Can anyone recommend a good turntable w/ cartridge that costs less than $1k?

[C. Cook]

You have a well regarded dac with preamp, eq, everything you need top notch. Just find a phono preamp or a turntable with spdif out, plug it to your rme and call it a day

I hadn't thought of a TT with spdif out. How common is that?

 

[MCH]

I hadn't thought of a TT with spdif out. How common is that?

I don't know much about TT and phono stages but i know that pro-ject for instance has both with optical out. Example:

SOLD OUT - Essential III Digital - Pro-Ject Audio USA

Pro-Ject Essential III Digital uses a MM phono preamp and includes an optical digitical output for maximum fidelity when converting from analog to digital

pro-jectusa.com

And one of their phono stages with optical out was positively reviewed here.
I am sure there are many more

 

[C. Cook]

I don't know much about TT and phono stages but i know that pro-ject for instance has both with optical out. Example:

SOLD OUT - Essential III Digital - Pro-Ject Audio USA

Pro-Ject Essential III Digital uses a MM phono preamp and includes an optical digitical output for maximum fidelity when converting from analog to digital

pro-jectusa.com

And one of their phono stages with optical out was positively reviewed here.
I am sure there are many more

Nice, thanks. If the U-Turn TT doesn't work out I'll probably give this a try.

 

[NiagaraPete]

From a guy that just sold his turntable after 44 years and all his albums 50+ years. I have to ask .

WHY??

Very likely these albums are shot and you'll go out of your mind listening to pop, click ,and crackle. Don't do it and save your sanity.

 

[C. Cook]

From a guy that just sold his turntable after 44 years and all his albums 50+ years. I have to ask .

WHY??

Very likely these albums are shot and you'll go out of your mind listening to pop, click ,and crackle. Don't do it and save your sanity.

LOL that was my initial take too. The albums happen to all be in very good shape. That said, I can see myself selling all the crap I just bought and the albums too after I digitize the ones I want to keep.

 

[radix]

You have a well regarded dac with preamp, eq, everything you need top notch. Just find a phono preamp or a turntable with spdif out, plug it to your rme and call it a day

There is, AFAIK, one turn table with TOSLINK and it's $2000. At best you get line out and need an ADC. I suggested above a $65 ADC with OK stats that should be good enough for the RME. Otherwise, ADC can get expensive, or it's $20 from Amazon, but I don't know what those perform like.

Edit: I didn't see that post about the pro-ject TT with digital out. Yeah, that would be the thing to get and go right into the RME.

 

[Smislov]

Maybe u can go and find some new idea with solution that i like to go

 

[NiagaraPete]

LOL that was my initial take too. The albums happen to all be in very good shape. That said, I can see myself selling all the crap I just bought and the albums too after I digitize the ones I want to keep.

Hey. Very good shape is still not bit perfect. Ohh and converting them to digital...... chances are that it'll be bad and you'll never listen. I have CD's from the 90's that sounded like crap then and ripping them the flac made no difference. THEY ARE STILL CRAP!

 

[DSJR]

After decades being a Rega fanboy, I'd now look to the more basic Technics decks such as the SL1500C and carefully site and use them sans lid as one should a Rega or Project deck.

 

[Prana Ferox]

Denon and Sony both make decks with USB out. I have no idea how they sound and they look pretty cheap to me otherwise.

If I didn't know if I wanted to get into That Vinyl Thing I'd take a baby step of a cheaper turntable and risk selling it for a loss before jumping to a $1200 Technics, which is over the "less than 1k$" criteria of the OP anyway.

I'd personally get something bargain and then a Parks Audio Puffin but that's because the Puffin into the ADI is the geekiest possible option.

 

[radix]

Denon and Sony both make decks with USB out. I have no idea how they sound and they look pretty cheap to me otherwise.

If I didn't know if I wanted to get into That Vinyl Thing I'd take a baby step of a cheaper turntable and risk selling it for a loss before jumping to a $1200 Technics, which is over the "less than 1k$" criteria of the OP anyway.

I'd personally get something bargain and then a Parks Audio Puffin but that's because the Puffin into the ADI is the geekiest possible option.

I don't think that USB would be compatible with the RME. They are both client devices.

 

[Prana Ferox]

Hey. Very good shape is still not bit perfect. Ohh and converting them to digital...... chances are that it'll be bad and you'll never listen. I have CD's from the 90's that sounded like crap then and ripping them the flac made no difference. THEY ARE STILL CRAP!

I'm not sure what 'bit perfect' even means for music that was probably never in the digital domain.

 

[Chrispy]

FWIW the ART Phono Plus has a few options going including limited gain control (+/- 10dB), adjustable monitor output level, and usb output. It's similar DJPreII got a good review on ASR

 

[radix]

Another option is to ebay the RME ADI-2 DAC and buy the RME ADI-2 Pro that has analog input.

 

[MCH]

I suggested above a $65 ADC with OK stats that should be good enough for the RME. Otherwise, ADC can get expensive, or it's $20 from Amazon, but I don't know what those perform like.

This is what i would do in his case, but as you said, was already suggested some posts before.

I am actually quite happy with my current solution (TT > phono > soundcard > pi w LMS > stream > renderer (with camilla eq) > dac > amp) that allows me to have the vinyl rig in a different side of the room without cables + apply eq. All for just a few euros.