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Turntable Recommendations For A Newbie?

S

Syndicat

New Member
I'm not very familiar with turntables and would like some suggestions and or guidance from the community to help me out towards which brand would be good for purchase.

I have been going through some Crosley's, Technics, Akai, and a whole other bunch and honestly I really can't decide. Any suggestion from you guys would be greatly appreciated. And feel free to list some stuff from ebay or amazon, most likely I will be buying my turntable from there.
 
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You'll probably hear a lot of this:

Don't buy anything with a USB output.
Vintage is better than new for the price range you're probably looking at.
Check thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc) for vintage stuff first. Almost always cheaper than ebay and amazon.

And honestly, it's all true.
 
waynec said:
You'll probably hear a lot of this:

Don't buy anything with a USB output.
Vintage is better than new for the price range you're probably looking at.
Check thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc) for vintage stuff first. Almost always cheaper than ebay and amazon.

And honestly, it's all true.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion waynec, but honestly in my area its pretty rare to find anything good coming out of the thrift store. Still worth giving it a shot though, it might just be there.

I'm also curious about technics. Which model would you recommend?
 
There should be some worthy turn table on your local Craigslist.

Some of the members may take a look and make recommendations.

Have you decided on a budget for the turn table?

What is your approximate location? :scratch2:
 
If I had it to do over, I would probably look for a 70's Technics direct drive. I have an SL-5210 I bought for 80 bucks. Can't beat it at that price.
 
Balifly said:
There should be some worthy turn table on your local Craigslist.

Some of the members may take a look and make recommendations.

Have you decided on a budget for the turn table?

What is your approximate location? :scratch2:
Click to expand...
Have never given Craigslist a try yet. Also, I'm willing to cash out approximately $100-200 for a turntable.

I live in Toronto, Canada, so I guess shipping might cost a ton if I was buying from the U.S.
 
DCrews said:
If I had it to do over, I would probably look for a 70's Technics direct drive. I have an SL-5210 I bought for 80 bucks. Can't beat it at that price.
Click to expand...

So far, I have my eyes on the Technics SL-QD3. It was listed on ebay for $98.00. Not exactly sure if it's a good deal.
 
The GTA market always has several decent buys on 70s turntables at any given time. Your price range is bang on for something in great condition. Look for one that has been refurbished: new belt, new entry-level cartridge/stylus as well as lubrication. Many of the CAM members do this on their own.
 
The Project Debut Carbon would be a nice starter turntable. It's somewhat affordable with audiophile sound. My friend who was big into cd's just got one and loves his. Got him back into vinyl.
 
Try the Dual mechanic at fixmydual.com. If they sell out of the shop, you may get a decent table all set to go. I don't know where they are exactly.
My $.02
 
Avoid Crosley like the plague, along with anything USB. Mostly cheap junk....

Most Technics direct drive are decent. Some are better than others but too many to list. Pioneer made some nice tables too along with Dual, Denon, Sansui, Kenwood, etc...

Better turntables are heavy so if you find something local and it's heavy there's a good chance it's a good one. As long as it's working ok :D

If it weighs like 2 pounds avoid it...

When you find something just google the model number and you'll find plenty of info and post the model here too.
 
Syndicat said:
Thanks for the suggestion waynec, but honestly in my area its pretty rare to find anything good coming out of the thrift store. Still worth giving it a shot though, it might just be there.

I'm also curious about technics. Which model would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Well, I have a Technics SL-QD33 that I absolutely love. Everybody always raves about the SL-1200, but good luck finding one of those for a decent price. I would agree that just about any of the direct drive Technics would be a good start.
 
krowmagnum said:
... Most Technics direct drive are decent. Some are better than others but too many to list. ...
Click to expand...

Most of the Technics belt-drives were good, too. These tend to fly below the radar because Technics built its reputation on its direct-drives and used belt drive on the less expensive models in its product line. A 1970s Technics belt-drive turntable in good shape would be worth looking into and would probably cost the OP less than a comparable direct-drive.
 
McBru6177 said:
The GTA market always has several decent buys on 70s turntables at any given time. Your price range is bang on for something in great condition. Look for one that has been refurbished: new belt, new entry-level cartridge/stylus as well as lubrication. Many of the CAM members do this on their own.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input McBru, will keep this in mind as I buy.
 
krowmagnum said:
Avoid Crosley like the plague, along with anything USB. Mostly cheap junk....

Most Technics direct drive are decent. Some are better than others but too many to list. Pioneer made some nice tables too along with Dual, Denon, Sansui, Kenwood, etc...

Better turntables are heavy so if you find something local and it's heavy there's a good chance it's a good one. As long as it's working ok :D

If it weighs like 2 pounds avoid it...

When you find something just google the model number and you'll find plenty of info and post the model here too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input magnum.

I actually found a listing of the Technics Quartz Direct Drive SL-5200 and Technics SL-B2. Which one do you think is better? The quartz is 85 bucks, was actually planning on getting it.
 
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