huh?
Should you buy a NEW turntable today, what the market offers?
- Thread starter Fabiotek
- Start date
huh?
I think "bluesky" is giving very sound advice.
For example, I have a Technics SP-15 (professional quality 33/45/78 quartz-locked direct drive). It was free from the local radio station. After minor repairs, I built a DIY plinth and invested $500 in a Jelco tonearm.
There is not a single new turntable ($5,000 or less) on the market that I would trade my SP-15 for.
For performance and value, it's hard to beat high end vintage turntables.
"nicer sounding" :scratch2::scratch2::scratch2:
That certainly is subjective and debatable, isn't it?
I wouldn't kick a $5000 VPI out of the bed for eating crackers, but I have had the opportunity to hear both high end and mid end vintage. And I have heard the lower end entry level new.
A $5000 VPI sounds great, but $5000 is a lot of money and beyond most people's grasp. I personally have never spent that much on a unit. But I have heard some very nice sounding vintage rigs that I put far less than $300 into. Vintage rigs of excellent quality that sounded better than any sub $1000 new rig.
Vintage represents best value and excellent sound. There is nothing wrong with that choice at all. And if you are inclined to buy a big bucks table, you better be willing to spend same money on the rest of the signal path, and hope you are lucky enough to find best synergy on the first very spendy try.
A $5000 VPI sounds great, but $5000 is a lot of money and beyond most people's grasp. I personally have never spent that much on a unit. But I have heard some very nice sounding vintage rigs that I put far less than $300 into. Vintage rigs of excellent quality that sounded better than any sub $1000 new rig.
Vintage represents best value and excellent sound. There is nothing wrong with that choice at all. And if you are inclined to buy a big bucks table, you better be willing to spend same money on the rest of the signal path, and hope you are lucky enough to find best synergy on the first very spendy try.
Not an outratgeous assertion. There are companies hawking fancy plinths and great results with vintage decks. Even the pro pundits agree that some of these vintage decks outperform decks in the $10,000's.
Please! You forget these "vintage decks" would cost much, much more if available new. A vintage Thorens, for example, would be in the $5000 class or above, so that's what it should be compared with.
I can pick up an S Type Jaguar for $2000. That doesn't make a $10000 new Dacia a bad car nor a rip-off, they're simply not comparable.
I can pick up an S Type Jaguar for $2000. That doesn't make a $10000 new Dacia a bad car nor a rip-off, they're simply not comparable.
illini
The Past is Alive
Sorry for the confusion; that was my response to your original question.
charles 1973
Super Member
Pull the PL-512X out of storage!
Those Pioneer PL-512X tables are pretty decent. Properly operating with a good cartridge IMO you would need at least a Music Hall MMF 5.1se at $1,100 to notice much of a difference. I don't know if the Music Hall MMF 2.2 would offer enough of an Improvement to be worth your while, although they make fine Entry Level TT's for those who don't have one. Their may be are a few vintage players that will best your Pioneer's, but they won't be cheap or easy to find. The TT's you mentioned won't be an improvemet IMO, at best a move sideway's with a real posibilty of a step down.
I'm using a Nagoaka MP11 cartridge on my Pioneer TT and it sounds realy good. It's been replaced with the MP110 which I would highly recomend for $100. Their cartridges offer the perfect ballance between Detail and Musicality that bring out the best of both new and used LP's alike. They also have a very high quality Stylis.
Those Pioneer PL-512X tables are pretty decent. Properly operating with a good cartridge IMO you would need at least a Music Hall MMF 5.1se at $1,100 to notice much of a difference. I don't know if the Music Hall MMF 2.2 would offer enough of an Improvement to be worth your while, although they make fine Entry Level TT's for those who don't have one. Their may be are a few vintage players that will best your Pioneer's, but they won't be cheap or easy to find. The TT's you mentioned won't be an improvemet IMO, at best a move sideway's with a real posibilty of a step down.
I'm using a Nagoaka MP11 cartridge on my Pioneer TT and it sounds realy good. It's been replaced with the MP110 which I would highly recomend for $100. Their cartridges offer the perfect ballance between Detail and Musicality that bring out the best of both new and used LP's alike. They also have a very high quality Stylis.
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Bob_in_OKC
Addicted Member
Sometimes I like to send the thread's subscribers a little quip all in good fun and then delete it.
The OP asks, "Should you buy a NEW turntable...". I'd say you should buy one if that's what you like and it suits your budget.
I would send in a suggestion to AK to rename this forum the "Vintage Turntables" forum if it wasn't so redundant.
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MWalt
Super Member
I can't argue with that.
For the OP: If you want to discuss newer turntables, go post in the Modern Day Hi-Fi forum. I'm sure you will get a lot of help. In all reality , what you should buy is really dependent upon your budget. There are a lot of nice vintage units out there. The trick is to find one that is in top notch working condition. If you really want modern, I would advise you to look into new/used TT's for a bargain. I got a 2k TT for $800 that way and it performs far better than most vintage I have had or heard. Conversely, there are some vintage decks that have been hot-rodded, replinthed, etc. that can compete with some really big buck newer offerings. Of course, those can be quite costly in their own right.
I doubt that many if any have compared their "hot-rodded replinthed" with newer offerings, so they're unlikely to know whether their turntables are better or not.
There's also some budget decks with more than decent build quality, often better than vintage decks. I mean I have a TD 150, and the build quality is nothing to write home about. The arm especially was poor compared to modern offerings.
There's also some budget decks with more than decent build quality, often better than vintage decks. I mean I have a TD 150, and the build quality is nothing to write home about. The arm especially was poor compared to modern offerings.
Major Tom
Member
If I spent $2000 on a turntable I'd probably think it sounded better too.
Whereas, if I spent $2000 on a turntable, I would know it sounded better. Likely because I listened to every other table anywhere close to the price.
Dear Charles 1973,
Thank you for your suggestion (Nagoaka MP11 cartridge/MP110).
The valuable inputs of all the AK members writing in this thread made me decide to take out of the boxes the two PL-512X and I am currently looking for some spare parts on Ebay. Probably a good idea is to find and buy one TT PL-512X and to use it for spare parts.
To tell the truth, I still think to buy (perhaps just 1?) New TT... it would be anyway a good occasion to compare the new with the vintage, which I see is something being warmly discussed in this thread.
Thank you ALL and regards.
Thank you for your suggestion (Nagoaka MP11 cartridge/MP110).
The valuable inputs of all the AK members writing in this thread made me decide to take out of the boxes the two PL-512X and I am currently looking for some spare parts on Ebay. Probably a good idea is to find and buy one TT PL-512X and to use it for spare parts.
To tell the truth, I still think to buy (perhaps just 1?) New TT... it would be anyway a good occasion to compare the new with the vintage, which I see is something being warmly discussed in this thread.
Thank you ALL and regards.
charles 1973
Super Member
I was under the impression that your PL-512X was in good operating condition. If if fact it needs some service, and your still interested in a New TT, I'd suggest the Music Hall MMF 2.2 complete with cartridge for $450. From the reviews I've read it seems like a good value.
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91r100gs
Lunatic Member
Overall I'm very happy with mine.
charles 1973
Super Member
From what I understand Pro-ject has had, and still may have problems with motor Hum from what I've read ...that is unforgivable today in my book. Pioneer and most others got rid of it with there $80 turntables back in 1976. It may be fine with the right cartridge, still that's all I need to know to go to Music Hall or in it's absence Rega. Rega's RP1 is an outstanding player for a few bucks more than the pro-ject if you can't get the Music Hall.
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