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Which turntable should I choose?

Seeking assistance from the TT gurus here. 

So far my experience with TT's has not been especially gratifying. A local dealer convinced me that the cartridge is really the only thing that mattered. So he sold me a TEAC TN-400s paired with a Ortofon 2M Black cart. The TEAC had a rather annoying hum no matter what phono-pre I used, except for the one built into the table. The cart showed every wart and flaw on the record, in other words it was not very forgiving, despite me cleaning my records well with an Oki-Nokki. 

I sold both the table and cart and want to try again from scratch. 

I want to keep the table under $2k. I've come across two tables in my research that interest me.

- Technics SL1210GR from HiFi Heaven. I'm not really sure what cart to get but I'm leaning toward the Hana SL Low Output Shibata. https://hifiheaven.net/shop/Technics-SL-1210GR-Grand-Class-Direct-Drive-Turntable-System

- A restored Thorens table from Vinyl Nirvana. https://vinylnirvana.com/vintage-turntables-for-sale

My current phono-pre is a Consonance PM6.

Questions:
- Will either of these table options provide sound quality anywhere approaching my digital setup (Bluesound Node 2/ Mytek Libery DAC)? 
- Are there better options in this price range that I should consider?

Thanks for any and all replies.
Joe

128x128audionoobie
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Great cartridges for Technics tonearms are Pickering and Stanton top model, NEW OLD STOCK like this.

Stereohedron stylus is as good as the Shibata. The benefit of the MM is user replaceable stylus, but replacing a stylus with Hana MC will be a disaster for you, you must ship your cartridge back to the manufacturer via your distributor (it means no cartridge for some time) and it’s pricey.

The equal Stanton to that Pickering is 980 series. Those cartridges sound like mastertape and much better than most of the MC even at higher price. You should realy search for and read about Stanton 980 or Pickering XSV/4000 online. 
audionoobie's avatar
audionoobie OP
357 posts
 
Thanks for all your replies. Everyone here provided some valuable advice. 

I purchased a Technics SL-1210GR from a fellow Agon member yesterday. It comes with two head shells and a Denon DL-110 cartridge. 

I will probably at some point pick up a Audio Technica VM750SH cart and a better phono-pre. If I get a GAS attack may go the Chakster route and order a Pickering!

Again thanks all and I will update this thread with my thoughts on sound when the TT arrives.

Cheers,
Joe
billstevenson
352 posts
 
Chakster's advice on Pickering is worth serious consideration.
knollbrent's avatar
knollbrent
519 posts
 
Excellent choice @audionoobie   I have a 1200 GR and love it. My first table. Now I own two other vintage tables. @chakster  he has great vintage carts in his vault.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Joe, another fellow audiogonner @luisma31 replaced his DL103 MM with this NOS Pickering XSV/3000SP (MM) on Technics GR turntable. You have to read his opinion about it. The XSV/4000 is next model from Pickering and no doubt it will put DL-110 in the dust forever :)) Stereohedron stylus is one of the best profiles ever. You can constantly upgrade phono stage for LOMC, but for MM you can use any phono stage. My advice is to sell your DL-110 before the stylus is worn. 
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