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Purchase advice: Old turntable vs. new....

Ok, so I have been slowly building my system over the past few years. I’ve upgraded my turntable 3 times and I have the bug again.

My question is this: Does a turntable today with all the newest philosophies, techniques, and materials, better a well made, well regarded vintage model? Right now, I have a Music Hall 7.3 and I’m mostly happy with it. But I’m always reading up on these classic tables like the Linn LP12 or the Yamaha GT-2000 and it really gets me wondering if I would be getting what I pay for, when opting for a vintage table.

Specifically, I have been looking at the Yamaha for a month or so, browsing Japanese auction proxy sites for the right deal. I’ve been seeing them listed for about $1700-2500 (accounting for fees and shipping).

Would one of these "Gigantic and Tremendous" specimens compare favorably with a modern turntable in the same range? Say, my 7.3 or something like a Rega P6, VPI, MoFi, etc?

Thanks for reading and any guidance you could give me in my dilemma.

-Anthony
128x128dsotm073

Showing 2 responses by noromance

noromance's avatar
noromance
1,780 posts
 
Pick up a clean 401 for about $900 or rebuilt for $2000. Birch ply plinth (not those hollow ones) $400. 12" Jelco TK 850 $900. Audiosilente idler $105.
World class.

noromance's avatar
noromance
1,780 posts
 
There is a reason idlers like the Garrard 301/401 and Lenco L75 are used in many high end systems. They are excellent sounding, relatively cheap, easily serviceable by the user, have plenty of easily available spare parts, do not break down, and allow infinite customization.

Our Chakster friend would have you believe that direct drive is the only viable option. Tread carefully here. Many use complex parts and electronics that are not easily repairable.
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