Good sound for something so cheap

Pathetic weight on a fishing gut and even more puny instructions. Go over the instructions with the dealer before heading home to play with it is my advice

I needed something to listen while my LINN LP12 was being shipped from home to where I am on contract. After reading the reviews i went out and bought it. I spent the weekend fiddling with it and have got it just to the point where i'm almost happy without except :

1. when the last song is played i get distortion
2. when i crank up the sound i can hear the t'table power

I plan to do a few more adjustments but overall for this price, it certainly is a good 'table. I also (like most people here) plan to change cartridges but want to wait until the 'table is fully run in before making a rash decision. I bought the Monolithic PS-1 phono stage pre-amp together with the table and can start hearing differences already - apparently as long as 200 hours are needed for solid runin for both units.

Produces a sonically gratifying audiophile system.
The belt drive suspended synchronous motor works in harmony with the Ortofon 510 cartridge delivering optimum reproduction quality.

Dust cover is very awkward to operate and the general player finish could be of a higher standard.

The deck brings vinyl to life. The ortofon 510 cartridge works in harmony with the player. I would however not dismiss the idea of upgrading the cartridge. The suspended synchronous motor works accurately without rumble. The deck has fantastic aesthetics although the finish could be improved. Unfortunately the Pro-ject team has given the deck a horrendous dust cover which is awkward to use and gives the deck very dated looks.
I use the deck with my Sony TAFB930 phono stage and mission speakers and it puts the concept of the Cd to shame.
ABSOLUTELY BANGING.

Can't beat it for the price

none yet, well the anti-skate is a bit lame. tiney lead wires.

This is my first attempt at higher quality audio equipment and I think this turntable would inspire anyone who is hesitant about spending more than $150 on an audio product. I never heard the table with the supplied oyster cartridge, instead i replaced it with a Sumiko Pearl cartridge which I think sounds great although the Grado Red people keep mentioning is really tempting. What convinced me that I had spent the $$ wisely were two things playing Coltane's Ole album and Led-Zeppelin 2 there were tones spilling out of this table that I had never heard before especilly with the jazz. The only problem I had was a lound hum when I connected the table to my amp and after calling Needledoctor who were very helpful and even gave me a Sumiko tech's number we figured out that the tiny ground wire near the cartridge had broekn off the solder joint. I fixed that and was in business. Piad $319 for the unit from www.needledoctor.com.

Similar Products Used:

Technics Sl-220

awesome sound, good clean bas, low noise level

not at this price

I am a die hard CD-a-phile with 150 older albums, I thought it might be nice to hear them with something that makes them sound better, except for the occasional ticks and pops
inherent in all older albums used, it was remarkable that my urge to put on a cd an quit listening disappeared! Rather enthusiastically I began liking my old albums better than befroe, in fact, I even bought several more!

Can't beat it with a stick for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Thorens td-166 mk-iv

Great value for the price

Supplied Sumiko Oyster cartridge, cheap RCA connectors, hokey anti-skating adjustment

I'll also throw my support behind the ProJect 1.2 turntable.

Mine was purchased about a year ago from Audio Advisor for $249. Damn cheap for a "real" turntable.

The first thing I did was to replace the RCA connectors on the turntable's cables. They were exceptionally cheap, and already had some corrosion on them. A pair of gold plated RCA connectors did the trick.

I also immediately replaced the Sumiko Oyster cartridge without even listening to it, and slapped on a Grado Prestige Red. All adjustments are fairly straightforward, but the anti-skating adjustment is hokey: a weight on a bit of fishing wire. If your cartridge is particularly heavy or light, you might have to do some serious fiddling with this to get it right.

The sound quality from this very inexpensive turntable is wonderful. It bests my $700 CD/LD player quite handily. Quality LPs (audiophile grade stuff) really shine on this table. There have been times that I'll just be chilling out to some tunes, and will then be startled by something in the song that sounds so real that I momentarily think it's something in the room. That's never happened with a CD.

At some point, I may consider upgrading to something more expensive, but you simply can't beat the bang-for-the-buck this table offers.

Simple design for someone who wants to get back into vinyl playback. A lot of performance for the money. Build quality fine for the price.

Awful manual. One would be better served by going to the Pro-Ject website.

After spending much time reading about the wonders of vinyl playback at the vinyl asylum, I took the plunge and bought a real turntable. I say this because after hooking up, and hearing the Bang And Olufen listed above for a few weeks, I could not believe how much better the Pro-Ject is. Folks, this deck is better sounding than my AH! Tjoeb CDP, which is considered by some as reference below $1,500. The sense of being closer to the performance was unmistakable for me. I hear more dynamic range than I ever did with CD playback. No doubt about, a fuller, richer sound. And this, for well less than $500. Couple that with LPs that can sometimes be had for pennies on the pound...summon the hounds, and let the hunt begin!

As an FYI, if you gently twist off the anti-skate post using a pair of needle nose pliers, you will find the azimuth set screw a lot easier to get to. I like others, did find the instruction manual pretty useless. I am a newbie to turntables, and my sense is there is much that can be done to make this deck sing. Vinyl decks can be a tweakers delight, in case you don't already have enough to do.

I can't compare this deck to the Regas, MusicHalls and the like in this price range. For that reason, I limit the overall rating to four stars. This review is aimed at those who are considering putting vinyl playback into their systems, and might be looking for a deck to go audition. Mine was bought unheard I admit. I know for sure however, my LP collection will be growing rapidly.


My other friends:

Citation 7.1 amp
Citation 7.0 prosesser
AH! Tjoeb CDP (Amperex 7308 tubes)
Radio Shack phono pre-amp (A $25 bargin)
PSB Stratus Goldi speakers (Bi-amped)

Similar Products Used:

Bang And Olufsen Beo 3400

Nice sound, Simple design & Low cost.

Quality of materials. Dustcover is awkward to use & the interconnects seem quite cheezy.

I haven't had a turntable hooked up to my system for over 15 years. I'm pretty pleased with this turntable. It sounds good & was quite reasonable. The poor quality of the construction is tempered by the low cost. I will certainly invest in a better cartridge to improve on the sound. Any suggestions?

System:

Sony DA-30ES receiver
Sony CA-7ES cd-changer
Sony DVP-360 dvd
Sony SLV-799HF vcr
Project 1.2 turntable
Toshiba 27 inch TV
Boston Acoustics CR-9
Boston Acoustics CR-2 center channel
Boston Acoustics 351 surrounds (mounted in the ceiling.)
Boston Acoustics VR-500 subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba & Technics direct drive turntables.

Great sound for the price

nothing major

This is a great buy for anyone with an LP collection that's gathering dust. For slightly more than you'd pay for department store junk, you get sound that's close to the high-priced turntables. I don't understand other reviewers' problems with the instruction manual or dust cover. Both are ordinary but more than adequate.

On the other hand, I agree that the fishing line-and-weight anti-skating device is a bit clumsy. I remember seeing these on many turntables in the 1970's, but like many things from that decade, I don't see why it deserves a comeback. Maybe those of you who are more expert than I can explain.

I use an Ortofon OM-10 cartridge which I also like very much.

I must agree with Faraz Hussein. I just upgraded to the Grado Prestige Red Cartridge and it makes all the difference in the world on this turntable. The turntable comes with the Sumiko Oyster cartridge. The Oyster is decent but upgrading to the Grado Red improves the dynamics 100 fold. This turntable is an excellent choice for those who want quality but do not have the cash to spend over $1000.00 on a turntable.

I have owned a Sumiko Pro-Ject 1.2 for a little over 2 years now (with a Grado ZTE 1+ Cartrige) and I don't think you can beat it for anything close to what it costs. Just remember to ditch the dustcover ( I find that dustcovers in general just act like large acoustic resonance chambers).
My only complaint is the tonearm; it seems a little under - engineered. The anti- skating mechanism consists of a little cylindrical weight tied to a piece of fishing line which is in turn attached to the tonearm at one of three little grooves, depending on the tracking force the cartige requires. The weight has a tendency to wobble for a while after you move the tonearm to the record surface. Also, the little green piece of rubber that is on the tip of the lift mechanism fell off at some point and was lost forever to the vacuum cleaner. Sumiko was more than helpful in supplying a replacemnt.