My dad is "stealing" my turntable!

[blukibuken]

My dad (who's 62 years old now) recently rediscovered his old record collection and wants to get into vinyl once more. He's got all the components needed but only the turntable is missing...
Why? He gave it to me about 5 years ago and during that time I really fell in love with vinyl and have built up quite a collection.

So I'm going to give him back his turntable and buy a new one myself (always a bright side to every story ). The only problem is I really wouldn't know where to start when it comes to buying one. I have everything needed to hook it up (amplifier-wise) but just don't have the technical know-how when it comes to turntables.

I would be looking at a budget of about 300$-450$.

Any and all advice would be most welcome from you guys

[richteer]

Originally Posted by blukibuken

So I'm going to give him back his turntable and buy a new one myself (always a bright side to every story ). The only problem is I really wouldn't know where to start when it comes to buying one. I have everything needed to hook it up (amplifier-wise) but just don't have the technical know-how when it comes to turntables.

I would be looking at a budget of about 300$-450$.

I think the best option in your price range is the Pro-Ject Debut III, perhaps with a cartridge upgrade.

[dobyblue]

Rega made a number of turntables for Goldring, who are more known for their cartridges - they stopped making them because they were eating into their P1~P3 sales.

You can find good clearances on the turntables that are still remaining at dealers. A new GR-1.2, which is basically a Rega P1/2 platter/plinth with a Goldring Elektra cartridge upgrade and a Rega RB150 tonearm, can be had for US$349 - http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/clt....119&clout&3&4&

I got the GR-2 which is in between a Rega P2 and P3 with a 1012GX Goldring cartridge for CDN$575, which is around US$490 - it listed last year for closer to CDN$899.

Here's a few reviews of the 1 (now 1.2):
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/goldring/gr1.html
http://www.audiophileboutique.com/Goldring-GR1.pdf

You can also find good deals on Rega, MMF and Pro-Ject tables on Audiogon, usually with a few upgrades having already been made. If you upped your budget a little bit (I started with $100 budget, after chatting with richteer moved it up to $350, then jumped up to $600 when I finally landed one) you might be able to move up to the Pro-Ject Xpression for about 30% less than you'd pay at retail. It comes with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge which gets excellent reviews.

I have to say, having compared an $800 TT to a $400 one, it was worth the extra money. The Pro-Ject Xpression III is around $699 new and comes with a Sumiko Oyster cartridge already installed.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

If you upped your budget a little bit (I started with $100 budget, after chatting with richteer moved it up to $350, then jumped up to $600 when I finally landed one) you might be able to move up to the Pro-Ject Xpression for about 30% less than you'd pay at retail. It comes with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge which gets excellent reviews.

I have to say, having compared an $800 TT to a $400 one, it was worth the extra money. The Pro-Ject Xpression III is around $699 new and comes with a Sumiko Oyster cartridge already installed.

Heh, talking to me about hifi often does that to people's budget! :-)

I second your recommendation about moving up the ladder (natch!). That Xpression/Oyster combo looks particulalrly intersting.

[blukibuken]

Thanks for all the responses guys!