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Forever turntable under $2000

In search of: forever turntable.

I'm currently looking to upgrade from my existing Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 to a table that I will (hopefully) never grow out of. I'm looking for something that is *technically* competent, something where I know the engineering is extremely solid and "timeless," and provides a good analog platform to swap carts with. My budget for this is $1600 with cart (but up to $2000 if there's a good case for it). The rest of my system is as follows:

* LSA 2.1 Statement speakers

* Schiit Gumby DAC

* Schiit Freya preamp

* Adcom GFA555 power amp

* Schiit Mani phono stage

So far, I have looked into the Rega P6 (or a used RP6), a Clearaudio Concept, a variety of Pro-Ject offerings, and a Michell Technodec... but at this level there are so many choices, its hard to know where to start. Any ideas? Thanks!
primarist
glupson
7,842 posts
 
When it comes to reliability, pretty much everyone agrees that old Technics have been quite durable. New ones may not be and time will tell. However, the same is true for old ones that are pushing 40 years now. What will last longer starting from today? 40-year-old turntable or a new one?

Technics SL-1200 did not start as a DJ turntable. It got adopted by DJs. Not all were used hard. Many have lived a decent home life.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
sleepwalker65,
"...everyone knows that silicon is a crystalline element that is as far from being compliant and vibration damping..."
Could the trick be that Technics does not use silicone, but silicone rubber?

I have a hard time believing that their marketing material did not get proofread by someone technically adept. It would be unexpected that someone can design multiple widely-praised machines and have no clue what she/he is talking about.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Looking at that Technics webpage again, the full statement is...

"Sine waves stored in ROM are used for the control waveforms at constant speed, and this achieves smoother and more stable rotation compared with using the simple sine wave generation with an external coil as in the conventional SL-1200MK5."

sleepwalker65,

That omission you accidentally made actually changes the perspective and presents new turntable as superior in what you considered its flaw. There are even two graphs right there. They show smoother waveform of the new motor, as promised by the text. Not perfect, but smoother.

https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/direct-drive-turntable-system-sl-1200gr.html

peterclemens83
20 posts
 
I'd read up on The Classic from Pro-Ject. I bought with the intention to have a forever turntable. It was between The Classic and Funk Firm's LSD. It's been over a year and I have no complaints or desires to upgrade the table. The VTA and azimuth is adjustable, which is great if you like trying out different carts. The damping is excellent too. 

leotis
182 posts
 
I'd maybe go MoFi.Got a Merrill GEM Dandy.Sounds way better than it's price.TAS Editors Choice for a few years now.
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