What turntable for 300 ish

Well I wasn't able to get ahold of the rega planar 2 I wanted sadly.

So back to the drawing board.

Anyone have any other options in 300 range.

I own a project debut 3 turntable. I feel that is the best turntable available in the 300 dollar price range. Try one with an ortofon 2m red cartridge. that should be within your budget and is a good entry level table.

How do the project debut fair vs the rega planar 2 or 1

I am a Pro-ject guy having had a RM 1.3 and now an RM 5.1 SE. Never had a Rega so I cannot do a direct comparison. I can only say I like the Pro-jects very much, nver had any roblems with either table I've owned, and feel they are outstanding values for the money.


That being said, if you budget is $300 for a table & arm without a cartridge, then look at the new Pro-ject Carbon at $400 with a cartridge! It is a souped up version of their already best selling Debut III having the following upgrades - 8.6" full Carbon Fiber Arm, RCA jacks for your choice of cable, full 12" platter and factory equipped with the Ortofon 2M Red, a $100 cartridge that I believe was already recommended in this thread. In the $400 range for a table & a cartridge, Pro-ject appears to have a winner here. Hope this helps.

The project carbon does seem like a pretty good deal.

That ortofon red is a MM cartridge correct?

I am thinking of ordering a yaqin tube pre amp to match my amp. But it works better with a mm Cart

Yes, the Ortofon 2M Red is a MM cartridge. No worries. Good luck with your search amd may you enjoy whatever you purchase.

Hahaha, in my post above I mention the 2M Orange as a budget cartridge. As all the other posts here suggest the Red is the budget option. The Orange certainly ain't!!!


Dunno what I was thinking.


On another note I had a look at the Debut Carbon the other day. Didn't have a listen, but it sure looks nice.

I am probably ordering the Pro-ject Debut carbon today. Just waiting for needledoctor to open so I can give them a call.

Ok so I ordered the Pro-ject Debut Carbon. And a Project phono box II pre amp.

I will let you all know how it sounds once it arrives.



Quote:
Originally Posted by shortyg83  /t/1416195/what-turntable-for-300-ish#post_22147124


Ok so I ordered the Pro-ject Debut Carbon. And a Project phono box II pre amp.

I will let you all know how it sounds once it arrives.

Click to expand...

Nice. Throw up some pics when you get it setup too!!



Quote:
Originally Posted by shortyg83  /t/1416195/what-turntable-for-300-ish#post_22147124


Ok so I ordered the Pro-ject Debut Carbon. And a Project phono box II pre amp.

I will let you all know how it sounds once it arrives.

Click to expand...

Make sure your also getting some record cleaning supplies. A good record brush and some cleaning fluid.

I ordered a Pro-ject cleaning brush. But I don't know what fluid is good. Any recommendations?

Audio Technica ATLP120
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATLP120-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1341972251&sr=1-8&keywords=audio+technica

and the Shure M97xE High-Performance Magnetic Phono Cartridge
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b


Total price= $280



Cant go wrong with this combo.



Quote:
Originally Posted by shortyg83  /t/1416195/what-turntable-for-300-ish#post_22147124


Ok so I ordered the Pro-ject Debut Carbon. And a Project phono box II pre amp.

I will let you all know how it sounds once it arrives.

Click to expand...

So what is the verdict? How do you like it? I am considering this same turntable for my rack. Thanks in advance...

I bought a Debut Carbon last week and love it. It struggles a bit with busy recordings, but acoustic music sounds amazing. There are a lot of haters claiming this is no audiophile table, but to my ears it's extremely satisfying.