(Part 2) Best products from r/turntables

When buying used, you almost never run into problems where the turntable completely craps out. Maybe something will need a cleaning or just needs to be worked in a bit after a long period of not being used, but 70s/80s turntables were generally built like brick houses.

When looking for vintage, there are three things that I like to look for:

1. Direct drive - Slightly more noise than a belt drive, but generally the higher torque motor is less prone to failure and speed issues
   
2. Quartz lock - Dials in the speed of the motor even further to the point that you won't really ever be able to detect speed instability
   
3. Standard-mount headshell - There are two types of cartridges that you tend to see. One is P-mount, which is a plug-and-play form factor that requires little to no calibration on your part. While it's convenient, it's really not in use anymore, so I tend not to recommend it since you can quickly pigeonhole yourself if you spend too much on a P-mount. Standard mount is more adjustable, more widely used, but requires more complicated setup on your part.
   
   Here's a beautiful cheap turntable that fits all those marks and has at least been tested to turn on and spin up: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Technics-SL-Q2-Semi-Automatic-Quartz-Locked-Direct-Drive-Turntable-AS-IS/264461145003 Technics is very much considered the gold standard of these types of turntables. You almost can't go wrong with a direct-drive quartz Technics - they're all fantastic.
   
   That being said, plenty of brands produced direct-drive quartz TTs during that time and for the most part, they all perform very similarly. I have a Pioneer table that's rock-solid. Here's a good example of a lower cost quartz DD turntable from Pioneer: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-PL-7-Quartz-Lock-Turntable/202634669307
   
   And here's one from Kenwood: https://www.ebay.com/itm/KENWOOD-KD-42RB-AUTOMATIC-RETURN-TURNTABLE-QUARTZ-LOCK-QUAR5Z-PLL-DIRECT-DRIVE/401881166376
   
   And here's a Teknika, which despite the relatively unknown brand is still a good unit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vntg-Teknika-8871-Fully-Automatic-Direct-Drive-Quartz-Lock-Hi-Fi-Turntable/264358785301
   
   You get my point. There's plenty of ways to do this. You can also seek out turntables on Craigslist, at thrift stores, and at garage sales, where you will often see much better prices. I recommend trying to save money here because you can get a good performing TT for cheap and it allows you to put more money towards where I feel it counts more: the cartridge.
   
   So let's say, with a budget of $250, you spend $100 on your turntable. You'll want to replace the cartridge because you have no idea how old or how worn out the old cartridge/stylus is. I recommend, to reduce any further headaches, to get an Audio Technica Microline stylus. The Microline stylus shape practically eliminates inner groove distortion and sibilance that you'd see on more typical elliptical and conical styli. For $170, you can get the VM95ML - https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-VM95ML-Moving-Turntable-Cartridge/dp/B07JLYHFR9 You'll have unbelievable sound for $270, borrowing just a bit from your speaker/amp budget (which is now $130 max).
   
   For an amp, I recommend grabbing a cheap integrated amplifier from eBay, Craigslist, garage sale, etc. Garage sales will be cheaper, but eBay is less legwork. For this purpose, your amplifier should at least have phono inputs and speaker outputs. Some newer receiver units don't have phono inputs or only have RCA outputs.
   
   How about this? $45, 40 WPC, not bad if you ask me. There are better deals to be had but this is a good example. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Technics-SA-160-Quartz-Synthesizer-Stereo-Receiver-Amplifier-Vintage/183770536931
   
   Or this, a bit banged up but 60 WPC for $33 is excellent. I bet that dent on the top could be banged back into place anyway. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sony-STR-D350Z-FM-Stereo-FM-AM-Receiver-Deck-Tested-Working/163257727748
   
   So let's say $100 for the turntable, $170 for the cartridge, and $40 for the receiver. Now we're at $210, with $190 or so left to play with on the speakers.
   
   As with the turntable, this step is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it and understand what you're looking for. Speakers on the other hand are more difficult. Speakers rot more easily and more quickly than turntables or receivers since the materials are softer and more fragile. Is it worth trying to find vintage speakers? In some cases yes. There are some brands people love from back in the day - Altec, Klipsch, JBL, Tannoy, etc. My personal favorite is Bozak. This is another area where Craigslist, thrift stores, and garage sales can be huge in terms of what you find and for what prices.
   
   If you ask me, /u/sharkamino gave some great advice on new gear, speakers included. For the $200ish price range you can start dabbling in some larger speakers, like a nice pair of used Pioneer SP-FS52 towers: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-SP-FS52-Andrew-Jones-Designed-Floor-standing-Loudspeaker-Pair/123777105803?epid=16004501433&hash=item1cd1b0bf8b:g:z08AAOSwBkNc5ZPx
   
   Or maybe used Sony SSCS3 towers: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-SS-CS3-Floor-Standing-Tower-3-way-Speaker-Black-Pair/163867316538
   
   World is your oyster. For speakers especially I recommend you look around and find exactly what you're looking for in terms of form factor and sound quality.

Pass on the Audioengine A2+, they are small 2.75" mid bass driver computer size speakers OK for listening at a desk or a small room at the most.

Kanto YU4 are 4", ok for a small room. The larger 5" YU6 would be better with a bit more bass.

Fluance Ai60 are 6.5" and good for most rooms and a good buy at the $240 sale price tomorrow.

I prefer and recommend passive speakers with an amp or receive and you can later upgrade one part at a time. You can often also easily find a used stereo or AV receiver and a used pair of bookshelf speakers. Or buy one part used and the other part new. With an AV receiver if you are also using the speakers with a TV you can later add a center speakers for better movie and TV dialog and side speakers

Many receivers will also have a basic built in phono preamp via the phono input so you won't need to by an external phono amp. You can upgrade to a better external one such as the Schiit Mani later.

Stereo receiver: ONKYO TX-8220 $299.99 $129.99. Built in phono preamp.

AV receiver: DENON AVR-S740H 7.2-Ch $249. Built in phono preamp. 4K HDMI switching. High pass crossover for your speakers. Audyssey MultEQ room correction speaker setup with included microphone.

Speakers:

• Best value on sale: 5.25" Infinity Reference 152 $139 or 6.5" Infinity Reference 162 $175.
  
• 5.25" Wavecrest Audio HVL-1, and order on sale at Ascend $80 each + shipping, "budget/baby Ascends" from the same speaker designer. Neutral sound with a linear frequency response. Best mids under $200 which many speakers in the price range lack. As with most bookshelf speakers, best with a subwoofer.
  
• Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Black or Rosewood $175.
  
• 4" Pioneer SP-BS22-LR $99.
  
• Low budget starter speakers: Dayton Audio B652-AIR 6-1/2" with AMT Tweeter $46.
  
  DIY Kit: Add around $50/75+ for tools and supplies if you don't have them. Kit includes pre-cut cabinets. Glue, clamp, solder, paint, assemble. Comparable to built speakers costing two to three times as much.
  
  
• 5" C-Notes $100. A good low end for their size.
  
  Speaker wire: Pure Copper Oxygen Free 14 Gauge Speaker Wire 50 ft, then 4 Ways to Strip Wire - wikiHow. Optionally add banana plugs. With banana plugs AmazonBasics buy 2 for a pair.
  
  Speaker Stands: Low budget Dayton Audio SSMB24 or Monoprice Glass. Sturdy 4 column Pangea Audio DS400 Heavy Duty Speaker Stands or 3 column Pangea Audio LS300 All Steel Speaker Stands can both be filled with lead shot, sand or kitty litter.
  
  Speaker Positioning: How to position your speakers for great sound and Speaker Placement for Stereo Music Listening.
  
  Home Audio Guides: Intro to home stereo systems • What is a Phono Preamp? | Audio Advice • Introduction to Audio Components • Zeos Tutorials, Diagrams and Videos • r/audiophile Guide to Home Audio • AverageJoeAudiophile's Guides
  
  Home Theater Guides as well as 2 channel music: r/HTBuyingGuides FAQ • How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater System - Lifewire • How to Set Up Your Home Theater Receiver • Speaker Placement for Home Theater • TV vertically centered at eye level while seated • r/hometheater

I picked up a used Technics 1210 for less than the Rega in the end but that was in Japan where they're cheap, still, a decent condition vintage table for the same price of a new Rega would almost certainly be much better sound and build quality wise.

If you can find an affordable used vintage table, especially,1210 or 1200 then go for it IMO, maybe check Craigslist or local classifieds to see what's about, then search the sub for info on any specific table.

Also instead of your amp choice, I'd go for something like this, with a phono port etc : https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8020-channel-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00EE18O7W

A good place to post and search also is /r/budgetaudiophile

Looks like you've done your homework, that should be a nice system and I can't see any problems with compatibility. The turntable has a phono preamp in it, just make sure you check the manual to ensure the phono preamp is switched on at the turntable end. Other than that, the Yamaha S201 has been discontinued. I think the R-S202 is the replacement? Also since you've chosen an Andrew Jones designed sub-woofer, have you looked at Andrew Jone's speakers such as the Elac B6.2? They're in the same price range as the Micca's. I would also recommend getting a pair of speaker stands which will help with the sound and positioning. Here are a couple of options which should suit:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Atlantic-Speaker-Stands-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B007P8DKDE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=speaker+stand&qid=1558944325&s=electronics&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sanus-BF24B-Inch-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00006JQ5N/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=speaker+stand&qid=1558944370&s=electronics&sr=1-14

A good entry level turntable I will recommend is the Audio-Technica LP-120. Audio-Technica is a pretty reliable brand. They also have an LP-60, which is pretty much a cheaper version of this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120XUSB-Direct-Drive-Hi-Fidelity-Anti-Skate/dp/B07N3S4X3P/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=52818231741&gclid=CjwKCAiA8ejuBRAaEiwAn-iJ3uwDxp1k_rxKp_fkli7YmLjEYSQB1Fxr1TpOhIVOWrR1anoPe-W4rhoCtMQQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274712880629&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005623&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10355834353183632556&hvtargid=kwd-304208790892&hydadcr=20547_9663488&keywords=audio-technica+lp120&qid=1574603497&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHTzQ2QlJHRkFTQkEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMDg5MTYzSVY2MjNLOFhHM0lMJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4OTk5MjYxOTVVSlc0OUo4NkJWJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.amazon.com/Lepai-LP-2020TI-Instruments-TPA3118-Amplifier/dp/B071FJF4FF/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lepai&qid=1557851029&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-B652-AIR-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B00NOA58RS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=dayton+audio&qid=1557851046&s=gateway&sr=8-5


Get that amp and speakers if he doesnt have those things. All three is like $180 and then ya just need some cables.