Your Top-10 Turntables Of All Time (inclusive of your wish list)

[reubensm]

Dear all, it would be nice to know which are the top-10 turntables according to you (including those you've owned, listened to, wished to own or even those you've heard about). Mine are as follows, in the order ranked:

1. Thorens TD 124 (listened to, wish to own, may own soon)
2. EMT 938 (listened to, wish to own)
3. Garrard 401 (listened to, not sure about owning one, way too expensive)
4. Garrard 301 (listened to, not sure about owning one, way too expensive)
5. Technics SL1200 (listened to)
6. Technics SP10 (heard of, yet to listen to)
7. Linn Sondek (heard of, yet to listen to)
8. Technics SP25 (heard of, yet to listen to)
9. Sony PS-X9 (heard of, yet to listen to)
10.Telefunken Studio 220 (listened to, wish to own, its a Thorens rip off)

 

[jls001]

My fantasy line up would look like something below:

1. Continuum Audio's Caliburn with Cobra tonearm is top of my list of want-to-listen TTs (Continuum Caliburn Reference Turntable - Worlds Finest)

2. Walker Proscenium Black Diamond (Walker Audio Home) is number two.

3. A Lenco L75 completely rebuilt by Jean Nantais (Turntables by Jean Nantais | Turntables by Jean Nantais)

4. A Garrard 301 or 401 completely rebuilt by Loricraft The Loricraft Audio Garrard 301 and 401 Restoration Service), or Shindo Labs, or Northwest Analogue (Services And Prices - Northwest Analogue).

5. A Technics SP10 Mark II in heavy plinth or even the factory obsidian plinth. Mark III would be awesomer. I almost ended up owning the Mark II but circumstances conspired against me. I would also love to hear equivalent Denons, Sony and Nakamichi.

6. Rockport Radius III with oil damped tonearm

7. Forsell turntable with their Airtangent air bearing tonearm

8. Any good TT with the Kuzma 4Point Tonearm, or the HiFiction Thales tonearm, or the Graham Phantom II tonearm, or the top of the line Origin Live Enterprise tonearm.

9. SME 20/3 with SME V arm

10. Last, but not the least, an EMT 927 or 928 or 938 or 958 or 997 with EMT arm and EMT cartridge.

 

[issigonis]

>>>

My desert island :

1. EMT 948
2. EMT 938 ( heard, smitten)
3. SME 2012 ( heard, smitten)
4. SME 30/2 ( heard, smitten)
5. SME 10
6. Bergmann Sindre
7. Brinkmann Bardo
8. Bauer dps 3
9. Scheu Premier II
10. Clearaudio Innovation Wood

Regards

 

[balu613]

Rega Planar 3 (bought circa 1985) with a Sumiko Talisman S cartridge was the only vinyl setup I enjoyed (since I couldn't afford a better setup those days). However, after thousands of hours of scrubbing my records with a cocktail of cleaning fluids and getting them sucked off with a low-end Nitty Gritty machine, I was just happy to get rid of all my records and phono gear. I now rip all my music to hard drives and find computer-based audio using good USB DACs does more for me than vinyl ever did!

 

[modrachlan]

Hello all, this is my first post here. Took my favorite subject to pull me out of the woodwork and say something.

Technics SL1200- Owned one, loved it, but not enough to keep. I regret it now because they are built like tanks and I miss the extremely wide pitch control.

The one rig that made me want it so badly I would almost consider resorting to crime was a Linn LP12 with Valhalla board. I don't remember the cartridge used when I auditioned it (it was the default arm), but the super-quietness and superior imaging nearly brought me to tears, so I regret not knowing.

It was my plan to get an LP12 eventually, but I've been absorbed by an unusual model for while now- an NAD 5120. The flat plugin arm makes it easy to change cartridges quickly, so I've accumulated quite a pile of arms and carts for auditioning purposes. And as someone who's constantly tweaking my setup, that's such a nice convenience I've had trouble moving on. It's not what I would call a reference turntable- but it is a fun turntable, and that's why I'm into hifi, to enjoy myself. :yahoo:

I was also very impressed by an acquaintance's Philips 212, though since I've never owned one I don't know what maintenance issues there may be with this model. But I liked very much playing with it.

I guess I would heap the Thorens TD-160 into that list as I've auditioned one of those and found its operation to be delightful.

 

[TD150]

Hi,

Right from my childhood I have seen & later used a number of TT's in my home.

KLH 11 (with Pickeering V15-AT-1 cart)
Akai AP-Q41 (with Ortofon cart - Don't remember the model)
Sony PL-FS70 (Front Loading - with Sony cart - Don't remember the model)
Technics SL-D2 (with Audio Technica AT3200XE cart)

at the moment
Thorens TD 150 & Garrard 301 (with SME 3009 & Shure IV)

They were all fabulous TT's and loved owning them.

 

[prem]

I do not know what the top 10 turntables are, but would like to own a EMT 927 with the EMT tonearm and their TSD cartridge. Mark Doehmann who has designed all the Continuum tables including the Caliburn has gone on record saying no analog source can beat the EMT 927. Till such time i can afford one, will stay happy with my 938.

 

[jls001]

I do not know what the top 10 turntables are, but would like to own a EMT 927 with the EMT tonearm and their TSD cartridge. Mark Doehmann who has designed all the Continuum tables including the Caliburn has gone on record saying no analog source can beat the EMT 927. Till such time i can afford one, will stay happy with my 938.

The only downside of the 927 is the humongous size and the (German) industrial look Also, is it true that they come in pairs or single models are also available?

 

[prem]

Hi Jls001

I am unclear about your question. Just an EMT 927 can be bought. Why would one need to buy a pair?

 

[arj]

1. Thorens Prestige
2. PLatine Verdier
3. EMT 927
4. Shindo Garrard 301
5. Nantais Lenco L75

 

[Gerry_the_Merry]

Micro Seiki SZ-1

 

[jk.puru]

i have been using Dual 1011 / Pioneer and Cosmic Co gram during my childhood.. DUAL sounds great from the performance side but cant stand continous running of more than 3 to 4 LPS.. COSMIC has been very supportive that way..

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,


Of late I find myself seriously contemplating selling the Linn, Garrard,Thorens, Lenco and assorted tonearms/cartridges and getting myself an EMT 938 like Prem.

The plug and play /non tweekable nature of the EMT is looking very attractive.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[longshanks]

micro seiki = turntable
turntable = micro seiki

SX-8000
RX-5000
RX-1500 FV
SZ 1
DDX-1000
SZ-1T
SX-800 II

 

[Gerry_the_Merry]

Longshanks, there was an 8000-SX-II sold for Rs12k in Bombay a few weeks back. I missed it by a whisker. I have not slept since then.

 

[Gerry_the_Merry]

Rajiv, it will be a very sensible decision. You will also have the option of using the onboard phono of the EMT.

However if you do sell, let me know first...

 

[prem]

I never thought a day will come when Rajiv will actually look around for a non tweekable turntable.

Infact the EMT turntable is the only table that Jonathan Weiss of Oswald Audio refuses to accept for tweaking. He refuses to even make a plinth for it saying its a futile exercise.

The EMT package works very well as a whole. One does not feel there is something missing. The overall balance is very good.

Apparently i just figured out that the EMT table can be directly connected to a power amp. I am seriously considering the First Watt SIT 2. In case i do not like the sound direct, will go for a passive B1 or a tube pre.

 

[longshanks]

Longshanks, there was an 8000-SX-II sold for Rs12k in Bombay a few weeks back. I missed it by a whisker. I have not slept since then.

Seriously? that piece of art was sold for free? who even bought it for that price must be the luckiest guy i've known in recent times.

 

[entsurgeon]

:O too noob to post. have barely heard any big world class stuff i think. need to attend lots of av festivals.

 

[jls001]

However if you do sell, let me know first...

And I hereby set up tent in the Q behind Gerry_the_Merry

@Gerry_the_Merry: any luck and progress on the Delhi front?