Turntable?

"Hi finally getting a turn table!"

Do you have any experiance with TT's? I ask because some people can't take the ticks and pops because they only know digital.

Hi Brian -

Something to ask yourself when getting the TT is how interactive do you want to be with it.  Are you a get under the hood type.  If there were ever a component that invited endless tinkering, it is the turntable.  You can futz with just about everything if you set your mind to it and wind up spending much more than you ever set out to do.

If you are not the tinkering type, my first suggestion would be to not purchase an entry level or used turntable.  You will most likely not be too satisfied 6 months down the road.  You may be getting 80% of the experience that a well set-up TT gives you, but you will want more and you will start swapping out cartridges or something will break down, etc.

I started out with a used Denon direct drive TT from the 80's that cost me $175, whose motor just died one day.  Then I went with an entry level, belt drive TT that I just did not like ($400) and sold, purchased two used SONYs along the way ($600), that I liked a lot and which performed very well, but both started acting up and were too costly to fix.  Swapped a number of cartridges along the way.  And all of a sudden. I had acquired a hobby that was becoming as expensive as restoring an old Mustang.  

I would look for a package, like the Project Anniversary Classic ($1100).  A noticeable step-up up from entry level packages.   

http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-Classic-Turntable_2?sc=2&category=352

And a phono preamp (these both complement the Classic nicely) 

Parasound Zphono ($250)

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PAZPHOUSB

or

Schiit Mani ($130)

http://schiit.com/products/mani


Also find a dealer (in your city or on-line, like Needle Doctor) that you can talk to and trust.  Feel free to comment or ask more questions.


Rich 

I like vintage sound. Pioneer or Denon or Technics from the late 70’s for TT. For cartridge I like the FM radio broadcast sound of the Denon 110. For vinyl I would only by Japanese unless you are willing to risk quality

I don't advocate an "entry level Linn" to anybody who wants an inexpensive new table, but, el redundo amundo, I think a lot of the new and inexpensive stuff is killer for small money. I also was recently interested in "The Classic" from Pro-Ject but after listening to an incredible sounding LP I recently bought from Jim Campilongo (Telecaster genius I recently worked with as a live sound mixer) I thought…hey…my ancient Basik/Akito is simply too good to give up. None of that means anything really, but it gives me the opportunity to point out my groovy Live Sound Mixer thing. Insecure? You bet.

Somebody (not me) has a Basik/Akito for sale on A'gon…I had to rewire mine with a Jelco-Mogami "DIN" cable (Mogami "Neglex" in weird pink) as the original cable was in bad shape, and that had the benefit of reducing cartridge hum bigly.