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best turntable for 500$ or less

im looking for advice on which TT for 500$ or less would sound good with my mcintosh rig.

here is the deal,im not looking for somthing for everyday use just somthing that i can play some of my lps that i dont have on cd & looks are important to me.

i dont know much about turntables or the different carts so simple is better for me.

i dont have any particular model or brand in mind but i have been looking at some denon models with the rosewood finish.

here is a lowdown of my system.

mcintosh c-38 preamp.
mcintosh mc300 amp powering mcintosh xrt 22 speakers.
mcintosh mc7104 amp powering klipschorns.
mcintosh mc 122 amp powering mcintosh ht2 sub & xl1 monitors.
mcintosh mcd 7007 cd player.
mcintosh mcd 7000 cd player.
mcintosh mr 7082 tuner.
mcintosh mq 101 eq with the klipschorns.
mcintosh mq 101 eq with the sub & monitors.
dbx 20/20 eq with the xrt 22s.
cary audio tube cd processor with both cd players.
interconnects & speaker wire are a mixture of audioquest & monster gold series.

i listen to a wide range of music like miles davis,
the mahavishnu orchestra,spyro gyra,weather report,
zappa, bb king & all the classic rock from the 70s.

i have included as much info as i could think would be helpfull in matching a TT to my system & i defenitly dont want to go over the 500$ mark beacuse listening will be very limited.

mike.
128x128bigjoe
scottht
398 posts
 
Too bad. You should have got a VPI hw-19jr.
Best $500 table available period.
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe OP
693 posts
 
too bad! i thought too good,a mint dual with not even a single swirl on the dust cover for a $50 spot i'd say pretty good.
readster
241 posts
 
Too bad McIntosh doesn't make turntables.
john_fink
140 posts
 
What about a Music Hall MMF-5?
basement
245 posts
 
I have a couple suggestions regarding your dual/ortifon use. First, I don't know how old the cart is so keep an ear out for mistracting, which will sound like a buzzing or harshness during peaks or certain passages in the music. Also, if you are into experimenting a little, try a peice or electrical tape on the tonearm. stretch in lenthwise along the arm and wrap it around tight. The reason for this is the duals from that time were made with very light, low mass arms that were meant to be used with low mass carts, with the idea that the resonent frequency would be above the music, as opposed to how they are made today, which is the opposite philosophy. The result is the arms on duals ring like crazy. The tape will serve many functions- first, it may put the arm and cartidge at a better match, it will dampen the arm quite a bit (which may be a trade off evan if it makes the arm/cart match worse), it may help with tracking having that little bit of extra mass, and above all, having to readjust the setup with the tape and without and listening for improvements will gain valuable experience, as well as listening for various changes in sound qualities.
Also, if you can solder or are willing to do it, you can add a pair of radio shack rca's and wire the tonearm wire to them and experiment with different cables for phono. If you are succesful at this, rewire the tonarm leads at the headshell directly to the cartridge clips. (if you do this, be sure to locate the rca's in such a position to have enough slack as you will lose some at the headshell).
One more thing- keep an eye on the speed control mechanism, and experiment with different lubricants if nessesary.
With these, it may actually be possible to have the tt perform on the level of your cdp. Evan surpass it in some areas.
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