Advice on turntable upgrade

[raa1945]

Morning all,
I need a little advice regarding turntables,at the moment I have a reasonable system consisting of mainly Technics equipment bought off Ebay,CD,tuner,nice Denon amp and a Pioneer PL-990 auto turntable,all bought on a budget and now I have a bit more cash I'm looking at upgrading the turntable.

I must admit to being hooked on the 'bay',so much choice,new or secondhand,so much choice in fact that I have got rather confused.
I have looked at Technics,Rega,Pioneer,Pro-ject,and I read all the reviews on the different makes.I have come up with a short list consisting of Pioneer PL-12D,Rega RP1 or Rega planar models,Pro-ject carbon,I have a budget of about £400.
I like the look of the Pioneer PL-12D but is it reliable and repairable if it goes wrong,same goes for the Rega Planar,are they reliable? Is it better to perhaps get a new Rega RP1 and upgrade it at a later date,(is there a source where I could learn more about upgrading turntables?)

I really have dug a hole for myself as I'm now wondering whether to take a chance with second hand or go new with a guarantee,could do with some opinions,what would you do?:scratch:

[Macca]

None of your shortlist are complex decks and the motors are cheap and available so I don't think you need to worry on that score. My neighbour has a Planar 3 that is about thirty years old, still works fine. My preference would be for an SL1200, you could get a decent one and add a decent headshell and mat for £400 but it is a different ( more neutral IMO) presentation from the other decks you are looking at and may not be for you.

[walpurgis]

Everything has a finite life, but the old Planar 3 and PL-12D seem to go on forever. They are extremely simple to maintain and good used spare parts are on eBay regularly. A nine year old lad could take either apart and rebuild it (well I could have done at 9 anyway). I'd sooner own the Pioneer than the Rega, even though the Rega has the edge soundwise. There's just something about the PL-12D that's always appealed. Probably that it's a basic, honest, simple product that does exactly what you expect of it.

[raa1945]

Hi Martin,
I can see your a Technics fan,I have to be honest and say that as I'm old fashioned and I owned a bells and whistles Sony music centre as a young lad, I still like the looks of turntables with strobes and sliders and plenty of lights.
I'm going to look at the 1200s on Ebay and see what's on offer,more options to add to my confusion.:rolleyes:

[raa1945]

And at a good price too Geoff.

[struth]

Pl12d is good for the money and looks good too.. there are a couple of nice Hitachis on the bay worth a look. good decks that should fit your bill nicely

[struth]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331603861338?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

[walpurgis]

If you buy a turntable try and get one locally. You would not believe the number that get wrecked by couriers, mainly due to people not having a clue how to package such an item. If you do have one sent, make certain the seller knows how to pack properly. The turntable really should not be dispatched with the platter or lid fitted. The lid should have its own box with loads of support inside the lid and outside. if the platter is left on, it must be wedged against the base with cardboard, so it can't move, otherwise the spindle can get bent. The arm must be tied in place and covered in padding. The mains plug must not be in contact with other parts as the pins will chew them up.

[raa1945]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331603861338?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks Grant,beautiful turntable.

[raa1945]

If you buy a turntable try and get one locally. You would not believe the number that get wrecked by couriers, mainly due to people not having a clue how to package such an item. If you do have one sent, make certain the seller knows how to pack properly. The turntable really should not be dispatched with the platter or lid fitted. The lid should have its own box with loads of support inside the lid and outside. if the platter is left on, it must be wedged against the base with cardboard, so it can't move, otherwise the spindle can get bent. The arm must be tied in place and covered in padding. The mains plug must not be in contact with other parts as the pins will chew them up.

If only all the sellers on Ebay read this I would feel a bit more confident.

[mikeyb]

Hi,

and if you find a Courier who will insure a Turntable in transit let me know ;)

Mike.

[DSJR]

The Pl-12D may be plentiful, but for some reason you can only take it so far sonically. I tried mats, cartridges/headshells and even supply voltage to minimise motor-drone, but to no avail. maybe a more modern tonearm exit cable would work, I don't know (pre 1200mk2 techies need this I've discovered)...

Rega's are very easy to work on and usually, little more than a belt, mat, some EP80 in the bearing and a general tighten up of fixing nuts (main bearing and tonearm) is all you need to do. Parts are cheap too, should a main bearing run dry and subsequently wear out quickly for example.

[Idlewithnodrive]

For £400 s/h you can do FAR better than the decks you mention.

Systemdek iix 900, Sony PS-6750, Ariston RD11, some of the AR decks, Lenco GL-75's etc etc.

Edit: I've also seen a couple of Rock TT's for that price.

[raa1945]

I'm looking at a Technics SL-1200 MK2,really nice looking bit of kit,there's actually a Panasonic specialist near me too so if it goes wrong I can get it fixed,(probably),also there does seem to be a lot of places that revitalize worn out Technics decks.

[walpurgis]

The Techie is a good turntable and a pleasure to use. I've had a couple and if you are willing to put money into it, there's no real limit to how far you can take it in upgrade terms. But it will cost you. They are reliable, but if you should need repairs, it's not going to be particularly cheap.

Have you looked through our Techiepedia? http://theartofsound.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?46-The-Techiepedia

There's an awful lot here, so take your time and see what you think.

[raa1945]

Thanks Geoff,
Interesting section,I'm going to look through and see what I can learn.I'm bidding on a SL-1200 mk2 at the moment,looks a nice machine and it's in Maidstone which is quite close to me which is an added bonus.

[Oldpinkman]

If you are already bidding this advice may be a bit tardy. You are in a place on aos that is the heart of the universe for technics modifications. You can turn a basic, reliable, ergonomically dream, but somewhat dull sounding stock 1210 into a significantly more transparent high quality deck which mixes it with the best. And spend up to £5000 (or more) in the process. Arguably, if you have that sort of budget - there are alternative ways to a really good turntable. If you don't want to get involved in that hobby within a hobby the standard technics is reliable, robust and ordinary.

My dad once described making love with a condom as like washing your feet with socks on. Compared with the best vinyl can achieve listening on a standard technics 1210 is like doing so with a balaclava on. Be warned. Getting into the big league can cost big bucks. Not least for a good amplifier (phono stage). Vinyl can be seductive, and I personally still enjoy it as "the best", but good digital runs it damn close with much more bang for buck.

From that you'll gather it's not me in Maidstone selling a technics. I'm selling a caravan... :eek:

[Box13]

Morning all,
I need a little advice regarding turntables,at the moment I have a reasonable system consisting of mainly Technics equipment bought off Ebay,CD,tuner,nice Denon amp and a Pioneer PL-990 auto turntable,all bought on a budget and now I have a bit more cash I'm looking at upgrading the turntable.

I must admit to being hooked on the 'bay',so much choice,new or secondhand,so much choice in fact that I have got rather confused.
I have looked at Technics,Rega,Pioneer,Pro-ject,and I read all the reviews on the different makes.I have come up with a short list consisting of Pioneer PL-12D,Rega RP1 or Rega planar models,Pro-ject carbon,I have a budget of about £400.
I like the look of the Pioneer PL-12D but is it reliable and repairable if it goes wrong,same goes for the Rega Planar,are they reliable? Is it better to perhaps get a new Rega RP1 and upgrade it at a later date,(is there a source where I could learn more about upgrading turntables?)

I really have dug a hole for myself as I'm now wondering whether to take a chance with second hand or go new with a guarantee,could do with some opinions,what would you do?:scratch:

I know someone who is selling an RP1 privately, if you are interested ask me for some more details please?

[raa1945]

If you are already bidding this advice may be a bit tardy. You are in a place on aos that is the heart of the universe for technics modifications. You can turn a basic, reliable, ergonomically dream, but somewhat dull sounding stock 1210 into a significantly more transparent high quality deck which mixes it with the best. And spend up to £5000 (or more) in the process. Arguably, if you have that sort of budget - there are alternative ways to a really good turntable. If you don't want to get involved in that hobby within a hobby the standard technics is reliable, robust and ordinary.

My dad once described making love with a condom as like washing your feet with socks on. Compared with the best vinyl can achieve listening on a standard technics 1210 is like doing so with a balaclava on. Be warned. Getting into the big league can cost big bucks. Not least for a good amplifier (phono stage). Vinyl can be seductive, and I personally still enjoy it as "the best", but good digital runs it damn close with much more bang for buck.

From that you'll gather it's not me in Maidstone selling a technics. I'm selling a caravan... :eek:

Morning Richard,thanks for your entertaining reply,(wish I could write interesting posts like you),anyway I'm watching this nice looking turntable on the bay but the bids are shooting up,with a day or so to go it's up to £255 and I'm sure it's going to rise by another ton at least.I just want the basic 1200,(or 1210),mainly because it was the one I knew as a young man,also the modern turntables look so un-interesting,just a board with a platter and a tone arm,least that's how I see it.
I'm going to plug away at getting a decent Technics,(hopefully this one),and enjoy listening to my vinyl how I did 50 years ago.

Oh,bye the way,good luck with the caravan.

[Box13]

Morning Richard,thanks for your entertaining reply,(wish I could write interesting posts like you),anyway I'm watching this nice looking turntable on the bay but the bids are shooting up,with a day or so to go it's up to £255 and I'm sure it's going to rise by another ton at least.I just want the basic 1200,(or 1210),mainly because it was the one I knew as a young man,also the modern turntables look so un-interesting,just a board with a platter and a tone arm,least that's how I see it.
I'm going to plug away at getting a decent Technics,(hopefully this one),and enjoy listening to my vinyl how I did 50 years ago.

Oh,bye the way,good luck with the caravan.

I read this raa1945, so I know you are not interested, good luck with what ever you decide to choose.

[raa1945]

I'm am so sorry,I meant to reply to you and it completely slipped my mind,(to busy getting back to Ebay),really nice of you to mention this and I appreciate it.

Thanks once again.