Cheap TT

Right, the break away:

Project Debut
Rega P2
Rega P3

and the peleton:

NAD 533
Thorens TD150
Thorens TD160
Michell Focus One
Ariston RD11


The arm/cartridge thing is still a bit confusing, there seem to be loads of choice and combinations. I'll worry about that later, along with setting up. If i see any examples s/h, i could ask here about the quality of arm etc, it is carrying. At the moment i'll just concentrate on the decks.

Cheers for creating my shortlist. That didn't take long at all

One other thing - do TT's travel well or not? Is it best to collect if at all possible? Some of these things seem REALLY delicate. Hence finding one local may be better.

Thanks for the info

 

Collect, if possible, although any of the decks you're looking at should survive a journey if they have original packing materials(take out insurance, though). I'd be worried about trying to ship either of the Thorens decks, the Ariston, and the Michell without the original packing, though, due to the slightly fragile nature of the suspenion (- in the case of the Thorens/Ariston -) and lid (-in the case of the Michell).

Yellow ads/free ads is the way to go on these for the best prices, IMHO.

 

I think that Loot and any other striaght classifieds are a good way to go.. Ebay seems to attract people who will pay way too much for rubbish IMHO although you can sometimes find a winner...

 

Cookie!!!

Have a look at this link, you'll find valuable information on second hand turntables (and other second hand classics)

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/oldeworldeintro.html

Hope it helps

Chris

NB Especially check out the Linn Axis. ''a significant step up from a rega planar 3'' !

 

Cookster, for a cheap budget deck you cannot do better than the Pioneer PL-12D, get a really good one for about £50, stick a rega bias or similair cart in, and you'll be flying. Used that very same combo myself for a good while. You must budget for a new cart on whatever you buy, as it is likely to be trashed. Besides it will match perfectly your new toy!

 

If you can get a Rega Planar 3 from a trustworthy source then you cannot go too wrong. Even if it costs more than £100... IIRC they're £398 new.

It's possible to buy used F1 cars for £40 000, but the commitment and running costs will really really hurt if you're not serious. The same argument , give or take a couple of orders of magnitude, applies to cheap LP12s, there's a guy on PFM who's bought one for £150, so one is within your budget, but the effort involved in bringing it up to scratch and looking after it may push it beyond your commitment. IYSWIM. Similarly for other cheapish second hand exotica

Paul

 

I had a early planer 3 with the s shape arm,and too be honest that was the weak link (arm),i bought the deck for £100 and 5 years later sold it for £95,so a second hand one really keeps its value,mine never went wrong,just had to change the speed rubber belt as it lost its shape.

The RB250/300 sounded much cleaner than the rb200,and at a latter date add the origin Live counter weight,I found this made a massive improvement to bass response on my rb 600.

The shure mx97 is a good little cartridge at around £100.

 

...and I could even demo one for you!

 

Mind you, might be worth checking the volume knobs not welded in the redline postion though

 

Ill second that, as a first deck the P3 is a very good start

 

I could be your man here.

Hey guys, you know me - Honest Stevie.

I've hinted on this forum in the past about the wealth of classic hi-fi goodies stashed in my garage. Now could be the time for further disclosure.

I have (sometimes more than one of) Rega Planar 2, Rega Planar 3, Thorens TD150, TD160, TD125, Moth Alamo, Systemdek II X900, Dunlop Systemdek II (the spacey one), STD 305M (gorgeous in aluminium), Revolver Rebel (interesting suspension) and AR EB101.

I'm sure many of you recognize some golden oldies amongst these. Some are in perfect condition (with boxes), some good.

The arms include SME 3009, RB250, RB300.

When I decided to quit web design and move back into hi-fi, I thought I would do a bit of buying and selling to bring in some cash while I was designing the speakers. I tried to choose equipment that I would have loved to have (but couldn't afford) in my early hi-fi days.

Cookiemonster, if any of the above might interest you, you're more than welcome to come down to Sunny Surrey and have a look. We can probably get some of them spinning too.

Frankly, I'd rather rip you off myself than stand by and watch some total stranger from eBay do it.

***Hey, this is my 300th post. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?

 

For well under 100 quid the Thorens TD150, TD160 and AR XA are very hard to beat. All are traditional three point suspended subchassis designs and are very competent though liable to be partnered with less than wonderful arms – the stock Thorens and AR arms are pretty hopeless, though will happily take a average MM cart.

The real bargains come a little higher up; The Logic DM101 can occasionally be found for around 100 quid without arm, this is a monster deck with seriously good build quality and some really clever design. When partnered with a good arm and cart it can really deliver the goods; two of my friends had them in the early 80s, one with a Syrinx PU2 and a DV Karat, the other with a huge Fidelity Research arm and cart, both sounded truly excellent.

The first version of the Ariston RD11 was a good deck too, almost indistinguishable from a early LP12, they occasionally turn up for under 100 quid without arm. Later RD11s are unbelievably ugly in a 70s telephone answering machine kind of way, and are less good sounding too. The Ariston RD80 was ok, but I wouldn't pay more than TD160 money for one.

Some other underrated and undervalued decks are the Heybrook TT2 and the CJ Walker – both are competent suspended subchassis designs sitting closer to a LP12 than a Planar 3 in performance. Again expect to pay just under 100 quid without arm.

Tony.

 

Cheers 7V, there is bound to be something for me in all that lot. I'll PM you in due course. Maybe you could give me some basic TT instuction too

 

i bought a dual 505-1 (£35) at the begining of the summer and although it sounded nice about two months later i sold it n bought a rega 3 (£145) and havent looked back since.their great tables. the rb300 is very tweakable what with upgrades such as a new michelle weight, from what ive been told will reep large benefits. my planer three/rb 300 is unmodified and im well happy with the sound it produces.it takes nothing to set one up as well and their very low maintanence..i would defo recomend this as a first table.

 

Yep, had a Planar3 since 1998 (I paid £150 for it) and they go for more than that now so that's pretty cool I've got an earlier version of the RB300 with the smaller tungsten weight which allegedly sounds better than the newer larger one (same weight, smaller size, so better inertia or something).

The NAD 533 is a P2 - they're one and the same, though the NAD might be built to lower tolerances. The NAD I have (with the Ortofon 530) is slightly noisier between tracks and not quite so good on dynamic peaks as the Planar3/Ortofon 540 in the main rig, but it's still good sounding. That MDF platter sucks though - definitely get an older PLANAR rather than P deck if you can so you get the glass platter and lifetime guarantee