Despite trying to fight it I am getting the urge to buy a turntable to play my old records on but I have no idea what to get!
Any sensible advice would he most welcome but, as a ‘filter,’ I am talking about a simple basic one. In reality, once the novelty has worn off, I will probably only play one or two LPs per month and so I am thinking sub-£100. There are lots on the Tax Dodgers site and some with good reviews…….I wish to use it with my good old Technics amp which has the old-style phono(?) input for a turntable
Thanks!
Not sure you’ll get anything new for that kind of money but try seeking out a Rega RP1 on eBay. It’s £229 on Amazon. I’ve got one. Couldn’t be happier with it.
Anything by Rega or Pro-Ject will be fine, they both have ranges which fit most budgets. One thing you will need to check is that the TT will play with your system. A lot of systems these days don’t have the appropriate input for a turntable, so you may need to spring for a phono amp as well.
Rega have just announced they are replacing the RP3 with the Planar 3 (which the RP3 replaced at the turn of the century – are you keeping up?).
Anyhow, as Bob says, the RP1 is good. You might also be able to pick up an end-of-line RP3 cheaper than a new Planar 3.
If you value quality, and your vinyl, avoid anything sub-£100.
Ace, so my Planar 3 will be current once more. Those Rega folks, eh, what cards?!
If it’s an older amp with phono input you should be fine with just the turntable. Another vote for the RP1. They’ve kept the mechanics as simple as possible to reduce the risk of reliability issues. I would suggest it’s worth paying that bit extra for the step up in performance you get with such a make as Rega.
I am very pleased with this:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/flexson/vinylplay/flex-vinylplay-wht
I had long got rid of my old hi-fi, using my mac and sonos for most of my sounds, with which this segues perfectly, as well as having fairly simple digitisation capability, with good old faithful Audacity as the app.
I don’t play much vinyl but enjoy it when I do, still purchasing the odd record at fairs and second hand music shops. It’s certainly good enough for my ears.
With that budget I’d try and get something second hand – Fleabay, Richer Sounds ex demo sale or your local fence aka Cash Convertors n the like.
Happy with my lower end Pro-ject belt drive fully manually. I threw some extra bucks at the cartridge.
Pro-ject are essentially the Eastern European clone of Rega. There’s much in common between their designs. Both their products are elegantly simple and made from high-quality parts, so very reliable buys either new or S/H.
Pro-ject also benefit from their factory being shared with a high-end engineering firm (making aeroplane parts IIRC) so have access to some machinery out of Rega’s reach. The two MDs are siblings.
The MDs of Pro-ject, I mean, not of Pro-ject and Rega.
Roy Gandy of Rega is a truly lovely bloke.
I’ve been feeling the urge to buy a deck too.
The Project RPM 1 Carbon is tempting.
Unfortunately by the time I save up enough to take the plunge Mini Disc will be the hip format and once again I will be deeply unfashionable.
Thanks for the comments – like pencilsqueezer says I might wait too! I just can’t justify that sort of dosh for something I will hardly bother with.
I replaced my 30 year old Technics turntable a couple of years ago with a Sony model from Richer sounds. It does the job and is on offer right now for £79….well worth a try…..
Thank you for the tip! Fortunately I will be passing Richer Sounds in Plymouth tomorrow so I may nip in and get it! (This was more the sort of money I was thinking and, as long as it compares favourably with my old Dansette Bermuda from 1973, then I will be more than happy!)
I meant 1963! By 1973 I had moved on to a Garrard SP 25 Mark 2 (I think!)