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Looking for a good turntable



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I understand the visible engineering appeal of TTs; I had one for just that reason. I also understand the reason for one where one has a lot of records that are rare with music not easily obtained in digital form.

But digital was invented in response to sound quality issues that TTs suffer from, even when perfectly set up and playing a new LP for the first time. Over time, TT meanders away from these levels that digital surpasses. I have not found any LP to sound better than the equivalent CD and now CD rips. Perhaps I don't prefer the distortion that vinyl brings to the table, just as I don't prefer the distortion that valve amps do.

I sold mine once the hassle of changing records on it eclipsed the cool of having one; since I never had an extensive collection of LPs.

YMMV.
Userlevel 4
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A few more things to consider... the stylus makes a huge difference in sound. I'd recommend looking for at minimum an Ortofon OM5E. Even better would be an Ortofon 2M Red. Even better than that is a 2M Blue. It depends on your budget but get the best you can afford. Preamps matter too, you can start cheap but you will want to upgrade at some point.

Setup is important too. Make sure your stylus is tracking correctly and the tracking weight is set properly. With a bad setup the stylus rides along the side of the groove missing parts of the recording.You want it done deep in the middle of the groove to maximize sound quality. YouTube has some great videos on turntable setup.

I'd recommend against using Bluetooth for sound quality reasons . BT to wifi to speakers leaves a lot of places where you can lose quality. Vinyl records, if done right will give you top quality sound. Might as well take advantage of it if you can.

One more thing is with Sonos is you'll likely need to use the "compressed" sound setting to avoid drop outs in signal from your turntable. Compression is another small hit to sound quality, but it beats having the sound cut out on you.
Userlevel 4
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I'd say go with a Pro-ject Debut Carbon DC. It's a perfect starter turntable and it just might be all you ever need. It's completely manual though (meaning you have to be there to take the stylus off the record when it ends). If you need an automatic, look at the Audio Technica LP120. Another good starter setup.

Keep in mind you may need to get a separate preamp depending on your setup. Personally I've got a Debut Carbon running through a Pro-ject Phonobox E preamp into a Sonos Connect. It works great.
It might be a good idea to also look for Turntables with Bluetooth capability; google search should help. A small bluetooth receiver attached to the line in jack of the Sonos unit will allow such a TT to be placed more flexibly without needing any wires to connect it to Sonos.
Userlevel 7
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I'm happy with my TEAC TN-300, but I've nothing to compare it with. It has the required built-in pre-amp. Line-Out levels seem a bit low (about the same as a mobile device rather than a hi-fi component), but boosting the Sonos Line-In amplification to '10' deals with that.

Having not had a turntable for decades, I was actually surprised how good it sounds connected to a pair of PLAY:5s and a SUB. Not as good as high quality 320kbps or lossless streams, but certainly quite pleasant to listen to.