New to forum and Vinyl

How about a budget?

A system can only be as good as its weakest link. Right now, you have a vintage system and I am going to assume that all is working at original factory spec.

So if your looking to upgrade, sorry but your recently acquired turntable should be the first to go. It was an extremely entry level TT that retailed at 140 bucks, has no adjustable tonearm and was designed with a simple P mount cartridge system. These TT’s were produced as the vinyl era was coming to a close with the advent of CD’s and were a low cost way to play whatever LP’s people still had lying around. Who knew that folks would rediscover vinyl.

I would get a proper TT - one that has a fully adjustable tonearm and that would accept standard 1/2" cartridges. Of which there a whole lot more to choose from than P-Mounts. If you want to stay with vintage, than look at the mid-late 70’s as TT’s were on the way out in the 80’s. But buying vintage has its pitfalls because the vast majority will need servicing. And if your not comfortable doing it yourself and have to take it to a shop, then you have exceeded its value. Like your current SL-BD10.

If your not comfortable repairing vintage yourself then consider any of the new entry level TT’s from Pro-ject or Rega or the new U-Turn Orbit. Good luck to you.

Paraneer,  Thanks for the advice.  I had a feeling the turntable was a bit low end.  I'm a bit of mechanic and a tinkerer so not afraid to get something vintage and adjust it.  That's half the fun of it all.   My budget for a TT would probably be 250-300 tops.  I feel I scored pretty good by having the Marantz 1060 Amp and BIC Venturi Formula 4 speakers gifted to me by a friend.  Suggestions on a TT/cartrige/needle in that price range would be great.  I really like the manual turntables.   If the sound quality is greatly increased by spending 500-600 on a TT, I'd consider it but really looking to keep the costs low.    

Hi Scott,

Congratulations on your newly re-kindled relationship with vinyl music reproduction. What a treat the be gifted a nice little vintage system. Are the Marantz and BIC's in good condition? Working properly? If so, you can probably focus on the TT for now. 

If you really want to stick to a $250-$300 budget, do a search here and on eBay and see what is available for that budget. You will find a few new TTs from Pro-Ject, U-Turn, Audio-Technica, Pioneer and maybe a Rega. They are all pretty good, but all will make different sacrifices to meet the price point. Maybe go take a look at what is available and get back to us with any questions about specific models. Reviews for most popular turntables can be found at AnalogPlanet.com.

Enjoy the journey.......

One other smart choice if you find a deal in your price range is the Technics SL1200mkII or later, the best selling tt ever. Known for robust motors, stable speed and solid build, they evolved into the most popular DJ tables although they weren't designed for that. There is a whole subculture of 1200 modders/restorers. 
theartofsound forum has a section called Techiepedia full of experienced tweakers that can help you kick it up a few notches over time at modest cost. With mods of ~$1k they can compete with many tables up to $5k cost. 
Since they are so plentiful, you never know when one will pop up at a garage sale, craigslist etc. for a couple hundred or so. Cheers,
Spencer