Agreed. $400 will buy you a darn fine audiophile-style turntable that
will sound lots better than a 1200. Heck, I've seen used Dual 401s (I
think that's the right number) for $100. Check out the local high-end
audio shops and see what they have in the way of trade-in gear.
>However you can get some pretty 1200-like Gemini or Lineatech
>for around $200. they are worthless for mixing but they are good to just
>play records
I haven't dealt with Lineartech gear, but I wouldn't bother with anything
Gemini makes. They seem to be unable to design anything that doesn't
have massive amount of line noise built in (mixers, turntables, whatever).
>And remember your records will only sound as good as your
>weakest audio component, so do not hesitate spending a coupla bucks on a
>good cartridge/stylii.
Agreed.
>Acceptable models would be a Stanton 500AL
Good grief, no. The only good thing about 500s is the low price; the sound
quality is poor, and they wear the hell out of your records. If you're going
for Stantons, I'd go for at least the 680s, and I wouldn't buy spherical styli
(that's the "AL" part of the cartridge name) unless you're planning on doing
active DJing. Elliptical styli ("EL" in Stanton-speak) put less wear on your
grooves, and sound better to boot. (They don't track as well, which is why
they're not great for DJing.) I'm presently enamored of the Ortofon Concordes,
which sound nice, track well, and are a one-piece assembly so I don't have to
worry about getting them aligned properly. (Needle Doctor presently has a
special deal on them, too: $87 for the Concordes and 2(!) spare styli. Before
anyone asks, their phone number is 1-800-229-0644 or 612-378-0543; I don't
work for them or anything, but they were super helpful, so I figger they
earned this plug.) But that's not what I use on my main listening turntable
(an old Pioneer with a limestone base and an ancient KHS(?) tonearm with lots
of excellent dials and hanging counterweights), and I wouldn't expect anyone
else to either. (I presently have some other Stanton cartridge on there; don't
remember the particular name.) There are loads of other cartridges that won't
be as bombproof as DJ-specific cartridges, but will sound a whole bunch
better. Unfortunately, I can't offer any specific recommendations, partially
because it's been so long since I looked that I don't remember specific names,
and partially because it'll depend on what mounting configuration your
turntable has (and partially because there's always ongoing religious wars
about this sort of stuff -- how else do you explain raging arguments about
which is better, the Lyra Parnassus or the Van den Hul Grasshopper Type IIIGLA
(both of which cost significantly more than my car)?).
tlds