Not much talk about Yamaha turntables.

There you go, i think they are great Direct Drive turntables from the past and highly regarded today, worth the investment for sure.

Yamaha GT2000L is cute, not sure about Yamaha tonearm.


Anyway, i think there are better Direct Drive turntables in the same price like Denon PD-80 for example. 

I can't remember exact price, but i think under $2k or less of you're lucky

@lewm Russian second hand market flooded with vintage Yamaha GT2000 turntables just like in Tokyo. Not "x" version. The black GT2000 is not so expensive, as i said under $2k.

I have no idea about new Yamaha turntables or anything new from this brand.

The main problem is that the integrated tonearms for these decks were designed for very high compliance cartridges that were all the rage on Japanese consumer decks in the late 70s/early 80s. This greatly limits the availability of cartridges that will work well on these tonearms.

Tons of high compliance cartridges available NOS on ebay from brands like grace, Stanton, Pickering, ADC, Sonus, Sony etc. All of them are MM or MI, some of them are amazing. I'm buying those cartridges myself all the time. 

Buy Technics SL1200GR for $1700 NEW (or find lightly used for less), do not expect anything else under $1000 will be even close to Matsushita (Made in Japan). This is the best NEW direct drive at this price available today, tonearm is nice too. 

@unison77 since the OP asked this question just for fun, the recommendations to buy vintage turntables (Yamaha or anything else) is irrelevant in this thread. 

Russian audiophile scene is very strong and a lot of local vendors can restore almost everything. A lot of very rare items are here available for sale (including extremely rare stuff). When you buy anything from overseas (no matter what country) packaging is important not only for vintage gear, but for any audio gear. The art of packaging is the key. Some amateur dealers have no clue how to do that, but professionals can do that very well. 

wow, nice @lewm  

Alrighty then. I’m gonna shoot for the Pioneer. Now for the cartridge. I see here that the Grado Prestige Black and the Nagaoka MP110 were recommended for this TT. Can anyone describe the differences in these two or recommend another cartridge(s)?

The best advice is to ignore the Pioneer and buy a proper Technics MK7 instead for $899 

About cartridge: 

Rare Pioneer PC-1000 MKII cartridge with Beryllium Cantilever would be the best, but definitely not at the price of entry level Nagaoka or Grado.

If you want the best from Joseph Grado look for Signature XTZ

You will see Pioneer PC-1000 mkII and Grado XTZ on this image from my collection (along with Grace LEVEL II Br/Mr).

Pioneer PC-1000 mkII sound is very close to my favorite Stanton SC-100 WOS (another excellent choice). Stanton and Pickering are great for those tonearms. You can ask KAB who service Technics.  

These are exceptionally good MM cartridges.

Never buy any cartridge with Conical tip, this is the worst stylus profile on the planet with shortest life-span, and you will may a lot if you want to re-tip MC cartridges.

There is ONLY one reason why nagaoka MP110 recommended for this Pioneer turntable, the reason is cheap price, but if you will read more about stylus profile you will understand why it is cheap.

Almost any MM cartridge is perfect for Pioneer or Technics tonearm. There are tons of Technics clones on the market, but if you want the real thing look for Technics instead, the SL1500C comes with cartridge and built-in phono stage if the low price is the key for you! 

Other companies just steal Technics original design (like new Pioneer). 

Something else: You can also read what ZU AUDIO posted about $899 Denon turntable on their site. 
That Pioneer turntable made for DJs as the Pioneer target market is professionals (for decades), DJs have been using those direct drives for a long time, audiophiles joined later with some praise about them for some reason.

Technics SL1200GR or even cheaper mk7 are much better than all of them.  

@shtinkydog i see, i just updated my post above, more options for you, but $1k is tight budget, maybe step by step ? Technics SL1500c also available in black for $1200 (a complete system with built-in phonostage and cart) .......... or $899 Technics mk7 + better cartridge.

Chakster: There you go, much better!!!! I’m not looking to build a reference TT.

I bet you can’t with $1k, but don;t give up and buy the best you can within your budget.

First of all, I’m just getting into vinyl.

This is why you need Technics, it can be your last turntable. I still have those pair i bought more than 20 years ago and it’s working as new.

It’s a whole new world for me. I was reading about all the adjustments I might have to make and that’s what turns me off, although I’m sure others live for this.

Life is easier with Technics and MM or MI cartridges, this turntable is very simple to adjust (VTA on the fly, removable headshell with nice overhang gauge) and it build to last fovever, at least 20-30 years!  

And secondly, I’m not looking to blow several grand. I’m looking for a good, solid quality entry level unit. I have no plans on upgrading whatever I decide on (that’s what we all say). So I want to get something decent and get it right the first time.

Yes, the answer is Technics mk7 ($899) in black or silver.

Apparently they did, which still leaves my second question: why didn’t Micro build DD tables of this quality level under their own name?

It is an interesting question.
Micro Seiki also built Luxman PD-444 Direct Drive