I will be in the market for a turntable soon. I would like either Kenwood with the faux marble plinth or something with a wooden plinth.
Any recommendations in the under $300.00 price range for a wood plinth table ?
i know about Duals, what else is a good table for a decent price I should look out for?
I just like the look. I will get an ortofon cartridge and as long as it does not ruin my vinyl, I do not have an audiophile ear.
Would actually like a Rabco ST 7 again, but those seem harder to come by in excellent condition in that price range.

Garrard turntables

Thorens TD-160s have wood plinths and are quite nice. I also sold a couple Rega Planar 2s recently, one with wood and one with oak edging on black that were very nice too.

Actually, most of the early 1970s tables sport wood, so at that price point you have quite a selection.

Any of the wood plinth JVC's. Great TTs that are way under the radar. Typically $200 or less for a good one. A much better deal than the lesser quality Pioneer and Marantz tables that go for a lot more $$$. Check the opinions on JVC here. You won't be disappointed.

Jon

Check the Realistic LAB 400 in my avatar. Very handsome indeed with a (faux) wood plinth.

I Agree that some of the Realistics are very nice and can be had for much less than other comparable tables. Some people relate Realistic with low end, but they made some very good one's. I'm sure you can get one for less that $200.

Jon

I believe you can get a nice Denon DP-37F for less than your budget. Great TT, BTW.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/hifi_nut/PICT0353.jpg

I will be in the market for a turntable soon. I would like either Kenwood with the faux marble plinth or something with a wooden plinth.
Any recommendations in the under $300.00 price range for a wood plinth table ?
i know about Duals, what else is a good table for a decent price I should look out for?
I just like the look. I will get an ortofon cartridge and as long as it does not ruin my vinyl, I do not have an audiophile ear.
Would actually like a Rabco ST 7 again, but those seem harder to come by in excellent condition in that price range.

I have one of those Kenny tables with the bonded-marble plinth. Seems like a nice unit, but it has some power issues, so I can't give a review of it.

Realistic tables vary, depending on the maker, the year, and original price. The LAB 400was reviewed in serious stereo magazines in the day and was the top of the line. It is listed in 1979 in my Canadian price list at $279 (Cdn), which was as high as some of the more expensive name-brands. People think it was made by Hitachi.

Systemdek IIX. There was one here locally for $200 recently, so you can find them...mine was a bit more and I think I still got a great deal. Belt drive, suspended, all manual, sounds fantastic.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/fiebke/integratedamp.jpg

Luxman made some very nice turntables, both DD and BD, with wood plinths.
I have a PD-277, which is DD. Not very expensive used.

http://www.vintage-audio.com.ua/en/cat/311/1488.html

My PD-375 also has some wood in its plinth, looks like this:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/LUXMAN/PD375/PD375.html

I believe you can get a nice Denon DP-37F for less than your budget. Great TT, BTW

+1 for Denon. I have a DP-32F and I really like the sound of it. Fully automatic if you like that sort of thing. :thmbsp:

I can vouch for the Kenwood- it replaced my Rega! :music: Easily the best TT I've ever heard- modded out of course. ;-)

thanks for all the ideas, i really appreciate it. I had a Kenwood faux marble plinth in 1978 and really liked it, but now I lean towards the wood look.
Will definitely check out pretty much every one listed.
Thank you

I can vouch for the Kenwood- it replaced my Rega! :music: Easily the best TT I've ever heard- modded out of course. ;-)

Which model? Mine is a KD-3055.

Pioneer PL-71, it's very sexy and a very good deck.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/2526/plattenspielerpioneerpl71ahk7.jpg

Mine's the 2055. Is yours the Direct Drive version?

Thorens TD-160s have wood plinths and are quite nice.

Seconded. Here's one that went for $200 BIN on eBay a few months ago:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/goldwax/045.jpg

Mine's the 2055. Is yours the Direct Drive version?

Nope, belt. It's at least partially automatic, as it has a "repeat" button.

Nope, belt. It's at least partially automatic, as it has a "repeat" button.

Mine doesn't. :tears:

Systemdek IIX. There was one here locally for $200 recently, so you can find them...mine was a bit more and I think I still got a great deal. Belt drive, suspended, all manual, sounds fantastic.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/fiebke/integratedamp.jpg


*I second this one. Simple design, great performance, stunning looks, excellent sound. Easily found for $300 used.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q224/MuthaFunk/IMG_6183.jpg

There's always a Linn-Sondek....

*I second this one. Simple design, great performance, stunning looks, excellent sound. Easily found for $300 used.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q224/MuthaFunk/IMG_6183.jpg

I'm still jealous of the feet you have on yours. I need to get some of those, but in silver.

The Systemdek is really all I could ask for. Oh..and unlike a lot of the decks mentioned here, that's not veneer....

ended up grabbing a Kenwood KD 3055 - not audiophile, but same table I had in germany.....sort of fond of it.....

Best bang for your $. Get an Empire 208. Trust me, once all set up with a decent arm this will out perform all the TT's previously mentioned.

Andrew