Will a $700 turntable outperform a CD player?
I used to dj and always used technics Sl1200’s and really liked them. I can pick up a nice SL1200 mk3 used for $600... I think you can find SL1200mk2 for $350 instead of mk3 for $600. No audible difference between those two. You can upgrade mk2 slowly (rewire tonearm, replacing stock feet). And the rest for the cartridge, it's more important |
I’m retired, I have CDs. Are you talking about me? @tooblue there is a difference between younger and older generation of people, strangely but VINYL format is widely popular between young people while CD (and CD players) are not at all (replaced by streaming and files long time ago). This is why i think that CD is for retired people (aka older generation). I also think that majority of audiogon posters belog to the older generation. @b_limo I remember when CD became popular here, it was in the 90’s and at that time i had portable CD player, hi-fi Turntable and Cassette Deck. The CD sound was clean, but Vinyl was much more dynamic and more impressive even in my mid-fi system with average cartridge. In 95 I bought my first Technics SL1210mkII, sold all the CDs for vinyl, been using only vinyl and cassettes. Only vinyl for over 20 years now (with dramatically improved system). |
Everything is online, sometime more expensive, but almost everything can be found. Discogs is the source and with PayPal buyers protection full refund guaranteed if there is something wrong with condition. Reputable sellers do not overgrade the records normally, check the feedbacks on discogs before buying. |
Buy an SL1200 if you like to hear hum... i was a DJ too and this turntable was the best ti mix, but it’s nowhere near a HiFi one. I have SL1210mkII since i was 19 and no hum even in the headphones @russhealy Cardas tonearm rewire kit cost $50 for two turntables, external phono cable cost $150, so the total upgrade cost $200 (if you have soldering skills). Everything else depends on a cartridge, the turntable provide stable rotation. I’ve been using $3000 MC Zyx Airy III on this upgraded turntable - no hum ! Excellent result with Technics 205c mk4 and Technics 100c mk3 cartridges and many more killer MM and MI. Some people complain only about Grado cartridges, but i have no hum with my Grado on SL1210mkII. Watching Grado factory tour you will see even older Technics turntable, this is where they can test cartridges. Today SL1210mkII cost $350 max (used) and at this price there is NOTHING better than this, except for some vintage stuff. In Japan those Technics SL1200 mk3 cost $150 used ! Jelco tonearm was very popular upgrade, if you can buy SL1200 mk3 for $150 and Jelco for $300 then it's a fine machine for the money. |
@cal91 As a retiree that’s a little insulting. But in my case it’s also true. I am a candidate for knee replacement and I have no desire to sit through several songs I don’t want to hear to get to the song I do want to hear. With CDs I can touch a button on a remote. Problem solved. If there was an option for me that meant I didn’t have to get up constantly I would buy a turntable. But that brings me to another problem brought up bt paulburnett. Digital is more convenient for sure, this is why streaming is the most popular format for younger generation when internet is all around and music is free. What is good about CD is booklets inside (good read sometimes). In my retirement there will be no CDs. CD associated with 90’s in my memory, don’t know anyone in my circle of friends (40+) who collect CDs nowadays, if it’s digital then it’s on hard drive or streaming. But many collect vinyl. I think cassette tape (and tape swap) was a great era. It was easier to copy CD on cassette tape than to buy an original CDs (here in Russia). Then pirate CDs flooded the market, but i was deeply into vinyl at that time. |
@dsper
When you compare DAC and hi-fi turntable the music itself is important, on vinyl you must have original pressing of the well recorded albums from the analog era (recorded and mastered in analog). Those albums are pure magic, if your system is not capable to reproduce music from those albums it is your system fail, not the LP. When you're listening to modern music (digital files) it is recorded digitally and mastered digitally, often compressed. In this situation you can hear exactly what's on the master. To do so with analog you need a Master Tape or Direct Cut record. Or very well recorded and pressed LPs (not re-issues). For vinyl you need a decent phono stage in your analog chain. |
