Best turntable for the buck

@nferre66

Yeah... I’ve got a Linn Sondek LP12... and... I think I’ll opt for the 1200G too, for the reasons Guttenberg and others have noted. Just want good sound... without the hassles.

And... as you likely have seen in my related posts... I was debating the 1200GR vs 1200G - but - comments like yours have pretty well "moved the needle" to the 1200G.

Now... I just have to come up with the best value (cost/performance) in a phono stage and cartridge - which may be a little more difficult to determine.

@bassdude You don’t have to break the bank on a cartridge to get the G sounding killer. I’m running mine with a Grado Gold3. Sounds stunning.

I probably went a bit overboard on my phono stage- a Sutherland Duo, but my goal is to build my last system. I’m in a good place.

The Techniques is a game changer for me. It seems to fit every qualification, including the price.
Now, if I can only find a way to get it past my wife!

@rvpiano If you do, Music Direct has the all black 1210G in stock.

My wife didn’t get it- until she heard it.

@nferre66

And... I guess... there is very little difference in the sound of cartridges - or - at least you don’t have to spend a fortune to obtain good sound from some of them.

Frank Schroeder opened my eyes in one of his interviews on YouTube in which he noted that the two best sounding cartridges were: Denon 103 and the
AudioTechnica 1895.

Now, I’m sure his point was... you don’t have to "mortgage the house" to obtain good sound quality from a cartridge. But... in listening to various cartridges it does seem that those two sound about as good as the Lyra Delos, which is far, far more costly. The "sweet spot" seems to be in the $400-$1000 range - with those two competing quite well.

Finding that "sweet spot" may be a bit more challenging with phono stages - but - I’m sure it can be found. Like you I have been drawn to the Sutherland phono stages, but that’s still a bit more than I’d like to spend.