$700 to spend on a Turntable

ninetynine

Active Member
what is a good turntable for $700 dollars canadian including or not including a cart? I'm looking for something new anything out there other than the usual, Rega, NAD, Pro-Ject, Music Hall??
 
audiogon

theres a couple sweet Oracle's on audiogon as well as micro seiki's, check em out!
tyler
 
I do not know how much this cost but it looks interesting.
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You might want to check out the BIX turntable kit. They're a little more than your target price with the RB-250 tonearm but probably the equal of other new turntables costing a couple of hundred more.
 
That's what i was going to suggest; Brian Cherry at DIYhifisupply has got a good thing going.

The SME drz01 posted will be well over budget btw.
 
The Bix looked like a great deal, till I realized it was just the shipping charge that was $125. Get the Grippa and the good Shure and before you build it it costs a mere $1,430 to get it to your door.
 
music hall

a new MMF-7 can be had for around 800, stereophile recommended component... plus you could get it new with a warranty! pretty decent table with split plinths and all. also a VPI scout withuot the tonearm is 800, great table. just my opinion. i've had such bad luck with people shipping used TTs, i strongly recommend buying new or from someone on AK that really knows how to pack.
tyler
 
Thatch_Ear said:
The Bix looked like a great deal, till I realized it was just the shipping charge that was $125. Get the Grippa and the good Shure and before you build it it costs a mere $1,430 to get it to your door.
There are other dealers selling the table with the Rega tonearm for $765 including shipping. Skip the Grippa, throw on an AT440, M97XE, or OM20 Super and you'd have yourself a very nice TT for about $850. And down the road if you were so inclined you could always upgrade the arm with all the tweaks that are available for the RB250 and/or pop for a more expensive cartridge. Although the MMF-7 is a very nice table the Project arm probably isn't in the same league as the RB250 and there isn't much of an upgrade path for it aside from replacing the cartridge. Obviously a kit isn't for everybody but there isn't much more to building the BIX kit than there would be to setting up any other turntable after you take it out of the box. I don't own one myself, and I'm not trying to push it on anybody, it just seems like a pretty good deal to me if you are only looking for a new table. Of course you'll get a lot more bang for the buck buying a used table locally or from somebody you can trust to pack it right for shipment, but 99 specifically asked about new tables alternative to the Rega, NAD, Music Hall etc.
 
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The only other new TT in that price range I can think of would be one of the Goldring TTs . Omer at OZ will be getting them soon according to his homepage. I don't know the exact current pricing but they should be under C$800.00
 
I'd say get a new or gently used Technics SL-1200mkX or SL-1210mkX (X=2,3,4,5) and upgrade it with a KAB tone arm damper and sorbothane feet. This is something other than the usual belt-drive TTs and beats the Regas I've known in terms of build quality, ease of use and flexibility. Heck, produced since 1978, the SL-1200mk2 could even count as a 70s vintage TT. Check it out!

- Harald
 
harhau said:
I'd say get a new or gently used Technics SL-1200mkX or SL-1210mkX (X=2,3,4,5) and upgrade it with a KAB tone arm damper and sorbothane feet. This is something other than the usual belt-drive TTs and beats the Regas I've known in terms of build quality, ease of use and flexibility. Heck, produced since 1978, the SL-1200mk2 could even count as a 70s vintage TT. Check it out!

- Harald
That's what I have (the mk2), except for the feet (I live in a relatively vibration-free environment - and the speakers are in another room). Adding the tone arm damper was the magic touch. Overall build quality is impressive.

Bob
 
i've actually used a technics sl 1200 mk2 for a bit and I was impressed with its built quality it really looks and feels like the kind of table that could take a good beating and would still be working good as new. In terms of sound quality, would the rega surpass it even if the mk2 was used with a good cart?
 
used

look for a used Nottingham Horizon SE, much better technology than the rega TTs and Technics. i've owned several regas and after much experience have come to believe that i could build a better table and just buy their tonearm (which is very good). if youre considering the technics then you must consider a used Denon TOTL and Micro Seiki, both better and readily available on a'gon. good luck!
 
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