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Advice - What turntable should I buy ???

Finally looking to buy a turntable to complete my system and to allow me to resurrect some old vinyl and to selectively buy some new vinyl as needed. I am not an avid audiophile but know just about enough to be dangerous and am interested to receive feedback from experienced folks who can assist me narrowing my search. I am confused on what I actually need as I read references to turntable , cartridges, tone arm, power supplies etc..
I have total budget $1000-1500max for a used low hrs unit that is complete and ready to connect to my system. I sometimes see these threads used as an avenue to ding various makes and systems etc.. but please don't respond with negativity as I know what sound I enjoy and am keen to hear only positive advice on turntables to supplement my system which I know is not everybodies taste (I listed items only to indicate my type of preference). Majority listening will still reside with my CD and music dvd/blu-rays.
Oppo 105D universal player; Conrad Johnson MET-1 5.1 tube pre-amp (Teflon caps); C-J MET-150 5-channel hybrid tube amp, Cardas Hexlink/Quadlink RCA interconnects; Dali Helicon 400 fronts/300 rears/200 center. Many tks in advance of positive advice
mdempster
vernneal's avatar
vernneal
438 posts
 
Pro-Ject SE 5.1 with a Sumiko Blue Point #2 cartridge.
Costs $999 blows away anything short of a $2000 VPI Scout
Turn key operation. Take the $500 you save and buy a good
record cleaner & take your wife out to eat. Buy it mail
order thru Audio Advisor and have it in 2 days
mdempster OP
9 posts
 
Thanks for advice. I actually had the Pro-ject se5.1 and Music Hall MMF5.1 on my list or, a good Rega (used). Although these are not high end did anyone out there ever actually regret buying either of these units ? These look fairly decent entry level units to get me back in there without fuss and will even leave enough over to buy the record cleaner, take the wife out and pay the babysitter. Probably need something to last 3-5yrs at which time I can begin a further 5-10yr upgrade process for all my equipment. I am doing lots of research and education in a very general sense and this is definitely helping my understanding (is fun as well). Will also try to get through to visit some dealers but concerned I will end up coming out with something high cost that I don't really need because it is played through great speakers/system and is not really comparable with what I have or truly need.
chayro
2,987 posts
 
I had a Music Hall MMF5 and I thought it was very nice taste of
what analog is about. I ended up selling it for a couple
hundred less than I paid and bought a much more expensive tt
when I decided that I wanted to pursue vinyl. If I were in your
position, I would get a Music Hall MMF7, which has a better arm,
cartridge and isolated motor. It will keep you happy for a
couple of years, I would think. The only thing I would add is a
Herbies mat, which made a ridiculous difference on the MMF5.
Have fun.
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
498 posts
 
Sounds like you have a pretty good digital front end. Keep in mind in essence you're competing with it for your musical pleasure and it will take a pretty good vinyl rig to do that. While it's a great idea to get into vinyl, I feel it's not realistic to get the quality you are used to for $1500.
IMO get the very best phono preamp you can afford and skimp on the TT-cartridge combo if need be. I dumped a ton into my analog front end. I'm very pleased with it.
chayro
2,987 posts
 
I have to disagree with Dentdog. I had a $12K digital player at the time I bought my MMF5 and I was able to appreciate what analog had to offer, even with that huge price disparity.
Yes, a very good analog front end has it's virtues, but I think an MMF7 will let you test the waters without a huge financial commitment.
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