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Less Than $500 turntable List..

jleon92f

jleon92f

Addicted Member
Hi Analog Fans,

As you may have read, I am moving up to something a little better. I have enjoyed All the turntables I think I can at this point.

I would like to see what the difference's are with the newer more expensive TT's are. my most expensive TT is my Thorens TD-166 MKII.

Which I have to service soon. I would like a NEW TT no more fixing to get it to work.

Thanks for any info given.:thmbsp:

John.:music:
 
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Technics SL-1200 series at just under $500, would be my top choice. It's direct-drive with excellent speed accuracy, built like a tank, and very user friendly.
 
cactuscowboy said:
Technics SL-1200 series at just under $500, would be my top choice. It's direct-drive with excellent speed accuracy, built like a tank, and very user friendly.
Click to expand...

Beat me to it. In that price range I suspect it will be (very) hard to beat. Rega P1 is under that mark. I think a P2 would be just over. Not sure. I think there are a couple of Music Hall decks in that price range too. To my mind, dollar for dollar, the Technics is a better deal than any of those. I'm sure there are others though.
 
I know you want new but a good Empire is well within the budget and trouble free. Also, a TD125 and possible TD126. No hassle, easy to maintain and way ahead of a new $500 table.
 
Everything I was going to suggest is listed, with the Techincs and Thorens being the top picks.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I did not even think about the Technics models, Hmmmm.. Something to look into.

I just did a check on the Thorens, oil and all, belts , etc.. I added a drop of oil to the well, the belt is still new.:D

It has the Grado Green on it now, sounds very nice, played some "Tina Brooks' Jazz.

Thanks guy's

John.:music:
 
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This question has been coming up a lot lately, and most people immediately recommend the Technics, and I counter by recommending one of the Music Hall or Pro-Ject models for their strong (read: good) tonearms and greater flexibility when choosing a cartridge. It depends on what you want, but the majority seem to think the Technics is hands down better than other brands' models in this price range, and I don't agree.

I don't know the current prices, but if you can afford a Rega P2 I would certainly recommend you consider that over the Technics.
 
Mr. Lin said:
I don't know the current prices, but if you can afford a Rega P2 I would certainly recommend you consider that over the Technics.
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You may well be right. Full disclosure- I have an SL 1200 and a friend of mine has a P2. His P2 was a PITA to get working again after several years in storage. Needed a belt, but the belt that came was the wrong size and it needed some kind of special Rega only lube for the bearing. On and on it went and I think he paid for the thing again getting it going. So my SL 1200 that did 20 years in an edit bay at a TV station then rode in the car with me from CA to CO, then got knocked off of a shelf about three feet off the gound that still works like a charm seemed the better deal to me. But the question was how best to spend money on a new table and I can't honestly say that I know the Technics sounds better than the Rega. I can tell you that I would pay to put the Rega arm on my SL 1200 before I would buy the Rega table though. It just feels cheep- like if you touch it wrong it might fall to bits... again.

Take care,

Ed
 
My recommendation is for the Technics. People have gotten the wrong idea about the SL-1200MK2 because so many DJ's use it. It is also a fine instrument for the home audio enthusiast. I have a non-top of the line SL-2000 that is 31 years old running a Grado Black cartridge. It is silent and the speed is rock solid. I would love to get my hands on the new SL-1200MK2, but my SL-2000 will have to go belly up first, and since I just oiled it, I think that may be a long way off. I did have an original SL-1200 and gave that to my son-in-law for his music class. It's still running fine for him. I have owned a good number number of Duals, 1209,1229.1249, 505-1 and an AR XB, but the Technics is, to me, the best of the bunch.
 
Fast_Eddie said:
You may well be right. Full disclosure- I have an SL 1200 and a friend of mine has a P2. His P2 was a PITA to get working again after several years in storage. Needed a belt, but the belt that came was the wrong size and it needed some kind of special Rega only lube for the bearing. On and on it went and I think he paid for the thing again getting it going. So my SL 1200 that did 20 years in an edit bay at a TV station then rode in the car with me from CA to CO, then got knocked off of a shelf about three feet off the gound that still works like a charm seemed the better deal to me. But the question was how best to spend money on a new table and I can't honestly say that I know the Technics sounds better than the Rega. I can tell you that I would pay to put the Rega arm on my SL 1200 before I would buy the Rega table though. It just feels cheep- like if you touch it wrong it might fall to bits... again.

Take care,

Ed
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They're not cheap, they're deliberately designed to be lite so there's less mass to absorb resonance. I doubt they'd be so revered if they weren't well-built.
 
I don't think there is any way to beat a 1200 TT with a $500 budget. I may be biased because I own one, but I researched this question very, very thoroughly before I bought one. I wound up ordering a bunch of KAB mods because my budget was a little larger than yours, but the base table is still a fantastic deal IMO. It can be easily upgraded a little at a time, or you can just be happy with it as-is. This turntable has greatly exceeded my expectations, and that does not happen very often. I have had enough fun buying used belt drive tables from the 70's. I have a stack of them. Rebuilding turntables just isn't really my thing. For those that enjoy doing that, there are still great values to be "created" from vintage tables. I'm done with that.

And, if the economy collapses and the world goes straight to hell, you can remove the platter from your Technics 1200 and mount a 50 cal. on that sucker. It could handle the recoil.:D
 
Mr. Lin said:
They're not cheap, they're deliberately designed to be lite so there's less mass to absorb resonance. I doubt they'd be so revered if they weren't well-built.
Click to expand...

Once again my effort to express that you are undoubtedly correct degenerated into my rant about how my gear is so much better than anyone elses. I have listened to records on my friends Rega (now that it's working) and I have to say it does, indeed, sound great. Never had the chance to hear it side by side with my SL 1200 to say which is better, however.

Take care,

Ed
 
Wait, as soon as I say that- isn't it a popular tweak with vintage tables to ADD mass to absorb resonance?*

Take care,

Ed

*Knows nothing about turntables. Should stop posting and read a book.
As Fred once said:
"I ain't no student, of ancient culture.
Before I talk, I should read a book.
But there's one thing I do know,
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia."
 
Technics is the clear winner in the value for dollar paid in the $500 or less range. You can spend extra to tweak either table, but I'd think the Technics would still be the winner.
 
Mr. Lin said:
This question has been coming up a lot lately, and most people immediately recommend the Technics, and I counter by recommending one of the Music Hall or Pro-Ject models for their strong (read: good) tonearms and greater flexibility when choosing a cartridge. It depends on what you want, but the majority seem to think the Technics is hands down better than other brands' models in this price range, and I don't agree.

I don't know the current prices, but if you can afford a Rega P2 I would certainly recommend you consider that over the Technics.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree with Mr. Lin on this one, I think the 1200 is a poor choice. First off I really dont care for the looks, its fugly. Secondly I really dont care for the arm, its just to much mass and well takes too much money to make it a good, and it has a limited cartridge base because of it, sure you can put just about any cart on it but it will be outside its compliance range, and therefore would not sound as good as it should. Take the shure m97, in the right tables with the right loading its said to sound great, but in my setup it just sounded boring, not terible but it just didn't have the right arm and/or loading.

I know many will say there are many carts that work well with it and such, and its easy to swap carts, but I would rather go for a vintage Thorens or AR I just think they sound better for the price.

Even for new I know many will knock them but the Rega P2's sound great, my uncle has one and I'm ruined every time I go there, my lowly table just cant compete. And the great thing about Rega's is they can be upgraded very easily.

Even as Mr. Lin has mentioned Pro-Ject tables, they just keep getting great reviews everywhere, great price and great arms!

I sometimes wonder if people around here are sponcered by Technics, the way they talk about them. I never really hear that much about people talking about them on other sites, but hey to each his own.

Also you could also go used, I know audiogon is a well reguared place to get used equipment that is almost new, and sometimes you can get some great deals if you check it regularly (no afilliation with that site by the way).

Anyway you choose I hope it gives you tons of vinyl enjoyment, because thats what its all about, great vinyl sound, which like most things is very subjective, Nick
 
I have to agree with the folks who are recommending Technics, but I have absolutely no complaints about my Rega P1. It fits nicely within the $500 limit and is the finest sounding turntable I've owned.
 
Trower said:
I would have to agree with Mr. Lin on this one, I think the 1200 is a poor choice. First off I really dont care for the looks, its fugly. Secondly I really dont care for the arm, its just to much mass and well takes too much money to make it a good, and it has a limited cartridge base because of it, sure you can put just about any cart on it but it will be outside its compliance range, and therefore would not sound as good as it should. Take the shure m97, in the right tables with the right loading its said to sound great, but in my setup it just sounded boring, not terible but it just didn't have the right arm and/or loading.

I know many will say there are many carts that work well with it and such, and its easy to swap carts, but I would rather go for a vintage Thorens or AR I just think they sound better for the price.

Even for new I know many will knock them but the Rega P2's sound great, my uncle has one and I'm ruined every time I go there, my lowly table just cant compete. And the great thing about Rega's is they can be upgraded very easily.

Even as Mr. Lin has mentioned Pro-Ject tables, they just keep getting great reviews everywhere, great price and great arms!

I sometimes wonder if people around here are sponcered by Technics, the way they talk about them. I never really hear that much about people talking about them on other sites, but hey to each his own.

Also you could also go used, I know audiogon is a well reguared place to get used equipment that is almost new, and sometimes you can get some great deals if you check it regularly (no afilliation with that site by the way).

Anyway you choose I hope it gives you tons of vinyl enjoyment, because thats what its all about, great vinyl sound, which like most things is very subjective, Nick
Click to expand...

DISCLAIMER: I'm not "sponcered by Technics".

My first experience with Technics turntables was a few years ago, when the local radio station gave me an old SP-15 that had been laying around unused for many years. After minor repairs, designing and fabricating a plinth, and mounting a new tonearm, I had a first class turntable, capable of playing anything from 100-year-old records to 16" transcription LPs. Not bad for a beat-to-hell-n-back deck that had seen constant use at a radio station for two decades.

Based on that positive experience, it was an easy decision to buy a new KAB Technics SL-1200MK5 about a year ago. Although I'd budgeted as much as $3-4K for a turntable, the Technics was by far and away the much better (and less expensive) choice when performance, features and benefits were compared against pricey belt drive turntables of limited capability.

Styling is very subjective of course, and you're entitled to your opinion. I've never had a problem with the looks of my Technics. In the course of operating my audio/video transfer service, the many customers who've seen it have never expressed anything but compliments.
 
Hey Leon,if you ever want to come by the west side of town,you can hear my new SL-1200mk5 and Grado Red combo and see if its to your liking.
Jimmy
 
John there is a new Music Hall MMF 5.1 with the more upscale MF 7 tonearm on fleabay right now. With a little luck it might just come in under the $500 mark and includes a very nice Goldring cart. I'd be considering a Pro-Ject deck as well. For the money they are tough to beat. Now if a few years old is cool, I'd expand my search to include the Linn Basik etc.

Mike
 
Trower said:
I would have to agree with Mr. Lin on this one, I think the 1200 is a poor choice. First off I really dont care for the looks, its fugly. Secondly I really dont care for the arm, its just to much mass and well takes too much money to make it a good, and it has a limited cartridge base because of it, sure you can put just about any cart on it but it will be outside its compliance range, and therefore would not sound as good as it should. Take the shure m97, in the right tables with the right loading its said to sound great, but in my setup it just sounded boring, not terible but it just didn't have the right arm and/or loading.

I know many will say there are many carts that work well with it and such, and its easy to swap carts, but I would rather go for a vintage Thorens or AR I just think they sound better for the price.

Even for new I know many will knock them but the Rega P2's sound great, my uncle has one and I'm ruined every time I go there, my lowly table just cant compete. And the great thing about Rega's is they can be upgraded very easily.

Even as Mr. Lin has mentioned Pro-Ject tables, they just keep getting great reviews everywhere, great price and great arms!

I sometimes wonder if people around here are sponcered by Technics, the way they talk about them. I never really hear that much about people talking about them on other sites, but hey to each his own.

Also you could also go used, I know audiogon is a well reguared place to get used equipment that is almost new, and sometimes you can get some great deals if you check it regularly (no afilliation with that site by the way).

Anyway you choose I hope it gives you tons of vinyl enjoyment, because thats what its all about, great vinyl sound, which like most things is very subjective, Nick
Click to expand...

I think it may be more that many of actually have the Technics and like it, rather than being "sponsored by" Technics. I've owned several tables prior, including a well maintained Thorens, and happily replaced it with the 1210 M5G.

As for the tonearm being "high mass", since when did an effective mass of 12g become high mass? 12g would put the Technics tonearm at the very low end of medium mass. In fact, Technics makes an optional additional counterweight for use with heavier cartridges.

You didn't like the Shure M97 in your set up? There are many who would agree with you, and many of them didn't mount it on a Technics.

The ONLY downfall of the stock 1200 arm that I would concur with is the wiring. However, this knock is not exclusive to to the Technics arm, as there are plenty of individuals would have rewired their Rega arms.

If you didn't like the sound of the table in your system, that's fine, and you'd not be alone. There are others like you who have heard it and preferred something else. However, I stand by my statement that a well set up 1200 is VERY hard to beat for the price. When some time is taken with set up and cartridge selection, the 1200 can be one of the best values in analog audio.

EDIT:

You may have already seen this on Kevin's web site, but but its worth posting here for those that have not. Here's KABUSA's take on the 1200's tonearm:

http://kabusa.com/myth3.htm
 
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