Options available on Turntable (Looking at both New & Almost New)

Sidharth Trehan

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Good morning friends,
I hv been surfing through and looking at either a TT from PROJECT or TECHNICS or the easy REGA Planar 3 (or any of their likes) in India (pref around New Delhi). Hence need your guidance, since some of you have a passion for the tables yourself. I listen to mellow jazz, soul, easy intrumentals.


Now, here are some points that i could gather, which i would want to discuss

aa) I reckon that Projects dont usually have pitch control while most Technics have. Is that a plus point?

bb) I have read at places that Project TTs especially the Project II Experience range has issues with the speed, which then needs to be adjusted by fiddling with the belt? Is that a common thing with TTs?

cc) I am being advised of "Project II experience" with the original Tone arm & Rondo Red cartridge ..what do you feel its price should be & negatives about the model. (i found it reasonable per its specs. The TT is about less than yr old)

dd) 'Rondo Red' has received mixed response from audiophiles. Most preferred is Rondo Black cartridge that you shall definitely be aware of.

ee) I also understand that the tone arm of the "Project II Experience" doesnt really work well to cater antiskating issues and that some more weight needs to be put to tweak it. I was quite frankly intimdated reading this.


Basis the points above that i could gather from reviews on net, i seek your guidance on which models i should keep as options AND if i could pick a second hand or a fresh one. i have also posted this in an old thread, but assumed that a fresh post could help me reach better audience and a better guidance.


Kindly do give details about vendors, re-sellers that you may know of.


Many thanks
Sid
..
 
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Hi Sid,
Can you tell us why do you think that you need a turn table. :) Just curious to know. Well the thing with TT is as you already read that it has lot variable parameters unlike a cd player. The basic components of a TT is

The plinth , the platter , the motor, belt drive or driect drive , cartridge quality, proper setup of the cartridge , tone arm , matching phono preamp and the list goes on. So in order to match your expectation you need to have all these things done in a right manner. For a beginner I ( I don't know what is your status regarding TT) I think the best bet is to get a project debut 3 TT and put a ortofon 2m red cartridge and enjoy it for a year before upgrading to a serious TT. The reason for my suggestion is this experiemnt will cost you around 20K will give you lot of musical satisfaction and also help you learn a lot about different aspect of TT like fitting a cart and things like that.
Talking bout that Project expression II TT with rondo red it is very good at that price point I guess 16 month old should cost something around 60K-70K.
IN my opinion it is not worth at that price point since much better options are available at slightly higher price point.
Thanks.
 
Hi Sid,
Can you tell us why do you think that you need a turn table. :) Just curious to know. Well the thing with TT is as you already read that it has lot variable parameters unlike a cd player. The basic components of a TT is

The plinth , the platter , the motor, belt drive or driect drive , cartridge quality, proper setup of the cartridge , tone arm , matching phono preamp and the list goes on. So in order to match your expectation you need to have all these things done in a right manner. For a beginner I ( I don't know what is your status regarding TT) I think the best bet is to get a project debut 3 TT and put a ortofon 2m red cartridge and enjoy it for a year before upgrading to a serious TT. The reason for my suggestion is this experiemnt will cost you around 20K will give you lot of musical satisfaction and also help you learn a lot about different aspect of TT like fitting a cart and things like that.
Talking bout that Project expression II TT with rondo red it is very good at that price point I guess 16 month old should cost something around 60K-70K.
IN my opinion it is not worth at that price point since much better options are available at slightly higher price point.
Thanks.


Hi Mahiruha,
Thanks for the revert.

After having a moderate yet a pleasing set 2ch setup, i was craving for a more neutral sound. Hence while discussing with a close friend in US, he shared his experience of a session on TT which he 'had to' buy off the shelf while he 'accidently' entered an audio shop and hear a Jazz LP being played on the Technics TT. His expression was more than enuf to convince me to search for a TT.

I am looking for a 'reasonable' TT since it gets mighty tough to dispose a TT off. The friend who quoted me for the Project TT claims to have got it for 75k approx. So i was obviously looking for a cut atleast by 40% after its usage for 16months.

Going ahead, it would be kind of you to throw a few options not more than 50K. The lower the better though.

Apart from the amp, you may please suggest me on the other aspects.

Brgs
Sid
..
 
hi sid,

with project you get a speed box that maintains speed better. its electronic.

at a budget of 50k you'd need to wait a while might even be a couple of years to get a good second hand deal. you also have audiogon from abroad which has a thriving market in tts, but then shipping here is a risk you'll have to take.

by the way on a 16 month old tt 40% off is way too much max i think 15-20% off!

regards
 
hi sid,

with project you get a speed box that maintains speed better. its electronic.

at a budget of 50k you'd need to wait a while might even be a couple of years to get a good second hand deal. you also have audiogon from abroad which has a thriving market in tts, but then shipping here is a risk you'll have to take.

by the way on a 16 month old tt 40% off is way too much max i think 15-20% off!

regards


Thanks for the revert dear.
I am in no hurry and if i am asked to rather wait cause of the low budget, then i may fill in the pockets for a few months more and then make a purchase.

I'd say that i could agree on 20-25% indeed on the Project II being offered, if the unit has no reported issues technically and cosmetically. Yet the light weight of the arm as i read in a review is getting me intimidated for this model.


anyway. thanks yet again.
 
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And friends,
Would you know who all are the dealers for Technics here in India?

Also, kindly refer to few of my concerns in the first post here & reply with respect to those if you can.


Thanks
..
 
And friends,
Would you know who all are the dealers for Technics here in India?

Also, kindly refer to few of my concerns in the first post here & reply with respect to those if you can.


Thanks
..

Pro-Ject, Mr. Sushil Anand, NovAudio (Mumbai), +91 9820757632
Rega, Mr. Jochen Semler, Cadence B'lore Listening Room, +91 9845534952
 
Dear Ashok,

I did not know Rega was available here in India, because I do not see any discussion on them in the forum. Rega CDPs (Planel, Apollo and Saturn) are highly praised, and so are their TTs, especially the P-3 and P5 in their price-range. Are these available in India? How much do they cost? Have you heard them and can you give your personal opinion (because I have been also looking at a TT and have almost the same questions as Siddharth here, do not have a high budget, but a little unwilling to settle for an entry level stuff)? As you perhaps know I am not a first time user of TT, had them for more than 20 years.

Since you are originally from Pune (sorry, if it's a secret), may be you know these dealers and have already heard the Rega TTs.

Thanks in advance,
Regards.
 
Dear Ashok,

I did not know Rega was available here in India, because I do not see any discussion on them in the forum. Rega CDPs (Planel, Apollo and Saturn) are highly praised, and so are their TTs, especially the P-3 and P5 in their price-range. Are these available in India? How much do they cost? Have you heard them and can you give your personal opinion (because I have been also looking at a TT and have almost the same questions as Siddharth here, do not have a high budget, but a little unwilling to settle for an entry level stuff)? As you perhaps know I am not a first time user of TT, had them for more than 20 years.

Since you are originally from Pune (sorry, if it's a secret), may be you know these dealers and have already heard the Rega TTs.

Thanks in advance,
Regards.

well, the only rep. for Rega (not auth., tho') is Mr. Semler (or alteast was till i last heard). their (Rega's) expectation of volume offtake, etc., IMHO, is (was) too high/impractical for indian markets, for anyone to seriously consider disti/stocking. since Mr. Semler is an old and highly regarded AP, the brands he carries are usually excellent. however, though i have made multiple attempts at visiting his b'lore listening room, as recently as February 01, 2010, i have been unsuccessful, though he has (also) helped with advice on my current setup.

on the Rega CDPs, i'd heard these when choosing my own player, in Malaysia. however, IMHO, the CEC sounded the way i wanted them to vis-a-vis the Rega(s), among others, so settled for it.

am from pune, originally (late school and college). otherwise a south indian (coorg/madikeri/sirsi). born in chennai. but been in delhi for over 15 yrs now. spent lotsa time in punjab, etc., during my army stint. so, take ur pick. no secrets here. :rolleyes:
 
Hi,
I am new to this forum and have been following this thread with interest. Could someone discuss the phone pre-amplifiers - different aspects, cost etc..

Thanks,

Manoj
 
Hi Manoj,
Suggest you search the forum there shall not be many but surely some discussions already on it.

Else you could start by giving your budget and system that you want to hook the amp with, so that others can discuss/guide.

brgs
 
Much appreciate the pointers from everyone. I have taken a decision and picked our fellow member Mr. Malvai's - 'Project-ii Experience'

Thanks once again
 
now that's a very wise one! Congratulations!! :clapping:
The All Quads would love it. No need for phono pre as 99 pre has it.
You are all set to roll, pal..... :eek:hyeah:
Need the records now..... and the cleaning stuff too!

Thanks AE,
99Pre to the rescue indeed !
Records to follow indeed.

Know of any Indian online shops for some jazz, vocals, soul?
 
Guys, I really doubt there would be a quality selection of Jazz vinyl in India as it's just not that popular so to speak. I know you can get XRCDs and other quality audiophile worthy digital stuff in Delhi (eg. Lyrita Audio), but Jazz vinyl would be very difficult.

It might be best to just import quality 180g vinyl from online retailers that ship to India. I can VERY HIGHLY recommend Elusive Disc, Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct. It's been an absolute pleasure to deal with them. They are quick, efficient and pack the vinyl like the treasure it is.
 
Guys, I really doubt there would be a quality selection of Jazz vinyl in India as it's just not that popular so to speak. I know you can get XRCDs and other quality audiophile worthy digital stuff in Delhi (eg. Lyrita Audio), but Jazz vinyl would be very difficult.

It might be best to just import quality 180g vinyl from online retailers that ship to India. I can VERY HIGHLY recommend Elusive Disc, Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct. It's been an absolute pleasure to deal with them. They are quick, efficient and pack the vinyl like the treasure it is.

Hi brother,
Elusive discs has indeed been great, i have had the pleasure of ordering sacds and an xrcd from them recently. They well take care & very neatly pack the stuff for intl deliveries. Forum members have also been offered discounts on bulk purchase from them.

BUT, where do you think one can get XRCD in Delhi ?
I did pick a few jazz discs from Mr. Viren some weeks back though.

brgs
 
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