Cheap turntable….worth it?
- Thread starter JLN
- Start date
narabdela
who?
Not everyone possesses that mindset.
manicatel
pfm Member
Although there are lots of alternatives, especially if you go into the 2nd hand market, I would say a Debut Carbon would work very well for you with your NAD amp.
Worth bearing in mind that the DC has now been superseded by a newer version called the Evo, with a price rise.
So if you do decide on a DC, act quickly. I think they’re now just under the £300 mark but I doubt there’s that many left.
Worth bearing in mind that the DC has now been superseded by a newer version called the Evo, with a price rise.
So if you do decide on a DC, act quickly. I think they’re now just under the £300 mark but I doubt there’s that many left.
mikeyb
pfm Member
It was based on the fact that a cheap vinyl setup sounds like a cheap vinyl setup and you need to spend many times more to beat a digital setup of the same cost
manicatel
pfm Member
I still strongly believe that a decent £300 or so turntable can provide plenty of musical enjoyment.
Can you do better? yes of course, spend more & you’ll get better imaging, cleaner bass more detail etc.
But a Debut Carbon/NAD388 will get the music flowing.
A digital front end can be great vfm as well, if that’s your bag, & in some respects it may outperform a similarly priced turntable, but that doesn’t mean ( to me anyway) that there’s not loads of musical enjoyment to be had from a £300 turntable.
Can you do better? yes of course, spend more & you’ll get better imaging, cleaner bass more detail etc.
But a Debut Carbon/NAD388 will get the music flowing.
A digital front end can be great vfm as well, if that’s your bag, & in some respects it may outperform a similarly priced turntable, but that doesn’t mean ( to me anyway) that there’s not loads of musical enjoyment to be had from a £300 turntable.
It doesn't have to beat it.
Turntables and digital don't sound the same and even cheap, but good turntables do some things better than most digital front ends. Something like a P1 does not provide the detail of a good digital front end, or a better turntable, but that doesn't stop it being highly musical and enjoyable in its own right. A good pizza is not a Christmas dinner but that doesn't stop me enjoying one.
I'm gonna be a contrarian here...
I have been really taken by the quality of some cheap DACs - my Chord Mojo for example. Set up with Tidal streaming, it delivers far higher fidelity than an entry level Rega. I say this as someone with both analog (mid range LP12, Planar 2) and digital (Naim nDAC, Chord Mojo) sources. While I like and enjoy the Planar 2, it is not in the same league, even close, as the other three - while the Chord Mojo is not on par with the LP12 or the nDAC, it is arguably pretty close, and does do some things better than the LP12 and nDAC.
Now, the virtues of vinyl are many, and I am certainly glad I started off with a Rega P1 back when I got back into vinyl, as it let me built my collection. But if someone wants a fast road to hifi that wasn't available in the past - get a good sub $1k DAC.
I have been really taken by the quality of some cheap DACs - my Chord Mojo for example. Set up with Tidal streaming, it delivers far higher fidelity than an entry level Rega. I say this as someone with both analog (mid range LP12, Planar 2) and digital (Naim nDAC, Chord Mojo) sources. While I like and enjoy the Planar 2, it is not in the same league, even close, as the other three - while the Chord Mojo is not on par with the LP12 or the nDAC, it is arguably pretty close, and does do some things better than the LP12 and nDAC.
Now, the virtues of vinyl are many, and I am certainly glad I started off with a Rega P1 back when I got back into vinyl, as it let me built my collection. But if someone wants a fast road to hifi that wasn't available in the past - get a good sub $1k DAC.
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
Personally, if I was going for a cheap turntable a Pioneer PL12D would be top of my list. Far better engineering than 80's duals and a smattering of retro cool. Up from that, probably a Rotel RP 855.
James Morris
pfm Member
Which is a good thing, because then he goes out and buys a P10
To the OP. Whilst no experience of other makes, you can't go wrong with a P1 for what you are after.
There are certain people who slam it, and criticise the carbon cartridge for being poor. But I am with Mr Pig on this one. They are a perfect compromise between price, ease of use, quality and sound.
If buying new, most dealers will be able to get hold of one very quickly. I think Rega have a pretty quick production line churning these out. They are popular for a reason.
When I first got my P1 a few years back, I was surprised how good it sounded. No crackles that I was expecting! Oh, and half the time it was just sitting on the floor. No special stands or anything needed! Plus criticise the cartridge people may, but it won't break easily. Some people here would scream if they knew how I used to clean fluff off the stylus
They just run and run, no matter what.
If later on you feel the urge, ask Mr Darwin if they can open up the production line again for the Naiad! I'm pretty sure they sold out!
James Morris
pfm Member
When I was born, turntables were on the way out. For 30 plus years of my life I hardly had the opportunity to listen to them.
If anything, I should be like my brothers, with a Tidal subscription and little else.
But no. No matter the sound quality, true musical enjoyment is sitting there listening to and watching the LP. The black disc spinning, the arm slowly rising and falling on an imperfectly flat LP.
It's not just the listening, it's the watching. It's mesmerising! Streaming is for those that only want music to add a bit of noise to an otherwise quiet house/ car.
*Dons my tinhat and runs for the hills*
Honestly, buy a P1, new or factory refurb if you can (I bought a factory seconds through moorgate hifi for nicely under £200, they seem to push them out through ebay from time to time and they go quick). Just put it together and play some discs. IF you get hooked then buy something 'better' and sell the P1. My plan was buy the P1 and if I got hooked on vinyl then probably get a Lenco GL75 do all the mods to it and make it look pretty, then sell the P1. The kids interest and lack of space meant I got my vinyl fix, and moved back to streaming. Sold the P1 for about a tenner less than I paid for it, ripped all my old vinyl to FLAC files while I had it and the sold them too. I'd asked around on another forum about a cheap deck to start with, an the general opinion was the P1 is the equal of pretty much anything second hand at that price (short of finding an unnoticed Linn in the corner of a charity shop for a tenner) and with a new one with factory aligned stylus will work well out of the box, rather than you wondering if the stylus is good on your second hand P2 etc.
In your shoes I'd try and buy a factory seconds P1, mine had 2 hairline scratches on the plinth that took me a good 5 mins to find when inspecting it, functionally it was perfect. Second hand you might be able to do better but you are likely to do worse IMHO.
In your shoes I'd try and buy a factory seconds P1, mine had 2 hairline scratches on the plinth that took me a good 5 mins to find when inspecting it, functionally it was perfect. Second hand you might be able to do better but you are likely to do worse IMHO.
you can hyphotise them with the rotating disc
Considering how little it costs that doesn't say a lot ;0)
tenpercenter
Don't ya rile 'em.....
Rega P1 - just works and nicely balanced.