Looking for a Budget Turntable.

Hi, I found this entry on eBay: Dual 505-2 German Audiophile Turntable
but the seller has discussed certain problems that the unit has so you should probably consider all that. I had never heard of the brand myself but googling the name seems to return only good things about it. There were a few other items I had seen, I will post them if I find them.

Update:
Found these two items on a local site. They are " Philips 932 Model 3 Speed Turntable With Amplifier" and " Cosmic Cogram 4000 MK 2 Direct Drive Turntable". Any thoughts from our wise members?

Thanks Particleman for the help, i am in the process of searching a secondhand TT with good condition. i think i will get it , if not i will drop the idea of purchasing the TT , and get a new one later .

hi soundofmusic,

it might be better to postpone your turntable purchase till you have as much money as you can spend. the more you spend the better for two reasons:
1. you'll get a better table. the important thing to look for in a turntable is the turntable itself, the platter, the plinth, the base, the motor is it separate from the table or part of it etc. and the arm. a general rule is get as good a quality table and arm as you can and make do with a budget cartridge till you can afford a good one. cos in order to perform, the cartridge needs a good arm. but if you have a good cartridge and put it on a bad arm or pair it with a bad turntable, you wont get the best of out it whereas a good table and good arm will get the most out of even a lower end cartridge.
2. selling of an old turntable will be difficult considering there's hardly a market so you might as well buy one thats going to last you a long long while.

having said that the project debut keeps getting good reviews for an entry level model. have heard it and it sure sounds good for the money! you're not likely to have problems with build quality either. project makes solid tables.

viren of lyrita audio in delhi makes phono stages. his solid state one is quite affordable and he might still make one on request. he's moved to valve i think now for the phonostages completely.

you can try mr sushil anand of nova audio in mumbai for second hand project turntables. 02226002012, 02226007700. he gets second hand pieces from time to time from people who trade up. one of the few people who do turntables and know what they're talking about.

regards

You are partially correct stevieboy . But a well maintained OLD TT is much better then the latest one ( the basic model of course) . I have TT from Sansui ,Dual , Technics and Garrad which is of excellent condition , But as you said the Turntable should be a well maintained one before buying .

david.

Hi everyone,
I have just registered to this site to share some more informatioin on the topic... I have also faced such dilemma year back when I was searching for a new turntable. Though I own 4 turntables -- Dual HS 52(1218), Thorens TD 145, Philips 242 and an automatic (unknown model) -- I wanted to try out new ones in the marker, esp. the automatic ones. I gave up the search for a couple of reasons. (1) I am a die-hard retro/vintage fan (2) I still think a vintage turntable can be serviced and enhanced to give better performance from the available choices (unless one is going for a 1 lakh plus turntable). Plus I also like to collect and tryout different cartridges as well.
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Now the real INFO :
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Denon showroom on MG Road, Bangalore does have 2 models of turntables, namely Denon DP 29F and Denon DP 300F. Both the turntables are fully automatic and have built in phono stage amp.
-- DP 29 F is prettymuch a basic automatic model with no anti-skating, tone-arm weight etc. The price of this model is 11 thousand INR.
-- DP 300 F comes with all the frills. Its price is around 22 thousand INR.
Their cartridges are also available. Since they both use 1/2 inch standard mount cartridge, they can be upgraded as well. For DP29F's cart. you have to shell out around 1.8 thousand INR and the other one costs around 2.2 to 2.5 thousand.
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Lekhraj Jassumal & Co. at Brigade Road, Bangalore (Nokia Showroom next to Sony) also sells turntables. theirs are assembled ones. They proclaim that the kits/parts are imported from the UK. Again 2 models are available with them. one with amp./FM radio and the other one is a basic model. Both are record changers.
-- Basic model costs around Rs 4000 + Rs 500 for dust cover.
-- Other one costs around 7500...
If you guys love to listen Western Classicals then these ones are not ment for you... noticable WOW and Flutter... Denon is still better :P.
If you just want a cheap option and dont bother about the finer nuances then go for these ones.
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Please dont hesitate to contact me should you have any other queries...
Cheers

Hello redlag

i am using Dual , Technics , Sansui and Garrad TT for many years now., What i personally feel is these old players are far more better then the latest basic models and much more better then the Denon , i have auditioned the Denon TT which is retailing for around 11K ., i value my old TTs better then the Denons.

How is your experience with the Denon. Have you auditioned them? Also how is the Project Debut and Genie . i was also looking for a new TT sometime back , but after auditioning some latest models , i am happy with my Old Turntables. Am i correct or does the latest TTs sound better then the old ones.

david.

Redlag, can you plz post the contact no. & name of the person of the Denon Showroom?
Thanks.

Hi David,
Well it all depends on what kindda vintage turntable you own. Back then TTs used to come for all sort of budgets so there were basic models, mid range models to higher end ones. Also, it matters a lot in what condition they are in today. And then, sometimes old TTs might need some tweaking to get a great output.
For example, the Dual HS 52 I own is a 1218 TT with built-in amp. This was a mid-range model back in 1970s. I recently got it serviced and installed M91 cart with a new stylus. The TT certainly sounds good with no humm and vibrations... and I must say better than the new Denon DP29F. And it will be at-par with the new Denon DP300F (yes my TT got all the features that this Denon boasts). But what if the TT was not properly lubed and had a sub-standard cheap cart??
Vintage TTs can match and even beat the new breed of TTs provided they are well taken care of. I personally feel that build quality of vintage mid-range and higher end TTs was very good and they are very durable.
And yes my Thorens (high-end range back then and still is ) is far better than Genies and Denons any time.

I have auditioned the Denons and Lekhraj Jassumal (LJ) TTs. My friend got both of them (DP29F and basic LJ). He was not satisfied with the assembled LJ TT and decided to go for Denon. I still think that he should have gone for 300f instead. However, as I mentioned, if one just need a TT to play Begum Akhtar or Abba then the both denon and LJ TTs holds good. They come with 1 year's warranty and parts can easily be procured compared to the vintage ones. To collect vintage TTs one has to be slightly insane for its not owning just a TT but much more...
So please keep you vintage TTs and take good care of them. I would also like to own a Garrard TT.. what model of Dual and Garrard do you own?
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Kamal:
here is denon showroom's address:
PROFX SHOWROOM,
Barton Centre, MG Road,Bangalore,Tel: 080-5594440, 5588582
email: profxblr@hotmail.com
I have googled to get the phone numbers. Pls let me know if you were unable to contact them. I can visit this place to get numbers since its very near to my office.
Cheers
PS: Oops! whatever I mentioned above to David is already been discussed with the same verdict... I guess I have a slight propensity for rambling

Thanks for the prompt response, redlag.
Since the B'lore nos mentioned by you were not working,I googled profx & found that they have a setup in Delhi also.
Am in touch with them.
Thanks again.

Kamal,
Good hunting, mate! One assignment for you since you are living in Delhi. A couple of months back I was flipping through WhatHiFi magazine and I stumbled upon Sherwood advertisement. The ad was about sherwood products including PM-9805 turntable. The dealer's address mentioned in the ad was of Delhi. I noted down the address somewhere... cant locate it now
Try searching Sherwood dealers in delhi from yellowpages etc. You might get lucky. The dealer's address might be helpful to others...
Cheers
Check this... http://www.adpost.com/in/audio_video...cs/Turntables/