New Turntable required - thoughts?

AtticusFinch

AtticusFinch

AtticusFinch

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I have been given around 400 albums by my mother which she has kept pristine over the past 40 years or so much of which I'd like to listen to.

I am a bit of a vinyl philistine though and whilst I have a relatively nice stereo set-up, I don't at present have a turntable at all and there seem to be infinite combinations of decks and arms out there so thought I'd ask for some suggestions.

I have the Marantz PM-11 S1 and Marantz SACD-11 S1 with Focal Electra II1008BE stand-mount speakers and I love the sound I get.

The point is that I don't want really to spend more than £1000 on a turntable and arm and really have no clue where to start. I want to be able to enjoy hearing these albums I've been given but don't intend going "hardcore" analogue from this point on hence the limitation on budget.

Many thanks in advance for your ideas.
 
Well, for £1000 you should be able to get something quite tasty. There's also a lot of second hand products available.

As turntable set-up can be critical, as can synergy between TT/Arm/Cartridge I'd strongly suggest you buy from a dealer who can provide advice and support regarding these areas.

Again, if you buy second hand, make sure the product can still be serviced/repaired should the need arise.

As a starting point I'd go to a few dealers and do some listening as only you can decide on the type of sound you like best.
 
With that kind of money, I'd go for a 2nd hand Linn Sondek LP12. It can be serviced & setup by Linn Dealers to make it good as new, which is important in order for it to sound its best. It's also widely regarded as one of the best Hi-fi Turntables around for the last 30 Years at almost any price.
 
Grimley said:
With that kind of money, I'd go for a 2nd hand Linn Sondek LP12. It can be serviced & setup by Linn Dealers to make it good as new, which is important in order for it to sound its best. It's also widely regarded as one of the best Hi-fi Turntables around for the last 30 Years at almost any price.
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I'm not knocking the Linn as I've no experience of it, and I think that you're spot on about set-up as I've read many times that this is essential in order to get the best out of it. But - it seems to polarise opinions like few other products and has quite a few detractors who claim its sound to be highly coloured.

So, listen before you buy!
 
Well as a Linn LP12 owner, for some 20 years !!!! ..... I would quantify the above, for the money we are talking about it isn't going to be the most neutral or accurate deck. (as a second hand purchase) Though it has never tried to be, it's always been about make music as enjoyable as possible, coloured it maybe, but few deck boogie like it....
Today's LP12 with all it's upgrades is 1) horrendously expensive, 2) now not only lost it's coloured limitation but still boogies like nothing else.

For the £1K I would expect either a deck from Projekt or Michell to be more likely.
Though you should really get to a dealer and have listen, including the current LP12 in "basik" spec, buy what feels and sound right to you.
 
Have a scan on some of the other hi-fi forums, e.g. Hifiwigwam and look for turntables from groups like Voyd, VPI and Nottingham analogue. All make some seriously good stuff, and some of their kit will be around your price bracket s/h.
 
With that budget I'd be looking around for a deal on a Roksan Radius (found one on the bay at £599), Clearaudio Emotion or Project 6. Used, I'd look for a Michell or a Roksan Xerxes (again, on the bay for £600).

You could have course just spend a lot less and get a lower end Project or a Rega Planar, along with a good cartridge and a proper stand to put the whole lot on!
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I've got the "proper" stand to put it on already. I'm just after somehting that'll sound nice at around the Grand mark, otherwise I'll end up spending a lot more for all the little tweaks it may provide.

Will borrow a few models and try them out at home.
 
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