Need a Turntable! Max budget 50K. Complete Noob in vinyls!

DB1989

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HI,

I was looking to get myself a turntable as I happened to chance upon some fantastic records bestowed very graciously by a friend of a friend of a friend. They'd happened to be cleaning out their closet and decided that there was no point hanging on to vinyl since all music is now available online. These records were purchased nearly 4 decades ago and they'd got themselves one of those gramaphone style record players that just hung around as a showpiece. Apparently some of these have never been played. Sigh!

I have a rather rudimentary Ion Audio portable briefcase style record player which i'd bought before i ever set off on this journey, primarily to have something to playback old records I already had and to look pretty on my mantelpiece.

Upon trying out the records on the ion audio hooked up to a Marantz PM6006, they sounded thin and weak with no depth or detail in sound whatsoever. Basically, they sounded flat and uninspiring but i can't say that was unexpected. Since these records contain some really great compositions by tschaikowsky, strauss, bach, george frideric, mussorgsky, mozart to name a few. Some of the records even claim on their label that they are audiophile recordings and I believe its about time I put it to the test. These records and my existing ones definitely deserve better.

Therefore Gentlemen, I solicit your kind advise on decent turntables that I can get for a max budget of 50K. Since my amplifier is a humble Marantz PM6006, i don't think investing much more would make sense for this pairing. I do plan to get a NAD C275BEE sometime in the future though (or if something better catches my eye before it arrives).

I have only shortlisted the following turntables as I have no idea about them and never heard a decent one ever:

1. Project Primary E
2. Project Essential 2
3. Rega Planar 1
4. Thorens TD 158
5. Pro-ject Essential III
6. Denon DP-300F - Fully Automatic

Any and all suggestions apart from the above are most welcome.

Also, do i need to purchase a phono preamp separately (i am aware that some turntables have that inbuilt though none of the above) or will the existing one on the PM6006 suffice? Should I budget for it as well? Also, what is a moving magnet cartridge and am i supposed to take it into consideration too?

Much help required and solicited!
 
Marantz PM6006 is not a humble amp at all. It may not be a watt giant but it has decent phono stage and nice clean power at 8 ohms.

I have the Project Debut Carbon DC TT - and it is a superb TT , better than even Rega Planar 3.It has the default Ortofon 2M Red cart which is quite high output. So with your budget I’d suggest that.

Having a phono preamp is required but not immediately- use the phono of the amp and then after sometime go for pre amp upgrade , as well as stylus upgrade - either the expensive Ortofon 2M Blue or the more decently priced Nagaoka MP 110.

By the way - congrats for having been bestowed such a gift. Are these only classical records or you have rock \ jazz stuff as well ?
 
and to add to the above, the C275bee is a power amp so if you are planning this as a replacement for the PM6006 when you'd need to get yourself a preamp as well :). Alternately you can try the C375bee which is the integrated version :)
 
Marantz PM6006 is not a humble amp at all. It may not be a watt giant but it has decent phono stage and nice clean power at 8 ohms.

I have the Project Debut Carbon DC TT - and it is a superb TT , better than even Rega Planar 3.It has the default Ortofon 2M Red cart which is quite high output. So with your budget I’d suggest that.

Having a phono preamp is required but not immediately- use the phono of the amp and then after sometime go for pre amp upgrade , as well as stylus upgrade - either the expensive Ortofon 2M Blue or the more decently priced Nagaoka MP 110.

By the way - congrats for having been bestowed such a gift. Are these only classical records or you have rock \ jazz stuff as well ?
Only classical stuff. I’ll post some pics soon. :)
 
Marantz PM6006 is not a humble amp at all. It may not be a watt giant but it has decent phono stage and nice clean power at 8 ohms.

I have the Project Debut Carbon DC TT - and it is a superb TT , better than even Rega Planar 3.It has the default Ortofon 2M Red cart which is quite high output. So with your budget I’d suggest that.

Having a phono preamp is required but not immediately- use the phono of the amp and then after sometime go for pre amp upgrade , as well as stylus upgrade - either the expensive Ortofon 2M Blue or the more decently priced Nagaoka MP 110.

By the way - congrats for having been bestowed such a gift. Are these only classical records or you have rock \ jazz stuff as well ?
Thanks for the suggestion :). I hadn’t considered the debut carbon as it seemed to be beyond mu budget. Any idea where i can get the debut carbon dc tt for less than 50k? Also, for max SQ while strictly adhering to the 50k budget for both TT+Phono preamp, would it be better to go for a decent TT + phono preamp combo or buy a better TT with the money saved on the phonopreamp and use the inbuilt PM6006 phonostage?
I don’t intend to collect records (though i’ll be picking up stiff from time to time) so i’m not planning to take the upgrade path anytime soon. I’d like to get a decent cd player and better IA/power amp so not allocating any more money on this front for the next 2-3 years at the very least.
 
It would be better to get a good TT and then save up for a phonostage. That way , you will perceive the incremental upgrades to your chain much better than going for everything at once. At least that’s my philosophy.
Try the Mumbai based Project dealer - I’ve heard if you bargain hard you can get it within 55K.

Cheers
 
Marantz PM6006 is a Good stereo amplifier built-in DAC.
True. Its the perfect beginner amp! Ive had it for over 2 years now and absolutely love it. Had it not been for its inability to drive my Quad S5s properly, I’d probably not have thought of upgrading already.
It would be better to get a good TT and then save up for a phonostage. That way , you will perceive the incremental upgrades to your chain much better than going for everything at once. At least that’s my philosophy.
Try the Mumbai based Project dealer - I’ve heard if you bargain hard you can get it within 55K.

Cheers

Thats also the reason why i was thinking Of investing in a decent phono preamp to pair with a power amp. This is also the reason behind not wanting to overshoot the budget and leaving some breathing room below it so that i can allocate it towards the preamp. I dont see myself investing too much towards a turntable yet or anytime in the near future.

P.S. : no affront intended towards vinylheads and aficionados.
 
The Marantz phono is pretty good and will be better than the ones built into the turntable...so yeah, it's better to get a turntable without it and then get a better external one later.

 
@DB1989
PM6006 has a basic phono stage, MM I think.
So until you get a outboard phono, this may suffice if the cartridge is MM

Cheers,
Raghu
 
@DB1989
PM6006 has a basic phono stage, MM I think.
So until you get a outboard phono, this may suffice if the cartridge is MM

Cheers,
Raghu
Yes, that seems to be the consensus. Though im not sure what an MM is or what is its application vis-a-vis turntables o_O

also, please correct me if im mistaken but won’t i need a phono preamp to pair the turntable with a power amp?
 
The Marantz phono is pretty good and will be better than the ones built into the turntable...so yeah, it's better to get a turntable without it and then get a better external one later.


Thanks. I was also tempted to buy a tt that would max out my budget albeit, without overshooting it. However, Please refer to my concern below:


True. Its the perfect beginner amp! Ive had it for over 2 years now and absolutely love it. Had it not been for its inability to drive my Quad S5s properly, I’d probably not have thought of upgrading already.


Thats also the reason why i was thinking Of investing in a decent phono preamp to pair with a power amp. This is also the reason behind not wanting to overshoot the budget and leaving some breathing room below it so that i can allocate it towards the preamp. I dont see myself investing too much towards a turntable yet or anytime in the near future.

P.S. : no affront intended towards vinylheads and aficionados.
 
This should explain it in simple terms.
Cheers,
Raghu
 
I don’t intend to collect records (though i’ll be picking up stiff from time to time) so i’m not planning to take the upgrade path anytime soon.

Never say never. For all you know, you might get hooked on the natural, easy and dynamic sound of vinyl and start buying more. So consider buying a TT you can live with for years.
 
Never say never. For all you know, you might get hooked on the natural, easy and dynamic sound of vinyl and start buying more. So consider buying a TT you can live with for years.
Ha ha! Agreed. Thats what i'd initially thought about my other gear as well. However, i am a freak for convenience and I know that playing back vinyl is going to be those one off instances and not a regular affair. Therefore, i want to save my budget for other stuff that I anticipate i'll indulge in/use more frequently. I'm aware of how easy it is to get carried away which is why I've reasoned with myself long and hard before deciding to stick to a given budget and eke maximum performance possible from it. :)
 
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This should explain it in simple terms.
Cheers,
Raghu
Thanks Raghu. Good article explaining it in simple terms. I think i have a fair idea about what to consider.
 
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