1st step - Amazon:
A wise man once told me to look at the three star reviews to determine whether the item I look at is worth it. And this helped me a lot when browsing for a turntable on amazon. You see all those nearly 5 star turntables selling for 150-200 € and the first thing that goes through your head is: "Hey, not that expensive at all". But when you take a closer look at the 3 star reviews you usually find reviews of people who know a bit about the product. So I learned about why counterweights are important, got my first clues on what anti-skating is and found out why you never ever never ever should buy a Crosley or similar cheap turntable. (PSA: Skipping issues, may ruin your records). One review on a new Dual turntable mentioned the differences between the old and new models and how you can get a vintage one for less. That was the deciding factor to look for a vintage turntable.
2nd step - Google:
So after my trip through the depths of Amazon I got a few brand names. Namely Dual, Audio-Technica, Thorens, Pioneer, Kenwood, Rega and a couple more. So the next step obviously was to google what models they made back in the days and find reviews and other information about the models they made. I was really surprised to find tons of information and very active and helpful communities. I will write about some webpages which stood out in the future. If you want to check them out beforehand: r/vinyl - www.vinylengine.com - www.dual-board.de. These websites helped me a lot to narrow down my choices to a few brands and models: Dual 1219 or 1229, Thorens TD-180 and a Rega Planar 3. I made my choice based on quality of the original turntable, availability of spare parts and looks. Because hey, If I'd want to spent my hard earned money on a turntable and vinyl I might want it to look good.
3rd Step: ebay
To get a feeling on the costs I went to eBay to see how much a serviced one would cost. The prices varied so much that I was more confused than ever. Every seller claimed to have a perfectly serviced turntable and a special body. Fortunately, thanks to the communities mentioned above I was able to get an idea on how much a serviced turntable and non serviced turntables should cost. And I was warned to buy online with shipping from private sellers (as the turntable might get destroyed/bent or whatever due to bad packaging) I chose to buy from my local craigslist equivalent www.willhaben.at.
4th Step: Willhaben.at
Willhaben is basically the craigslist here in Austria. People sell all kinds of stuff here and it might be my only chance to find a vintage turntable near me. So I fed the search agent with the models I was looking for and a couple of hours later it yieled the first search results. The only problem: These models where either broken or not serviced as children where selling their parents/grandparents stuff after they passed away. The prices were intriguing to say the least. So the question which arose was: Buy a serviced and spend hundreds of Euros or buy a used one for 30 bucks. I knew the Dual turntables are not that hard to repair due to my previous research. So I pulled the trigger on a very nice Dual 1219 turntable with a Shure M91 MG-D cartridge and original needle. Luckily my in-laws live near the sellers location so I was able to get the turntable without shipping. And in retrospect it was the right choice.
Doing some reasearch is the key to find a turntable. And starting with obviously bad choices like Amazon or eBay you get a grasp on what's garbage and what's not. I really recommend all the great websites dedicated to turntables and vinyl out there - just make sure it's a community and not one of those top 10 turntables to buy or Crosley related garbage websites claiming to be audiophiles. Make sure you understand what to look for when buying used. And be aware that you might have to replace some parts which cost extra (Needle, cartridge).
Up next: Going vintage part II: Dual 1219 - the arrival.
2nd step - Google:
So after my trip through the depths of Amazon I got a few brand names. Namely Dual, Audio-Technica, Thorens, Pioneer, Kenwood, Rega and a couple more. So the next step obviously was to google what models they made back in the days and find reviews and other information about the models they made. I was really surprised to find tons of information and very active and helpful communities. I will write about some webpages which stood out in the future. If you want to check them out beforehand: r/vinyl - www.vinylengine.com - www.dual-board.de. These websites helped me a lot to narrow down my choices to a few brands and models: Dual 1219 or 1229, Thorens TD-180 and a Rega Planar 3. I made my choice based on quality of the original turntable, availability of spare parts and looks. Because hey, If I'd want to spent my hard earned money on a turntable and vinyl I might want it to look good.
3rd Step: ebay
To get a feeling on the costs I went to eBay to see how much a serviced one would cost. The prices varied so much that I was more confused than ever. Every seller claimed to have a perfectly serviced turntable and a special body. Fortunately, thanks to the communities mentioned above I was able to get an idea on how much a serviced turntable and non serviced turntables should cost. And I was warned to buy online with shipping from private sellers (as the turntable might get destroyed/bent or whatever due to bad packaging) I chose to buy from my local craigslist equivalent www.willhaben.at.
4th Step: Willhaben.at
Willhaben is basically the craigslist here in Austria. People sell all kinds of stuff here and it might be my only chance to find a vintage turntable near me. So I fed the search agent with the models I was looking for and a couple of hours later it yieled the first search results. The only problem: These models where either broken or not serviced as children where selling their parents/grandparents stuff after they passed away. The prices were intriguing to say the least. So the question which arose was: Buy a serviced and spend hundreds of Euros or buy a used one for 30 bucks. I knew the Dual turntables are not that hard to repair due to my previous research. So I pulled the trigger on a very nice Dual 1219 turntable with a Shure M91 MG-D cartridge and original needle. Luckily my in-laws live near the sellers location so I was able to get the turntable without shipping. And in retrospect it was the right choice.
Doing some reasearch is the key to find a turntable. And starting with obviously bad choices like Amazon or eBay you get a grasp on what's garbage and what's not. I really recommend all the great websites dedicated to turntables and vinyl out there - just make sure it's a community and not one of those top 10 turntables to buy or Crosley related garbage websites claiming to be audiophiles. Make sure you understand what to look for when buying used. And be aware that you might have to replace some parts which cost extra (Needle, cartridge).
Up next: Going vintage part II: Dual 1219 - the arrival.
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