I haven’t owned (or used) a turntable for some 30 odd years.
Now I want to get back in the game. Musts for me: direct drive, must be ready to play out of the box. Nice to have: bluetooth, phono preamp, USB I have no DJ ambitions but if controls ala the SL1200 are included I don’t mind but I will likely never use them.
I have pretty much narrowed it down to 3 turntables but they are in different price ranges and i’m not sure if more money will actually matter?
- AT LP-5x. Looks nice, wont break the bank.
- Technics SL-1500C. Pricey but looks nice too.
- Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2. Breaks the bank but seems to have all the features.
Thoughts? Am I overlooking a turntable?
All I have is vintage stuff.
I’m not familiar with Cambridge Audio. But I think it would be hard to go wrong with the Audio Technica and Technics decks. Both companies still make legit gear as far as I know.
As long as they can accept decent cartridges I think you would be good to go.
If it were me I would want my preamp separate from my deck but what do I know?
All the decks listed have phono preamps built-in but can turn them off. I’m going straight into a headphone amp and don’t want to get an external phono amp right off the bat. 🤷🏼♂️
Til Bluetooth is a thing on a turntable (analog) source.
What a time to be alive, huh?
There are even turntables that connect to Sonos systems so that they can be integrated into your whole-home audio system.
I’ll be getting one at some point because that seriously kicks ass.
You probably want this:
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at-lp120xusb
It is considered a good entry level record player, and a solid mid level player with a cartridge replacement. When you’re done with the built-in pre-amp you can remove it completely and make it an even better player.
Thanks! I actually went for the Technics SL-1500C and am very happy with it.
Congratulations. That’s an awesome player.
