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thecookieman

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Okay so i should probably start of that i have been into music since i was like 7, when i started to appreciate the classic 70-80 rock and other wide variety of music. My father and brother were a kind of audiophiles, and my dad had previously owned one of the pioneer turntables ( the model i cannot remember anymore)... couple years ago i moved to live in another country and just recently started to get back to music and appreciate is as much as i used to couple years ago.. i have been planning to buy a turntable for quite a while and now i am dealing with one big question what to choose.
I own a quite powerful hi-fi system which speakers (80w each) i intend to hook up with Rotel Ra-10 amplifier.

When it comes to the turntables i have a big question what to choose.. i have done my research and at this point i have couple of options:

Audio-Technica AT-LP120USBC

This turntable had been reviewed very good by many people and is said to be a good entry level turntable. Of course i would look to upgrade cartridge eventually to a better one, but i am not sure if the turntable is worth the effort as it the lower level one and direct drive ( my brother told me to rule this turn table immediately as he did not believe any direct drive turntables could produce the steady speeds)

[h=1]Pro-Ject Debut Carbon 2M-Red Turntable[/h]

This turntable is an entry level higher class direct drive turntable but at the same time i am worried with the cartridge it has as on the other threads in this forum i read that some people who have a lot experience with turntables and vinyls called it rubbish.. so i was looking brightly to score one of these ( my personal first impression and preference it was ) , but i am not sure anymore after reading more about it..

Finally but not least i was thinking of obtaining an old Pioneer.. PL-500 or PL-540

The problem is i am worried of buying used turntable and going through all the trouble like mat did in making it sound great.. but at the same time these looked to be from trusted sellers on ebay and even they provided a chance to listen to its sounding.. Boh would cost about £250 with delivery so that's like £50 more than Audio Technica but a whole £140 less than pro-ject debut carbon..

My budget for turntable is max £400 at this point, and i would not be able to exceed it right now.. Is there any information or advice you could give to me or any other models that you would advise me to get for my first personal TT? I am very keen to get one as i have been buying vinyls for quite a while and have got about a 100 of them cleaned and ready to be played , but i could not make up my mind with the turntable..

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Ed
 
Ed-Why not buy a new entry level Rega table? I assume you are in the UK since you are quoting prices in pounds. Oh, and tell your brother he is dead wrong about DD tables and speed stability. Belt drive tables simply don't possess the rock solid speed stability of a well-designed DD table.
 
Yes i am currently living in the UK. Would you then suggest me a Rega RP1 to me? I was researching about them and there seemed to be a two sided opinions about them.. Half loved them but the other half was not impressed much about.. Unlike my brother i am not against DD turntable, but i am not sure what i should get to satisfy my audiophilic needs and to not exceed the budget.
 
Nothing will ever truly satisfy your needs unless you have an unlimited budget and even then, some people still aren't satisfied. I just threw Rega out there because you are on a budget and one of them would surely fit your budget. I think their arms are better than their tables, but lots of people love their tables. According to Michael Fremer, all Rega tables run slightly fast so it must be intentional to give them the illusion of more "PRAT" which people on your side of the pond seem particularly enamored with.
 
I see.. Is there a particular rega which you would suggest me then? And should i try to find a cheaper brand new or a better but used for similar price?

Also what would be your opinion about this particular listing? For some reason it looks very seducing to me .. Any thoughts? ebay.com/itm/171427466130
 
Okay so sadly i could not score the pioneer due to the price which ended up being above my budget.. So anything else you could offer me?
 
Hey guys i have finally scored my new turntable and i am happy about.. Its a Pro-Ject 1 expression carbon..
Now the bad part.. This kind of used my this month budget and yet i need amplifier and speakers.
I could get for free a toshiba SB-404s amplifier.. Is it any good and would it be able to show the potential of my turntable? I have hooked it up with my LG FA166DAB speakers.. They are powerful and nice sounding but yet again can they do the justice??

I have 24 hours to accept the offer of the Rotel RA-04se amplifier and eltax mirage 10i speakers.. £75 (~120$) is it worth it and would it be better sound quality? And finally i saw Yamaha AS 500 in local thrift shop for £80 on its own..
Any suggestions which way to go?
Thanks ed
 
Congrats Ed! The SB404s....well....free is hard to beat. The Rotel is probably a step up. Hard to say without comparing, but it is almost double the power of the Toshiba. Maybe take the Toshiba, try it out and see what happens after that.

Does the Toshiba have a phonostage?


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Yes it has a phono stage.. Actually 4 enough line in phono for 4 devices.. And it may look weak but i read about when only two speakers used it generates much more power??? And what about the speakers? Are they my biggest let downs? To my ears it just sound almost orgasmic so this is why i am so worried if i am loosing out much more due to speakers and amp (
 
Give it a whirl. You may love it and be set. Congrats again on the table.


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Thanks, but my biggest concern is how much am i loosing with this toshiba amplifier? Is it much? I know its old and not so powerful but sounded superb to me... So i am secretly hoping that with a better amp and speakers Rotel RA-04se amplifier and eltax mirage 10i speakers ( not sure if they are better than mine lg fa166 hi fi speakers ) but they are proper monitoring speakers would give a great boost? And the price is 75£ for both what i believe to be superb as this rotel model on ebay is still being sold for 160£ so could be a cheeky investment to try and if i dont like it sell it for profit hihi? The only thing i dont like about it is that it does not have a remote .. Any real good inexpensive amps u would recommend or older which i could try locate in a used condition?
 
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