Top 5... £500+ TURNTABLES
There's nothing technical about this top 5 listing and I fully realise that there are lots of decks that could have been here that aren't... but these are turntables that I've bought, sometimes owned and sold over the years. They are all, in my humble opinion, great decks within their price range... for the reasons outlined below... Read on.
1. Michell Gyro SEOf course it's a design classic, but the Michell Gyro is far more than looks alone. It's a stunning sounding deck and can accommodate almost any tonearm. Seen here with an SME IV tonearm, this has to be a dreamy combination before you enter the world of mega expensive tonearms demanding equally expensive cartridges. There's also a great Michell community online and Michell Engineering is a joy to deal with and really happy to support owners of any vintage of deck. Expect to pay... £1200 plus your choice of arm.
2. Linn Sondek LP12There's more than enough written online regarding Linn's genuinely iconic LP12 and it has its detractors as much as its diehard fans. Personally, I've always enjoyed the ones that have come through the shop and they've sounded great. The example here is typical of what you may come across, with Valhalla power supply and an Ittok tonearm. It would be my starting point for LP12 ownership, avoiding examples with more basic arms. Prices for a complete LP12 with arm can vary enormously. For the spec as shown here, expect to pay... £1200+
3. Garrard 401There will be some (many!) who might suggest I should have chosen the earlier Garrard 301, but for me the 401 would be my choice. As far as I understand it, both can perform miracles when well serviced and mounted in a decent plinth - certainly on a par with almost any modern high end deck. You'll often find both models available as just the turntable, and no plinth, so will then need to do some work to build your complete deck. You'll be well rewarded! Expect to pay... £700+ for the turntable without any plinth. I sold the complete deck shown here for £950 in 2018... seems a bargain now!
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4. JBE Series 3A personal favourite. A plinth made from Welsh slate, direct drive and manufactured briefly from around 1978 to 1982. Came up against the rising enthusiasm for belt drive, but often compared with the top decks of the day. You'll find they come up for sale surprisingly frequently, but often without the SME arms almost all of them were designed for. Look out for chips to the edges of the slate plinth, missing off-deck control units and cracked lids. Expect to pay... £300 without an arm, £650+ with an SME arm.
5. Denon DP-3000A slightly leftfield choice here but just look at it! The direct drive Denon DP3000 is very highly sought after and does not come up for sale often. The pictured example was in wonderful condition and came with a nice SME 3009 S2 Improved tonearm, which must have been a classic combination at the time. But the important thing is that the Denon sounds great too. If you can find a good one you'll love it. Tricky to value but expect to pay... £750+
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