My first analog was BSR (Cheap) record player. It was not much, but it was mine and it started my passion for vinyl. I followed it with a couple of other players before getting a dual 721 which served me well for 20 plus years. My best (and interestingly last) analog purchase was a maplenoll apollo table that had been personally owned and modified by Lloyd Walker. I have been enchanted with the Maplenoll line for several years but this table is in a level above the rest of the maplenoll line. It has the standard features of the standard maplenoll apollo (vacuum platter, air bearing platter and arm) but it was modified to include an on the fly VTA adjustment, an external motor, and a different airbearing spindle and tonearm. It was owned by a fellow agoner and his move to france made this table available to me. It is a dead quiet table and performs flawlessly. I know a lot of people have issues with getting these tables right but this one (once i got it set up) is flawless. Vacuum system pulls the record down flat, tonearm floats perfectly, and the platter is so smooth and balanced that uncoupled with the motor and belt, it will spin for close to 5 minutes just spinning by hand.
The first-best-last analog item you ever bought
I bought a Heathkit WAP- 2, twenty watt dual chassis amplifier in 1955. My grandpa, in the midwest it's grandpa and not grandfather, told me to buy a Magnavox console and be done with it. Little did he know where my choice would take me 53 years later.
Today, my best and last investment is in a RTR machine. The machines are cheap when compared to the alternatives. Unfortunately the software is scarce and expensive
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Nothing good comes cheap. How about your thoughts.
Ken