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(TV) Good Inexpensive Turntable(s): More Than You'd Even Want To Know



Hi Emilie,

I'm with you 100% on the whole 'tea-bagging' topic.

I have a good friend who is almost totally isolated, as circumstances cause
him to have to live in Anchorage, Alaska.  He had his entire vinyl record
collection (mostly jazz and early 'World Beat' stuff, and several
Television/Verlaine albums I forced on him [smile]) shipped from his
original home (also T.V.'s early-years hometown) in Wilmington, Delaware.
Given how heavy vinyl is, he ended up spending close to a thousand dollars
on shipping!  He recently asked me to advise him on a good turntable to buy
that was not exorbitant in price. 

I have heard very good things about Rega's, but unfortunately that was about
20 years ago.  Just make sure you get a *cartridge*/arm/needle that is
acoustically compatible with the Rega model you choose (or with whatever
other brand/model of turntable you buy).

I have an expensive, modified Thorens Mk 166 (from 1985!), but someone told
me recently the cheapest turntable Thorens sells in 2011 goes for about
$1,400.  I have read more than one very good review in Stereophile and
elsewhere about the relatively inexpensive "Pro-Ject Debut III, 8.6"  (can
play 33.333 rpms, 45 rpm, and even 78s!, and comes with a plastic
just-cover).  Besides its low price, it already comes equipped with an
Ortofon OM 5E moving magnetic cartridge that was chosen to match the
turntable's/tonearm's 'compliance' ('compliance' is akin to the degree of
'sponginess vs stiffness'  [see
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/tonearmcartridge.html ].

OK you say, but what do you mean by 'relatively inexpensive'?  The "Pro-Ject
Debut III, 8.6" goes for 'only' $349.  It was designed and manufactured by a
company in Austria to look (and play) beautiful... its analogous to what
Steve Jobs might have designed if Apple made turntables.  [Makes me
fantasize about what kind of incredible and expensive music-system Jobs
might have had in his home(s)  ... oh yeah, I forgot, he invented the
ubiquitous I-pod with its stinking, rotten sound quality (mp3s), but
convenience always trumps quality [smile].  But I digress. The "Pro-Ject
Debut III, 8.6" 's wooden[?] base comes in an assortment of colors; for
custom colors that are not flat black, it costs an additional $30.  You
don't have to go to Vienna though; there are several US distributors
including Sumiko Inc in Berkeley, CA (www.sumikoaudio.net )

I am sure there are other MM Mooners who could weigh-in on their
recommendations. Not sure, Emilie if you belong to the other List,
'Television-Group' aka 'Carried Away', but about 18 months ago Robin Dunn
asked about a set-up/turntable to convert vinyl records to digital.  A
couple of people said to just get a cheap $199 turntable that already comes
with a USB connector to make the turntable-to-PC/vinyl-to-digital easy and
hum-free.  I am a snob when it comes to audio [your shocked I know], so I
did not go that route [smile].

Leo (still sipping coffee as of 2;35 pm EST)

-----Original Message-----
From: tv-owner@obbard.com [mailto:tv-owner@obbard.com] On Behalf Of Emilie
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 1:38 PM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: Re: (TV) "MM" mentioned in Greek Mapplethorpe exhibit

Wait what?

I thought someone wrote that he/she wanted to tea-bag TV, how did that
become TV was tea-bagged (he may or may not have been, and it may or
may not be with a male or a female partner)?  Does anyone care?

I had a question about turntables for the group, though - am thinking
of getting a turntable - what's your experience with Rega? Any
recommendation on turntables?

Emilie


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