What kind of turntable do you use?

I've got one of the ion usb turn tables. Its not the greatest thing but it works and it serves its purpose. I've also got what appears to be a pretty nice table from tye 70s but It needs a new belt. Ideally though I'd like to upgrade to something like a pro-ject III (http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debut) an overall higher end table but still not quite to the ridiculous levels. 

 Edit: thats a cool slipmat you got there.  

we live together so I have nothing to add

I've actually got the ion USB as well. anyone know where I can get some cool turn table mats?

Well the pro-ject debut is actually the one I'm buying :) Though I've decided I'll add a couple of bucks and go with the esprit version, which looks like this:  

^^ sooo sexy

right on man. Let us know you like it when you get it. 

Will do:) I was deciding for about half a year whether I should get it or not. I'm super excited now;)

i have the ion usb turntable... the needle broke though and i've yet to purchase a new cartridge for it.  it's at my parent's house though.  i'm thinking about purchasing a portable record player for my dorm.

Some of those  are pretty cool looking. How much do they generally run? similar to the Ions around $100ish?

I got mine at Best Buy for around $80, it's a Leetac LP/CD/Radio combo that looks like it came off a wooden ship. It's got the speakers and all that included with it so it's easy to transport. which is good because it's super easy to take back and forth to college and home. I've had it about 2 years or more and I haven't had any problems.

I received mine as a gift, but yeah depending on the model I think the Ions run from 100 to 200 dollars.

I'm in the market, any advice, i want to spend less than $150 and it has to have RCA, so any tips. I know w/ that price limit i'm not going to get anything amazing, but i'm not a DJ.......

Oh yeah here is what i have been kicking around: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PSLX250H-Turntable/dp/B00005T3XH/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226070636&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-PL50-Drive-Turntable/dp/B00006HO3O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226070636&sr=8-4

I'm leaning more towards the Audio Technica one, but please give me advice, all i have been using for the past few years is some old POS from the 60's that likes to adjust the volume all the time, because it also has a built in receiver.

Actually, the ION TTUSB isn't bad at all. I paid $160 for mine if I remember right, but I'm pretty sure you can get it at Circuit City for $140. From what I've heard, most USB turn tables suck, but I havn't had any issues with this one. Here's a pic of it:

i guess my question is about the cargridge, can you replace it??

I'm sure you can purchase more on their website and when I purchased the turn table at best buy they had additional cargridges available. The cargridge seperates from the styles, I don't know if all turn tables do this as I'm still relatively new to vinyl, so I know this is possible for the TTUSB.

yeah the ion is not looking bad, since it does have an RCA output in it, but then i would need to get a preamp, grrrr why does this stuff have to be so complicated....

No, it has a preamp

well then........ That could be my choice, depends on my much my g/f will want to spend on me for christmas.....

ha, nice

Just to adding to what playground said, yes the cartridge is replaceable on the iON, and on all turn tables. If you find one that doesn't have a replaceable cartridge steer clear unless it says "fisher price" on it. :) Also as playground stated it does have a built-in preamp. Should you want to get a nicer/better/whatever external pre-amp you can disable the internal one.

So I have decided to spend more money and get this, i know its direct drive and some people frown upon that, but here it is: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012EYNG/ref=s9sdps_c1_23_at1-rfc_p-frt_g1-3237_p_si5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1Q8EWN3CE6AHJ7GJD3JD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383351&pf_rd_i=507846

of course here is a GREAT deal, but i don't wanna mess w/ a preamp..... http://www.vinyltom.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4441&language=en¤cy=USD

Also it all depends on if the receiver my parents are going to give me has a Phone input, but i gotta go to their house and check it out sometime soon.

Thats a good price for the pro-ject table. Of course its all down to preference, but the debut III is a "higher class" table than the technics one you are looking at. The tecnics is a DJ table, the debut III is an entry level audiophile table. With a table like that you lose common conveniences, such as switching from 33 to 45 with the push of a button(have to lift up the platter to change the speed), automatic tonearm(move it yourself). The idea being the simpler the better. Similar to exotic sports that loose all the create comforts.

Of course the debut III will lead you down a path of more expensive stuff. Nice amp, nicer speakers etc. :)

Yeah thats what i'm scared of, if i get a nice table right now it will cause me to spend more money than i currently have. But if i get that tecnics one i'll be apt to spend less money, and w/ rent, payments, bills...... ya get the drift.

So for the past week or so I'm trying to get over how great this turntable is. It was a bit more than I ever expected I would pay for a component, but it is worth every single penny. Here are some pics:

NICE!!

WOW, that is gorgeous. Was there a noticeable sound quality difference between that and what you had before?

The difference in sound quality was actually a lot bigger than I had expected. There is next to no surface noise and the volume of "pops" is significantly reduced. The biggest change however was in sound dynamics, records sound so much more "alive" now. Basses are crystal clear, only the high notes sound a tiny bit distorted, but the reason for this is the amp with the not-the-best-quality phono pre-amp. Both amp and the speakers I currently use are in the low mid-lowest price range, so I'm guessing the sound will improve even more once they get replaced (in the semi-near future) :) But even with this set up I can say that I definitely made the right decision.

awesome. it definitely pumps me up to want to get my upgrades moving along.

oh man that is beautiful!!

for those of you asking about rad slip mats, get one from my label! they're actually really rad looking on the turn table

order here! they're cheap!