[jipsy]

Hi,

I gave up on vinyl about 25 years ago and threw my money away on cds.
Now I want back in the game.
Anyone advise me of a decent turntable (with pre amp) and a pair of powered speakers to go with it.
Budget would be about £750 all in.

Thanks

[My Name is Frank]

Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

[longshanks]

Apr 19, 2023 12:34:04 GMT 1 My Name is Frank said:

Did anyone every improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

nope

[Jareds Mind]

Audio-Technica makes a knock off 1200 with pre-installed head shell and built-in pre amp.

www.turntablelab.com/collections/turntables-under-300-alpha/products/audio-technica-at-lp120xusb-bk-direct-drive-usb-turntable-black

Maybe some KRK 6's for powered speakers.

That would keep you in your budget.

[Monkey Say Monkey Do]

They only get better with age .

Mine are over 30 years old from new and nicely worn in now ..

[Pete the Post]

Apr 19, 2023 12:34:04 GMT 1 My Name is Frank said:

Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

They did not. 

[Pafori]

About 5 years, I dusted off my vinyl and bought a new turntable. Very happy with this re-entry choice:
uturnaudio.com/

You can customize the look, cartridge, etc., to match your aesthetic.

Well reviewed, about as good as you can get at a lower price point. They have powered speakers, too.

[Newar]

move from technics MK2 to pro ject then move back to MK2
Audiotechnica pre-amped is not a bad choice quality is better with a Debut III Phono SB
and remember the main thing is to have quality quartidge

[njr911]

This is on offer at the moment and are great turntables.

www.hotukdeals.com/deals/pro-ject-debut-carbon-esprit-phono-sb-turntable-4122348

You'd need a pre amp but they can be had for cheep.

[kel]

Keep those CDs will come back into fashion in a few years and will be worth money.

Turntable within that budget has to be 1210s. Got 3 and they have all stood the test of time.

[Briggs 74]

I've got a Rega Planer Titanium - around £400 - plays really nicely and doesn't make you look like a wannabe dj

[LJCal]

I mean yeah the 1210 is a beast but not really in ops budget, for casual listening it's probably not really worth it as it's built for DJs, and for reference or audiophile belt drives in general are preferable as the motor is not mounted under the platter. That being said the Technics SP10 and the new 1200G have reduced motor noise so much it's probably comparable to belt drives with the added benefit of steadier pitch.
For the money I'd go for the Pro Ject Experience 2, good all round and about £500. Obviously the stylus, slipmatts, cabling, pre amps will impact sound and need to be considered so allow room in your budget, I mean you can go crazy here but recommend an ortofon red with a starter pro ject pre amp, these will serve you fine and will add about £150 to overall cost.
I'll just leave you with a few beauties:
This is probably the ultimate and I think weighs 400KG and costs a £100k. Made by JC Verdier who are some mad bastards who make crazy things like the below for complete audio nerds with too much money. There website is pure comedy, straight out of 1995 www.jcverdier.com



The SP10 is a snip compared to the above at £10k



But for all the 1200/10 lovers, this is the ultimate and my choice of turntables. The 1200G a cross between an SP10 and an old 1200mk2 but simply gorgeous.

[My Name is Frank]

Technics truly are a thing of beauty, also so very nostalgic, the needle is missing a blu tacked penny for scratching on that one

[ak1]

Dust off your old cassette players as well.  Its back to the 80's!!

www.itv.com/news/2023-04-19/casette-tapes-are-making-a-comeback

[stuckeyc]

The return of cassettes is about the dumbest nostalgia/retro/hipster comeback I can possibly think of

[LJCal]

Apr 20, 2023 16:15:54 GMT 1 stuckeyc said:

The return of cassettes is about the dumbest nostalgia/retro/hipster comeback I can possibly think of

Yeah I mean they sound absolutely dog shit, especially after the tapes have aged. Most have been kept in garages so are completely fucked. All I would say is that a lot of music made in the late 80s and 90s in the acid house, garage, hardcore and jungle genres were recorded onto tape and never released on any other medium. Some of the tapes from raves and pirate radio have dub plates that never went further than a handful of DJs, so I get why people would want to get hold of and listen to these.

[kfroms]

Apr 20, 2023 15:42:14 GMT 1 ak1 said:

Dust off your old cassette players as well.  Its back to the 80's!!

www.itv.com/news/2023-04-19/casette-tapes-are-making-a-comeback

cassettes should stay where they are - in a box in the attic. 
That said I still have a cool looking Sony Mini Disc player in storage. Its about time to hype that format as well. 

in the meantime SL1210 MK2. 30+ years old and works a treat. 

[mandem]

Apr 21, 2023 0:43:28 GMT 1 LJCal said:

All I would say is that a lot of music made in the late 80s and 90s in the acid house, garage, hardcore and jungle genres were recorded onto tape and never released on any other medium.

This is why I keep a decent-quality cassette deck; a vintage JVC KD-A8 since you ask. Releasing new music on the medium is pure hypetrain, but working - a friend's band released a ltd ed 1000 cassette last year and made more money on that than on ther combined streaming & vinyl sales in the same year.

And as for record decks, 100% agree with the posters above - the 1210 has never been beaten but the AudioTechnica is a good second-best and better-suited to OP's request. 

1210s should always come in pairs, of course

[kfroms]

Apr 21, 2023 11:11:57 GMT 1 mandem said:

Apr 21, 2023 0:43:28 GMT 1 LJCal said:

All I would say is that a lot of music made in the late 80s and 90s in the acid house, garage, hardcore and jungle genres were recorded onto tape and never released on any other medium.

This is why I keep a decent-quality cassette deck; a vintage JVC KD-A8 since you ask. Releasing new music on the medium is pure hypetrain, but working - a friend's band released a ltd ed 1000 cassette last year and made more money on that than on ther combined streaming & vinyl sales in the same year.

And as for record decks, 100% agree with the posters above - the 1210 has never been beaten but the AudioTechnica is a good second-best and better-suited to OP's request. 

1210s should always come in pairs, of course

I can spot NAD! Had an amp and tuner from them for ages. Lovely stuff 

[mandem]

Apr 21, 2023 11:34:06 GMT 1 kfroms said:

I can spot NAD! Had an amp and tuner from them for ages. Lovely stuff 

Good spot. I love the warmth of sound from old NAD gear, very decent quality at fair prices

I had a full stack that I picked up; sadly the cassette motor burned out last year - and cost of replacement meant I switched to the JVC (that I inherited) which was very top end stuff in its day.

The mixer is terrible though, saving up for a new one - probably an Ecler Nuo

[Jareds Mind]

I recently traded in two 1200s (owned since '97), and got a single Music Hall 3.3. With a decent preamp (Parasound Zphono XRM) that has balanced outputs (XLR).
The differences are night and day. The "HiFi" table sounds great and had little to no noise, although it is rather delicate and needs a very sturdy base to rest on.

As one post suggests I'm tempted to go back to, or add, another direct drive unit for other listening occasions.

Couple of photos.

[henryc]

Thanks to all of you for making me feel bad lol

Been gathering dust for the last 8 years..
I need to sort it out..

[kfroms]

Apr 22, 2023 13:55:13 GMT 1 henryc said:

Thanks to all of you for making me feel bad lol

Been gathering dust for the last 8 years..
I need to sort it out..

That causes physical pain to me! :-)

[dan993c2]

I can assure you that the Technic SLs have been beaten if you want audiophile sound from your turntable. The arm on the Technics is the weak link and can be converted if required. Buy the best Rega you can afford as they have been perfecting their design for years. Must say I also rate Nagaoka MM cartridges highly and currently use the MP500, however not spent anytime really on MC cartridges other than in demo rooms. Think carefully about your phono preamp too, output is definitely important. Hope this helps 👍🏻

[sevrin]

Apr 19, 2023 12:34:04 GMT 1 My Name is Frank said:

Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

Ryan Shaw at Mastersounds.co.uk rebuilds Technics SL's from the ground up, with new linear power supplies, tonearms, chassis etc, they are a very nice upgrade to the already excellent SL's, check them out here:

mastersounds.co.uk/pages/mastersounds-approved-refurbished-technics-turntables

He also makes a range of 'Valve' mixers as well, which sound incredible! 

[pamplemousse]

My simple setup in your budget:
Rega Planar 1 plus
Audioengine A5+

[sijh]

Apr 22, 2023 19:06:36 GMT 1 sevrin said:

Apr 19, 2023 12:34:04 GMT 1 My Name is Frank said:

Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

Ryan Shaw at Mastersounds.co.uk rebuilds Technics SL's from the ground up, with new linear power supplies, tonearms, chassis etc, they are a very nice upgrade to the already excellent SL's, check them out here:

mastersounds.co.uk/pages/mastersounds-approved-refurbished-technics-turntables

He also makes a range of 'Valve' mixers as well, which sound incredible! 

I have one of the valve mixers, the build quality and sound is ridiculous. Assuming the turntables are built the same way they would be worth the money.

[sijh]

Apr 19, 2023 12:34:04 GMT 1 My Name is Frank said:

Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

If you don’t need it for dj work, sure, there are better for the money. Still the gold standard for dj stuff though (although the mk 3d pitch control is questionable compare to the others). 

Don’t get me started on the dumb earth / ground wire

[slartibartfast]

I brought a fairly old Linn Sondek and brought new springs and a few other bits for it..its awesome.. can be fully retro fitted with all the latest Linn parts. Paired up with a Rega Elicit R and a Project Phono amp.

Rega is great, i love the Linn I think I paid about 1500 GBP equivalent for it..in Australia recommend it highly.

[Spenie]

Big fan of the Project Carbon Evo.

I've upgraded the power supply, platter, sub platter and stylus.