Hello all im looking to get into vinyl records later this year i am looking for a turntable that i can use with my sony str dh790 home theater receiver and listen through my klipsch rp600m speakers. A budget of 300 to 400 is what im working with limited to best buy. Any and all recommendations are appreciated.
1 Like
S/H Rega Planar 3 
1 Like
Rega is always a solid option, but they usually need a separate phonestage, so make sure you are covered.
I recently bought an Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN, which looks great and has a built-in phonostage. Also, it could use a separate phono stage if I would like to upgrade and there are also many different cartridges available for more upgrades. Cant say anything negative about it.
Man rega is very out of my price range. How about something from audio technica? Remember my budget is only 300 to 400. Christmas is most likely my best chance to buy one.
That Audio Technica cost me about 300ish
They generally don’t have good built in phono stages, you’d want to at some point pick up one from Schiit or the IfI one.
Project are probably a better deal than Rega in the US, and there are a couple of other brands doing OK cheap turntables.
I will say don’t get dragged into incremental upgrades with turntables, experiment with something cheap then if you build a collection of media, jump to something good.
Well do you of a good turntable? How about the denon 300f.
It’s all perspective the sky really is the limit on the cost of turntables if you get into them, and everything has a huge effect when you compare, Cartridge, Tone Arm, Phono Stage, the actual turntable itself.
I would never go down that rabbit hole again, I didn’t move my Vinyl collection when I changed countries in the 90’s, when Vinyl was still readily available and cheap. The concept of rebuilding that collection isn’t interesting to me.
Both in terms of space and cost.
Just make sure you have enough records to justify spending more then entry level money before you do. It’s one of the few parts of a hifi system I would encourage people to jump from entry level straight to end game if it’s possible and they decide to go that way. messing around in the middle is just a huge money pit.
2 Likes
Ah ok thank you so much.
I have the 300F, I like it! A built-in preamp you can bypass when you want to step up, plus the automatic stop. Good stuff.
How would you compare it to the lp120x usb turntable from audio technica? Im looking into both of these to see which one is better.
I haven’t tried the Audio Technica, but the most important feature for me is auto-stop, and the AT doesn’t have it.
Usually I’m reading or relaxing when I’ve got a record on, and being able to rely on the turntable stopping by itself helps if I don’t want to attend to it immediately.
Denon’s cables are attached, AT’s are not. I haven’t felt like messing with a tempo gauge but I guess that’s a point for AT’s flexibility. Denon is a belt drive and AT is direct-drive.
Hmm I’ll have to look into that. The lp120x sounds like a good deal cheaper than the denon.
Another option to look at is the U-Turn Orbit.
Fantastic audiophile option with various price options. $180-$459.
Very similar design to Rega and project and other higher cost TT.
Like someone else pointed out, make sure to save for a pre-amp.
I’m a big fan of the Schiit Mani but I’ve heard good things about u-turns Pluto preamp as well.
You could do a custom TT with the acrylic platter, grado 3 cart and the built in pluto for $399
Or you could start with a cheaper cartridge like the AT91B then upgrade that after a year or so.
3 Likes
If you’re willing to put in the leg work and research time, Used can be a great option. I have a used, obscure TT for about 150$ that is about as good as most mid-range modern tables. Replaced the needle for about 50$ and then bought a phono pre for about another 100$.
2 Likes
Is a technics sl1200mk2 for $250 obo a good deal? What other technics turntables are good? Or maybe the uturn orbit plus.
If it’s in good condition, that seems like a pretty good deal. I couldn’t find one that low when I was looking.
Grab the 1200 if you can!
1 Like
The 1200 has been sold i was not able to buy it. I highly doubt that i will find another for that price. However i was recommended the fluance rt81 and i want to know who has one and how is it? How does the rt81 compare to the denon dp 300f.
I’d go Fluance. I consistently haven’t heard good things about the Denon for a while, but YMMV.