Looking for turntable for my stereo system, please advice.

Ugh. Try this one instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q

The Sony makes a wonderful pottery wheel. I would give the AT-120 a thumbs up. A nice entry level TT for the price.

Neither above mentioned AT, nor Sony can be called DECENT turntable. Decent entry-level table starts with $600-700, plus another $100-200 for phono preamp. Anything below that will only bring disappointment.

Decent isn't a technical standard. It's in the ear of the beholder.
I know many people with turntables no better than that Sony who are enthralled with their record collections. I might wish they'd treat their record collections to something better, but they are very happy.

Absolute majority are perfectly happy with 128kbps MP3. But it is hard to call resulting sound quality DECENT in that case too. If someone asks question on this forum, I assume he seeks for above average quality.

It's all about your budget - there are good options in most price ranges, but for new equipment, a TT is one component where quality goes up dramatically the more you are willing to spend. I wouldn't go so far as to say that you have to spend $700 to avoid disappointment, but I also wouldn't touch anything below the AT-LP120 or a Denon DP300F (both are around $200-250). I prefer the Denon in that price range, FWIW, but the AT is a servicable table. I sprung for the ProJect Debut III ($300) and Art DJ Pre II ($45) preamp and am very happy with it. I think the ProJect Debut Carbon ($400), which replaced the Debut III, is the best value below $500 at the moment. There are plenty of good inexpensive phono preamps out there, so I wouldn't limit yourself to TTs with a built in phono stage.

The best deals by far are in the used market, but the catch is that you need to know what you're doing and what you're looking at. Even simple things like changing the cartridge require patience and precision, and troubleshooting is tricky for a noob (I should know) so I would stick with a new starter table until you get your sea legs.

This- I pointed out in another thread that you can far better stuff used cheap. The example I posted was from CL posting in my area of a
mint Dual tt with an ortofan cart for $200, that'll blow away anything new for under $500 (and probably under $1,000 for that matter). I got a Pioneer PL 41
with new needle for $150 last month and the thought that people rather spend similar amounts of $ for some made in China p.o.s. than
a classic made in China solid wood table, is unsettling.
As for being a newbie and not knowing much, don't let that be a factor- there are forums for that.

Maybe, but at least that MP3 is more accurate to the master than a vinyl record is!
And I assume that he wants the best sound he can get on HIS budget. So I try not to insult him, however low that budget is.

This is true. But someone who thinks that Sony might be a good turntable is unlikely to have the knowledge to tell a good used table from a bad one. Or, for that matter, to fix up and set up a used table properly. One of the virtues of new tables is they come ready to play, which is what vinyl newbies need.

Sure, but half the information on any given forum (including this one!) is bogus. And if you're a newbie, you don't know which half!

No better than the Sony.

IMO the Sony will be OK for a limited budget. There's no point in spending big dollars to obtain satisfaction from record listening sessions.

 

If you're trying to obtain the best possible sound particularly when compared to digital sources, MC cartridges will be necessary and a more expensive TT will be in turn along with the phono preamp.

...please advise (not advice).

Just thought I'd mention that for the sake of it.

Have you looked at eBay or any other used electronics resources? I have a 20 year old B&O that I had to replace the needle for and there's a place in NYC that custom made one for me. It cost more than the turntable did originally but was worth it in my opinion. You might try searching for turntable replacement parts and see if you can find some outlets that may have what you're looking for as refurbished equipment at a decent price.

Needle? It's typically referred to as a stylus.
Just thought I'd mention it.

Pedant.

Why am I the target?
I just figured I'd clarify "needle" and "stylus" since "advice" and "advise" seemed to be so important.

OTOH... I'm curious about a facility that manufactures a custom made stylus for a particular cartridge. Do they use "special" diamonds, sapphires or rubies?

IMHO, it would make more sense to replace a 20 year old cartridge that comes with a new stylus, for almost the same price. But that's just me.

There are some cartridges/TT that many years ago for some reason became quite famous among the vinyfile community.

 

I have no idea about this B&O,but I'd certainly would not spend more on a cartridge than on a TT, regardless of the price/brand/type/age.

 

But this just me. 

Nor... should anyone spend more money for a custom made replacement "needle" (stylus... being pedantic ) to use with a 20 year old cartridge.

If you look closely, they are the same turntable, with some variations.

One reason some of us are warning against the $100 models is that they use fixed cartridges (i..e., they can't be upgraded) with very high tracking weights, which are not good for your records' long-term health. The speed regulation is also wanting.

The AT120's stock cartridge recommends tracking at 3-5 grams, I think, which is also too high. But I've heard of people using it successfully at only 2 grams, so it might be ok. Alternatively, you could upgrade the cartridge to an elliptical one that will track lighter.

Another alternative to consider is the Denon DP300F.

Have a look at this
http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP-300F-Fully-Automatic-Turntable?sc=2&category=348

I bought the more expensive one and like it alot.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP300F-with-2M-Red-Package?sc=2&category=348

it is really good for the price.

fwiw, pro-ject essential $299 music direct and the art dj pre II phono amp $ 48 at parts express. imo this is a great way to start into vinyl,very good tt with decent cartridge and a very good amp for its price

I'd say tt's don't need a strobe, but they look cool when running the TT. My Technics 1200 has rock stable speed and I have never had
to twiddle with the speed control. For that matter, my non quartz controled Technics 30 year old SLD2 has always had perfect speed and I have never had to futz with the speed.
So, I wouldn't worry about it not having a strobe. My 40 year old Pioneer PL41 lacks a strobe and it doesn't suffer from "strobe envy"!

It doesn't "control" the speed. It's used to adjust the speed manually. But you can't adjust the speed on the Denon (or most budget belt drives, for that matter), so a strobe light would be useless. BTW, just because you can't adjust the speed doesn't mean the speed is accurate. On a budget belt drive, it probably isn't.

 

They usually use either the Ruby de Lollipopskia or the Punjab Diamond, but in rare cases, they've been known to substitute with the tusk of a black walrus.

Edited by Rammitinski - 9/9/12 at 3:20am

I think there might be a number of belt drive budget tt with strobes. All tables with strobes will have some means to adjust. I had a technics slb2 (the belt drive version of the sld2)
with a strobe and control to adjust it. Again, despite it being non quartz locked, never really had to mess with it; it did look cool though.