Getting a new turntable for christmas

[lindsayt]

Sellers are catching on to the demand for nice old DD units (example here) and £200 may not get you a lot nowadays unless you snag a BIN bargain from a seller who hasn't realised the trend.

However there are some nice classic belt drive bargains for under £200

That PL71 is over-priced. You can buy the same model cheaper elsewhere.

There are lots of other dd Japanese models apart from the PL71 that would have a very good chance of sounding better than an RP3.

Classic Thorens are good inexpensive tt's. They would be quite welcome to join in my Top Gear Challenge Game.

 

[lindsayt]

Sorry, but give me an RP3 over that PL-71 any day.

Is that based on comparative listening tests?

Or looks?

Or what?

 

[MajorFubar]

I have already bought over half a dozen 30 plus year old hi-fi components that have worked fine since I bought them over a year ago - well over a year in some cases. I have a good track record here. Would you like me to list these items? Would you like to come to my place to look at the engineering quality of these items so that you can assess the likelihood of them still working in the year 2050?

No not really because to a certain extent you're preaching to the converted You'll probably notice from my sig that I have a 40y/o Thorens TT, in the loft I have a GL75 of similar vintage which I know you also rate, as do I, and elsewhere unused I also have an Akai 4000DB reel-to-reel, knocking on the door of 35y/o, which will probably out-last me.

However, generally I still wouldn't recommend buying elderly HiFi to someone wanting say their first TT unless they asked specifically for it, such as Chebby who was asking advice on buying a used belt-drive Thorens. That's not because I think old stuff is poor and unreliable compared to modern, it's more to do with the risk of buying vintage, used electrical equipment. Probably TTs carry the least risk because they're more mechanical than electrical, but it's still not obviously as risk-free as buying new with a warranty.

 

[matthewpiano]

Sorry, but give me an RP3 over that PL-71 any day.

Is that based on comparative listening tests?

Or looks?

Or what?

Based on the fact that the Rega is a beautifully engineered piece of kit, with no wear and tear on it, and the results of many many years of careful and well researched evolution. There are many many Rega Planar 3 and P3 'tables still giving great service and they can still be easily serviced and upgraded even now. Set-up properly, IMO, they can challenge much more expensive designs and sound absolutely superb.

I have heard a PL-71 and I've also owned a Technics SL1210Mk2. Neither really did a lot for me to be honest and, whilst I thought the Technics was beautifully built, its performance didn't do anything to amaze me for the considerable cost and I wound up wishing I'd bought a Rega instead.

As an aside, I much prefer the looks of the Regas as well, but that is only a minor point.

Anyway, each to his own!

 

[lindsayt]

In what context did you hear the Pioneer PL71? What cartridge did it have on it? Did you directly compare it to a Rega or any other turntable when you heard it?

Did you ever try fitting a diiferent arm to the standard one on your Technics? And if so did you ever fit a decent MC cartridge?

 

[matthewpiano]

Heard the PL71 in a friend's system during the course of a music listening session. The cartridge was a Grado of some description but I couldn't tell you what! I haven't compared it side by side with a Rega but I'm quite happy with how I feel about it.

As for the Technics I only used the stock arm. It wasn't that far off the price of a P3-24 at the time and with that deck you got one of the best arms in the business without paying any extra. I'm not into spending several hundred pounds on something to then have to replace bits on it to make it work better. Regarding the cartridge, the most extravagant it got was a high output MC cartridge by Sumiko but it wasn't a great match to be fair. Generally I'm quite happy with a good quality MM.

I'm well aware of the advantages of Direct Drive, but I've always liked belt drive and I'm happy with that.

 

[John Duncan]

The OP still wants to buy new, btw...

 

[matthewpiano]

...and there really isn't a lot of real choice at this end of the market. It is really between Rega and Pro-ject, particularly with Technics now being out of the picture.

As I have found out, the cheaper Thorens decks aren't Thorens at all. They are made by a German company (Alfred Farenbacher) and are basically Dual turntables, based on designs from the period when Schneider owned Dual. For what they are they are pretty over-priced. Once you get up to the TD295IV, its Pro-ject that provide the bits. The Marantz TT-42 is also a Dual underneath.