Other turntable manufacturers

[record_spot]

Project, Rega, Technics. Who on earth would go up against those three, or so was a comment on an earlier thread.

My gut feel? In today's world?

Thorens, Hanpin (yep...!), Argon, Audio Technica, Edwards Audio / Talk Electronics, Cambridge, Clearaudio, Denon, VPI...the list goes on.

If you're looking for a new deck, what are you looking at?

For me, my current and previous turntables have included:-

Now - Cambridge Audio Alva ST - rather better than the 3 stars that the WHF review gave it IMO. Build quality up there with the Technics SL1500C / 100C - comes with Bluetooth and pnboard phono stage but both can be defeated. Somebody called it a lifestyle turntable recently, which I'm not quite sure what that means, but with a new cork mat, a Musical Fidelity X-LP phono stage (the tubular one from the mid-90s) and an Audio Technica VM-540ML, it's a pretty solid combination.

Previous:

1. Thorens TD-160 in modded plinth - great deck, but skips like a winner the minute you walk across the floor. Slight wiring issue with the tonearm causing dropouts so the plan is to have it rewired and thereafter sold on. With a stable base, the sound quality is excellent, but otherwise, a nightmare.

2. AT-1240 clone - can't quite recall the brand offhand, but I picked it up from Ebay for £250. The build was incredible, a Technics clone and with all the bells and whistles. Major benefit was VTA. Rega owners spit your dummies now! I partnered it with an AT-VM95C which was a good pairing. The performance per pound was outrageous and the build put MDF wannabees Rega and Project to shame.

3. Rega P3 - Going back a while now (2000), but the 2000 P3 was a decent performer. RB-300 arm and the supplied Elys cartridge. Shipped that out and added an AT-440MLa cartridge and yes, you can use non-Rega cartridges with Rega decks. A £1 shim to raise the tonearm VTA will do you fine. Okay, maybe today it's £5 or something, but if you can't be bothered with that, get an AT-1240 clone.

So, to respond to that "anybody going up against Project, Rega, etc....", then I think they could probably do quite well. And if you don't believe me, a trip to the Talk Electonics and Edwards Audio room at Cranage last year would've put your mind at rest.

Much as with all audio these days, there's more than one way to skin three cats.

And if you're shopping around, there's more to turntables than MDF.

 

[daytona600]

Project & Technics produce about 99% of the components in house , with vertical integration , huge purchasing scale and if f you have shipped millions of units

Hainpin/Yorung produce huge amounts of " lifestyle plastic " OEM re-badged for hundreds of suppliers

Once you get into Mid & Hiend price bracket the field does open up with dozens of other Suppliers
Vertere , Kuzma , SME , Avid , etc , etc

Dont forget the classics
Garrard 301/401 /, Thorens TD124 , Lenco GL75 , Technics SP10 , Sony TTS-8000 / PSX9 , Trio L07D etc
Fettled and well set up . Can still run rings around most modern TTs at any price., A great 70year old design will sound great today

 

[Integralista]

Hi, you have opened very fine thread related to turntables. I used in the past some Tesla Litovel (Czech made) turntables, today they make Projects and EAT tables there (very good ones). From 1999, I use only Rega turntables, several models but mainly Planar 25 and Planar 9, 2nd gen. From my experience, very few tables can be compared to them in their ranges. Brand which is also competitor and many years very good is Clearaudio from Germany. These are high quality, very revealing sounding machines, similar like Kuzma or Avid or SME tables for example. Small Kuzma Stabi S is also very special. It sounds nearly like his one size bigger brothers, but Stabi S is smaller, less complex and less expensive. Real Highend turntable. Another brand which is very quickly recovering from longterm hybernation is swiss-german Thorens. Their TD 124 after full makeover is a real diamond, Very good table, after comparison with upgraded "new" TD 1500 I recommend to keep saving for the full fat TD 124. The difference in sound is so Huge...And TD 124 is still a bargain in highend world. Or look for a nice refurbished old TD 124, still a great value, like old Garrard machines. BR.

 

[nopiano]

When I decided to sell my Linn Sondek in 2011 - because it needed considerable updating at some expense, and I was between jobs so not flush with money - I looked at the usual suspects. Rega sounded nice, but I couldn’t get over the ugly bolt holding the main bearing to the mdf base. Technics hadn’t had their renaissance back then, and I’ve since scratched that itch too!

Michell looked far better engineered, and I could still have a Rega arm. So I bought a TecnoDec, which in the event was the shop demo model, because it included the cartridge and saved a hundred quid or so. It has been faultless. I didn’t even need new oil, despite its maker saying it should after ten years - we disagreed that such oil evaporates at normal temperatures! Today they cost two grand, over double what I paid 14 years ago. Part of that increase is due to far superior packaging and the distribution via PMC.

I’d still choose a Michell or a Technics if I was starting over, though at under four grand the entry Linn Majik LP12 might be tempting. Project are great at almost any price point however.

 

[Revolutions]

After chatting a bit with @nopiano I think if I were starting again I’d think about direct drive.

I love my LP12 but it is all a bit fiddly. Having to tiptoe around after putting the needle down is amusing, but the fact any setup almost requires a full service means that cost of ownership over the years won’t get better. Also, the update thing is just crazy - I’d been planning on taking mine up to Selekt spec, but already they’ve launched new stuff at Klimax level that makes you think anything else will soon be redundant. Time to just enjoy how damn good it sounds as it is- so yes, an LP12 is a great thing. Second hand is far better value, but obvs a bit risky with all those parts.

Also, my old Rega P6 was pretty darn good. Only real improvement I’ve noticed with the same cart on the Linn is quieter clicks & pops, and lower noise floor.

 

[Al ears]

After numerous cheaper turntables I moved on to a Roksan with Tabriz tonearm and then found a nice second-hand Origin Live turntable with one of their own tonearms (cannot remember which exactly). Very well engineered and certainly on a par with Michell.
I never went the LP12 as, at the time, considered them overpriced and over-finicky to set up and keep properly set-up.
Origin Live still producing some mid to high end decks and amazing tonearms, and if I had the cash might have continued down that route. As it was I ended up buying a German deck and British tonearm which I still have.