Need help buying a used turntable for $500

Go to www.needledoctor.com

Can't go wrong with a new Technics and you can add upgrades as budget allows, if you so desire.

All great suggestions, however if your amp does not have an input marked "phono" you will also need a phono preamp to amplify the signal and equalize the signal. Nice, inexpensive phono preamps are made by NAD, Creek, Musical Fidelity, Projekt and several others. They go between the phono and the input on your Denon.

Other good value phonographs are the Rega Planar 3 and P3; if you are a bit of a tinkerer and prefer a warmer sound, and appreciate older things, the Thorens TD 150 MKll or any of the TD 160 series are very, very nice turntables. There are a host of nice upgrades for all of the turntables mentioned, if you find that you derive enjoyment from analogue replay, you may want to explore some of these enhancements.

Another vote for the Technics. At $399 its build quality, speed consistency, and durability is stupid good for the money. I think it's particularly good for the kinds of music you'll be playing--jazz and classic rock. It shines in bottom end drive and also with acoustic instruments.

Mine's exemplary on things like Bowie's "Let's Dance," anything from the Police, Cars, Elvis Costello, Steve Miller, and also Dave Brubeck, MJQ, John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny.

I appreaciate the help and have some concern on the Technics table or any model. Back in the early 80's I owned a Technics direct drive turntable with an Audio Technica cartridge using a Kenwood 30 amp receiver. Sound was good but when the music was soft or during start up I could hear a hum. How do I elimnate the hum or is this something I have to live with when playing LP's?