. In addition, if you have a vintage set-up it can be a nice match/looks can be an important factor. E-bay is almost always a risky proposition for getting someone who can pack a TT...which is most assuredly not easy.

New means getting potentially less sound for your money but usually it works well and IF you buy from a good local dealer, you can get some support for setting it up (don't underestimate this). Of course, if you buy from a mass market online source...

Slightly used usually won't require any work on your part beyond setting it up properly (which is work) but there's usually no one to give local help if you need it. You have to be careful about getting it shipped but folks on an audio board - like here or audiogon.com - often will take the time/effort to pack well. Talk about it ahead of time. You get more sound for your dollar than new but potentially less than vintage fixer upper (if you are handy).

Since you are using an Onkyo receiver, I'd guess that you can use MM/MI but not MC cartridges.

So are you handy with some time on your hands to dedicate to getting and repairing a vintage table? Or would you like plug and play with minimum hassle/time dedicated? Do you know anything about setting up a table/do you want to learn?

I wanted to talk to somebody about the SL 1200=MkII.
Did'nt know what to think about Panasonic making it though

The Technics SL1200 is a nice TT/good bargain and has upgrade options available. I'd take a look at kabusa.com . His tables are a little more expensive than the cheapest but Kevin checks them out and will talk with folks to support them after their purchase.

Wow I Love all the great advice i'm getting.I know a little about set up but its been a long time. Would love to learn more for sure.Been looking at old Dual 1200s, what do you think?

Thanks alot for the info, will check it out.

I think maybe better off with a good used Denon, JVC, Sony or a 1x00 Technics until you get your feet wet. Look in the AK classifieds for one well serviced and running correctly?

Mainly interested in 33s, classic rock mostly. Open to different carts , not to expensive though.Onkyo only handles MM carts.

Just checked out Kabusa.com . Nice selection of Technics.Is the MK5 better?

Yup :)

There are many options for you. As has been stated, I would go used and learn about the tables and what you might want from it. I currently have 4 tables that total spent is about 100 bucks :D The cart is a whole different topic and there are as many opinions as AK'ers so you will have some fun with that topic :)

I have been pondering buying a technics SL-1200. I am following this thread because its new TT time at some point soon.

Evan

Hi,

The SL-1200 is a good, sensible, well built daily driver for a turntable. I think one paired with an Audio-Technica AT120 E/T would make you fine music with no fuss. An easy combo to live with. :tresbon:

2112, you sound like a guy like myself. Classic rock, likes the vintage tables, doesn't have a ton of money to work with.

Vintage tables - the amount of work that they need increases with the complexity of drive and features. To that end, you probably won't go wrong with a decent direct drive manual or semi-auto. Some full autos are fairly bulletproof also.

Pioneer and Technics are makes that are well known and liked here. There are scads of others that are very fine, but you won't find as much info on them.

I'm sure others will pipe in with "What about ____ model or make?", and that's fine, but it looks like you're looking for a direct recommendation, so I'll give you some.

Turntables: Any of these will suit you well.

Pioneer: PL-518, PL-550, PL-570

Technics: SL-1X00 and SL-1X01 series (such as 1300, 1301, etc.) Some require a tweak to the cueing which is well documented on AK. Some do not.

I'll even add my favorite "sleeper" turntable, which can usually be had cheaply: Sanyo Plus Series Q-25 It's not overly elegant...I got mine for $4 in a thrift - but it's grown on me over the past few years. Nice arm.

For cartridges, if you're a classic rock guy, go get an Audio Technica AT-95, AT-110, AT-120 or a AT-440MLa. Audio Technica carts seem to bring out the sort of things that classic rock enthusiasts want to hear.

Again, there are tons of other viable recommendations, but anything off of these "shortlists" will have you in business.

http://www.oaktreeent.com/web_photos/Stereo_Turntables_CD/Sanyo_Plus_Series_Q-25_Stereo_Turntable_web.jpg
http://www.oaktreeent.com/web_photos/Stereo_Turntables_CD/Pioneer_PL-518_Stereo_Turntable_web.jpg
http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picturepages/pioneer_pl550_turntable_3.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/ampegmang/pio1.jpg
http://www.lownoiserecords.com/images/manuals/technics/sl-1300.jpg
http://www.vinylengine.com/images/model/technics_sl1401.jpg
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/store/image.php?imagefile=D%3C%3EAT-440MLA.JPG
http://www.arar93.dsl.pipex.com/mds975/Images/vinyl_heaven/audio_technica_at120e_500.jpg
http://www.superfi.co.uk/images/main/at95e_med.jpg

i think one thing to consider about the Technics 1200/1210 is that the price for it new today is so low that it´s just unbelievable. I can´t amagine what the price would be if it would be developed today. I have not found any other TTs with better spec. It is IMO a true bargain.
gusten

Kermit
I'll be exploring the carts next!
You Guys are great help Thanks!!

Sansui Louie
You hit the nail right on the head.
Great minds must think alike! Thanks for the great advice and the cool pics!!!

Gusten & Kent
I really do like the Technics 1200 alot! Having a hard time deciding.

I'd go for a vintage AR ES-1 and a nice new cartridge or two with an extra headshell. As good as any sub $1000 new table. Many modifications available if you get the itch, and it will never be worth less than you paid for it.

Will the elliptical shaped stylus damage my LP's or do I need to get something else, linear perhaps?


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice

elliptical and conical are the two most common stylus shapes. generally speaking, ellipticals are considered better than conicals, and are more expensive (there are exceptions). an elliptical sylus has the shape of an ellipse. if you grab a circle on both sides, and stretch it out, you get an ellipse. conicals are shaped like an ice cream cone, or a witch's hat. elliptical styli have more surface contact with the record grove than conical styli do. the result is better sound, generally speaking. conicals have the advantage in that they are typically less expensive, and they are more forgiving when it comes to set up. the drawbacks to ellipticals are that they are more sensitive and delicate, more expensive, and a little harder to set up.

if the turntable you select is a changer, that is, you can stack records and it changes itself, go with a conical.

if the turntable you select is a single play, that is, it plays only one record, go with the elliptical. it'll sound better.

i haven't heard one, but i have read that the audio technica AT-440Ml is an outstanding cartridge for rock and roll. opinions seem to be mixed on the shure m-97xe. i am an exception, but most here seem to think highly of Grado. i dream of a vintage, un-used, new in the box Shure V-15 type III.

i agree that the technics sl-1200 is a great starter turntable, but you will have to learn to use it properly!

but i am a vintage turntable lover. for a grand, i could have the turntable of my dreams and a terrific new cartridge! if you buy one from a reputable audiophile, you won't have to work on it.

have you tried reading some of the help posts? they're kinda hard to find, but if you look around or use the search engine, you could learn a lot. i know i did, and i keep learning more every time i log in!

if you decide to go vintage, try posting an add in the "wanted to buy" forum. plenty of AK'ers have too much stuff, and it might be safer to buy here on AK than it is to buy on ebay or at a pawn shop or such. it could also save you a few bucks! it costs two bucks to sell, but "want it" adds and "trade" ads are free!

when you say "learn how to use it properly " to what are you refering to?