What is the best all around Vintage Turntable?

[Guest140]

I like my custom built Rega, it has a totally upgraded rb250 arm, ceramic bearings, acrylic platter, dc motor with ttpsu, heavy plinth in piano black, twin belts, Ortofon 2m blue and a smoked cover. I am in the process of making an improved plinth at the moment.

 

[Jbl Joe]

Still prefer my LP12

 

[Wolfman181]

This was fun getting to read everyone's different opinions. There are many different great decks mentioned here. I run a Marantz 6300 with a Ortofon red.

 

[Quadman2]

One that works most times without any gremlins in the works.

I like the upper Sony's..but I am biased.

Q

 

[MaxxVolume]

Over the years I`ve owned a half-dozen tables, my favorite is this Pioneer PL-71 (DD), with AudioTechnica AT14Sa cart.

 

[Scotty Colyn]

for me, my Kenwood KD 5100 DD with grado cartridge. Beautiful with the rosewood trim, and very smooth operation. And yes, this "Kenny" sounds great....

 

[Audiohound]

IHO..The best vintage turntables I have personal experience with are B&o 8002, Empire 698, and Technics SL150 MkII with either the Technics EPA-100, Jelco 750e, and the SME series III

 

[Jbl Joe]

Empire 698 great turntable. Shame what happened to companies like Empire, Rectilinear, Sansui etc

 

[fsdaron]

Like my Technics SL-Q3

 

[Roypercy]

I like my Sony PS-X70. Just does everything well. I haven't relly had the impulse to upgrade since I got it.

 

[Blue Shadow]

My dual 1219 was the thing back then. Still one of the best vintage tables cause it had the deluxe base (with storage) and dustcover with the ability to lift the front and top section without having to lift the entire cover to get in there and play a record. Nothing around could beat it, still state of the art, better than most anything ever made.

 

[r_brumett61]

A brand new fresh AR XA with a Shure type iv or Stanton 681EEE. Simple and oh so good.

 

[sanford12]

I like the heck out of my Empire 298

 

[Jbl Joe]

Empire made a fine product no doubt. I have a old Benjamin Elac Miracorm 50H MK II....stil sounds real nice with a Pickering XSV 3000. See the new ELAC table....garbage

 

[DCH]

So I've run a handful of vintage tables just purely as a user, at this point. I currently have a Pioneer PL-530 that I rebuilt, a Dual 1019 that Bill from FixMyDual rebuilt, and a Thorens TD-125 MkII with the standard Thorens arm (no SME) that I bought from a shop with an in-house restorer. I find myself rather happier with full-auto tables, but as it stands the Dual is my most-used table. Sounds amazing, and the restoration from Bill means that the auto functionality works like a dream.

The Thorens is probably the best-sounding of the 3. It's also the touchiest, so I have to watch for skipping.

The Pioneer is very, very nice; I'd love a 570, but the 530 has sounded great from the get-go (once it was actually, y'know, working).

All 3 sound way better than the JVC QL-F4 that I bought from a repair shop and sold back to the same shop a year later. Warbly at best. Not a happiness-creating table, it was weirdly exhausting to listen to.

In the meantime, I've also had a Garrard Type A Mk II that was OK. It needed restoring, so there was a ground-related buzzing, but it was overall OK. I also had a cheapie '80's JVC that sounded better than the QL-F4 and a new U-Turn Orbit Basic that was fine for the price. Not great, but fine.

So, of my own experience, I'd probably rank the "best" vintage turntables as:

#1 - Thorens TD-125 MkII

#2 - Dual 1019

#3 - Pioneer PL-530

#4 - JVC L-A100

#5 - Garrard Type-A Mk II

#6 - JVC QL-F4

 

[RumpyLover]

I quite enjoy my Empire 598 II outfitted with an Ortofon MC20 Super 25 year anniversary reissue.

 

[Gibsonian]

Obviously it's the Victor/JVC TT101.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I quite enjoy my Empire 598 II outfitted with an Ortofon MC20 Super 25 year anniversary reissue.

And I could live with an Empire 598 3 speed as an option, and enjoy it for life. I love how well built they are, and how nicely styled they are, and they're superb performers. For me, the best belt drives ever built. The sophisticated, silent giant. Always a class act.