Need help buying a used turntable for $500

Back in the early 80's I owned a Technics direct drive turntable with an Audio Technica cartridge using a Kenwood 30 amp receiver. Sound was good but when the music was soft or during start up I could hear a hum.

I've been living with an SL1210 for nearly 8 months now, and it's playing through a much higher resolution system than I had in the '70s or '80s (or a Kenwood receiver, for that matter). And I listen to it more critically than I listened 25 yrs ago.

Mine does not hum, growl, scratch, rumble, or squeal. This past week I lubed the bearing with the officially correct oil and added KAB's fluid damper. Now this thing is spooky quiet. Even when listening through Sennheiser HD580 headphones, I hear no turntable noise. None. Sometimes I hear LP surface noise, but even that has dropped significantly since adding the damper trough.

Hum might have been a cartridge mismatch or a grounding issue.

Holy cow! Should I ditch my Thorens TD145 MKII for the 1210? Am I missing out?[this is not a thread-jack]

Detroit,

what you describe is a ground issue which although sometimes a bit elusive can ususally be dealt with in short order. Nothing to be afraid of an certainly not specific to any given rig.

Check out the many posts re: this very common question of how to get into vinyl on the cheap.

Try to find an SP-15 w/epa501 arm. These vintage table/arm combos are vault-like, dead quiet, and have VTA adjustment on the fly. The motor is the same one used in the Goldmund Tables. $500 and the patience to locate a clean example will be rewarded. Happy listening, Ralph