Turntable Feedback

joberschlake

I'm looking to upgrade my table and since there are so many vinyl lovers here, I was hoping to get some feedback.

I currently have a technics sl-d2. I'm looking at a project espirit or Rega p3. The rega is probably the top of my budget... Does anyone have these tables and can speak top the performance of them?. Any other tables you'd recommend?

HesCalledDyer

I bought a Pro-ject Debut Carbon back in October and absolutely love it. The Esprit is the same table but upgraded with an acrylic platter. I almost got it but opted to upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue instead. I'll eventually get the acrylic platter but for now I'm a very happy camper.
I'm not really sure about the RP3. There are a couple bad reviews on Needledoctor, but a number of really good reviews as well. Heck, shoot the ND guys an email and ask them their opinion. I did the same when I had narrowed my choices down to 3 tables and they definitely helped my decision. They didn't just try to talk me into the most expensive of the 3 tables, either. Matter of fact, the Debut Carbon was the lowest price of the 3.

brianlux

HesCalledDyer said:

I bought a Pro-ject Debut Carbon back in October and absolutely love it. The Esprit is the same table but upgraded with an acrylic platter. I almost got it but opted to upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue instead. I'll eventually get the acrylic platter but for now I'm a very happy camper.
I'm not really sure about the RP3. There are a couple bad reviews on Needledoctor, but a number of really good reviews as well. Heck, shoot the ND guys an email and ask them their opinion. I did the same when I had narrowed my choices down to 3 tables and they definitely helped my decision. They didn't just try to talk me into the most expensive of the 3 tables, either. Matter of fact, the Debut Carbon was the lowest price of the 3.

I bought the same thing last year- Project Debut Carbon. It came with an ortofon red cartridge upgrade through needledoctor.com. I'm very happy with it. I did a lot of research and it seemed like the best value out there for the money. Good speakers to match are important as well.

joberschlake

Is the 2m red pretty nice?

reesdog

I have a Rega RP3 with an Elys2 cartridge. It's a great deck with a glass platter and a really good tone-arm. I highly recommend it.

brianlux

joberschlake said:

Is the 2m red pretty nice?

Yes, thank you! I couldn't remember the number. The 2M red sounds great to me. I'm not much of an expert on cartridges but I can tell it's better that others I have had that were in a bit of a lower range.

HesCalledDyer

joberschlake said:

Is the 2m red pretty nice?

It's an excellent cartridge! And when the time comes that you need a replacement stylus, they're very affordable. Plus, you'll have the option to upgrade to the 2M Blue stylus without having to buy a whole new cartridge.

qontheboard

I just purchased a Debut Carbon Esprit SB. It's basically a Debut Carbon with the acrylic platter and a built in speed box. I love this thing already. Every time I start spinning vinyl I don't want to stop. I feel like I'm a kid with a brand new toy when my wife tells me to shut it down and get ready for dinner. I did a ton of research, and I think the Esprit SB gives you the best value for money spent.

q

joberschlake

qontheboard said:

I just purchased a Debut Carbon Esprit SB. It's basically a Debut Carbon with the acrylic platter and a built in speed box. I love this thing already. Every time I start spinning vinyl I don't want to stop. I feel like I'm a kid with a brand new toy when my wife tells me to shut it down and get ready for dinner. I did a ton of research, and I think the Esprit SB gives you the best value for money spent.

q

Thanks Q! I've done a lot of research and was leaning this way. Now that I've heard this, I'm sold!

2-feign-reluctance

brianlux said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I bought a Pro-ject Debut Carbon back in October and absolutely love it. The Esprit is the same table but upgraded with an acrylic platter. I almost got it but opted to upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue instead. I'll eventually get the acrylic platter but for now I'm a very happy camper.
I'm not really sure about the RP3. There are a couple bad reviews on Needledoctor, but a number of really good reviews as well. Heck, shoot the ND guys an email and ask them their opinion. I did the same when I had narrowed my choices down to 3 tables and they definitely helped my decision. They didn't just try to talk me into the most expensive of the 3 tables, either. Matter of fact, the Debut Carbon was the lowest price of the 3.

I bought the same thing last year- Project Debut Carbon. It came with an ortofon red cartridge upgrade through needledoctor.com. I'm very happy with it. I did a lot of research and it seemed like the best value out there for the money. Good speakers to match are important as well.

Speakers are key. If you're gonna spend $$, invest in your speakers as much.

joberschlake

2-feign-reluctance said:

brianlux said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I bought a Pro-ject Debut Carbon back in October and absolutely love it. The Esprit is the same table but upgraded with an acrylic platter. I almost got it but opted to upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue instead. I'll eventually get the acrylic platter but for now I'm a very happy camper.
I'm not really sure about the RP3. There are a couple bad reviews on Needledoctor, but a number of really good reviews as well. Heck, shoot the ND guys an email and ask them their opinion. I did the same when I had narrowed my choices down to 3 tables and they definitely helped my decision. They didn't just try to talk me into the most expensive of the 3 tables, either. Matter of fact, the Debut Carbon was the lowest price of the 3.

I bought the same thing last year- Project Debut Carbon. It came with an ortofon red cartridge upgrade through needledoctor.com. I'm very happy with it. I did a lot of research and it seemed like the best value out there for the money. Good speakers to match are important as well.

Speakers are key. If you're gonna spend $$, invest in your speakers as much.

Agreed. I got new speakers, receiver and tube preamp. The TT is the final piece that I need to upgrade. The speakers made a huge difference immediately!