Hmm, I never had a music room and I don’t know how to help you, but I would like to ask something. My boss loves the record player and has a birthday soon. I really want to give him a set of record player and stand. I already found an excellent record player model, but I can’t decide on the stand model and it seems to me that some of you can help me with this. I found several models at https://www.pickmyturntable.com and read a huge number of reviews on the site, but the problem is that I can not make a choice and I really hope that you will help me.

Have a Dual Direct Drive with Pickering cartridge, think it was a 704. Listened to a lot before I got it in the 70's and compared to straight line tracking stuff.

Later took it to a high end shop to get a new cartridge put on it. Their tech did a bunch of diagnostics on it and then tried to buy it from me. Said it did as well in every category as their most expensive, best turntable. He did the diagnostic test to try to talk me into their best turntable.

It is currently packed and sealed in its box in storage. Do digital music now, but mostly just do video. Listen to music in the car, but it does have surround.

How many different websites do you spam for? Damn, you must be rolling in that spammer money!

What makes a Thorens so much better than say a Technics SL1200 ?

Back in the day, I used to have what I thought was a great turntable, but CRS.......
I think it was Technics.
I was a very heavy white base perhaps marble?
Does this style ring a bell with anyone?
I get sidetracked with too many projects here .
I do need a turn table and a juke box

afterburn, was that turntable possibly a Kenwood KD500 or KD550?

I will go look at some google pics
It very well could have been.
Were they any good?

This is in use daily at our house. VPI Prime Scout with Hana ML cart, Sutherland phono preamp and TOOOOBS! Lots of tubes (8 Russian KT-150’s). A pure joy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675197166.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675197306.jpg

^^^ Gorgeous! Would all be wasted on my 79 years old ears.

I googled some pics and 40 years ago I might be hazy.
But Technics is the closest I can find for what I think I remember the top lay out .....LOL

Great looking outfit Chocaholic
Where do I find that?
Wallmart?
argh argh argh. JK

Afterburn, my ears probably are no better than yours. With that in mind, any decent belt drive or direct drive from the ‘70s, with a Shure cartridge, will be all that you need. And you won’t break the bank. All in should not cost you much more than $300. I’m talking Pioneer, Technics, Sansui, or Kenwood. Many vinyl record stores have some turntables from the 70s. Or check on craigslist. No doubt, there are more expensive turntables out there, but my ears can’t tell the difference. I’ve had one of each of the above at one time, but I’m partial to the direct drive Sansui turntable. Here’s mine:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675204445.jpg

You are probably correct! (about my ears)

I restored the fiberboard wood base of a Thorens. Nice unit deserving a better base. Working on a Dual now and it seems solid for the price they go for.

Lotta nice turntables for vinyl out there. The Technics is a good one, AR made a really nice simple belt drive that was awesome. I have an old Phillips 212 that is no slouch. Go shopping and see what you find. If buying used, expect to add fresh belts and stylus.

Technics SL-1200 is what I think I had in the mid-70s.
It is the only one that resembles what I remember with the canted turn table on the outside, and the strobe on the front left side for calibrating the speed.
Even of it is not, I think that is the deal for me .
The thread over there about positive on pelican forums -This is just one of many positive threads, prolly in the thousands.
People on here are always most gracious and helpful.

Technics 1200 is what you are describing. The more modern version is the 1200mk2. If you can find one that has not done dj duty expect to pay about a grand as they were discontinued several years ago.

Saw you need a juke box as well! Ive got a Rowe R-89 that I have got repaired and fully running after having the lighting controller rebuilt, amplifier rebuilt, and I recapped the crossover board. Been slowly filling with a curated collection of 45s. Only have about 30 slots left to fill.

Here is my 1200m3d
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675266861.jpg

I had a Dual 1218 back in the olden days when I played vinyl.

It was a very good turntable, but not the super high end stuff. My CPA is an audiophile with "golden ears" and has a setup that is crazy money. I have tinnitus and CDs or digital recording are just fine for me.

A good-looking unit!
That is almost the exact turn table I used to have .
The tell tail is the tall lift lever on the rear, the canted slanted table spinnier, and a couple of other things.
So the 1200 MK2 is a little better?
Jukebox- is prolly a deal but I am over on the east coast.

Mk2 is just a more recent tt than what was available in the 70s. I am pretty sure the mk2 dates to the early 80s and m3d I have is quite a bit later than that. But were both built up until 10 years ago or so.

One thing about juke boxes… i was not prepared for how heavy they are when I got mine. Its just a hair under 400lbs.

Juke boxes-
Yes, and a little delicate.

I still have the Technics SL-5 linear tracker that I bought back in 1983. I remember it cost $120 for the turntable and $40 for the Audio Technica cartridge.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675362497.jpg
Tangent tracking Yamaha from the day

Help, I need a rating system here
It looks like the Technics 1200 is great unit .
And I am realy sure that is what I used to have back in the day
so -
There are several sub-categories some with a "G" and others
Will a couple of you music lovers please write out a category in your opinion of the lineup?
like-
Best
near best
middle of the road
etc
etc

thanx !

Mine is also a Technics. I like them. Mine has an Audio Technica cartridge. A Sure cartridge would likely be at least as good.

And you need a good phono stage. Emphasis on "good." For the money, I actually like the Schiit products.

And speakers. Arguably the single most important component of a hifi system.

^Agreed on the Schiit products. Most of my components are Schiit, Mani phonostage (they have an improved v2 now), Aegir amp, Modi multibit dac, and Saga S+ (tube/solid state pre-amp). SOTA turntable and Salk speakers.

afterburn, the ultimate opinion will be yer ears.

Very nice system, Chocoholic!

Take a quick look at the Technics.com/ SL1200 heritage. I think the latest SL1200 G is a better table than the others but also 4x the price. So really depends on what the rest of the system is. I would suggest trying to find at least a very clean mk3 or MK5, info from that site shows the MK3 being from 1989, likely to need work soon enough. I don't think you will hear much difference between the lineup but the electronics likely did get better.

Always looking for vintage gear, I'm using the Yamaha (belt drive for motor isolation) I bought with money I made at my high school McDonald's job, bought an Ortofon at the time and still use it daily. I have an Onkyo solid state, running Polk 5jrs circa 1986, a Yamaha powered sub, and high end speaker wire.

I spend much more money on music than equipment. I think I'm about 700 records in, most all early pressings, but I need to spend more time on discogs for completeness.

I have the first three Black Sabbath pressings on both vertigo and green label. The the fourth is on a pseudo vertigo label.

Did someone say vintage? Bought this new in 1979 and have been using routinely for 40+ years. Recently had it recapped, cleaned and bias adjusted. Now serving duty as the heart of my office system. Us old guys just can’t let go of our youth!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675551678.jpg

I miss my Thorens when it worked.. now I have two which need repair: A TD160 and a TD124
Someday that TD124 will be up and running.
Using simple Pro-ject turntable with a nice carbon tone arm but it doesn't have auto-shut off (!) which seems like a HUGE engineering over-sight.. or just lazy and cheap on the production side of things, makes me hate it.

Derenville VPM 2010-1

WOW !
What do I not know?
The rabbit hole of amps?

https://rogershighfidelity.com/our-amplifiers/

Next-
Remember when?
Every twn had a sound system store ?
One could go in and try different combinations of sound systems.
Gone.
Now it is just a guess as to what might work for our ears.

I've got Sunfire Theater Grand Pre-amps and 5 x 200 watt Sunfire amp for sale.........pm me for pics before I put them on ebay.

They are still around, there are just fewer and $$$$. Best Buy Magnolia Theater appears to be one of the few widely dispersed options.

Another option is an audio show like the Florida Audio Expo, https://floridaaudioexpo.com/. Still pricey stuff but in no other environment will you get the opportunity to hear so many different systems.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675699569.jpg

Yamaha C6, M4 with a NAD CD Changer. The Yamaha units have been working great since 1976

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675699713.jpg
and an original Edison victrola

afterburn 549, prior to looking for amplifiers have you decided on what speakers, and really the speakers need to be able to work well in the room you are planning to use. Also if you are thinking of using a tube amp make sure the tubes are available and check at what price point, many of the vintage great sounding tubes are now megabucks, and no exporting of Russian tubes now.

OH!
I guess I need to study this more or get some advice from the brain trust here.

I am open to recommends.
thanx

Approx what size room do you intend to use? How good is your hearing? Do a quick test on youtube search 10-15k hz and take a listen. Unless it is a really large room some smaller speakers like Totem Model 1 or Merlin TSM are a really good starting point, excellent detail and they do surprisingly good low frequency. There are many others similar and reasonably priced on the used market. If you need more low frequency better to add a small sub.