Which Turntable?

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jtwrace

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I know this has come up before but I must ask. I am falling into the need for vinyl. So which turntable (reasonably priced) would you recommend? Rega P9, VPI...HELP!
 
I know I'm biased here since I have one, but at $1700 the VPI scout is a bargain for the quality. Class B stereophile recommended.
 
You will not go wrong with either of your choices. They have both been highly touted in the audio rags. Choice of cartridge and tonearm will make a significant difference. The Rega has a dedicated arm. The VPI Scout generally comes with an JMW-9, but you can change that if you wish. BTW, the JMW-9 has been very well reviewed, also.
 
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jtwrace,

Do not discount the used market for great turntables. They are out there and there many bargains to be had. Most turntable owners are fanatics like ML owners so you may get really lucky.

Jeff:cool:
 
Another vote for VPI

I don't think you can go wrong with any VPI. A friend of mine has an older discontinued model and noticed that the speed started to fluctuate a month ago. He greased the bearing and no more problem. When I asked him when the last time he greased it was he said, never. He bought the table used, twelve years ago and plays it regularly. It was listening to albums on his turntable that convinced me to buy my Scout. - Steve
 
Bought my VPI HW 19 in 1987 Updated it along the way to Mk IV status. It is the second oldest piece in my system and still works perfectly. In my humble opinion there is no more reliable turntable than a VPI. If I ever buy another it will be a VPI.
 
I know I'm biased here since I have one, but at $1700 the VPI scout is a bargain for the quality. Class B stereophile recommended.

Though not a great fan of Harry's designs, this is a great place to start with vinyl playback.
 
What are you a fan of?

I'm a Linn man, myself. The two decks sound very different and I prefer the Linn sound. When I bought the LP12 I auditioned an equivalent VPI deck and bought the Linn. In my search for a new deck I recently listened to a Super Scout Master with JMW9 arm and a Benz Ruby. Very good but once again not my cup o' tea. I will be modding the Linn w/ a CF subchassis and armboard and moving the motor to the front left corner and using the remaining money on music or maybe speakers.
 
With that budget I'd get a VPI superscout master with the SDS unit.
Do you already have a good phono preamp?


Excellent recomendation ! Also you may want to consider what I have done (and I'm quite happy I might add)......VPI Aries 3 with VPI/DynaVector 20xh cartridge.

as romax asked....do you have a phono-pre ??
 
Isn't amazing of all the turntables in the world we have only suggested two, a Linn and VPI. Both of these are a bit similar in design too.

Just my 2 cents.

Jeff:cool:
 
Isn't amazing of all the turntables in the world we have only suggested two, a Linn and VPI. Both of these are a bit similar in design too.

Just my 2 cents.

Jeff:cool:

When I was looking for a TT I looked at Thorens as well. What turned me off was:
- the price (higher than VPI)
- they are kinda hard to find and harder to find support for them
- VPI can be upgraded

I considered clearaudio, but thought it was on a lower level compared to the other ones in the price range.
I did not audition Sotas or Oracles as they were out of my price range.
Perhaps you can find a used Sota in your price range.
These are the brands I'm familiar with.
 
Isn't amazing of all the turntables in the world we have only suggested two, a Linn and VPI. Both of these are a bit similar in design too.

Just my 2 cents.

Jeff:cool:


Tht's true Jeff....but for good reason !! As a VPI owner I can state that
their support and upgrade capability is second to none.

but you are right given JT's budget of 5k there are alot of nice options to consider.......... Clearaudio, ProJect, Miichell, Nottingham to name but a few.
 
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I am not saying Thorens is the end to all of turntables. They have had more of their problems and are expensive now for what they are offering in comparison to other choices. In their day they were great tables and yes the VPI are great tables in todays market as well as a few others.

I actually have two Thorens that I inherited and for what it would cost me to upgrade or buy new is not worth it for me. I just gave away a B&O and that is a whole other story.:eek:

My point was there are many options to look at and my thinking was with a used turntable one may also consider some optional equipment with the table like cleaners, brushes, and media.


Jeff:cool:
 
I owned a VPI HW19 IV for years. Although it is no longer my reference, (now using an SME 10) I still used it in a second system. The newer VPIs play to consistently good reviews. Thorens might be problematic because of the service situation. Thorens of America used to be about a 10 minute drive from my house. When I had a TD 125, all was well. For quite a while, later on, there was no US distributor. Factory service did not exist. Will the new distributor be around for a long while? Given the history, who knows?
 
Isn't amazing of all the turntables in the world we have only suggested two, a Linn and VPI. Both of these are a bit similar in design too.

Just my 2 cents.

Jeff:cool:

Alright then.

Consider the Avid Diva + arm of choice, the Nottingham 294 w/294 arm, Project RPM 10 w/arm. I can't recommend any of the Clearaudio tables because to me all of their tables I've heard are bright and some what "digital" sounding.

The Linn and VPI's couldn't be more different. Light, suspended design for the Linn and a heavy, mass loaded design for the VPI.
 
I knew I could stir the pot with "us" turntable guys. The point is there are many choices with any piece of equipment as well as price/availability.

Jeff:cool:
 

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