a good second hand turntable for teenager

[jives11]

Hi,



My son has developed an interest in vinyl, and has bought a few second hand LP's. He's interested in sound recording, music and production and I think it would be quite nice to get him his own turntable.


I don't have one, having gone completely digital in the 80's. I recall a lot of the models from back then and earlier and wonder what would be good ebay buys in terms of performance, reliability and obtaining spares. I was thinking of predominantly European brands from that period for around £50 i.e something to get him started .

My father owned a couple of Thorens, but I also recall rega, dual, Dunlop, Michell, Linn. There were other grands such as Connoisseur and Lenco which were a bit older at that time.

From a simplicity of use point of view I also wondered about some of the B&O beogram turntables ? The early ones look simple, though the later ones look like they might have lots of features that would fail over time


I also recall that AR did a very well thought of turntable..


Any suggestions for one I should start looking on ebay for. maybe an overlooked gem from the past.

[thefamilybassman]

Dual decks are a good choice, cheap as they were popular (which makes parts easy to get, not that you'll need them I'd hope) and set up well they can be made to sound almost as good as the big boys. The beogram's are more likely to break, and the cartridges are very expensive (to the tune of £125). If your looking to spend more the Rega's are the best imo for mod's, quality and design...

[kevinkr]

Depending on luck one of the more modest Thorens tables might be within reach. Garrard SP-25 maybe the MKII, (I had a MKIV as a teenager - utter rubbish..)..

Might want to take a look over at Vinyl Engine | The Home of the Turntable for further guidance.

[jives11]

Thanks. Yes there are quite a few duals on ebay inc. a 503-1 ending this evening. I'll keep a eye out

[K.A.B]

Go for a Thorens TD150 is a very good turntable, above all, your son can update the tone arm when he wants to go one step further which is simply by changing the tonearm board.

Good luck with the search.

Anders

[jives11]

Thanks again, yes my father had a TD150 Mk 2 for many years and it was a wonderful piece of equipment. Probably still working, as he sold it on to get a TD160.

I think the only thing against the Thorens may be the price. They typically go for > £150.

Are lenco's good ? I recall in the 80's they were rather under appreciated, but they seem to have had a resurgence. well made and with the novelty of the extra speeds (i.e 78 !) . I'm inclined to avoid the Japanese direct drive models , as much from a heritage point of view though I recall the Sansui SR222 was THE budget turntable at one time, before Dual took and held that title.


many thanks for the input

[enregistree]

Dual 503-1 is fine payer, somehow resembling 455 model. 455 has suspended subchassis while 503-1 has shaft and arm fixed to plinth & it has suspended feet. 503-1 has solid wood or plastic plinth, sells used now maybe for under £ 40. 455 with solid plinth (MDF or wood) sells around £ 70 and up.

I never liked the (semi)automatic operation (all Duals have some automatic mechanism), so I convert it to manual operation.

[Original Burnedfingers]

Quote
My son has developed an interest in vinyl, and has bought a few second hand LP's. He's interested in sound recording, music and production and I think it would be quite nice to get him his own turntable.

Since he is a teenager I wouldn't wrap up a bunch of money in an expensive turntable. If it were me I would buy him a disco type turntable with a built in phono preamp that would be capable of the abuse of moving the record back and forth to make those undesirable sounds that the age group like to hear. Save the expensive turntable for a graduation or other present after it has been determined if it is a genuine interest or just a fad he is going thru.

[rob g]

Under £50?
Forget the european brands, you will need to triple your budget for a good one, just look on Ebay at finished sales for the likes of the Thorens.

Tough call, Pioneer PL12d if you can find one, these were extremely popular.
Retro Hi-Fi Pioneer PL12D

Double or triple your budget and you will open up your options dramatically.
A second hand Project Genie (current product) would be a good choice.

[sreten]

Hi,

For £50 your extremely limited due to the cost of decent replacement cartridges.

Ideally you should know how to service a basic old turntable.

In the UK IMO for £50 you should be looking at a Dual CS505 importantly
fitted with a decent cartridge with a needle in good condition, otherwise
you be looking at at least £50 for a decent new cartridge or new stylus.

Local classified are the best for budget turntables, most likely the seller
won't factor in the cartridge, they are very expensive to replace nowadays.

rgds, sreten.