Suggestions sought: Turntable

[sidewinder]

Linn is in Glasgow which is still part of the UK.......

Thank goodness..

[BeBop]

Linn is in Glasgow which is still part of the UK.......

Just covering my bases, in case someone reads this after September 18th. (Actually, I was just teasing someone that I know is reading this thread.)

[arX]

About a year ago, I bought a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and have been happy with it.

I am also happy with mine. Reviews tended to be very favourable and, in my experience, accurately so.

Edited April 10, 2014 by arX

[Jay]

Those are all great tables and make wonderful music. If it were me, I would go Rega. My main system had a P3-2000 for over a decade (I bought a VPI Classic last fall and it took me to another level). The Rega is in a second system now but it still gives me hours and hours of pleasure. Lots of good advice/thoughts in this thread, particularly from BeBop. On the cart front, I had a Goldring for a number of years and upgraded a few years back with a Clearaudio cartridge and it was worth the dough.

[GA Russell]

Wirecutter.com recommends the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-turntable/

Amazon has it for $229.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1396919845&sr=1-1&keywords=turntable+record+player

I bought the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB table a few months ago and am a happy camper. I did add a Shure cartridge so I could play my 78s.

I see that the AT-LP120-USB is today going for $214.94.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I12EKINMMFNVLF&psc=1

The Shure M97xE is going for $75.67.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I22GFHS4E6D8T

The Universal Headshell is $23.34.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0048XFL18/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I479OTUE46DV2

Is it important that I also plan to get a tracking stylus gauge, such as this one for $32.65?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006I5SD/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=IFDXPV0AGHJWT

By the way, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is $399.00.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XTE6YW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I23UY08H1W9ZI4

The Music Hall recommended by the Wall Street Journal is only $249.00.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EDXCFE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I2FOU9FE1I8FJJ

[mjzee]

Wirecutter.com recommends the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-turntable/

Amazon has it for $229.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1396919845&sr=1-1&keywords=turntable+record+player

I bought the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB table a few months ago and am a happy camper. I did add a Shure cartridge so I could play my 78s.

By the way, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is $399.00.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XTE6YW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I23UY08H1W9ZI4

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is always $399, regardless of where you buy it (I got it from Crutchfield). I have it in red, which looks great.

Edited April 20, 2014 by mjzee

[GA Russell]

As Christmas approaches, it's getting time to make up my mind.

Wirecutter hasn't said anything new about this in the past six months.

The Rega RP1 is only $50 more than the Pro-Ject Carbon, but Wirecutter says that the RP1 "has more rumble noise present...than the Carbon."

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-turntable/

Does anyone have an opinion of what might be one step up from the Rega RP1?

[soulpope]

As Christmas approaches, it's getting time to make up my mind.

Wirecutter hasn't said anything new about this in the past six months.

The Rega RP1 is only $50 more than the Pro-Ject Carbon, but Wirecutter says that the RP1 "has more rumble noise present...than the Carbon."

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-turntable/

Does anyone have an opinion of what might be one step up from the Rega RP1?

i beleive you should go with the Pro-Ject Carbon and if feasible, invest into an cartridge upgrade (I believe the "standard" Carbon cartridge is OM 10 oder 2M red) so you could substantially improve with a Denon....

[mjzee]

Also, if you go with the Carbon, this looks like a fun upgrade:

Acrylic Platter Upgrade for Debut III or Debut Carbon

[mjzee]

Having owned my Carbon for more than a year now, it's not perfect. Here are some quirks:

1) The turntable when turned on, every so often, will turn backwards; I'd say one out of every hundred times. I turn it off and turn it back on, and it turns fine, but wtf?!?

2) There is a hum that comes from the motor (you can hear it when you stand next to the turntable), but it is not audible in the music.

3) The tonearm sounds a little creaky when I move it to the start point of the record. Again, not audible, but I wouldn't know how to "oil" a tonearm to get rid of it.

[GA Russell]

Thanks guys! Right now I'm leaning toward getting the Carbon, and saving up for the acrylic platter and maybe a better cartridge next year.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

If you do go for an acrylic platter on the Debut Carbon, you might want to consider one from Tizo Acryl out of Germany. I bought one from them a few years ago and it's a heavier platter that looks very nice. It's about the same price as the Pro-Ject one.

http://www.acrylteller.com/epages/es122814.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es122814_acrylteller/Categories/ACRYLTAUSCHTELLER/fuer_ProJect/Debut__Line

Remember to subtract 19% (VAT) from their prices for US customers.

[Stonewall15]

I notice that several of the discussed turntables have a 78 RPM speed in addition to the usual 45 and 33.

Can the same needle with the light cartridge weight be used to play a 78?

It seems to me that the diamond needle would not read the 78 grooves properly.

[Stefan Wood]

You need a 78 specific turntable needle.

[Stonewall15]

Where would I get a 78 specific needle? Would it come with the turntable in addition to the 33/45 diamond needle?

[catesta]

I have no idea which is the better but I know Shure and Grado are at least two companies that make them.

[GA Russell]

If you do go for an acrylic platter on the Debut Carbon, you might want to consider one from Tizo Acryl out of Germany. I bought one from them a few years ago and it's a heavier platter that looks very nice. It's about the same price as the Pro-Ject one.

http://www.acrylteller.com/epages/es122814.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es122814_acrylteller/Categories/ACRYLTAUSCHTELLER/fuer_ProJect/Debut__Line

Remember to subtract 19% (VAT) from their prices for US customers.

Thanks for the suggestion, Kevin. I took a look at their page. Do you feel strongly that it's a superior platter?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

If you do go for an acrylic platter on the Debut Carbon, you might want to consider one from Tizo Acryl out of Germany. I bought one from them a few years ago and it's a heavier platter that looks very nice. It's about the same price as the Pro-Ject one.

http://www.acrylteller.com/epages/es122814.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es122814_acrylteller/Categories/ACRYLTAUSCHTELLER/fuer_ProJect/Debut__Line

Remember to subtract 19% (VAT) from their prices for US customers.

Thanks for the suggestion, Kevin. I took a look at their page. Do you feel strongly that it's a superior platter?

I saw a Pro-Ject acrylic platter but did not buy it. It was about $150 and it didn't seem to be worth the money. I bought one of these Tizo Acryl platters sight unseen. It is very hefty and well made. Personally, I like the look better but mine is an etched version that they don't make for the Debut Carbon. This is mine: http://www.acrylteller.com/ACRYLIC-PLATTER-Pro-Ject-Debut-black-polished-surface-finish Maybe it would work on the Debut Carbon?

[Chuck Nessa]

[Leeway]

I'm just curious: if the replacement platter is substantially heavier than the original platter, couldn't that result in additional drag on the motor, especially at start-up, (from the additional weight), and perhaps even affect rotation speed slightly?

Edited October 17, 2014 by Leeway

[Chuck Nessa]

You can't be rational when posting in this thread!!!

[.:.impossible]

How does the platter look with an LP on it?

[Larry Kart]

I once had (but can't find it now) a copy of a magazine article that lists and describes (with pictures, of course) the world's ten most expensive turntables. IIRC the most expensive one cost about $100,000 and was carved into a block of granite or quartz that was about the size of a four-door sedan. Sonic isolation, for sure. I think the article also mentioned that the guy who owned that turntable (only one of them may have been made) lived well away from most vestiges of civilization, at or near the top of a mountain in Japan.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

You would have to have an extremely heavy platter to affect the start up. A heavier platter is known to improve speed accuracy because of the added inertia. Slight variations in speed won't translate directly to the platter if the inertia keeps it spinning constantly. That's why the expensive turntables typically have heavy platters.

[Larry Kart]

I see I underestimated; top price is $300,000 or $350,000.

http://www.musicstack.com/guide-to-collecting-vinyl-records/ten-most-expensive-turntables.html

http://most-expensive.com/turntable-in-world

http://www.higherfi.com/spkrlist/speakerlist.php?category=turntables