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Best turntable brand besides Technics?

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22%
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11%
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33%
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33%
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By Mike Boogie Thu Jan 03, 2019 3:00 pm
Isn't there a new 1200 mk7 dropping real soon... :shock:
By JVC Thu Jan 03, 2019 4:06 pm
Coz wrote:...
Jibber who used to post on here claimed the Technics blew away the Stanton for sound quality. Not sure how accurate that is? I wouldn't use any DJ turntable as an audiophile playback device anyway.

I’d believe Jibber’s claim. (That is, NOT to say that those Stanton turntables are bad, just that they should not be even considered as SL-1200’s range.)
Even a stock (not modified) SL-1200 is totally capable of producing pristine sound, even with a modest phono cartridge.
Not only that platter is heavy enough, the platter is dumped with rubber sheet underneath (many owners don’t realize it)

The tonearm is considered the weakness for many audiophiles, but it is not bad at all - all the important parts of the tonearm is really well calibrated, so unless the tonearm is abused (which unfortunately happens too often to SL-1200s), it can handle high-end (low tracking force) cartridge without problem.

This is off topic, but I’d recommend those Technics, Pioneer, or other Made in Japan or Taiwanese turntables that were manufactured in late 70s' to late 80s’. Technics OEMed a lot back in the days.
MCS was a Technics OEM brand for JC Penny. Technics OEMed for Radio Shack too. Those turntables are often overlooked. Those are far better, well made, than today’s budget level turntables.
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By Xandre Sat Jan 05, 2019 2:40 am
JVC wrote:
Xandre wrote:...
I just have a few questions, seeing as my original turntable set up, consisting of American DJ TTD-2500 MK II turntables, which my mom bought for me 17 years ago, is now showing signs of failure, I will soon be on the look out for new turntables, either brand new or used.
...
Also, is buying turntables used generally OK? Are there any issues I should worry about when buying used? My American DJs are 17 years old and they now output garbage sound. Thanks.


What's the issue with the turntables exactly? Is it issue with platter (does not spin in consistent RPM) or it would drop out one channel or both?


Took apart the deck after suspecting a bad ground wire fixture. But it didn't seem to be a grounding issue. Swapped RCA cables and it could be the cables, which are just as old as the decks, but honestly, they're so old, I'm ready to just replace them at this point. They just put out bad sound now and I can't figure out why. They served me well for 17 years. Honestly, they held their own for most of that time despite a needle that was prone to skipping during intense scratching sequences. The virtues of an offbrand like American DJ aside, I would have been better served with a pair of Technics, but my mother didn't know what she was buying, they were a gift from her and either way, a highly generous one.
By DaCrane Sat Jan 05, 2019 2:47 am
I put up a vote for Numark.
Before I get jumped for my ill-rated decision I'll explain why.
The TT200, TT500, and TTX were very overlooked because numark has always been known for putting out crap products.
I was always a Technics fanboy and thought nothing could ever compare, all these other tables started showing up, I just figured they were shit. For whatever reason I grabbed a pair of TTX (not the first ttx1 model) and will never go back. These things are solid. Three different torque and pitch settings, (think ultra pitch scratching here). 33, 45, and 78 rpm, and swappable tone arms, adjustments on braking and starting speed, etc. If you want to adjust the brake on a Technics, you have to open up the top and keep adjusting till you get it right, and that's where it stays, same with true zero pitch.

I'm sure as mentioned above there may be a variation in sound quality, as I'm not an audiofile I haven't noticed it like I notice the difference between a Rane and a Roland mixer. Maybe if I get board later I'll plug in both a tech and a TTX and post up a sound test to see if anyone can tell the difference.

I have never touched the TT500, but the TT200 has the same torque and pseudo feel as a tech. It by no means is a comparison as it is missing all the rubber sound dampening, but for a cheap turntable to use to scratch it is pretty dope.

same as a scratch mixer, I'm not about to go buy a midi buttoned covered turntable that will be dated and rendered useless by software (thanks Rane and Serato for the TTM57!), but there is a lot of good stuff out there. I have never used the stanton str8 or vestex, but have heard those are solid as well. But I guess we'll see in 3 days if new technics are really coming out. If not, for the price of what they cost used, I would shop for cheaper for a first set.

Also, not 100% here but wasn't the mpc2500 and mpc500 put out while akai was owned by numark?
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By Xandre Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:42 am
Mike Boogie wrote:Isn't there a new 1200 mk7 dropping real soon... :shock:


Jan. 7. CES trade show, Las Vegas. That news just broke like a week ago.

I spoke too soon but whatever I couldn't be happier that Technics is still committed to that line.
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By pk1 Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:26 am
DaCrane wrote:I put up a vote for Numark.
Before I get jumped for my ill-rated decision I'll explain why.
The TT200, TT500, and TTX were very overlooked

Also, not 100% here but wasn't the mpc2500 and mpc500 put out while akai was owned by numark?

I had a friend who went with the TTX. And I was blown away. Heavy, solid insane torque and sounded great. He slayed that deck. I went with vestal pdx I still have em. I believe I got these in 02-03. Changed the power switch and nothing else.
And I believe Akai is still owned by numatk brotha.
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By W. Steele Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:29 am
How's it going fella's? Lamp brought this to my attention and seeing how I run a turntable repair business now (to see my work check out my Instagram page @fromscratchdjrepair ) and made a living as a DJ for 25 years, I will throw my 2 cents in hoping to help someone since this forum has helped me so much.

The very best turntable to have right now, in 2020, imo, is still a Technics 1200 MK2 or M3D. I've worked on over 500 of them and I've seen all the competition and "new" does not equate "good" or better". Even the new 1200 MK7 I think is not up to par w/ the MK2's or M3D's.

My reasoning: The build is extremely well thought out and the most durable of all the tables I have ever seen. And as Juke stated, they are very easy to work on if you are half way decent with a soldering iron. So repair-ability is key and them being so simple is also what makes them so reliable. There are only 6 main components to a 1200: motor, tonearm, pitch, power supply, on/off mechanism and target light. This also makes them easy to troubleshoot. Plus there's a lot of forums and groups on social media with resources to repair them because they are the standard. Only negative is that they stopped making parts a few years ago, but if you're resourceful enough they can be found. As far as operation, solid as a motherf#cking rock if maintained and treated right.

The new Pioneer PLX-1000's are garbage. I've had people bring them to me to fix that looked like they'd been through a million gigs and they're only a year or 2 old. And the inside is over complicated which means that there's a lot of sh!t that can go wrong. If you check my IG I break a Technics down side by side with one and you can clearly see the difference.

The Numark decks are OK but parts are not the easiest to find and again, troubleshooting can be a pain. I also see a lot of random stuff go wrong with them.

Same for Stanton.

I've never touched the Mixar decks but they seem like a shot in the dark. I don't think they will pick up and will be a pain to repair in the future if they aren't built well.

The only tables I can say good things about besides Technics are Reloops and Vestax. A lot of people I know have the reloops and are very happy with them and they seem to be built well because only a couple have come into my shop. The Vestax are also very durable and well thought out.

I also saw the Denon decks mentioned in here and while they look amazing and Craze uses them, they look like they have a little too much going on for my taste. I personally have not used or seen them so I really can't say much.

As far as sound quality, with all of these turntables that will ultimately come down to your needle being the big difference and if you want to swap out the RCA cables (I put Mogami cable in for clients overly concerned for sound coloring). Some people put all different types of wiring in their tonearms as well but to me that's audiophile overkill. I've only run into a couple people that anal.

Good luck on choosing your table !

Edit: I forgot to mention Gemini because most Gemini stuff is built to fail within a couple years so it's not even on my radar :lol: :lol: :lol: BUT my first set up was belt drive Gemini's so they're good to beat up until you get serious.