Turntable and Speaker Recommendations

[Booster]

Just seeking some thoughts on peoples turntables of choice these days please?... and whilst we're at it... any recommendations for the speakers too.

I'm no audiophile so won't be heading into the £1000+ market or even close... but I would like a respectable setup and would invest accordingly, within reason...

Suppose I'm looking for 30 people to simply say "get the Linn......" or "get the Tecnics......" ... I know that won't happen, but interested to see if anything in particular floats to the top - if nothing else but for me to start researching it a bit more...

I always quite liked the look of the Audio Technica AT-LP140XP Professional... but perhaps a little to "DJ" for my needs?

[MrFender]

I for one love my ancient Technics SL-QD33R turntable. Just blow the dust off and it works!

[aybesea]

I have a B&O table from the early 80's and I really like it, although I haven't had it hooked up in years.

[Llama]

when i went to upgrade my speakers for my house i was starting to go overboard with the research and having my heart set on speakers that were way more expensive than i wanted to spend. one of my buddies who works for Crutchfield helped me temper certain expectations and made me realize that i didn't need to break the bank to get something that i would love. i ended up going with Polk for my new fronts, center and surrounds. it was a fraction of what i was about ready to spend and i could not be happier with what they can do. when it came time for my subwoofer i went with an SVS subwoofer that has the app control features. now, that was a game changer! i highly recommend them!

at the end of the day, as long as you like what you buy... that's all that really matters!

[chrisfromparis]

Around 2009 I bought a second-hand Pro-ject Debut III turntable and I still have it. Great value for the money. Pro-ject have a large range of turntables, from 300 to 10000 € (no to mention the second-hand ones like mine), so there's a good chance you will find the right product for your needs.

[ILuvHoney]

If you want a new turntable for a reasonable price, I would advice you to look at Rega. They make low-end turntables that do sound very good. The Planar 1/2/3 range might be a place to look for a decent new turntable for a low price.

[Phred68]

I love my Audio-Technica AT-LP120USB "entry level" turntable. Simply don't have the budget for something more 'audiophile'. My Yammy receiver gives it enough kick for our house (no extra in-line preamp or DAC in the mix either). Had it several years now and it does what I need, very nicely. It's more about the cart/stylus, in my opinion, at least with some decks. Yeah, it depends on your setup of course, but this unit gives great bang for the buck. Cheers

[MGoBlue1989]

I have had very good luck with mine as well. I'd like an upgrade for it but honestly my ears are old and I'm not even sure I could hear much difference to justify the cost for the amount of use.

[Phred68]

Same here MGoBlue1989 - noticing more and more these older ears not delivering full fidelity

[mark2114]

The Technics line of direct drive turntables are very nice, my old Technics SL1100A with SME arm and Stanton or Audio-Technica cartridges has served me well for over 40 years.
The Technics SL1100A was originally marketed as the Panasonic SL1100 but did not sell well with the Panasonic name, so they rebranded as the SL1100A in a new at the time Technics line of stereo.equipment.

[CelestialVoices]

If you want a new turntable for a reasonable price, I would advice you to look at Rega. They make low-end turntables that do sound very good. The Planar 1/2/3 range might be a place to look for a decent new turntable for a low price.

I have a Rega Planar 1 with a Schiit mani phono stage and really enjoy the sound. They are definitely more expensive in the USA now than they were just a few years ago though.

[vince666]

I for one love my ancient Technics SL-QD33R turntable. Just blow the dust off and it works!

The good old Quartz Locked Direct Drive turntables.

Mine is also an old Quartz DD one, maybe a hair older than yours, a Pioneer PL-720 from 1981 (exact same as PL-7 , only difference is the colour of the control buttons) but, differently than yours, it has a standard mount tonearm/headshell then, especially nowadays, I'd have a wider choice of cartridges to rely on.
While, you are locked to the P-mount cartridges and there are very few new ones available nowadays... that said, you should not have big issues in finding replacement needles for your own original cartridge.

Anyways, I am waiting to get a very special (handmade by a world class engineer/designer) phono preamp to upgrade my own turntable system to a considerably better quality level...
This means that, after I will get the new phono stage, I will consider transferring again my own "Pink Floyd (1,2,3,4)" vinyl boot which will surely turn out into a better quality transfer!

[mark2114]

As far as speakers, there are many great sounding speakers out there. I have always been a fan of JBL studio monitors.

4311 and 4333