Entry level turntable: rega vs. music hall vs. ??? (1 Viewer)

[mike_decock]

I see you lurking in the Vinyl Asylum, perform a search there, you'll get the answer for sure.

Yeah, I'm an inmate there, too . Great people, horrible site. I guess I'm just a little spoiled by vBulletin but doing searches there is kind of tedious.
The Aurum Beta (S) and the 10x4 are both high on my list of considerations. I appreciate your and Saurav's recommendations. Either way, I've got a month or two to decide which way to go.
-Mike...

 

[Saurav]

Just a note - the 10x4 is a high output MC, so it needs an MM phono stage - the gain and loading requirements match that of MM cartridges.

 

[Ted Lee]

welp, the rega i was bidding on went for a whopping 490.00! clearly out of my price-range. so the search will continue...

thanks again all. i will utilize your advice as i continue on my journey to find the mystical, wonderful land that they call vinyl...

 

[Saurav]

If you're looking for something a little less expensive and are willing to fiddle/tweak with the 'table, try and research the Thorens and Dual 'tables. Some (but not all) of those were considered very good 'tables, and you can usually find them on eBay for around $100 - $200. I've heard several people say that some of the Thorens models can be made into very good 'tables with a little tweaking. In fact, some people have used Thorens 'tables to demo electronics/speakers at some high-end shows.

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks saurav - i checked ebay on the thorens and there's quite a wide selection. most of them have a pretty cool retro look. one guy is selling one for like 27.00! now that's a bargain. i'll do some more research on those.
i'm a little hesitant to get into the whole tweaking thing...at least for now. i suspect that will add up and by the time i'm done i'm at 300+. heck...for that price i may as well get a P3...i hear those are pretty good.

 

[Saurav]

Nah, you can spend much less than that and get pretty significant improvements. Personally, I think it's foolish to spend $300 in tweak/upgrade parts on a $300 product - if you have a $600 budget, buy a $600 component, it'll have much better basic design and construction. It's rare that you can throw money at a budget design and turn it into an excellent product.

Read up on the Thorens 'tables on Audio Asylum, they're discussed a lot there. AFAIK, there are also dedicated sites that describe and discuss these 'tables. I haven't heard any myself, but they have a good reputation, and look better constructed than that Sony/Pioneer decks (I own a Pioneer PL-12D, which is pretty darn good for $25).

I remember someone at the HE2002 show in NY (?) was using a Thorens 'table to demo some high end preamp or phono stage or something... that should tell you that they're not junk.

 

[Ted Lee]

Personally, I think it's foolish to spend $300 in tweak/upgrade parts on a $300 product...

yup...i totally agree. i'll do some research on AA tonight...looks like they may be a possibility. again, i'm faced with the fact that i'm buying an older turntable...that part is still buggin' me. i hate to think that i should be biased just because of the age of the component, but i can't seem to shake it.
i've been thinking the music hall mmf-1 may be a better "fit" for me. any opinons or word of mouth on that turntable? the one i'm looking at is at audioadvisor:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/pr...th%20Cartridge

 

[mike_decock]

i've been thinking the music hall mmf-1 may be a better "fit" for me. any opinons or word of mouth on that turntable?

The tonearm isn't adjustable and you can't swap out the cartridges. IMO, unless you're completely strapped for cash and can't save up a little more, or you're just looking for a temporary, make-do table, I wouldn't go for it. I'd be much more inclined to go for a used TT. Something like Link Removed would be a decent-sounding table (I have an MMF 2.1 with an Ortofon OM-10), give you the ability to swap out cartridges and familiarize yourself with doing alignments, etc.
-Mike...

 

[Ted Lee]

ahh...i wasn't aware of that mike. that's a definite turn-off. i definitely want the "adjustability" factor. okay, mmf-1 is out. thanks for the heads-up.
ugh...i'm starting to burn-out...
[edit] btw - thanks for that link. i've never really checked out audiogon before - looks pretty cool.

 

[John Knowles]

As I mentioned before, I just upgraded from a Thorens, which I still use to transfer lps to CDR for the car, and still think it's pretty decent. I think the main weakness was the arm (a TD166), which pales in comparison to the Regas. I got my P3 via a classified ad in Audiogon for around $500--I got a bit burned by the creep (no longer listing product I notice) who sold it. The cartridge that was included was shot and he never refunded the amount (after he agreed to) of $$$ to compensate. Nevertheless, I paid less than retail and it's a great 'table. So, if you can't afford a Rega or one of the better MMF models, I'd suggest going used and the Thorens seem to be a good "bang for buck" deal.

 

[Frank_S]

Ted, I notice you live in Sacramento. Here in San Jose there is a great place for Turntables, new and used. I buy all my gear there and can vouch for their expertise and selection. Give them a call and see if they have a used TT, I know they have a few in your pricerange, they sell Rega and I think they have Music Hall used TT's there also.
Here is the phone number; 408-971-6158.
If they have something to your liking, let me know and I will go and check it out for you. They know me very well and take care of me on every purchase so I'm sure they will do the same for you. They can ship it to you direct or you could come down to the store. They have the best selection of Analog gear around, worth the drive.

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

Frank, Ted...I envy you guys, living so close to a goldmine I have a friend whose wife's folks live in LA. He goes down a couple times a year and can't quit talking about Amoeba records and all of the used vinyl shops!
Ted,
Just a suggestion if you're looking for an opinion from a dude who only knows VINYL Brian, at needledoctor, was very helpful to me...with everything from the ground up. There's a couple of us in town locally that are trying to put together enough money to bring him up here for a week to do some fishing and answer analog questions. He really is a wealth of information and definitely doesn't take the salesmen approach. Any questions I have, I don't hesitate to call.
Jeremy

 

[Ted Lee]

cool guys - thanks for the additional info and contacts.
frank - i used to go to san jose quite often (my ex's family lives there) so that's great info. if i get out there next time i will definitely keep them in mind. is there anyone in particular i should ask for?
sounds like needledoctor is the happenin' place!
it's great to see so many people still into vinyl. for me, it's finally cool again!

 

[John Knowles]

Let me put another plug for Needle Doctor. I've had good luck with them and they really seem to know their stuff. I think it's great that a business like theirs can still do well, even now years after the vinyl lp was declared "dead". One note though--they usually charge list price for their stuff, but they will often price match other retailers...FYI.

 

[Frank_S]

frank - i used to go to san jose quite often (my ex's family lives there) so that's great info. if i get out there next time i will definitely keep them in mind. is there anyone in particular i should ask for?

Talk to the owner Brian Hartsell, or Chris, or Scott. They are the only 3 people who work there. Chris actually came over to my house on his day off to help me setup my speakers even though I did'nt buy them from the Analog Room, these guys really love what they do. You can also ask Brian about any record, Classical, Jazz, Rock and he can tell what pressing to look for. He owns about 15,000 records himself.

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks frank - i'll be sure to bust out some name dropping!

 

[mike_decock]

He owns about 15,000 records himself.

Now THAT's a collection!!!

-Mike...

 

[MarcEM]

I agree with trying to find an old Thorens or Dual table. My Father bought a Dual 1229Q in 1974. I assumed control of it when I started buying albums in 1977 when I was 13. I have used this table almost every day since then. I have it cleaned and lubed every 3 years. I did away with the wood base in favor of a custom made granite one with a custom dust cover (a woodshop project in High School). The cables and tonearm headshell leads have been changed out as well. A Grado Prestige Blue Cartridge tracks at about 1.5 grams. I have about 8,000 albums consisting of Classic Rock, Classical and Jazz. Long live vinyl!!

Marc