3 years later.....need help after divorce

Dumont

Active Member
OK, so I post very infrequently BUT this is the only audio forum I frequent so here goes.

I asked 3 years ago about getting into TTs (where did the time go?!). I bought a U-Turn shortly thereafter and sent it back. It was unimpressive to the newb (I'm 49 and grew up with TTs but it was my dad's B&O and I remember nothing about it) and seemed fussy and not great sounding. It was clearly the wrong time for me to learn and explore about TT after not using one since I was a kid.

Short story, after almost 30 years of marriage, wife left me and kids late last year. Details not important, amicable, but crushing.

Why mention that bit? I've now got the living room to myself and music is way more important to me than TV (the 42" plasma is in the corner for casual viewing and for the kids). I've got a great sounding NAD 356BEE (no phono stage though) paired with some Canton Ergo DC900s and a basic NAD CD player. So as I build new furniture and set this room up for regular listening, I'm also buying some vinyl (picked up a Dust to Digital set I'd like to actually listen too!).

I don't have a huge budget, same as last time or maybe a shade more, $300-400 would be comfortable. I'm also going to need a phono stage obviously.

So to be succinct I need buying advice. My preference would be vintage, as we're woodworkers and the 70's aesthetics and my moderately mid century living room would gel better BUT I'm not even close to buying form over function, looking for some direction. I was looking at a Realistic Lab-400 for vintage and briefly considered the AT-120 (just can't do it, just seems too DJ for me), another U-turn, or Fluance for new.

The truth is, I know nothing about TTs and just want to get started. I have no illusions about buying tons of vinyl, but I know I want some (I'd like to hear Sgt. Peppers in mono). Know nothing about MM, MC, headshells, tonearms, etc.

I'm willing to learn and to read but there is so much info it's too much!

Cheers.
 
I own a U-Turn Orbit for a couple of years now and love it, but Fluance just came out with their new reference line of turntables. If I were looking at $400 and under I would look at those machines because they seem to offer a lot of performance for price. Plenty of posters will offer advice about vintage machines as well.
 
My preference is for vintage. For your budget you should do ok, including a phono preamp.

I find it hard to suggest specific brands or models; there are so many and what you will come across locally is a random lottery. When you see something you are interested in lots of us will have opinions. The LAB-400 is, in my opinion, a very good choice but you might not see another for a very long time if it's not still available.
 
I generally avoid threads like this one, as there will be a near endless number of suggestions, arguments about new vs old, etc.

But as someone who has been repairing/restoring turntables as my retirement/hobby business for the last eight years, I can't stop myself.

With your budget, you can get a much better bang for you buck with an older table...something from the top half of the product line from Pioneer or Techics, from the mid 70s to early 80s (I would avoid later tables...many have heavy implementations of now impossible to replace IC devices), and with a direct drive design. Something like a Pioneer PL-518 or Technics SL-D2. They are simple, reliable, have good speed control, are quiet, and just about anything that might go wrong is usually easy to address..

Put on a nice older cartridge (I'm partial to Shure M75 or M91 variants, and good bodies can be found pretty cheap online). Then get a new Jico hyperelliptical stylus for it). Good sound, and with enough for a decent budget-level phono amp left over.

And most of the tables meeting the criteria above will be either semi-auto or auto....which I think most folks prefer. Oh, and the PL-518 is a great candidate for a nice wood veneer....easy to separate the mechanism from the plinth. Google "PL-518 veneer" and you will see lots of beautiful examples.

For the money, hard to beat.
 
A couple of months ago I bought a Pioneer PL 112D on ebay for $90 shipped, after a good cleanup and lube it runs great. An inexpensive phono preamp such as the Art DJ for about $50 and it will certainly get you started. So for about $150 it's a good price point to get started. I also have a much more expensive Rega P3 and Lounge phono preamp for comparison. Is the Pioneer/Art DJ as good? -no - but it makes really good music and for $150 bucks - really
 
I would be going to the used market for something like this

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details...-direct-drive-turntable-w-cartridge-stunning/

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or this

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details...able-harman-kardon-t55c-belt-grado-cartridge/

1393373-audiophile-turntable-harman-kardon-t55c-belt-grado-cartridge.jpg
 
I have an SL-D2 a LAB 500 and a dual 1219. The dual is by far the best sounding table I have. I got the dual for $45 and the others cost more.....I would pay waaaay more for the dual now that I know how much better it sounds. Keep a good eye out and good luck!!!
 
I have two tables, a B&O Beogram 3000 linear tracker and a Dual 1219. I prefer the B&O for its simplicity, look sand sound. Carts are expensive for it, but you should be able to pick one up reasonably with a cart. It will be vintage, look great in your MCM setting and be easy to use (can not play 78s though, the reason I am keeping the Dual for now). The B&O will require an adapter to go from the DIN connect to RCA, but they are easily found.
 
No affiliation, the "Rock" with a Stanton double EE cartridge and stylus. If considering having a table shipped due diligence communicating with the seller before purchase is a must. My last 6 tables were all purchased and shipped through eBay, all arrived intact. But if there had been any issues eBay's outstanding buyer protection policy would have covered me completely so absolutely no risk on the buyers part.

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If wondering how this looks in a setting with wood furniture etc.

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One word of warning, these tables are big so need a good amount of real estate, plus at 35lbs some good support.
 
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Mid century modern? I'd seriously consider something from Elac Miracord. I own a 10H and a 40A and both of them are built like tanks. They both sound great with Shure cartridges (M44 and M75 respectively). They both have been very reliable after a relube. Oh yeah, they stack records too if you are so inclined.

Here's a picture of my 10H. It's the best looking table I own IMHO. It plays with quality that has been described as "swagger" and I agree. Sure there is some rumble between tracks, but once the music starts forgettaboutit.

IMG_20190105_112632820.jpg
 
You may be able to find a dual with a banged up plinth for not a lot of money. Since you are a woodworker, it will be fairly easy to replace the plinth with something that looks right for you living room.
 
If a manual turntable is ok with you, Look for a Thorens TD-160, TD-165, or TD-145.
If it has to pick up at the end of the record automatically, look for a Dual CS-5000.
 
Sorinv said it before I saw this thread. A good condition Dual, or one needing a base, would work great. I have made a base for a 1245 and it was very easy. Mine looks like a granite block. I used a granite spray paint, grey with white and black flecks. Good look with the black and silver of the TT. As for a cart, a 680/681 EE/EEE, M91ED, 2000/III, V15II/III/IV.

I run a 680EE on my 1245 now, but I’ve run an M91 and an M97xE.
 
I would second spark1's post above and ad this:

Also consider the JVC QL5 and QL7 turntables. They are very robust JVC models that normally come in a black laminate covered particle core base. You can veneer over the black laminate or better yet, if you have the proper routing and shaping tools, you can build a new base out of something dense like maple or the MDF board used in building speakers and subwoofers. Then overlay it with the wood veneer of your choice. I have a JVC QL50 with a vintage Sumiko premier MMT arm running an Empire 500ID cart in my upstairs system and love it. (The QL50 is the armless version of the QL5) The only drawback to these and many other mass market turntables is that the dust covers are usually polystyrene and easily accumulate scratches and worse over the years. For a cartridge try one of the mid line Audio Technica cartridges or Ortofon Cartridges. Both companies are still producing cartridges and replacement styli are out there. Also, there is a whole world of great vintage carts out there if you can find one of the now obsolete OEM styli for them. IE: Empire, Shure, Pickering, Stanton, Azden, and others, but that discussion could take up a whole other thread. Grado is good, but some times it does not play well with older direct drive turntables due to a lack of hum shielding.
 
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Another vote for the AR. With your woodworking skills, you could build a nice base and have a great looking and sounding table for not a lot of coin.
 
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