I need a turntable for home theater system NOT ON-AIR/CLUB

[activestatic]

I know Technics 1200's are standard in clubs and on air. I am willing to pay $500 (price of a new 1200) for my home theater system. Or should I stick with the 1200 and get a cartridge meant for "audiophile play" as opposed a cartridge meant for "DJ's who scratch and beatmix"?

Thanks a billion.

 

[Tom Wells]

Keep the turntable, buy a Shure V-15 cartridge.
The low-mass shank and stylus tip will give tremendous "pow" to the home theatre system and track the most difficult
discs with high resolution and really deep low-end response.
But don't dare think about scratching with it, the stylus shank is not designed for such heavy stress.
If you do, keep a spare stylus on hand, you'll break one soon enough.

 

[JeffJasper]

Keep the turntable, buy a Shure V-15 cartridge.

Sad to say, the V-15 has been discontinued since the mid-'90s. But Shure has an equivalent-level replacement, and a more reasonably priced second-tier cartridge that's nearly as good. AudioTechnica is still in the cartridge business with a full range of prices. Avoid the "DJ" cartridges.

I know at least one recording engineer who claims he can hear the playback "cogging" from the direct-drive motor of the 1200 series, but I can't hear it -- sounds smooth and steady to me. The 1200 or current equivalent Technics would still be my choice for turntable today, if I were willing to plunk down the bucks. Others say they are happy with their direct-drive AudioTechnica with built-in preamp and USB-converter. Stanton makes some nice turntables as well, tho I've never been a fan of their cartridges' sound.

There are several websites specializing in cartridge and turntable sales. Google is your friend.

JJ

 

[OttoM]

In '03 I bought a Denon DP-DJ151 turntable (http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_denon/) and fitted it with a Grado Prestige Gold cartridge (http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/gold_silver.htm). It has been nothing short of spectacular. The Denon table was one of the first with a built-in A/D converter but instead of outputting to USB, it has a S/PDIF coax output which connects nicely to a number of pro audio sound cards.

Denon discontinued the DJ151 but they do pop up on eBay from time to time. If you don't go with the Denon I'd heartily recommend the Grado Prestige Gold /Technics 1200 setup. Whatever you do, stay far far away from the cheap "USB turntables"!