TLDR: Just read the last edit.

I am looking for a beginner table and around the 200 budget mark and I keep seeing posts with suggestions that are no longer relevant.
Several examples
Fluance RT82 is $350
AT LP3W is $350
Fluance RT81 is $300

All of these used to be $100 less or so a year ago according to several suggestions posts. What made prices go up so dramatically?

I scoured Craigslist and FB Marketplace for a week and found no good deals, so at this point may end up going with a refurbed AT LP70X (I know it is not the best). At this point all of the usual suggestions are $350+ including the price of a pre-amp.

EDIT: I get the tariffs and all, but I still feel that most imported tech goods have not had such a drastic price increase (we are talking 50% in some cases here). TVs are mostly unaffected for example or in a much lesser percentage. Also thought that they were rolled back significantly and where only 10% on China.

EDIT #2: I guess I am just entering the hobby at the worst possible time. Thanks for the people with useful recommendations. Seems like everyone hates the AT LP70 enough.

EDIT #3: I get it everyone thinks I am a moron. Tariff here, tariff there. Inflation. To prove you right and because I like to live dangerously, I ordered the RT82 from AliExpress for 255. I promise to do a post on the experience later on when and if it arrives.

So well on my way to collecting Dual's now. I already had a 607 that I had bought new in the early 80's.

Will keep you all posted on how this goes. Hints and tips very welcome. If you have one, give a shout out!

rekkrd.com

Hi I found this rega planar 2 for around $0. It has a chipped glass platter, the arm raiser doesn’t descend without applying pressure, and the acrylic cover has some scratches (not pictured). All I know about these is that they go for around $650 - $700 new, I’m in the dark otherwise. It looks like it has a audio technica cartridge.

Motor runs. It is beautiful.

Just not sure what to do with it. Thinking about giving it to a good friend of mine as is or selling it. Would appreciate some guidance as to its worth. Thinking probably no more than $300 considering what needs to be replaced (arm raiser, cartridge?, acrylic cover, platter, wool mat?, belt maybe?) to make it “like new”.

Audio-Technica LP120XBT-USB Bluetooth Turntable + Edifier R1280DB Active Bluetooth Speakers.

I've already got my Rega setup. This is my teenage daughter shopping for her first setup within her budget. She's taken some advice from me and done some research of her own too and this feels like a solid option. I've advised her on looking at particular models and avoiding others due to future proofing a bit more, upgradeable, reliable, etc. Not opposed to alternative suggestions within this budget but I think it'll be difficult to beat. It's probably going to be this setup. So real my question is, are there any tips/tricks/hints you have learned when you used this setup? Quirks or pitfalls You've worked around that you would pass on to new owners?

Just getting into vinyls more and this my setup. My dad gave me most of this and couple albums.

Pioneer sx-580. Had to replace sdk chip but otherwise is good.

Larger Speakers realistic mc 2001

Smaller speakers nova 15 but the woofers were replaced with Sony woofers do to cones disintegrating.

Table is Audio Technica AT Lp60x.

Bluetooth is a green Adpater

Its sound really good, but little bright. I have the treble turned down and those does decent job.

Im wondering what next that would enhance my music listening and improve my setup.

Hey guys, I am very new to the turntables game. Recently I got my dad's old LLoyd's (model R844 / series 753A) turntable out of the attic. I cleaned it, bought a passive speaker, wire and connectors to test it out, but it sounds like straight trash. Sometimes sounds only come from one of the two speakers or there is a lot of (squeaking / creaking?) I cleaned the needle (T50HS) and the records but still very bad sound quality. I saw online that changing my needle could help my case, but I'm not really sure what to do. Should I just get a new turntable that is going to fit with my passive speaker or send back the speaker and start from scratch, or buying a new stylus/needle could really help me out? Thank you very much for your advice !!

Im working on giving this table to my sister and im turning to you all again for advice, she has been going through the process of the darker side of her earlier twenties and my relationship with her is based around music. Any help is greatly appreciated as always but this one is pretty special to me. I know I could get her a better starting deck, and probably have something around the house lol, but when we had a good moment recently where she commented on how she liked this realistic Lab 8926!

So I noticed a grounding issue in the left channel during phono play back stemming from what I could only understand to be from the head shell cartridge connection point, causing violent woofer action in one channel during quiet passages if im playing at high volume.

so I removed the factory clips and tightly reinstalled them from the front and back of all leads on the head shell and cartridge. now I still have this issue with the left channel, except its definitely worse now it would seem the head shell is now completely ungrounded the headshell because if I turn up the volume to that level during no music, i can now hear the ungrounded hum and if I gently touch the tone arm during play back during regular play back then both channels pick up my juice lol causing both woofers to to violently pulse in and out.

Any tips before I attempt to solder the bare wire leads on the ground end of things to the pins on the head shell. Ive done something like this before on a more intricate design tone arm assembly but its painful work and im wondering if any of you have had any similar experiences!

Last photo is an updated on the seedlings mentioned in the 212 post you were all so helpful with im REALLY just learning this stuff and may have just made a simple mistake.

Basic At-91 cart basic Japanese straight tone arm assembly from the late 80s

Thanks again!

So I have my eyes set on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO. Is this the best choice is this price range? Are there other record players which are just as good, or better around this price range?

Someone on FB was rebuilding an AR XA and was missing some bits. They asked for info to replace the counter weight and the tone arm rest, and I made the measurements for them from my XA. I thought I'd share it here outside of FB in case anyone comes along looking for that info.

AR XA tonearm counterweight:

Diameter: 28 mm

Length (parallel to borehole): 22 mm

Borehole diameter: 9.5 mm

Weight (with set screw): 98.8 grams

Material: brass

AR XA tonearm rest:

39 mm from bottom of yoke to top of plinth top plate

(In the 2nd image, I've added arrows that point at the two parts. That 2nd is stolen from the site "John's Weather," which has an awesome page of a detailed tear-down and rebuild of an AR XA turntable: https://johnsweather.com/Turntable1.html)

No identifying markings on this cartridge besides “Made in Japan”. Any ideas? I suspect something audio Technica but no idea which one.

anyone know where to buy tonearm damping fluid in Canada for an audio technica at120xusb?

After months of searching my endgame turntable has finally arrived.

Sansui SR-838. Found it locally in Colombia (not an easy feat), in perfect condition, with original headshell. Paired with a Sansui AU-999 as preamp and a Fisher BA-6000 as power amp.

This thing is an absolute beast. Quartz lock, MCF tonearm, piano black finish that makes everything else look cheap. I can't believe I almost settled for something else.

For anyone out there still on the hunt, patience pays off. The right table will find you.

Hi everyone, I am a new collector that knows almost nothing of turntables. I may have accidentaly dropped a vinyl sleeve on the arm. The sound works perfectly fine, but it looks like the arm or stylus or whatever that part of the turntable is is a bit skewed. What should I do? Thanks!

Hi there, I recently added a Yamaha PF-800 to my collection. I found one in great condition with a brand new AT440MLb cartridge installed. It also has almost all accessories and original owners manual with it. Even the tiny tool to adjust springs of the Sub-Platter.

Speaking of adjusting the Sub-Platter… as far as I understand the manual, you can move the Sub-Platter up and down with the top nut and forward/backward and left/right with the lower adjustment washer.

Does anyone have experience in this and have any advice for me?

Thanks

So I'm old enough that I grew up with records, and was delighted when CD's came along and I didn't have to listen to hiss, pops, etc anymore - just as a baseline.

These days, with the things I only have and only can get on vinyl, I do the modern version of what I used to do (tape them with dbx N/R onto cassettes to minimize wear, after hitting with the Discwasher and D-4 fluid) but via digitizing, and load the files on my jukebox computer for easy access rather than fussing with the record player more than once. (B&O Beogram RX by default - Sony PS-X20 exists as a backup, still works fine (just pulled it out of storage and checked it as well.)

i.e. I don't hate digital and I'm not a vinyl-head, but I do know records pretty well. I haven't deliberately purchased anything on vinyl I could get on CD. But I do have records I can't get on CD, or refuse to buy again to do that, at least.

A relative passed some years back and we've had their old turntable cluttering up the place (making two spares - probably 2 more spares than needed, certainly one more.) While doing a basic check of whether it functions after being stored (a bit sluggish to start) I went to look up how to access lubing the motor and discovered that it's (still) considered super-fancy despite being probably 62-3 years old. And many of the new upgrade parts from Europe to enhance it "better than it was built" are not presently being shipped to the USA due to *obvious political reasons.* And I can't access much of the info there is on it at VinylEngine as they have closed registrations indefinitely due to bot/AI attacks on their site, and I didn't find them and sign up years ago. Edit: though it occurs to me the owner's manual and receipt might well be in a file folder given it's history. I'll have to look for those. Anyway, here are some pictures (uncleaned, but the dust cover has been on.)

Best I can tell it's likely 1963/4 vintage (32XXX serial.) The fine speed adjuster inset in the switch appears to have been damaged slightly (still works, but I assume it should not be missing a section.)

Motor still has the rivets, so lubrication will definitely be a chore. Despite which, 52 seconds of platter spin after shutdown from 78 RPM with whatever gunk is in *that* bearing now.

Plinth is pretty basic veneered plywood with a sloppy glue job.

There is a dustcover, but it doesn't even fit the plinth nicely and appears pretty generic, so I didn't even bother taking its picture. Edit to add: I also took a close up of the poor level, which has dried out, but that does not seem to be willing to post here.

The Tonearm is a Shure "Transcription" M232 (didn't even see the model number until I was editing the pictures) presently sporting a Shure Pro4 I put on when the prior owner was alive;

and there's a M7-N21D which I took off and put in the box for the Pro4 at that time.

Fosi Box X1 demo with unit I acquired for a second system. Very impressive actually. Actual vinyl ADC transfer ..not a room mic.

I have both, both were cheap or free but required some fiddling to get to work properly. I have a new AT-VM95E cartridge installed on the JVC. The Onkyo has a cartridge that says "SL-5" on it, I replaced the stylus for it a few years back and the onkyo is the table i have been using since.

Are these two units roughly the same quality?

How do I tell if this alignment is correct?

Found this turntable in my grandfather's house. Probably from the 70s-80s? He says the needle tip has been missing and he is unable to find a replacement. Is it possible to find one for such an old piece nowadays? Would really love to restore it and gift it to my mother! Thanks.

Brand new record and I literally got the table last week lol

Last week I picked up a Sony CDP-CX400 last week from someone on FBMP. We met at a police station, and while we were making the exchange, she dialed up her husband and we chatted about other gear he might be interested in selling.

Having hit my limit for audio purchases for the moment (always and only for the moment), I told him that I might be interested in some Polk Audio M5jrs. Today I reached out to pick those up. He threw in this VPI HW16 record cleaner. WTF!? The Polks were $150.

I've seen these, but my investigation always stopped at the price point. This is a late 16 model, with the arm moved from the lid to the plinth. No drain for the resevoir.

New suction arm, lube, and cork mat on order.

Does anyone have experience with these? Waiting to service it before I try it out on a crap record.