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I'd spend a hair more and go this route as a bare minimum "good" system. The Fluance/LP60 can replace the UTurn also

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Orbit Basic Turntable

The Orbit Basic delivers brilliant sound at an unparalleled price. Shop now!
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These have a $20 coupon available, but also drop under $100 regularly. I have them on my HD DAC1 in my hobby room to stream and they sound great.
Amazon product ASIN B016P9HJIA
 
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AnthonyI said:
I'd spend a hair more and go this route as a bare minimum "good" system. The Fluance/LP60 can replace the UTurn also

uturnaudio.com

Orbit Basic Turntable

The Orbit Basic delivers brilliant sound at an unparalleled price. Shop now!
uturnaudio.com uturnaudio.com
These have a $20 coupon available, but also drop under $100 regularly. I have them on my HD DAC1 in my hobby room to stream and they sound great.
Amazon product ASIN B016P9HJIA
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I have a similar set of those Edifiers, I think the next step up and they have great functionally for streaming. But for cheap powered speakers just for a turntable, I haven't heard better than these Mackies. They're surprisingly good.

Amazon product ASIN B083N8N7TB
 
I don’t think $300 is feasible for a decent vinyl setup. Might as well buy a crosley. Money would be better spent setting up an entry level streaming system and adding a turntable later when the budget allows. A wiim pro plus and the best powered speakers with what’s left in the budget.
 
Lee Newman said:
I don’t think $300 is feasible for a decent vinyl setup. Might as well buy a crosley. Money would be better spent setting up an entry level streaming system and adding a turntable later when the budget allows. A wiim pro plus and the best powered speakers with what’s left in the budget.
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Nah, the LP-60 and a set of powered speakers is leaps and bounds better than a crosley and can come in well under 300 for a minor hobbyist.
 
Hemotep said:
I have a similar set of those Edifiers, I think the next step up and they have great functionally for streaming. But for cheap powered speakers just for a turntable, I haven't heard better than these Mackies. They're surprisingly good.

Amazon product ASIN B083N8N7TB
Click to expand...
Wow. 87 bucks. Can't argue with that! That plus an LP-60 at $149, we're under budget! Tremendous.

@Joe Mac I believe these have a volume control on the front! They're made for playback rather than monitoring.
 
folsom_lives said:
EDIT: after reading the 1-star reviews I would steer clear and just go with an AT-LP60...
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HayesWeighsIn said:
Ya, the LP-60 is as low as I would go. They track a bit heavy, but they're totally foolproof.
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Lee Newman said:
I don’t think $300 is feasible for a decent vinyl setup. Might as well buy a crosley. Money would be better spent setting up an entry level streaming system and adding a turntable later when the budget allows. A wiim pro plus and the best powered speakers with what’s left in the budget.
Click to expand...

Hemotep said:
Nah, the LP-60 and a set of powered speakers is leaps and bounds better than a crosley and can come in well under 300 for a minor hobbyist.
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I have a feeling they are replacing a Crosley type situation. And I cannot in good conscience suggest an LP60. That was my very first TT, and I returned it within a few weeks. I had about 4 records at the time, and it couldn’t play though about half of them. At least that 1 by One system has a proper counterweight and the ability to change the stylus. Plus RCA outs. That might be a winner.

But I’ll also suggest waiting to Black Friday time to see if they can snag powered speakers and an LP120. I’d feel much better about that suggestion.
 
Lee Newman said:
I don’t think $300 is feasible for a decent vinyl setup. Might as well buy a crosley. Money would be better spent setting up an entry level streaming system and adding a turntable later when the budget allows. A wiim pro plus and the best powered speakers with what’s left in the budget.
Click to expand...


I agree with the streaming suggestion.
Now is a financially horrible time to get into vinyls.
 
I’m Just Ken said:
I agree with the streaming suggestion.
Now is a financially horrible time to get into vinyls.
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Yeah I’ve said it before in other threads but if I was getting into music now, or if hypothetically everything got stolen/destroyed and I was starting from scratch, I’d buy the best digital player, music server, dac, amp and speaker I could get and roon it up with a mix of hi res streaming and dsd files.
 
Hemotep said:
Nah, the LP-60 and a set of powered speakers is leaps and bounds better than a crosley and can come in well under 300 for a minor hobbyist.
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Hemotep said:
Although, i get what you're saying if it's just about bang for buck in terms of music to go streaming. But thinking about someone who wants to get into vinyl is a different story.
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displayname said:
I have a feeling they are replacing a Crosley type situation. And I cannot in good conscience suggest an LP60. That was my very first TT, and I returned it within a few weeks. I had about 4 records at the time, and it couldn’t play though about half of them. At least that 1 by One system has a proper counterweight and the ability to change the stylus. Plus RCA outs. That might be a winner.

But I’ll also suggest waiting to Black Friday time to see if they can snag powered speakers and an LP120. I’d feel much better about that suggestion.
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I’m Just Ken said:
I agree with the streaming suggestion.
Now is a financially horrible time to get into vinyls.
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Whether he currently has a crosley or not, I think the responsible thing is to manage expectations. Yes, you could get an lp60 and a set of powered speakers and come under the budget but every last one of us knows this is not a decent system. He is throwing three hundred dollars down the drain in that scenario because he will either eventually stop listening to vinyl or buy something better. Better to say hey for a hundred more dollars you are going to get a decent entry that may sustain or grow your love for the medium. I’m more inclined to say save two to three hundred more and skip the powered speakers and get something you may be happy with forever.

If the budget is $300 and it’s a starter hifi system…. Better to go streaming. If it’s I want to test the waters of vinyl or step up my game, the responsible thing is to let them know this is not a realistic budget. “Here’s what you can get, but I advise against it. I would recommend this for this budget. Or I would save this much more and get this but to really be happy I suggest this budget for this.”
 
Lee Newman said:
If the budget is $300 and it’s a starter hifi system…. Better to go streaming. If it’s I want to test the waters of vinyl or step up my game, the responsible thing is to let them know this is not a realistic budget. “Here’s what you can get, but I advise against it. I would recommend this for this budget. Or I would save this much more and get this but to really be happy I suggest this budget for this.”
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I'll play devil's advocate here and just say that, with 12x12" art, liner notes, and a physical piece of medium you actually see spinning, all of this creates more enjoyment and connection with the music, regardless of true fidelity.

That said, I completely agree that if there's the option to save up and double the budget, (or even increase to $500) it opens up a lot more possibilities, and certainly gets you a system we could all get behind!
 
Kris said:
Those must be the ones on the website as open box. I was hoping I could borrow them for a demo. I wanted larger bookshelves (3 way) but if they sound good the price is right on these.
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This was the blemish. It was about a 1/3 of the way up the right hand side of one of them. It was hard to see initially. I really did love the way they sounded IMG_5432.jpeg
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
I'll play devil's advocate here and just say that, with 12x12" art, liner notes, and a physical piece of medium you actually see spinning, all of this creates more enjoyment and connection with the music, regardless of true fidelity.

That said, I completely agree that if there's the option to save up and double the budget, (or even increase to $500) it opens up a lot more possibilities, and certainly gets you a system we could all get behind!
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I agree with the first paragraph. Problem is that’s where the issue lies… eventually you decide the issues you are having are not worth it or you upgrade. Better to just start with a system that has the potential of avoiding choice a there (leaving the hobby)
 
Lee Newman said:
I agree with the first paragraph. Problem is that’s where the issue lies… eventual you decide the issues you are having are not worth it or you upgrade. Better to just start with a system that has the potential of avoiding choice a there (leaving the hobby)
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Oooh man, can't say I agree there! Like, I suck at cooking, but I still do it!
 
Lee Newman said:
But you probably waste a lot of money as a result and actually want to get better right?

The chef in me now wants to talk equipment and classes.
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I see where you're going with it! I totally agree it's better to invest and get it right the first time. But telling folks the hobby is too expensive, it'll just end in disappointment, it's gatekeeping in a sense. I welcome everyone who wants to get into it for any reason. Crosley, even.

One of the things I'm lucky enough to do for a living is teach guitar. If I told my kids, this $200 Chinese-made instrument actually sucks, don't even bother until you can afford X, well, that's one less kid with a guitar in their hands.
 
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