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What classic and beautiful turntable + tonearm + cartridge up to ~£1k?

H

hiphopopotamus

pfm Member
Hi all,

I've been given clearance by the OH to pull the trigger on a turntable for the second system - but comes with some strings attached...it needs to:
i) complement the acoustic/vocal/blues+jazz focused setup of this system (the amp is a Lavardin IS and speakers are AudioNote AN Ks)
ii) be a thing of beauty itself, so adds something to the room

Looking around it looks like there are various options in the Thorens, Garrard, Linn (maybe even Michell) vein. But I'm completely new to this world (only come through the relatively modern iterations of Rega/Pro-ject/Technics).

Primarily I'm looking for something that:
a) will do a sterling & smooth job in this system
b) is something I can keep for a long time and is likely to maintain its value (ie is considered a bit of a classic)
c) looks beautiful at present and potentially can be made more so with upgrade paths
d) doesn't break the £1000 mark (at least not too badly) for the table + arm + cartridge (I'm not too worried about the phono stage at present as, if it doesn't fit into the overall budget, I'll just use my NVA stage from my primary system for a while).

Does anyone have any suggestions for what represents best value at this price point? I notice that LP12s are probably just beyond my reach... but what is the rung slightly below?
Happy to think through spending the majority of the £1000 on an expensive deck and getting a cheap(er) tonearm + cartridge for now that will be upgraded in time...

What would you do?

Cheers!
 
Rega is the obvious choice but they do look a bit modern. Theorens is another option & they look more traditional, many get really good results from them.

Good luck.
 
I would have thought it a struggle to get a LP12, Garrard or Michell for under £1k if your including and tonearm and cartridge within that price.
A used Thorens should fit the bill with a nice real wood plinth with Rega tonearm and cartridge of choice, a nice alternative could be a preowned Audionote TT (Systemdek) though I don't know how much they make second hand
 
Lenco GL75/88/99 - can be tweaked to death and the plinth can be customised to your heart's content - leaves plenty for arm and cart.
Possibly get a Michell Syncro with arm and cart for less than a grand - looks great and has a good SQ
 
Kenwood KD-990 / KD-7010 / KD-8030 (all essentially the same). Most often found in Germany though. No tweaking needed though some run it skeletal without the plinth. Lid will probably need a good rub down.
 
there is an Oracle transcriptor on US Ebay for around $1K. There have got to be a few in Europe around that price. If I figured out the exchange rates, that leaves you around 300 quid to spend on a tonearm and good MM cartridge.

the Oracle is certainly a looker, but not "traditional" by any means.
 
Haha this place is such a great enabler and source of knowledge - fully expected (fully naively, I should add) to find a quick and easy answer to my question earlier, and have instead come away with a much bigger list than I had before :). Thanks all for the valuable input.
So from the above, the options are:
  • Thorens TD125 (I've had my eye on that artofsound classified the past few days and it actually prompted this post - so I'm glad it's reared its head)
  • A classic LP12 (I've since been offered a 90s one with original arm and cartridge for £1k)
  • Oracle transcriptor if I could find one here in UK (unlikely I imagine)
  • Rega P25/P5
  • Various German sourced Kenwoods
  • A JP sourced Pioneer
  • Beogram 4002
  • One of various Lencos
My gut is to run with either the TD125 or LP12 to keep on the relatively straight and narrow for future proofing.
Anybody have a feel either way which makes sense? I think I am leaning toward the TD125 at the moment because:
i) it is much *much* closer to me for inspection/collection
ii) it leaves me in full control for future additions (tonearm/cartridge etc) without breaking the bank immediately

... but is it less than ideal with an LP12 available?
Any thoughts on this/anything else above welcome!
 
TD125 + 3009 is a good shout given your requirements, although as far as the AoS one goes (no offence to seller if they’re reading) I think they look better with a plinth closer in size to the original, and £500 does sound a little steep. Hopefully some here will be able to advise on whether it would beat an early LP12, which you could get for the same money.
 
hiphopopotamus said:
Haha this place is such a great enabler and source of knowledge - fully expected (fully naively, I should add) to find a quick and easy answer to my question earlier, and have instead come away with a much bigger list than I had before :). Thanks all for the valuable input.
So from the above, the options are:
  • Thorens TD125 (I've had my eye on that artofsound classified the past few days and it actually prompted this post - so I'm glad it's reared its head)
  • A classic LP12 (I've since been offered a 90s one with original arm and cartridge for £1k)
  • Oracle transcriptor if I could find one here in UK (unlikely I imagine)
  • Rega P25/P5
  • Various German sourced Kenwoods
  • A JP sourced Pioneer
  • Beogram 4002
  • One of various Lencos
My gut is to run with either the TD125 or LP12 to keep on the relatively straight and narrow for future proofing.
Anybody have a feel either way which makes sense? I think I am leaning toward the TD125 at the moment because:
i) it is much *much* closer to me for inspection/collection
ii) it leaves me in full control for future additions (tonearm/cartridge etc) without breaking the bank immediately

... but is it less than ideal with an LP12 available?
Any thoughts on this/anything else above welcome!
Click to expand...
I don’t think you will go far wrong with either. LP12 probably ‘better’ but do you have a decent sized record collection or are you starting from scratch?
 
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