Buying a Record Player

Look on ebay for a Thorens - TD160, 165 or a 147.

 

you can find a good one in your price range.  You can also find a lot of info regarding the care and feeding of a vintage thorens online.

 

It will most likely come pretty well set up but you should go through the steps to do so anyway.  It's not really hard to do and you will have a much better turntable than if you spent the same amount on a new one.

 

I got a TD147 off of ebay a couple of years ago and it's been rock solid and sounds very good.

As someone who grew up in the age of vinyl you need to know the cartridge that you use is just as important if not more important than the turntable.   Some of the things to look for in a turntable are.  

1. A tone arm that can be balanced and weight adjusted to meet the specifications of your cartridge.
2. Adjustable speed control to fine tune your exact record speed, usually in the form of a strobe light
3. Dampening device to lower stylus to your record.

 

 

Because a Phono Cartridges is also a electromagnetic device they are much like speakers that each can impart their own coloration to the music.   We all tended to try out different Cartridges and different brands had a very loyal following.   I remember having Audio Technical, Shure, Pickering, and Stanton in my collection.   My favorite was made by Audio Technica followed by a Shure V-15. 

 

You also need to realize that if you use one of these older Cartridges you may have problems  connecting it to a modern HT Receiver,  While my Integra has a phono input it does not have a phono pre amp built in.   

 

By all means try your local shops first!  You may have to go a bit over your budget.  Some local record shops refurbish, setup, and resell turntables ready to go.  That would be great.  Or your local hifi shop may have something nice.

 

You can find great stuff on your local craigslist if you are knowledgable about vinyl, but since you're new to vinyl you may want to go with something new or already setup for you.  You can ruin your records with a bad setup.

 

I would recommend the model DP-300F from Denon.  http://usa.denon.com/US/Product/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?Catid=0033e08f-3edd-435b-946f-82784b5bc621&SubId=0&ProductId=dbac85e2-8935-4e5f-8b61-c921f1c7b120  It's a good turntable that won't ruin your records and will play through your existing receiver whether it has a phono input or not.  It's sharp looking, too.   Another good option is the Audio Technica AT-120 USB table.  You don't have to use USB with it, it can function as a regular table.

I picked up a Rega RP1 last night, and love it! Insanely easy to set up since it's designed for beginners, and sounds amazing. $400 cdn means it's a little expensive, but considering what other Regas cost, and the how great it sounds, I'm more then pleased. Here's a review (not mine) http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/turntables/rega-rp1-720000/review