Best direct drive Turn table on a budget!

[EmilyJ]

I am looking at getting my partner a turntable for his birthday, it is something we have both wanted in the house for some time now. We definitely cannot afford Technics and he has mentioned a Pioneer turntable previously however was wondering if i can buy something with a little cheaper. Having read that a direct drive is better than a belt drive if adding another deck in the future this is probably the better option? So with this in mind looked on the market and done a little research I have pinpointed the following and wanted to know if there are any which i should avoid or any obvious differences;

LencoL-3808
Audio-TechnicaAT-LP120X USB
Pioneer PLX500
Omnitronic DD 2530 USB

And then there's which speakers haven't even started on that one !

 

[Al ears]

I am looking at getting my partner a turntable for his birthday, it is something we have both wanted in the house for some time now. We definitely cannot afford Technics and he has mentioned a Pioneer turntable previously however was wondering if i can buy something with a little cheaper. Having read that a direct drive is better than a belt drive if adding another deck in the future this is probably the better option? So with this in mind looked on the market and done a little research I have pinpointed the following and wanted to know if there are any which i should avoid or any obvious differences;

LencoL-3808
Audio-TechnicaAT-LP120X USB
Pioneer PLX500
Omnitronic DD 2530 USB

And then there's which speakers haven't even started on that one !

Depending on your budget I think you're better of with a belt drive, cheap direct drives are not necessarily better than equivalent belt drive.
What exactly is he going to connect a turntable to?

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Think you've scared the OP off Al 🙂

 

[Gray]

...if you're still around:
You may have chosen those turntables because of their built in amplifiers.
It's important to note though, that they need further amplification before you can hear them on speakers.
You'll need either a separate amplifier, or speakers with amplification built into them.

 

[kramer2020]

I am looking at getting my partner a turntable for his birthday, it is something we have both wanted in the house for some time now. We definitely cannot afford Technics and he has mentioned a Pioneer turntable previously however was wondering if i can buy something with a little cheaper. Having read that a direct drive is better than a belt drive if adding another deck in the future this is probably the better option? So with this in mind looked on the market and done a little research I have pinpointed the following and wanted to know if there are any which i should avoid or any obvious differences;

LencoL-3808
Audio-TechnicaAT-LP120X USB
Pioneer PLX500
Omnitronic DD 2530 USB

And then there's which speakers haven't even started on that one !

Go for a Audio-TechnicaAT-LP140X. A far better option than the AT120 for not much more. It has a heavy damped platter and a stronger DD.

Only downside is that the AT140 does not have a cheap and cheerful built in preamp and therefore you will need to spend at least £50 on a standalone phono preamp, unless your partners amplifier already has an phono stage built in that is.

 

[Al ears]

Go for a Audio-TechnicaAT-LP140X. A far better option than the AT120 for not much more. It has a heavy damped platter and a stronger DD.

Only downside is that the AT140 does not have a cheap and cheerful built in preamp and therefore you will need to spend at least £50 on a standalone phono preamp, unless your partners amplifier already has an phono stage built in that is.

We haven't heard from OP for over two months, think she might have bought something by one 😎