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I suggest you search hifishark.com. turntable price range 400 min 1200 max. always look above your budget, just to know, for +$200. I could have .... then see what fits or surprisingly below budget. over: NOS Micro-Seiki, asking 1,200. make offer included cartridge
over:Near Bethel, CT, local pickup, Kenwood, Shure V15mr
over: I have one of these, Vertical, Linear Tracking, this one's full refurb
below: Horizontal Version, just helped my friend buy one of these
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Are you new to analog? If you are, I strongly suggest you buy new so you will have dealer support for questions. Personally I like the Music Hall 5.3. $1200 all set up with cartridge and dust cover. You can get it from crutchfield and you can always call them with questions. I had the older 5.1 and it was very good for the money. Do you need a phono preamp too? |
As good as the previous posts are I must agree with @chayro on this if you are new to vinyl playback. Setup is essential and a dealer can help with that or at least check it out of the box. If you are familiar with setup, then everyone here has goven good advice. |
I'll second and third the Music Hall mmf 5.3 tables as long as you don't think you will be buying a lot of the 45 RPM releases as it requires lifting off the platter and moving the belt. Not difficult but somewhat inconvienient. They also come fitted with a nice Ortofon cartridge. Roy Hall will in many cases respond personally to questions. I had the original mmf 5 for about 15 years without a single issue. It was a great table. The entry level Technics tables would be a good choice also.
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A lot of good advice given here. Aside from good recommendations from others, I would look into local dealers who sell audio but have a strong repair staff. Many of these local dealers have knowledgeable people who can also order from companies selling new or used stuff. And it can be serviced locally. Adventure into vinyl is a trip worth taking. Good Luck in yours.
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I think this will be a better choice for you at $1350. Given that this is factory refurbished but from a good dealer. It is a good table made by ClearAudio and comes with a very good ClearAudio Virtuoso Wood Ebony MM cartridge. Cartridge alone retails for about $1000. For a new table, you can also consider the MoFi StudioDeck Foundation for $1199 from the same dealer. |
I got back into vinyl three years ago with aRega P3. Here is one for under your budget but most new are about $1,400. Besides being a great sounding table with many great reviews it's an easy set up. I'm using a Rega preamp, about $400 I think.
https://www.worldwidestereo.com/products/rega-planar-3-turntable |
For a TT I'd actually stay away from used unless you're getting a demo or open box from a dealer. Buy something new from a company that does that price point well. Personally, I'd go with a Pro-ject debut carbon evo or X1 in that range. They're a good starting spot around 1k and have some upgrade options. They come all set up so you basically drop thr platter on and play. Come with a solid cartridge and upgraded tonearm. Not sure what the rest of your system is but make sure you have a phono stage. If not, spend 100 on a Mani from Schitt or a phono box from pro-ject to start. |
You used to be able to buy a music hall mmf-7.3 for about 1400 bucks in black with cartridge....now you will pay 2k....I’ll fourth the music hall mmf-5.3. The design has been out there for a long time and it’s a great table for the money, except for lack of button operated speed change as mentioned. For direct drive, I’d say the technics mk7....however, you will need to buy and install a cartridge. There is also a much cheaper alternative to both, in the music hall classic turntable. It has a nice wood plinth, a uni pivot tonearm, Auto lift end of side, switchable built in preamp, electronic speed control, and a decent installed and Aligned cartridge on a removable headshell. It was $599, not sure what it is now...it often goes on sale....it is pretty astonishing what you get for that kind of money in the music hall the classic turntable. Then you will have a bunch of cash left to buy some records! |
I’m assuming your $1200 budget includes cartridge. I would consider it wise to get the best possible TT, and then get the best possible cartridge without going overboard. In other words, don’t put a souped-up engine in a Ford Pinto. You could install (and would have to learn how to optimally calibrate/align) say, an Ortofon Bronze cartridge on that bad boy, and, with tax, be around $1100. You could opt for the Ortofon Blue and be around $900. I’m only suggesting Ortofon cartridges because they seem like good bang-for-the-buck cartridges. On an old TT, I had a low-end 2m Red which, back then, retailed for about $100. Surprisingly good cartridge. Other posters here, I wouldn’t doubt, may have better suggestions for cartridges in, say, the $200-$500 price range.
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VPI Cliffwood or Player - entry level VPI tables, both with cartridge pre-installed. The Player lists at $2000 (over your budget, but does also have a built in phono preamp and headphone jack). The Cliffwood is $1500, but you'll most likely need a phono preamp...Musical Fidelity V90-lps at around $300 is a really good entry level phono stage that supports both MM & MC. |
I'd look at a Technics sl1200C ($1200 with a decent Ortofon 2M Red cart). It has a built-in phono pre, but for an additional $129 you could get a Schitt Mani and that should keep you going for a while. |
I have a music hall MMF-7 with Goldring Eroica H MC cartridge installed. Spent most of its life in its original box. Enjoying it now but thinking about a VPI Prime. Would sell for much less than your budget. Pretty sure this isn’t the forum so will save details in the event you want them. Regardless, many good suggestions above. |
I'm going to go back even further and suggest a Dual 701 semi-automatic turntable (it lifts at the end of play). Duals are very tricky to service and their are not many folks who can do so with expertise these days, so that is a fallback. But if the unit works well, it cannot be beat. Best direct drive unit of its day (075); best arm of its day dampened resonance and spring driven in balance, accurate anti-skate. Heavy duty dynamically balanced platters. Second best is a 704, which has a slightly lower-spec Pabst motor but an advustable VTA added. You can pick up a 701 for $400-500 and a 704 for $280-380, which leaves plenty of room for a cartridge. You can easily mate it with a quality MM cartridge and come in under your dollar threshold. |
From your initial post it sounds like you just want to spin some records on a turntable and not get ripped off. Then all suggestions are good buy new from dealer. If you want quality sound Analog is a pain and you usually get what you pay for. I recommend you split your budget 30% between Cartridge, Phono Preamp, and Turntable. Remaining 10% for accessories like record cleaner, digital VTF gage and stylus cleaner. Buy everything used and learn Analog setup. You can get good sound at that price point. You need to get involved and learn what Analog is about. Some say no free rides in Analog and cost is 3 time as much as digital and is not worth the hassle unless done right. I went with the Music Hall MM7 for $650 and built my system from there. I'm at $1600 with all above a motor speed controller. Most stuff bought used.
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