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Suggestions for my first turntable

Okay, many of you have read my previous post about how I finally got to hear a record player and was blown away by how much better it sounded. So I'm considering my first table (I'll definitely buy used).

I'm sort of torn as to what approach to take. Part of me wants to do what my friend's dad did, just go buy a $50 table at a swap meet and add a nice $200 cartridge to it. But that has its own risks, and also I'd like something reasonably low maintenance. I find myself drawn to tables that look nice, since it will have a prominent position on my top shelf. The Basis 1400 in particular looks sweet to me. I think I'll feel bad about spending so much for a table when I have no records, though. Can people comment on what quality level (including price point) they would recommend for someone breaking into analog. Knowing what you know, what would you buy for a friend getting into analog?

My system will consist of a Plinius 8200 mkII (integrated which includes MM and MC phono stages) and Joseph Audio RM22si signature speakers. Side-question, do I need to consider special interconnects for a turntable, or do all the same properties hold for, say, CD interconnects.

Thanks,
Matt.
matt8268

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Matt:

The good news is that you have a LOT of very good choices today for a starter turntable system, while the "bad" news is that you actually have to choose one of them.

If you look through the Audiogon archives, you will find a number of threads over the past year from people looking for suggestions about their first turntable. It would be a good idea to look through the archives, since there is a lot of information there that may be not be re-posted in response to this thread.

I could certainly offer a number of suggestions, as I know others can, but we need a starting point: how much are you willing to spend for a complete turntable, tonearm and cartridge combination?
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