Looking for a standalone turntable.

[NickM450]

Hi all,

My girlfriends birthday is fast approaching and I need to find a present, sharpish

She is a real music nut and loves her Vinyl, she does not have a record player at home though and has to trek to her parents every time she wants to play something. So I thought I'd buy her a standalone player, I have absolutely no idea where to start though.

Budget isn't massive and I don't mind using eBay or second hand stuff.

Nick

[JimbobVFR]

What exactly do you mean by standalone though? Does she already have an amp and speakers or a stereo she could plug the turntable into?

Do you have a budget in mind?

[NickM450]

By standalone I mean an all in one incorporating speakers etc.

The stereo she has now is very basic and does not have much connectivity.

[LordFlathead]

Damn and there was I thinking we were about to remark on Lyn Sondek, and Pink Triangle et all

Plastic all in a box thing?

[SS2.]

LordFlathead said:

Damn and there was I thinking we were about to remark on Lyn Sondek, and Pink Triangle et all

Likewise..

Michell Gyrodec..

[The_Burg]

[NickM450]

Oh dear, I don't feel this is going well

No serious audiophiles here I'm afraid, she just likes music. To be honest, the one pictured above would probably be good, it's red and retro, exactly her style

[Frances The Mute]

That Sanyo looks ace.

It'll sound like a pet shop on fire, but you'll probably have a lot of fun with it.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

NickM450 said:

By standalone I mean an all in one incorporating speakers etc.

The stereo she has now is very basic and does not have much connectivity.

If the stereo she has now has at least 1 aux socket, then and separate turntable (with a built in pre amp) will sound much better than a stand alone system.

This Bush MTT1 gives excellent results for a budget turntable, is very compact, and comes with a built in pre amp so you don't need to connect to a phono socket, just an aux socket.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bush-Acoustics-MTT1-Turn...

[TonyRPH]

If you have a computer with reasonable speakers - you could use a USB turntable I think.

If sound quality doesn't matter - then even a PC with crap speakers lol.

[JimbobVFR]

I actually thought you couldn't get such systems anymore, turns out I was wrong:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/mini-hi-fi/tea...

Personally I'd be looking at a basic amp, speakers and a turntable over that, but it does fit the brief.

This little lot for example comes in at a tenner less (£79.95+£49.95+£129.95) vs £269.95

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...
http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-spe...
http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/son...

[TwigtheWonderkid]

graphene said:

But, like the Bush turntable above, the build quality of the tonearm and cueing pieces looks awful.

I actually have a Bush MTT1. I bought it 10 yrs ago after What Hi Fi gave it 5 stars and named it best sub £100 turntable, even though it only cost £59.

It is superb. OK, it's no Lynn Sondek but it's a match for my Dual CS505 I had back in the 80s, which was really highly rated. And it's tiny, which was a major requirement at the time I bought it.

I agree, it has a cheapish feel to it but it's actually quite hardy and sound wise, it's a revelation for the price.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

graphene said:

Something like an NAD 533, via Ebay, would be a much better option (obviously, too 'much' turntable for your needs )

And no built in pre amp from memory, so wouldn't actually work at all for the OP.

[telecat]

JimbobVFR said:

I actually thought you couldn't get such systems anymore, turns out I was wrong:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/mini-hi-fi/tea...

Personally I'd be looking at a basic amp, speakers and a turntable over that, but it does fit the brief.

This little lot for example comes in at a tenner less (£79.95+£49.95+£129.95) vs £269.95

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...
http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-spe...
http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/son...

Would not work as the Turntable would not link in to the Amp. You would need a Phono Stage between the amp and the Turntable. I suggest that the Amp and Speakers are ok with the addition of

http://www.richersounds.com/product/phono-pre-amps...

and the turntable

http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/pro...

[JimbobVFR]

telecat said:

Would not work as the Turntable would not link in to the Amp. You would need a Phono Stage between amp and the Turntable. I suggest that the Amp and Speakers are ok with the addition of

http://www.richersounds.com/product/phono-pre-amps...

and the turntable

http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/pro...

I specifically picked the Sony because it does have an inbuilt preamp. Check the listing page again.

I do agree however the project debut may very well be a better TT. There's also a Marantz with built in preamp on RS that may be a good option.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

graphene said:

Twig, life will be much easier if you merely accept that you are cheap and could have done much better!!!

I'm financially cautious!

[The_Burg]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BANG-OLUFSEN-RECORD-PLAY...

Quite a bit of kit back in the 80s.

[anonymous-user]

Have we had one of these yet...
....as used for jazz picnics in my local park so I hear.

[Parabola]

http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/soundwagon.php

[LordFlathead]

Utterly brilliant! I would never have thought that would work