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Help me decide on first turntable purchase

This is my first turntable purchase. Last time I had a TT was when I was teenager in the 80's. I don't have much vinyl at all so I have to buy records as well. Budget is $3000, really don't want to go over that. I need a phono stage as well. My system is Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII, PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated. My digital is a Innuos Zenith mkIII into a Chord Qutest. My initial thoughts on a couple tables were the Mofi Ultradeck, Music Hall 7.3 and Rega Planar 6. I am sorry but I just don't like the look of the Technics stuff. I am not a big fan of the Rega looks either but I know it gets great reviews. I was considering a Clear Audio Concept until I joined the Facebook owners group and hear about all the motor speed problems. Initial phone Pre I was looking at were the Mofi and KC Vibe. The Ultradeck seems very solid and seems to get great reviews.
Thank you for your thoughts. 
128x128jmphotography
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
well for $3 k and some effort you could get a SOTA Sapphire and skip past spending $ on isolation ( btw Townsend is hardly the Apogee of TT isolation - pick your expert advice carefully )

A decent used Jelco, Sumiko, SME arm, a used KC Vibe or Nova III phono or Soundsmith phono stage, and the best Soundsmith or Ortofon you can afford w budget remaining.

The Ultradeck is fine ( yes i have spent many many hours listening to one w Ortofon Bronze )…

but…
bikerbw
108 posts
 
I second the suggestion of not topping out your budget for a part of your system that you’re not sure you’re going to continue; keep your purchases fairly modest initially so you don’t take a large bath when either trying to resell it or just letting it sit around. The VPI Player has a preamp built in and comes with a cartridge, so not a bad way to start, and setup is minimal so you don’t have to spend time worrying about having it right. That will get you involved in vinyl so you can decide if that’s a path you want to follow. 
kennyc
1,472 posts
 
@jmphotography
Cheapest- buy and sell used.

For new turntable, get the Ultradeck.  Bundling with the positively reviewed Ultratracker or better yet the MasterTracker will save you $.  Even paired relatively inexpensive phono stage will sonically sound better than trying to split the budget- you can further upgrade phono stage later.  
relayer101's avatar
relayer101
614 posts
 
I have a Clearaudio Concept TT with the upgraded Carbon Fiber tonearm and am very satisfied with the table and have never had an issue with the motor or inaccurate speed. I also have a Clearaudio Phono Preamp that sounds great.
I also know two friends with Clearaudio tables with no issues.
Prior to the Concept my primary table was a Music Hall mmf-5 and it performed without an issue for over 15 years and sounded great. Absolutely great value and quality for the price.
I also still have a Technics SL-3200 as a secondary table that I purchased about 40 years ago that is a great table. Enjoy the search!


femoore12's avatar
femoore12
683 posts
 
@ wturkey
Save some coin and try a U-Turn.
This is great advice and I tell everyone that asks me the same thing. I did this when I got started. I wasn't certain if I would enjoy playing albums again. I got a basic U-Turn and I quickly learned I loved it. It allowed time to let me find the perfect turntable for my system while buying a lot of albums.
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