best affordable "audiophile" turntable just for listening

[trevor dane]

i have an sl 1200 mk2 and a 1210 mk5 and the 1210 mk5 sounds way better and both are original grounding good condition etc, just wondering what audiophile turntables will sound even better and if theyre affordable or not. thanks!

[waxdestroyer]

ppl praise this turntable and say the're better than the 12s, they are affortable too, this vid proofs the longlasting superior build quality

 

[Guest Symatic]

I never compared the different mk technics but i imagine the tone arm and cabling is better on the mk5.

You can get project turntables pretty cheap and they sound decent.

But i see it as - why not get a technics? It sounds good, youcan mod it to make it sound ace, and you can scratch on it. What more do you want?

[DJ Rock Well]

I had a hifi turntable once (a Systemdek) with the the idea of using it for sampling. The result was disaterous, because as much as hi end turntables reproduce the sound to a much higher and more accurate standard they do just the same thing with all the noise, clicks, poor pressing, etc. Records that barely had any noise on my 1200 were suddenly hissy, screechy, clicky nonsense.

[Guest Symatic]

yeah, with the sampling-on-high-end decks thing, i always have in the back of my mind that most of the samples we know and love probably went through a shure m-447 (not exactly the most hi-fi cartridge) but at the same time, I've listened to some pretty decent hi-fi decks with high spec cartridges and even worn records CAN be brought to life. but again, a decent cart on a technics is still my solution

[DJ Rock Well]

I think you're being too kind to producers of the past. A Stanton 500, shitbox Gemini or KAM mixer and a 1210 (if you're lucky) is more like it.

 

But yes, I digress. High end hifi turns are much more critical of the condition and pressing quality of the record and even their setup, stylus wear, etc. My dad had a right old faff with his Linn when he first got it, all thinks to set up and stylus issues.

 

Perhaps if it's all for playing mint 60s classical LPs it's worth it, but if your records were made in Jamaica and half of them don't even have the centre hole in quite the right place, you're probably barking up the wrong tree. Changing belts by hand for speed changes is boring too.

 

These days I stick to an Ortofon, 1200, good analogue scratch mixer signal chain.

[Guest rasteri]

Yeah you're better off just buying a decent needle for your 1200 and getting a hi-quality phono preamp.

 

Don't listen to audiophiles, they're a bunch of morons.

[Deft]

I toyed with getting a separate turntable years ago but ended up getting a standalone Rane phono pre amp (which I never used) and some hilariously expensive Shure cartridge which you can't even get replacement styli for anymore. The better cart definitely made a difference. I then reasoned that I couldn't be fucked to record my vinyl and that anyway vinyl sounds like shit. Analog nostalgic fuck cunts can do one.