So many new TT's at lower price, still better off buying used?

If you know the history and age of a table you will get much more buying used. Most audiophiles treat their equipment very well and have upgrade fever every few years so its not uncommon to find very nice equipment a few years old at a deep discount.

I took my time and just kept looking in the used market, and finally found found my dream table for about $1500. I got a Michele Gyrodec w / a zeta to warm and a Sumiko virtuoso cart..  This table new would be somewhere north of $4k, and it sounds amazing!! Many good decs out there for a good deal of your patient.. 

If you know the history and age of a table you will get much more buying used. Most audiophiles treat their equipment very well and have upgrade fever every few years so its not uncommon to find very nice equipment a few years old at a deep discount.

Definitely!


@aberyclark
I got amazing deal on many vintage turntables, never had any single problem with them, sold SP-10mkII and two SP-20 to a friends in the hood and they are happy to use them. Those decks are from 1976!

New technics is not so attractive for me, but i have a pair of SL1210mkII for more than 22 years, i’ve bought them new and none of them required any service! I think you could live with Technics forever. If you like new Technics buy them. If you like some vintage Direct Drive turntables you can buy them too (no fear).

Personally, I have always spent a theoretical $1500 budget buying a used unit that cost $3-4,000 new rather than buying new.  You tend to get much better arms and cartridges, as well as better design that way.  And while there is something to what you say about having dealer back up, the used high end turntables have usually been kept very well and any issues have been ironed out by the previous owner.

One of my tables was bought by me used for a price that was the same as the new price for just the tonearm or the cartridge alone.