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Decent Turntable


dblue

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Anyone have any suggestions for a decent turntable for under $200? I don't have a lot of vinyl (yet), and I'm looking for something to get started with. Thanks for any info.

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"May your mind be like water and mold to many things." -Bruce Lee

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Study the turntables available on Ebay, then ask the list about specific ones that catch your eye. You can get quite a decent TT at 200.00. IMHO, 200.00 on a TT in a good system will provide you more enjoyment than anything else near the price.

Dave

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dblue,

If you can stretch your budget a bit, for $300 you can get a decent, NEW turtable with NEW cartridge already installed, from either Pro-ject(1.2) or Music Hall(MMF-2.1). This relieves you of possible repair and worn parts problems, and provides you with a warranty. You may even be able to beat the $300 price on these two models by searching internet retailers. I'm not saying you can't find a table on ebay for $200 or less, but by the time you purchase a new cartidge or make needed repairs, you may be close to the $300 price anyway. There are many who will disagree with the "new" approach, but these entry level belt driven tables perform equal to, or significatnly better than some of the used medium to high end tables of yesteryear. I also would advise, generally speaking, belt driven tables would be the more desirable candidates if looking for used tables.

Klipsch out.

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I suggest you hit your local yard sales, Salvation army and Pawn shops. You can score some descent equipment at these places. Its really not neccesary to buy a new turn table there are tons of them collecting dust all over the country. I have 3 now and 2 of those I have less then $35 bucks in them !!! I personally think most of the sound is in the stylus/needle combo any way. I have belt drives and direct drives. I never hear motor noise out of either.

Craig

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HH Scott 299 Amp

HH Scott LT-110B Tuner

HH Scott P-87 Turn Table

JVC JL-F50 Turn Table

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If you could spring the extra $$$, I'd do what jazman or Keith suggested. Otherwise try to find something locally, I've heard horror stories of buyers getting a box of junk because the TT wasn't packed properly. Hell, I could NEVER repack mine like it came in the factory box. If you lived close, I'd give you an old Garrard sitting out in my garage. Good luck.

Mark

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Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.0

Phono Preamp - Parasound PPH-100

Receiver - H/K AVR-210

DVD - Sony DVP-S360

TV - RCA 31"

Mains - KLF-20

Center - KLF-C7

Surrounds - Optimus Pro LX-10

Sub - Yamaha YST-SW160

Reinforcement - JBL 4638

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dblue

NOS440 may be handier than most putting an old turntable back in working order, many are not, or even know when it's not working properly. Used direct drive tables can be problems waiting to happen. Maybe he can't hear the difference between belt drive and direct drive, but there is a difference. A warranty is a good thing. "New" generally means it's going to perform for years without the need for parts or service, but if service is needed, that's where the warranty come's in. This is important to some people, for others it's not. There was an old TV coffee commercial with the theme ..... "you get what you pay for". If you're willing to spend $200 for a TT, you want something decent. For a few buck more you get everything with no worries. BTW, proper new cartridge installation and arm alignment is almost worth it alone. I'm sure Craig disagrees here also, but good fortune with whatever path you choose. If you decide to buy used, visit this link for some ideas.

Buying turntables

Klipsch out

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dblue,

I would go for a used turntable.A Rega planner 3 with rb300 tonearm or a Thorens td160 or td150.

The Thorens tt's can be found quite cheap and they have excellent quality,are very reliable and sound superb.The only thing that they might need is a new belt.

Their sound is much better than anything else costing less than 750$.

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You may find the following site educational even if you don't buy from them or have them service your TT: http://www.theturntablefactory.com (sales & service).

I bought a new Grado Red cartrige (~$50) from them for my Denon Direct Drive DP-790 which I bought at the neighborhood garage sale for $3.00. It looks and works great!!!! and the owner was glad to get get rid of the old dinosaur which is big and doesn't play CD's :-)

I also bought a Bang & Olefsen Beogram 3000 (the museum piece from the 70's) on ebay for about $110 with Sure cartridge and it works great,too. I've always loved the B&O TT look.

If buying a used TT you probably should assume that you'll need a new cartridge unless the seller has specified it comes with a new/slightly used one. Feedback ratings help with trust.

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  • 12 years later...

 

For $200 these days I'd check out Uturn Audio Orbit Models.  Start at  $179 including cartridge and dust cover.  Made with love in Boston MA.

I doubt the OP was waiting 13 years for an answer :D

 

You never know......seems like there's been a few really old threads pulled out lately...

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For $200 these days I'd check out Uturn Audio Orbit Models.  Start at  $179 including cartridge and dust cover.  Made with love in Boston MA.

I doubt the OP was waiting 13 years for an answer :D

 

LOL....to funny....

 

but in that price range you can find a nice vintage Thorens TD 145 mkII to TD 160 mkII, or for a new model the Rega RP1 is a sweet entry level player.

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