Posted by manualblock [ 69.112.43.172 ] on November 29, 2005 at 16:57:47:
In Reply to: Help needed with a turntable purchase posted by Brian C. on November 28, 2005 at 22:20:45:
My opinion. If you listen for pleasure and not for perfection; want a good sounding, reliable turntable that can be somewhat upgraded in the future should the notion take you and works well with many of the better cartridges then I would suggest getting a Technics SL 1200 with a decent cartridge priced in the 100-150$ range. The table is about 350$ discounted and another 150$ for a cartridge is a good deal for 500$.
Pushing the 750$ limit would give you a Denon DL 103r cartridge and a step-up transformer which should put you squarely into audiophile territory.
The Technics is a Direct Drive with a decent arm that can be upgraded.
The difference you might or might not hear in a comparatively priced belt-drive would be a quieter background and a little smoother presentation depending upon which cartridge you choose and whether you can hear that difference at all with your existing electronics.
If you have very revealing electronics then the 500$ belt-drive may extract a little more music from the grooves and have a slightly more musical sound. But the difference between a belt and the Technics at this price range is really more of a trade-off in percieved sound than a real improvement.
Spending on the cartridge or maybe a decent cart and a better phono stage should be more of an improvement than going for the belt.
If you like the idea of the belt; than for 500$ new; there are Rega's and Thorens that sound nice with decent arms. Will they improve upon the DD Technics? I don't hear it but some may say they do.
Designing the whole set-up properly should provide a better return on your audio dollar. Placing the Technics on a wall shelf bolted to the wall; adjusting the arm and cartridge very carefully and choosing a good medium or high mass cartridge to begin with will do most of what the music is capable of doing. Then concenterate on a good accurately tuned phono stage and you will be very surprised at how good it all sounds.
Let us know how you make out or if you have any other questions.
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