2. analog
  3. 1247207990

I need a turntable, only have $450 to spare...

More than likely used. I haven't had a turntable since when I was in Germany in 1989 when I had a Denon 37F but I still have my 392 count vinyl collection. I've searched and read plenty of things but they were always with a larger budget. My budget will grow (hopefully!) in the future but I need something to get me along now as I plugged my Teac X-1000r over the weekend and it reminded me how good analog sounds.
My noisemaker goes as follows: CEC 3300R cd player, tube DAC-68, Adcom GFP-750 preamp, 2 Adcom 545 amps biamped to a pair of Wharfedale diamond 9.6 speakers, Dayton interconnects and homebrew power cables. In anticipation to my future TT purchase I got a Bellari VP-130, new but open box. With my current equipment and what I have to spend I'm not expecting a masterpiece BUT I don't want a $99 piece of junk either, just something that I can play for a while and be happy. I understand it may need to have the belt replaced, cartridge. Musically I'm all over the map but mostly Jazz (Monk, Marsalis, Coltrane) and Brit Wave (Joy Division, OMD, Smiths). Where should I start?
mtandrews
jb0194
476 posts
 
If one thinks all direct drives are noisy, they've not heard a well-maintained Dual 701/721 w/EDS1000 motor...

Actually, they'd "not" hear it!
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
You have to get north of $2K, and more often $4K, to find a belt drive with a better s/n than the Technics SL12x0 series. There may be other issues, but they're not noisy, and it's easy (and cheap) with better feet and mat to reduce what little vibration is there.
narrod
1,064 posts
 
Johnnyb53 said,

"You have to get north of $2K, and more often $4K..."

I don't agree but I do feel the 1200 is a bargain at it's price.

Wendell
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
The Technics' weighted s/n figure is -78dB. This is lower than most turntables under $4K that publish their spec. However, perception of turntable quietness is not so simple, and subjectively the Rega P3 *sounds* quieter than the Technics. I don't think this is belt drive vs. DD as much as other factors. The Rega P3 variants have had about 25 years of development in vibration control and resonance neutralization. Those developments in the Technics stopped with the 1981 introduction of the sl1200mk2, still in production.

However, I've found, as a Technics owner for 2-1/2 years, that some simple, inexpensive things can control resonances and vibration in the Technics that subjectively drop the noise floor, improve inner detail, clarity, and dynamic range, and relax the presentation.

Out of the box, the tonearm rings: wrap it in Teflon plumber's tape. Replace the feet and replace the turntable mat. This $42 in tweaks takes the reputed "direct drive glare" right out of it. I've found that much of this glare is tonearm resonance. It rings right in the upper midrange, and the $2 teflon tape pretty much fixes it without significantly changing the effective mass.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
a used denon 47f is the way to go
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