2. analog
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Newbie looking for cheap dependable table

I have been lucky enough to be asked to "store" about 1,000 of my father's LP's. While growing up he would buy a few new albums every week & we would listen to them over the weekend together. They are in perfect condition, he would always clean them & store them perfectly so I know they are worth having.

My dilema is that as much as I want to get into vinyl playback it seems like a MAJOR PITA. I am intimidated by everything that I am reading here about setting up the stylus, proper cleaning & care of everything. I am not much of a tweaker with my system now unless I get off on a tangent for a little while. I also never get enough time right now to listen to my system as it is, I will need a table that is ready & waiting for me when I have few free hours. Now that being said I was intimidated when I first got into this hobby a few years ago & everyone here was kind enough to help me get my feet wet.

So the question at this point is with about $1000.00 to spend should I purchase a used Rega, Music Hall or refreshed Thorens for about $500.00? I figure with the rest of the money, I will try one of the cheaper phono stages plus necessary tools, cleaners & any other widgets.

Obviously like anything else in this crazy hobby if I find this is for me I will spend way more than I ever expected. For the moment though I am looking for a good table that will let me get used to this new world & hopefully make me want to get in over my head. If I find this isn't where I want to be I will either sell it all or offer it to my father. At this point I am still thinking I will be listening to 90% digital & only 10% analog.
fishwater
zinfan2
154 posts
 
The Rega p3 is relatively fuss-free. I recently paired mine with an inexpensive Bellari phono preamp so I could move it into my main system where it sounds pretty good.

jaybo
4,478 posts
 
without question, the thorens. you can buy a td145,147,160,166 all for 300 to 600 dollars and sonically be in the same neighborhood as most 2k to 4k table/arm combos.... ....not fussy and built to last a lifetime and more.
pabelson
344 posts
 
If you want vinyl the easy way, rule number one is, don't buy used. Yes, I know that's sacrilege around these parts, but let's get real. You can buy a new turntable with a decent cartridge already installed, and probably the only things you'll have to do are wrap a belt around a pulley and readjust the tracking weight on the tonearm. This is not rocket science.

If you decide you really want to be a vinyl fanatic (in a good way!), then you can start upgrading. But if you want easy now, buy something that comes already set up.
tapashead
21 posts
 
first things first. definitely get a turntable. with 1000+ records that you used to play during a younger time in your life... i guarantee you'll be happy with at least something to play. something about analog brings back nostalgia when you hear the stuff you grew up with. invaluable.

if it was my 1000... i would consider the following:

rega p2 + stanton 500E mkII cart + rega mm phono. this will be a boogie first approach

technics 1200 (yes, the 'dj' deck + denon 103 mc cart + clearaudio microbasic phono - this system will boogie as well but also have a warmer more lush presentation than the rega set up

rega p3 + stanton 500e mkII cart + cambridge audio 640p phonostage... pretty good amounts of both attributes listed above

the stanton cart is recommended because you can get it for 35 bucks and its quite musical ( i like it better than grado black which i also like)... instead of that, you can use denon 110 with the regas (around 130 bucks) which is more hi fi-ish but still boogies. at first, i'd go with a better table/arm/phono stage combo first and a good value cartridge. later, when you figure out the presentation you like best, you can get a fancy cart.

good times.
tfkaudio
591 posts
 
I also recommend the Music Hall tables as a good value. Pro-ject also makes good budget tables.
Don't worry about all the necessary tweaking. It's not really necessary. We mostly tweak because we want to, not because we have to. (However, you will be surprised at the improvements you can make via fine-tuning. That said, you'll want to learn how to fine tune a table BEFORE you act on an upgrade, because the upgrade path is right there waiting for you, and for free.). The Pro-ject and Music Hall tables are plug-and-play. Just set the tracking force and you're all set. I don't think VTA & azimuth are adjustable on these models. The cartridge is usually pre-mounted. Get a good phono stage. They make quite a difference.
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