how much turntable will $100 buy me?

[ninetynine]

vintage tables will give you a more robust sound that the Stanton. But, for the money, if you're just want to spin tunes, the STR8's are fantastic. Might want to upgrade the cart though, and the cables. My 2 cents.

Doesn't the needle and cartridge make up the sound quality of the record and not the table itself? Still a newbie at this!

 

[gator]

I second the Pioneer PL-12D; a few years back, when I returned to vinyl I went through a half dozen or so mid-70's japanese tables (you know the ones with a wooden base & "S"-shaped tonearm) ie. Pioneer, Sony, Marantz and I found the Pioneer PL-12D to be the best sounding of them all (with the same cart)...and save the rest of your $100 for a new cartridge; another option would be a belt-drive Dual, especially a 501/601 or some of the 505 models - very dependable & decent sounding + easy to set up ...

 

[omer]

Doesn't the needle and cartridge make up the sound quality of the record and not the table itself?

The cartridge, arm, plinth, platter, everything works together to provide the overall sound of the table. It's like a marriage.

 

[jpciii]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was watching the PL-12 auctions from the seller suggested... I saw that vintage-youngin's dad bought from him recently for vintage-youngin's birthday. Sweet gift.

As for buying from AK members, well... I've been reealllyy happy with my dealings here. I don't think that I will be buying much audio from epay unless it is local. Its AK all the way for me :thmbsp:

As for my turntable situation...

My newer sony table that will be offered on ebay very soon is on the level of Emerson, Yorx, and the like. You can't even change the cart on it. It sucks donkey butt.

I picked up a Technics SL-QD35 for $2 at a local thrift. First audio find in about 9 months, btw, and it isn't even that great. It has a strobe and a light and came with a yellowed-with-age AT P-mount cart. That night I wen't to the only local audio shop. This place has mountains of overpriced vintage gear and a downright crazy owner. We call him "The Stereo Nazi" like the Soup Nazi from Sienfeld. Anyway, he actually was nice this time and sold me a new old stock Grado cart model XF-3E+. Grado website says to use a Grado-blue stylus when it comes time to replace it. I also bought a cheap record cleaning kit, like DiscWasher, with the velvet brush and solution. Got my cart home, set the tracking weight to 1.5 grams (the only adjustment allowed on this table) cleaned my vinyl for the first time and have been listening to it for about 4 days straight.Classical music sounds great on it. I'm pretty happy with the new setup, but it is clearly not the best. I sense a lack of deep bass and crisp highs, but it is tons better than the fisher price, I mean Sony. All told I spent about $80.00 for the table, cart, and cleaning kit. I would still like something better, but for now I've got the sweet sound of vinyl in my ears.

 

[omer]

jpciii, right on, those Tech tables aren't that bad, and very user friendly. At the very least, it's whet your appetite for an upgrade down the road.

 

[ninetynine]

I just bought a stanton str8-30 it was about $130. Its a direct drive table and the dots on the platter swerve to the right slightly and are not motionless just like my belt drive technics. Is this even normal with a direct drive??

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Isn't the pitch adjustable on that Stanton? The "dots" should appear to be motionless when the speed is set correctly.

Mike

 

[ninetynine]

the only way is with that little leaver where you go from -10 to - to +10 and still no luck. I've heard you can do something with a screwdriver on technics I don't know about the stanton...

 

[omer]

move the pitch level a LITTLE bit either to the + or the - side until the "dots" are stable.

 

[ninetynine]

here's a pic of what it looks like , i guess its normal then ....

 

[omer]

k, adjust slightly to the + side

 

[ninetynine]

No luck even when moving the shifter it just goes to the right like in the image or to the left.

 

[omer]

it should move to the left(slower) for - and right(faster) for +. If that still doesn't happen, call the place you bought it from to repair/replace it.

 

[ninetynine]

yeah I guess i'll end up doing that, but just out of curiosity I noticed under I under the turntable and there are 5 holes, three of them close to each other that each say 78, 33, 45 with a a curved arrow with a + and - sign. The other two holes say "D.D SPEED" with the same curved arrow showing the + and - signs. Is this probably a way of tunning it?

 

[omer]

sounds like it

 

[melofelo]

good buy..$100...or £50 ?

Pioneer PL 12D or try and stretch to a Rega P2 :thmbsp: ..both belt drive..both sound good for the money when in good condition and the cartridge is aligned & balanced properly.I've used both the decks and they sound nice and detailed when set up well..the rega p2 has the sonic 'edge' due to its better arm...and uses a good motor...dont be put off by its simple appearance...the money used to manufacture this deck went into the areas that count where sound quality is concerned...and the arm is an absolute gem
i'd avoid direct drives that were 'cheap' to begin with and anything 'plasticky' that needs a p-mount cartridge if your priority is sound quality..or you may well be left wondering what all the vinyl fuss is about :scratch2: