Help with a turntable

[CasualKiller]

Was thinking of treating myself to a turntable and some vinyl with my Christmas bonus this year and had a couple of questions:

Are there any decent turntables in the 5-600 range including cartridges etc?

With my setup in my sig would it even be worth the investment? I'm not sure how good a turntable would sound running through an Onkyo.

[TimLeduc]

watch ebay, they usually have some inexpensive set ups
look up: Rega planar 1, these units come ready to go and I think they can be had for 4-500 bucks.

[richteer]

With your proposed budget, a couple of suggestions come to mind. You can go for the Rega P1, the Pro-Ject Debut III, or one of the Music Hall turntables. I think they all come with cartridges, but you'll probably want to upgrade fairly soon.

You'll probably also need a phonostage. Parasound make one for $150 that seems to be pretty good for the money.

The above will only give you a slight hint as to what is available on vinyl, so you might find yourself with a bad case of upgradeitis! If you can stretch your budget a bit, better turntables are available (e.g., the Rega P3 24).

I wouldn't advise buying a turntable from eBay; who knows how knocked about the bearing is, or how worn the stylus is.

Have fun!

[ryoohki]

The popular choice is the Pro-Ject Debut III and i would consider getting a Phono Stage Pre Amp. I own a 3808ci AMP (with a phono In) and the Cambridge 640p at 160$US kill it eyes closed (the phono In)!...

[CasualKiller]

Thanks guys, might just go for that Pro-Ject table.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by CasualKiller

Thanks guys, might just go for that Pro-Ject table.

That's a good table!

[CasualKiller]

Anyone have links to a suitable phono stage pre amp? I really know nothing about tables and want to make sure I buy the right thing

[richteer]

Originally Posted by CasualKiller

Anyone have links to a suitable phono stage pre amp? I really know nothing about tables and want to make sure I buy the right thing

For $150, the Parasound Zphono is a good bet. More cash will get you better sound, but if you're aiming at something like the Pro-Ject Debut III, it's a good choice.

[CasualKiller]

Well one of the other things I discussed with my wife was my budget for this I guess you could say I've been "Authorized" for 1000.00 lmao.

So I was looking at a few of the step up Pro-ject tables but I'm still waiting for the dealer I found to respond with price quotes.

[Big Daddy]

If your budget is $1,000, then this is the turntable for you:
http://www.sumikoaudio.net/project/products/rm5.htm
http://www.musicdirect.com/product/80839

[CasualKiller]

1000.00 needs to cover the pre amp also

[richteer]

Originally Posted by CasualKiller

1000.00 needs to cover the pre amp also

... For now! ;-)

For your $1000 budget, I'd suggest the Rega P3-24. It comes with the (magnificent for the price) RB301 arm, and (I think) a modest Ortofon cartridge. You'll want to upgrade the latter as soon as funds permit.

I'd still recommend the Zphono phonostage, and later down the road, the TTPSU for the turntable.

[Cyorg]

When I was a DJ, I had a set of Technics 1200s... Incredible quality. Built for DJs, incredibly sturdy construction, and great sound... The cartridges that come with them are good, but I'd recommend a set of ortofon cartidges... They're a little pricey, but never skip.
Technics 1200
Ortofon cartiges

[kefrank]

For $1000, I'd get the following:

Pro-ject 1 Xpression III (comes w/ Ortofon 2M Red) - ~600
Pro-ject Speedbox II - ~$160
Cambridge Audio Azur 640p phono stage - ~180

[richteer]

Originally Posted by Cyorg

When I was a DJ, I had a set of Technics 1200s... Incredible quality. Built for DJs, incredibly sturdy construction, and great sound... The cartridges that come with them are good, but I'd recommend a set of ortofon cartidges... They're a little pricey, but never skip.

Respectfully, the Technics 1200 is not good from an audiophile perspective. DJing, yes, but not for sound quality. Ditto for the Stanton cartridges they're often partnered with.