Suggestion for an entry-level turntable

purchase a denon 500m with a nice 3 to 4 hundred dollar cartridge, and come in at less than your budget, and you're there. beats ALL the brit stuff up to 2 to 3k. amazing quality.

Has anybody done any side-by-side comparisons of the Denon D500M vs. the Technics SL 12x0 line? I'm curious as to whether they're pretty even or if the Denon has an edge for home use.

Go for a used VPI Scout many are sold at the price of 1k with cartridge, under that I would look for a used Rega,Sota,or even a used VPI HW-19 with a pt-6,7,9 arm which is very easy to setup.Some of the welltempered TT are fabulous deals used and very stable to run and sound excellent. Also look at many of the older direct drive models they have considerable value and sound excellent.

systemdek IIX

A used Rega P5 or a brand new P3/24. Upgrade either with the outboard power supply, among other upgrades, over time. Mount a Clearaudio Aurum Beta S or a Benz Ace.

06-16-07: Tvad
Here we go again.

Come on Grant, you need to be more understanding.

Not everybody has 5 seconds to search the archives.

Or keep pushing Rega like Piper.

I would agree with VPI Scout or a SOTA, cant go wrong with either, the SOTA has a suspension so if you are not on a concrete floor or atleast a super immune shelf the VPI may not be ideal as it has no suspension and the SOTA will be fine.

Tvad....call the police!!..;-)

shelf stand whatever, I said it might be an issue if it is not very stable. Why does every single thread seem like a competition, somebody makes a suggestion then somebody cant wait to poke holes in it.
Posting here is like talking to a room full of drunks, everyone knows more then the next guy and nothing gets accomplished. It always turns into an arguement and the original post gets lost in the shuffle.

Although a Nottingham might be out of the price range, how does it compare to the above mentioned turntables?
I ask because I’m also considering a turntable but would consider spending more dollars on it.

I to have thought of picking up a turntable in order to hear a better sound out of my stereo and also increase my music collection. As enticing and easy as it is to go cheap I've learnt that it is better to shoot for the better constructed (most cases means more costly) model. The
Rotel cd I currently own is my first and last stop with digital playback. (heard other that cost way more and whatever)

3-4G is my limit, Any suggestions or recommendations considering the rest of the equipment in my setup?

Thanks

Thanks so much everyone!

So I got the following recommendations:

Denon 500m
VPI Scout
SOTA
Systemdek IIX
Rega P5 or P3/24
Nottingham (may be)

Can't wait to audition these. The biggest challenge however is to find a dealer nearby where I can audition these TT's. But that's another story.

thanks again, really appreciate it!