Great starter vintage TT

[CK one]

Opinions on a good starter TT. Looking at specs and prices of available stuff, seems like the Sanyo Plus Q25 is kind of a sleeper. Anyone know of any others that have equivalent specs at that price?

 

[daveshel]

Spend as much on the cartridge as the turntable. It's got the harder job.

 

[Tonoje]

There's no fixed price for vintage equipment, and it's also unclear (to me at least) which country you're in. Affordable in one country can be expensive or hard to find in another. Best to reveal your preferred budget, but also be prepared to raise it.

 

[CK one]

There's no fixed price for vintage equipment, and it's also unclear (to me at least) which country you're in. Affordable in one country can be expensive or hard to find in another. Best to reveal your preferred budget, but also be prepared to raise it.

In the US and trying to stay under $350. The Q 25 is generally well under that price but seems to have better specs than most in that range in that era.

 

[mrwood200]

In the US and trying to stay under $350. The Q 25 is generally well under that price but seems to have better specs than most in that range in that era.

$350 total w/cartridge? If yes, consider saving some $$ for cartridge, record brush & LP.
I am not familiar with this TT. But 'quartz PLL direct drive, semi-automatic turntable', should be fine. I like quartz DD, but would prefer to shop around.
How about give us some package deal options? I like a Technics/AT combo in this price range!

 

[sound hound]

Welcome to Audiokarma! Just make sure that the counterweight is removed from the tonearm in transit, even if local. Sanyo, especially, has a potential issue with a drooping counterweight because of the rubber connector/isolator on the counterweight stem.

 

[Tonoje]

The Q 25 is generally well under that price but seems to have better specs than most in that range in that era.

Looking at specs alone can be tricky with vintage equipment because the model itself may be prone to certain age-related problems. It's always worth finding out what some typical failure patterns are for a given model, and how easy they would be to repair. This can be the reason why some vintage models are generally preferred over others: easy repair, or ideally no repair, is important, as is availability of parts if something does go wrong. 1965 idler drives? Still going strong.

$350 almost buys you a new Audio Technica AT-LP120XUSB. I don't know much (anything really) about your Sanyo, but glancing at a photo, I'd take the AT, which is quite well regarded and considered a reliable option, over the Sanyo. Then again, there are many vintage models I'd take over the AT every time. But my market is not your market, so the prices I expect may not work for you.

 

[Beobloke]

Pioneer PL-12D.

It really doesn't do anything wrong.

 

[malden]

Opinions on a good starter TT.

Any manual or semi-automatic turntable from the 1970's. The Sanyo looks like a nice turntable, I would definitely consider it.

If you can, buy locally. You simply cannot count on an ebay flipper to take the time and effort it requires to pack a turntable properly.

 

[bikspk]

There's no fixed price for vintage equipment, and it's also unclear (to me at least) which country you're in. Affordable in one country can be expensive or hard to find in another. Best to reveal your preferred budget, but also be prepared to raise it.

I second that .... there are many nice vintage turntables out there but "your experience may vary".

A lot depends on what level of work you are prepared to put into the turntable. I just picked up a Technics SL-7 for about nothing but it needs a new tonearm drive belt and the drive motor pully has come loose from the shaft - else speed is dead on and it came with a rockin' cartridge/stylus. I got a couple of SL-2000's but one channel was dead and I had to replace the shielded line where it had gotten pinched in the strain relief.

You should be able to get an entry-level vintage table (sans cartridge/stylus) from someone who has restored it properly for $150 while a new AT elliptical cart/stylus/headshell will run you about $75 while you can upgrade to a microline for more $$.

The law of diminishing returns is applicable. Going from a $150 to a $300 setup is a big jump in quality but $300 to $600 is less noticeable.

Heck, a new lightweight plastic entry-level turntable from AT seems to have crept up to near $200 and I think they come with a conical stylus so ...

Good luck.

 

[bikspk]

If you can, buy locally. You simply cannot count on an ebay flipper to take the time and effort it requires to pack a turntable properly.

Indeed, fun to epoxy the tonearm on an Onkyo back together where the counterweight snapped it off during transit.

Or the stylus was toast because the shipper didn't secure the tonearm properly and it skidded all over the place.

Or the cover was cracked .... or the actual platter came loose and rattled around.

If you do buy online packing is key.

 

[pauldrewry]

Why vintage? U-Turn table $250 with cart

 

[Dave_in_Va.]

This is just me, but if I was looking in that price range and it had to be "vintage" I'd definitely stay away from ones with automatic anything.
All those tiny little (no longer available) parts weren't designed to last 40 -50 years, especially on entry level tables.
(Unless you're a tech type looking for a project.)

 

[melofelo]

Pioneer PL-12D & AT-95E cartridge.
You don't need a more expensive cartridge than this for a first turntable and there is an upgrade stylus available for a modest future upgrade.
The original elliptical is a good sounding stylus as it is.
Spend time learning how to align it properly and spend whats left on records.