Turntable recommendations (non-1200-R)
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
I'm looking for a new turntable for digitizing in my home office and just for shits and giggles, I didn't want to go with another Technics 1200. But, I also am not trying to throw down a crap load of $ and descend into audiophile hell. I'm wondering what vintage (i.e. something besides a Raga P3 or similar, new "entry level" audiophile TT) models people would ride for based on your experience? I'm ideally looking to spend less than $200 (anything more and I might as well just buy a 1200; at least I know they sound good). I know to check for Thorens and Duals (and specific models would be most welcome) but what about older Sonys, Yamahas, Denons, etc? What I'm ideally looking for too is something with a relatively small footprint/plinth. Thanks!
Comments
http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debut
Yeah - that and the Rega are the new models that are often suggested and I'm down to peep but given the cost, I'm still angling to go vintage instead. I appreciate the recommendation though.
I say this because manny stated that for "shits and giggles" he wasnt going to get a 1200, implying that the 1200 is the best possible option when getting a turntable. For the price of a new 1200, you could get a turntable that sounds a lot better, has less platter noise, etc....
Just wondering how the 1200 has been planted in so many folk's mind as the GOAT just because of the durability factor, which is really only a quality needed for DJing and hauling them around all over the damn place...
Discuss...
It has been suggested (in more than one article by audiophile magazines) that if any other TT manufacturer (Rega, Thorens, Pink Triangle etc) were to offer a model identical to a 1200 that the price point would be greatly increased over what the 1200 currently sells for. The fact that Panasonic can manufacture a 1200 in quantity is what keeps the price down, considering just how good the 1200 is.
Even though audiophile snobs turn their noses up at the mere mention of a 1200, the sound, build quality and vale for money cannot be beaten.
It just happens to be good for DJing too.
WHAT ABOUT PUTTING AUDIOPHILE ARMS AND HEADSHELLS ETC ON 1200'S THERE SEEMS TO BE A FEW HEADS ON AUDIO FORUMS DOING IT.Shit sorry for shouting caps lock was on
But the 1200 offers a familiarity and the confidence of decades of consistency. It works and you always know it will work and it's rare that any kind of product has such reliability.
And I too have read any number of audiophile articles that all say that the 1200 is a solid purchase for listening.
But...I don't need another DJ deck and therefore, I'd rather try something different for the first time in 17 years.
So Hookup: you mention all these "better turntables" but don't actually <i>mention</i> which ones I should be considering. Recommendations?
The main thing: I'm ideally looking for something with a smaller footprint than a 1200. And to be honest - I also want something that looks different from a 1200 too.
http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/49793/Pro-Ject-Debut_III-Turntables
plus you can get them in all kinds of colors, so you would definitely get the different looking aspect down...
Ive been actually thinking of getting one of these for digitizing myself, since for convience/logistic reasons, Ive been using a 1200 for digitizing and now that I listen to a lot more music on headphones, platter noise is really driving me batty...true, its not in the $200 range, but really the only thing in the $200 range that would be good, you would have to find a good used deal on an 80s-era turntable...
And yeah, the Pro-Ject gets high marks. There's one locally that might go for less than $150 (not sure how I feel about the Kermit green color though).
when you can hear the actual turning of the platter underneath the music, usually during quiet passages like on a jazz record...the negative space is filled with a type of rumble (perhaps I am wrong in calling it platter noise, Im not fluent in audiophile jargon, there might also be a technical term for rumble)...how the arm is set up has a lot to do with it, but also has to do with the motor/platter...
Get a 1200, get a kab rubber platter lock and the gel paddlewheel system and be done with it. No tonearm vibration, no spindle noise. Done deal.
Or you could pay 1000$ for a belt drive turntable with no pitch control.
Your
call.
All this to run it into a 12v 5532 gainstage..
Hahahaha
Thinking about getting into home production, and this looks like a cheap alternative. Could you elaborate? Paddlewheel system?
I learned alot and here's a few key points:
1) audiophiles are lying idiot douches with too much money to spend. The are like a religion. They deny science based on thier beliefs. Things such as "directional cables" prove this undoubtedly. They buy 10,000 speakers and claim to hea things better then the actuall studio engineer ho mixed it on 250$ ns10's. They make equipment that whitepapers beyond 20khz even though mo one an hear those frequencies, etc etc.
They have slandered the 1200 to justify thier own existence. To an "audiophile, it's just not possible that just any DJ could have a turntable as good as thier gear. They would rather take a dc motor, put a rubber band around it and rig it to another platter and so on and so forth when from a mechanical standpoint, the best way to do it is to put te platter on the motor (direct drive). And guess what audiophiles? The lathe that cut YOUR record is direct drive just like a 1200. Whether it's a studer or scully, the actual "master" was cut on, in essence, a 1200. So you need something better than that to listento a third generation copy of said master? Science says of course not, audiophile continue to buil the homer car.
2) from a strictly functional, mechanical standpoint, the 1200 is all you will ever need to replicate te exact process of said cutting, and therefor get the best sound without going beyond rationality.
A lathe has a direct drive (check) a platter lock, and a tonearm stabilizer. That means you need to get those aftermarket to act like a lathe. Kab USA sells a rubber platter lock, and a gel base paddlewheel system which in essence stabilizes the tonearm by dragging the paddlewheel in gel. Looks funny but does the job. Done deal. If you need more than that you need to reconsider the source. You could buid a turntable out of lasers and diamonds but it will never sound better than the machine that originally printed the waves on a lacquer. It's a done deal.
3) preamplifier - high dc rails, higher headroom, less distortion. Tubes aren't the answer fr sampling IMO, too soft on the transients. I have 100k worth of studio gear and start every song through my Radial J33 phono pre. Anything beyond that is getting a little, well, audiophiley.
how much would these modifications cost?
there's also a whole lt more you can do including beautiful sodden drop in.
http://www.kabusa.com/m1200.htm
Like I said - I got nothing at all against the 1200. I just feel like trying out something different and it doesn't have to be crazy audiophiled out (so long as it doesn't sound like shit).
KAB platter lock is a definitely go though, regardless.
IMO, i would get a used 1200, trick it out, and spend the left over money on a dedicated phono pre.
Just remember that trying something different from the accepted standard means that you will most likely take an L.
I learned this when i DIDN't buy an RC10 back in the day and bought something else (real rc car heads ktd)
b/w
I would think most TTs would suffice as long as your set up is good imho.
Not really. There's not many threads inquiring about TTs besides the 1200 and this isn't really a digitizing question either so it doesn't belong in that thread.
After hours and hours of internet opinions and reviews, the clear winner for the sub-$1000 TT was... yup, a 1200.
So I opted for the M5G which has better wiring in the tonearm than the standard MK2. It also had digital lock for the pitch. I bought a KAB rubber lock, a Shure M97x headshell and haven't looked back since.
so here, i digitized let my people go by darondo.....a record i believe most the strut collective own.
goes likes this record -> QBert OM Cartridge -> Numark TTX-1 s/pdif -> emu-0404 PCI card -> hard drive
minimal amount of components and the rarely used optical in/out
DivShare File - let my people go.wav