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What turntable to start out with ? Pioneer PLX-1000 or VPI Nomad

I was wondering if someone could help me out on getting a new turntable.  I read reviews on the Pioneer PLX-1000 but also think the VPI Nomad 2016 may be good.

The Pioneer may have a better resale value, but I would have to buy a separate cartridge.  The VPI Nomad seems cool because I could move it around in my apartment if I wanted to listen to music in a smaller NYC apartment which has a lot of activity going on.

Any ideas ?  $1000 is my limit.


treeinrock
downunder
1,329 posts
 
The PLX-1000 is an excellent sounding turntable , is bulletproof and since its roots are DJ - very easy to move to another apartment/room.

  It also pretty well isolated, so no fall issues.

 Add a nice MM cartridge and you have a wonderful table.
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 

These are really two different TT's.   The VPI has a built-in phono stage and headphone amp, so in this regard it is far more portable but designed for a single user.  It does have the capability though of beiong installed into a system using another amp & speakers so everyone can hear it.

The Pioneer, while having DJ roots, does not have a built-in phono stage so it must be installed into a system for anyone to hear it.

So do you already have a phono stage and system to allow the Pioneer to operate.  Or do you require the "all in one" flexibility the VPI offers?


coolhunter
52 posts
 
No, neither of these mentioned.  Go to UturnAudio.com and checkout there offerings. Great sound, great value.
treeinrock OP
3 posts
 
I like the portability aspect of the Nomad and the fact the I can bypass the phono pre on the 2016 model.

I listen to jazz and classical mainly.

Pioneer seems like a good resale value table, but I have to get the cartridge for it.  No idea how to set that up.


johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Summary of Stereophile review of the PLX-1000:

Pioneer PLX-1000: $699 including tonearm $$$
To those who deny the musicality of direct-drive platters and the servos they rode in on, HR said: Bunk. And he added: "Forget analog vs digital or tubes vs solid-state; the most pervasive and poorly considered belief of all is that only belt-drive turntables are worthy of audiophile consideration." From there HR praised the successor to the popular but discontinued Technics SL-1200MK2: the Pioneer PLX-1000 direct-drive turntable with integrated tonearm. "Belts can't touch the PLX-1000's excitement, naturally formed detail, and clearly expressed forward momentum," HR wrote. "This new Pioneer also showcases the complex tonal character and elegant structures of classical music better than any affordable belt-drive I've experienced." As HR heard it, the PLX-1000, whose motor exhibits more than twice the torque of its famous forebear, "is not only a worthy successor to the legendary Technics SL-1200MK2, it is a serious contender for the best audiophile-grade turntable for less than $2000. Unabashedly recommended." Borderline Class B, he dares to suggest. (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)

The PLX-1000 is $300 less than the Nomad. For that difference you can buy a $129 Schiit Mani phono stage, a nicer cartridge (e.g., 2M Blue), and probably find someone to help mount the cartridge. I'm not sure, but I suspect the Pioneer has a headshell jig for aligning the cartridge. I use such as jig with my Technics and I get a better alignment than any of the protractors I've tried.

Full review: http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-4#GZbc8OGpgs1OGT4d.97

Follow-up review: http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-3-follow#jqV8s3G1vMsB8Ph5.97
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