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Turntable Recommendations

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dehost00

New Member
Hello!
I already posted something like this on Steve Hoffman Forums and got many helpful responses, so here I am to get some more opinions.
I've outgrown my AT-LP60, which I've had for a year. I want to get something that can make my little audio system (and my vinyl collection) sing.
I have sort of narrowed my choices down to a Music Hall MMF-2.2, a U-turn Orbit Custom, and a Rega Planar 1. I'll be off to college in August, so ideally i'd not like to spend more than the planar 1. I'm using the phono pre-amp in my Pioneer SX-990, whose pre-outs are going into my Yamaha RX-V381. My speakers are Klipsch RF-62 II towers (pretty proud of those!). If anyone has any opinions to share on what I should do, I'd appreciate it greatly.
 
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I was looking at turntables in your price range. If I were you, I would remove the Uturn from the list as it was the shittiest piece of equipment I have ever bought.

If you dont mind the looks, get the Denon 300F. It was a notch above the Project Debut III, much better than the AKAI, way better than the Fluance and light years from the Uturn.

You should probably consider a vintage one. At the end I ended up getting a mint Denon DP-1200 for less than any of the above. I think you could do better.
 
Best bang for the bucks - 70s CEC-made belt drive tables. Sold under the Realistic, Marantz, Sanyo, Electra, etc, brand names, and also as CEC.
BD-2000 is a great manual that can still be got for cheap (scored one for $30). Just add dollar store plasticine to the inner platter, and in the plinth, and you have an excellent table.
IMO you have to get into the Thorens TD160 territory to start having really noticeable sonic improvements.
 
I'm a big fan of Technics turntables, especially their Direct Drive models. IMO, none of the new entry level stuff can touch them, performance wise. If I had to settle on one though, it would be the Uturn Orbit because their customer service is top notch and they are (mostly) made in the USA.
 
Soundork said:
I was looking at turntables in your price range. If I were you, I would remove the Uturn from the list as it was the shittiest piece of equipment I have ever bought.

If you dont mind the looks, get the Denon 300F. It was a notch above the Project Debut III, much better than the AKAI, way better than the Fluance and light years from the Uturn.

You should probably consider a vintage one. At the end I ended up getting a mint Denon DP-1200 for less than any of the above. I think you could do better.
Click to expand...
I've actually gotten to hear a 300F. The auto-return is a pretty nice feature. Part of me wants to avoid buying vintage because I dont want something that will break in a year, and I had a really bad experience with a Pioneer PL-A45D
 
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doctor fuse said:
Best bang for the bucks - 70s CEC-made belt drive tables. Sold under the Realistic, Marantz, Sanyo, Electra, etc, brand names, and also as CEC.
BD-2000 is a great manual that can still be got for cheap (scored one for $30). Just add dollar store plasticine to the inner platter, and in the plinth, and you have an excellent table.
IMO you have to get into the Thorens TD160 territory to start having really noticeable sonic improvements.
Click to expand...
I'll admit, that BD-2000 is kind of a looker. I should have mentioned this but I sort of want to stay away from buying vintage because of a bad experience, especially online.
 
Here's how reliable vintage decks are -- I sell refurbs (locally only) and I offer a lifetime warranty. Try to get that with something new.

The truth is that most vintage turntables don't "break." They just need some TLC and will outlast anything new once they're tuned up. But when buying vintage, you need a good nearby tech who knows their stuff. Where are you located?
 
bangsezmax said:
Here's how reliable vintage decks are -- I sell refurbs (locally only) and I offer a lifetime warranty. Try to get that with something new.

The truth is that most vintage turntables don't "break." They just need some TLC and will outlast anything new once they're tuned up. But when buying vintage, you need a good nearby tech who knows their stuff. Where are you located?
Click to expand...
I wish more sellers like you were around.
I live in Olathe, Kansas. Just outside Kansas City. The best I have around here is a place called Vinyl Renaissance. They're a rega dealer which is pretty cool but they also refurb vintage hi-fi. But they're the only place around so if they dont have it, I can't get my hands on it.
 
dehost00 said:
I've actually gotten to hear a 300F. The auto-return is a pretty nice feature. Part of me wants to avoid buying vintage because I dont want something that will break in a year, and I had a really bad experience with a Pioneer PL-A45D
Click to expand...

The thing is, if your brand new turntable breaks in a year, it's out of warranty already. A vintage one has already lasted 30 or 40 years or more so with a little TLC it could last a fair amount more. It's possibly less likely to fail than the new one.
 
Vintage is much more fun then these new built tables. Especially if you can see one with a nice cartridge. You are close to Des Moine Iowa. I drove my Dual down to Bill to have it tuned and repaired. Cost as much as new but it's better then I remember it. He has many tables in his shop. I would be surprised if he had none for sale. Give him a call and talk. Telephone: 515-240-4660
 
If you are taking your system to college with you, and hands other than your own will likely be playing with your equipment, I'd just take along the AT-LP60 and a few replacement styli. A friend of mine got one for his son and was pleasantly surprised by its sound. To save space and keep things clean and simple, I'd leave the Pioneer at home, too, and just use the AT-LP60's built-in phono stage. If your system is staying at home, or you are reasonably sure of its safety in your college living quarters, my preference would be for the Rega Planar 1.

I don't know anything about Vinyl Renaissance. Are they a dealer who can set up a good comparative demonstration to let you directly compare your current turntable with various options, or let you borrow floor samples so you can hear some options in your own system at home? If so, let them help you hear just what differences the different options can make. I owned the DP-300F, and it sounded fine, but the Rega should get better performances from your records. A friend of mine has been happily using the older P1 for over a decade, which he found to be an improvement over his MMF 2.1, and I'm still loving the RP3 I bought to replace the DP-300F.

https://www.whathifi.com/rega/planar-1/review
 
dehost00 said:
Hello!
I already posted something like this on Steve Hoffman Forums and got many helpful responses, so here I am to get some more opinions.
I've outgrown my AT-LP60, which I've had for a year. I want to get something that can make my little audio system (and my vinyl collection) sing.
I have sort of narrowed my choices down to a Music Hall MMF-2.2, a U-turn Orbit Custom, and a Rega Planar 1. I'll be off to college in August, so ideally i'd not like to spend more than the planar 1. I'm using the phono pre-amp in my Pioneer SX-990, whose pre-outs are going into my Yamaha RX-V381. My speakers are Klipsch RF-62 II towers (pretty proud of those!). If anyone has any opinions to share on what I should do, I'd appreciate it greatly.
Click to expand...
You interested in obtaining opinions or a turntable? o_O
 
If the OP is bringing a table to a college dorm he best have a BIG hands off sign on the dust cover. Real easy to wipe out a cartridge stylus or screw up the bearings in a tonearm when handled by an inexperienced and/or drunk user. As for the AT-LP60 it's a cheap throw away table that no one would cry over if it got trashed. The entry level and Hanpin tables listed are a waste of money, if you want something decent without breaking the bank you need to go vintage when they built tables to last, a good place to start is Craigslist where you can inspect/listen/local pickup.
 
You might join AK and check Barter Town. A Thorens TD150 or similar be more musical than a Rega Planar 1. I have owned both, and still have the Thorens.
 
I've been a new-equipment user and understand that the zeitgeist in these forums calls for obtaining used gear that we call "vintage", which is great and I get it, but I still prefer new. As counterpoint to other posts, I bought and still own several entry-level machines, including an Orbit, all of which have been excellent in their intended applications.

I don't personally agree that these turntables are "junk" or not worth buying, because that has not been my experience. I also don't believe that they will somehow, as if by magic, disintegrate in a few years while these "vintage" machines continue to march on. You'll also note that every single day there are plenty of posts in these forums from posters asking for help because their (often used) machines have gone on the fritz. Buying used in no way guarantees success in this hobby.

However, to each their own, and I cannot say that will never want to try an exquisite refurbished Audio Nirvana machine or an AR redone by Marc Morin, because I very well may, but I consider those to be very different from the garage-finds that tend to populate CL and which are not at all appealing to me.

For the OP, you should also be aware that many of the same posters reside here, Hoffman, Reddit and Audio Circle and you'll often get the same chorus singing to your posts no matter where you post them, especially when it comes to buying used versus new at the budget level. Maybe the chorus is right, but that doesn't mean they are right for your needs and preferences. As for me, I'm glad I didn't monkey around with a garage find, although I'm happy for those who go that route as well.
 
This is the point, new budget tables are mostly plastic, especially in the areas where you want it least, the tonearm base. For the price of new entry there are thousands of vintage tables that "will" not might outlast the new entry level deck.

As for "garage finds", never purchased a table from a garage.

Currently have a half dozen vintage decks, the oldest from 1970, all were purchased used, all worked flawlessly once properly setup from the start, all are still working flawlessly, the oldest 25yrs on now lol.

If you go into it buying a "garage find" for $15 then you get what you paid for, a basket case that needs refurbishment.

For the price of a new entry level deck just to name a couple, both under $350 and pristine.

Kenwood KD770D with Denon DL301 cartridge
Kenwood KD500 with Grace G707 arm and Grado Blue cartridge

My suggestion for dorm use would be an inexpensive (under $100) vintage Sony direct drive. Rugged little decks that will hold up to abuse with very little investment.
 
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majick47 said:
The entry level and Hanpin tables listed are a waste of money,
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:boring:
That's your opinion, which you so generously provide in every single thread where someone asks for advice. It doesn't make it true.

Even though they are my personal choice, not everyone wants a used vintage table. Some people are perfectly satisfied with and get a lot of service out of new entry level and/or Hanpin turntables. I actually owned a Hanpin made turntable until very recently. It was built in 2002 and still worked perfectly.:eek:

I do agree with one thing, though. For someone going off to college, I sure wouldn't suggest taking a turntable that they cared a lot about with them. Too many easy ways for it to be damaged.
 
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