What are your top 3 favorite turntable companies (manufacturer) and why?

Why not Technics when just about everyone seems to be getting one of them ?

Here are my choices.

Shindo Garrard- A tricked out Garrard 301 from Shindo

VPI- Very good America made table, reliable and heavy.

Palmer 2.5i - just a cool turntable. 

@inna 

Best turntables will always be British. And by extension - Australian.

Why?

I had a Linn LP12 from ca. 1987 until the 2000s. I stopped using it in the 90s because the suspension failed. Around 2010 my wife wanted us to start playing records again. I sold the crippled LP12 and bought a Rega, but wasn’t really happy with it. Then I bought a Clearaudio Ovation that was great. I upgraded to a Clearaudio Innovation in 2023, and I might upgrade that to a Clearaudio Master Innovation.

So I don’t have 3 favorite turntable companies. Just one: Clearaudio. I wouldn’t want another Linn or Rega after owning Clearaudio for nearly 15 years.

@mulveling 

 

3 table companies I like? Impossible lol. I also like my Clearaudio a lot, but they've made a lot of design missteps IMO, and their pricing (especially for parts, upgrades) sucks. 

What parts have you needed for a Clearaudio? Just curious. In nearly 15 years of Clearaudio ownership (Ovation/Innovation/Universal) I've only needed belts, and some bearing oil my dealer provided free.

As for upgrades, I got some pretty generous trade-in allowances on Clearaudio arms from Musical Surroundings in the past (Clarify -> Magnify -> Universal), the Clearaudio U.S. distributor.