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Advice - What turntable should I buy ???

Finally looking to buy a turntable to complete my system and to allow me to resurrect some old vinyl and to selectively buy some new vinyl as needed. I am not an avid audiophile but know just about enough to be dangerous and am interested to receive feedback from experienced folks who can assist me narrowing my search. I am confused on what I actually need as I read references to turntable , cartridges, tone arm, power supplies etc..
I have total budget $1000-1500max for a used low hrs unit that is complete and ready to connect to my system. I sometimes see these threads used as an avenue to ding various makes and systems etc.. but please don't respond with negativity as I know what sound I enjoy and am keen to hear only positive advice on turntables to supplement my system which I know is not everybodies taste (I listed items only to indicate my type of preference). Majority listening will still reside with my CD and music dvd/blu-rays.
Oppo 105D universal player; Conrad Johnson MET-1 5.1 tube pre-amp (Teflon caps); C-J MET-150 5-channel hybrid tube amp, Cardas Hexlink/Quadlink RCA interconnects; Dali Helicon 400 fronts/300 rears/200 center. Many tks in advance of positive advice
mdempster

Showing 2 responses by lostbears

lostbears's avatar
lostbears
538 posts
 

I went through this a couple of years ago. You need a turntable/arm/cartridge combo and a phono preamp. The problem I had was if I bought either piece used I had no way to test it until I bought the other pieces. Further
I had concerns about buying a turntable and having it shipped. Even if it was set up properly before being shipped, would it still be after shipping? I finally decided to try and find a used turntable/arm locally. That way I could at least hear the table before I bought it an get a feel for the seller.

My other option was to by a pre setup entry level combo such as a VPI Traveler or Clearaudio concept. This way I could take my time learning all the ins and outs of setup. Plus I wouldn't have to buy any setup tools right away.

I lucked out and found a trade in turntable and arm combo I liked at a dealer. The dealer installed the cartridge and set everything up for me. This made things a lot easier.
lostbears's avatar
lostbears
538 posts
 


I seriously thought about the VPI Aries 3 when I was looking. I ended up buying a used Clearaudio Innovation Wood Compact with their Universal arm. This table has a magnetic bearing and an electronic speed control. The magnetic bearing is really nice. There is absolutely no friction. With the belt removed, a little push and the platter will spin almost forever.

One of the concerns I had about buying one of the entry level combo tables was, would I quickly out grow it. I didn't want to be looking for a new table in a year.

That was one of the things I really liked about the Clearaudio Innovation Wood. I wasn't going to out grown this table any time soon.
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