Record time

I wrote this manifesto some time back to help a budding vinylphile.  Here it is with some updates.  A lot of this may be very elementary, but it's intended for noobs.  No vinyl journey should start without visiting http://www.analogplanet.com.

So you want to get into VINYL?  Congratulations!  It is a delightfully maddening hobby… IF you get deep enough into the groove!
Depending on how insane you are, at this moment you probably just want a good-sounding turntable that will not chew your disks to shreds.
First, you need to have an existing stereo.  Not a boombox (which probably won’t have inputs for connecting the turntable), but something with a receiver or preamp, maybe?  If not, get one.  And if it’s newer, you’ll probably need what’s known as a phono preamp – it has to connect between your turntable and your receiver/preamp to “decode” the sound.  It’s like a cable decoder box: you have to have one between the signal (turntable) and your home entertainment system (speakers).

New tables
The best place to look for turntable advice is NOT Wal-Mart, nor the local megabuck high-end shop (yet).  Scour Stereophile magazine’s “Recommended Components” list, plus reviews in “Sound & Vision.”  You’ll likely see various models from Pro-Ject, Music Hall, ClearAudio, Fluance, Thorens, Marantz and Rega – depending on your price point, you probably can’t go wrong.  Rega, especially, has been renowned for its tonearm (the long piece that holds the needle in place on the record).  You’ll probably see many other brands – some quite pricey (like, “new-house-price”); proceed based on what you can spend and what you read!  They’re recommended for a reason.  One caveat: VPI has had many ‘tables on this list over the years.  Several of them use a tonearm with an odd, sharp-inverted-bearing design.  I hate those.  The other VPIs are fine.

Three options
-Jensen, Ion, Crosley: the new kings of record-chewing. These are the worst record players I have ever seen.  Do not ever buy one for any reason, not even for a toddler who wants a music system.  The platters wobble, the speakers are garbage, they cannot even keep accurate speed, and the needle will slice up your disks because it comes incorrectly preset with really heavy tracking force.  Avoid.
-U-Turn Audio Orbit: a recent entry into the market; this ‘table has gotten excellent reviews, and the price is right.  If you must have new, and you don’t have a lot to spend, go for this.
-Audio-Technica: an excellent cartridge (needle) manufacturer, they now offer several NEW turntable models.  All seem pretty good except the venerable AT-LP60 (which looks cheap).  The AT-LP120 (aka AT-LP120USB) is a knockoff of the workhorse Technics SL-1200mkII.  Both those models have their fans and detractors; I am a fan, especially for someone just getting into vinyl.
The U-Turn is said to have better sound than the LP120 (I have not used one).  It comes with a choice of two cartridges… one of which is the same cart that the AT-LP120 comes with.  The A-T has pitch control and can play 78s.  It can also play backwards (but don’t do it!).  Both are excellent options at their price points.
A new turntable offers parts support, factory warranty, reliability, etc.  But it can be expensive!  So if you’re going the USED route, it can be a lot cheaper and a lot more… adventurous.

Used turntables
First, avoid any turntable that is built-in to something, such as a cabinet or big piece of furniture (also known as a console).  The speakers are connected to the ‘table, and the vibrations will feed right back and vibrate the needle.  Almost 99.9 percent of consoles I’ve seen have an awful, plasticky, finicky record changer inside, and terrible speakers that lop off bass to avoid the vibrational feedback.
Also avoid turntables built-in to a system with a tuner and a cassette or 8-track deck (this is called a compact).  Same awful turntables as a console, and the other electronics will likely be garbage, too.  In both cases, the record needles are lower-end models that sound weak and will be tough to replace (all record needles are making physical contact in constrained spaces, and so will wear out and need replacement every so often).
This advice also pertains to ‘tables built-in to suitcases, “bar/buffets” (their words), huge floor-standing radios, a component system or anything else.  One exception: the KLH company made a series of compact systems (Model 11, 20, 24, etc) with reasonably nice Garrard turntables (look for a white platter) and decent tuners.  These are good starter sets WHEN THEY ARE WORKING – which is rare.  Check them out carefully if you find them (and don’t pay more than $100!).

Drive time
Now, how do you tell the best of remaining ‘tables apart?  There are three major “drive” systems that make the platter move: rim drive, belt drive and direct drive.  In layman’s terms, rim drive has a small drive wheel under the platter, which runs against its rim.  Belt drive is a pulley system, with a (usually) rubber belt running between the platter and the motor.  And direct drive couples the motor right to the platter.  All of them have their strengths and weaknesses, but it’s generally agreed that belt-drive sounds the best and is simplest.  Rim drive was used from the 1950s until belt drive took over in the ‘70s, and has now made a comeback among vintage gear aficionados.  Direct drive is often not my favorite because it was not well-implemented when first introduced in the late 1970s. So not really the fault of the technology, unless you feel it "deadens" the sound as some claim. There are definite exceptions to all of this, which I will discuss below.

Record changing
Many ‘tables produced through the late ‘70s could be used as record changers.  They would be supplied with a short spindle (for playing one record at a time), and a taller one on which to stack several disks. Hit the start button, and the first disk would drop.  The tonearm would automatically move over and start playing.  At the end of the disk, the tonearm would return to rest, the next disk would drop down, and the process starts over by itself!  This looks cool, it’s convenient, and it is potentially hellish on your disks and the turntable motor.  Even if you buy a changer and only use it for single-play, the innards are going to be more complex… and tougher to work on. Often there is hardened grease to contend with, too.

The Weight
Once you spot a turntable, check the back end of the tonearm.  There should be some sort of round wheel that is used to balance the arm, so the cartridge has the right amount of weight on it.  If there is no weight (called a counterweight), move on.  The unit is either cheaply built, or has a complex scheme for balancing (using springs) that is less effective and could be no fun to decipher.  Or, the weight is missing!

Straight time
The exception HERE is linear-tracking arms.  These had their pluses and minuses when introduced, but today have one big minus: cartridge availability.  Due to the design, most could only take “P-Mount” (as opposed to standard-mount) cartridges.  There are/were some great P-Mount designs, but far fewer than there are standard-mount.  Probably not worth it, but they're wonderful when you get a good one. Exceptions noted below.

Famous makers
So now that you are hopefully considering a stand-alone turntable with a non-linear arm, a counterweight, and a decent price-tag on it, consider the brand.  I have listed all the ones I can think of below:
-Gemini, Pyle: unspectacular stabs at respectable record players; they probably won’t damage your records, but they’re only nice as third-string options… and that’s if they’re free
-Hitachi, Sanyo, JVC, Sharp, Toshiba, Fisher, Mitsubishi, Akai: The Kings of ‘80s Electronics made a few nice pieces of gear at the time (TVs, VCRs, tape decks, certain receivers), but turntables were decidedly lackluster.  These are a hair above Gemini: good if cheap (under $40)/freebie second-stringers (sometimes third-stringers). My experience has been that many, many people who bought these new will defend them to the death… out of nostalgia.  But for the most part, you’re looking at direct-drivers, linear-trackers, plasticky units or 'tables that were built into something else.  (For example, Fisher made incredible receivers, amps, tuners and preamps till being sold in the mid-70s, but I do not believe they made turntables until much later... and those are not great).
-Sony: In the 1970s and early 80s, there were some interesting linear-trackers and direct-drive units (such as the PS-X series, or PS-**** series… avoid anything with LX in the model number).  Their offerings since then, however, have been much like the “Kings of the 80s” listed above.  The Sony TTS series was amazing.  They are tough to find today, and always expensive (I believe the models were the TTS-3000, TTS-4000, TTS-6000 and TTS-8000).
-Kenwood, Denon: these companies actually made some excellent direct-drive units.  Kenwood’s best were the L-07D and the KD-500, which came in a plinth; users supplied their own arms.  The rest of their offerings (including the belt-drive units) went to King of the 80s-ville.  Denon’s are good, though some are P-Mount models.  Also, some of their arms have a system of weights instead of a round counterweight… be sure all the weights are included when you buy!  (Or better yet, just skip those models… what a pain).
-Bang & Olufsen: visually interesting, but they take a special type of cartridge which is no longer made. Replacements are very expensive considering the performance.  Regrettably, this is one to avoid.
-GE: avoid, except for the huge broadcast (aka transcription) 'tables.
-BSR: avoid… they mostly supplied the dreaded record changers for consoles/compacts. If you just want a 'table for 78s, though, these might be okay.
-Califone: avoid; these are suitcase-style units with built-in speakers, used in classrooms for decades.  However, they can be quite good for playing 78s.
-Pye, Dansette: these were UK companies that made Califone-level units, usually portables for teens; rarely show up in the US
-Voice of Music: The American Dansette?
-Elac Miracord: nice German ‘tables of the 50s-70s. Rim drive. These usually came with both a record-changing spindle and one for single-play, one of which always seems to be lost today.  If used for single-play, they can be quite enjoyable.  However, the arms are often on the heavy side, exacerbating record wear a bit.  The cables usually need replaced, too, because they’ve developed hum.  If you can find one that’s working, with the single-play spindle included, it might be worth it for the right price.  I have also seen these labelled as “Benjamin Miracord,” and sometimes in a base (aka “plinth”) that says “Radio Shack” or “Realistic" or "United Audio."
-Dual: much the same story as the Elacs, except the arms were NOT too heavy.  These sounded good.  The precision German mechanicals can sometimes need some TLC (hardened grease, anyone?), but there are many Dual-lovers who can probably help.  However, the large number of Dual-lovers also means these are usually a little more expensive.  They do sound great.  Look for the 12** series.  The early 10** series is more complex (and MIGHT have even more mechanical problems), while the later CS-**** models are nice but built less substantially.  (The CS series is more affordable, though, and still has quite good sound).  The 10** and 12** models are often seen in bases reading “United Audio,” by the way.
-Garrard: What a heartbreaker.  This is the company that made the legendary models 301 and 401 – still prized today and quite expensive.  Those units were platter-and-motor only: the customer/dealer/user had to buy a separate plinth (base) and tonearm and install everything together.  These units are tough to find for less than four-figures, and there is a whole cottage industry surrounding them.  Most of the Garrards for sale online are later models from the mid-60s to the late ‘70s.  There’s the Type A (aka A-Type), AT-60, AT-70, Lab 80, SL-95, 95B… all decent performers, but with the same issues as the Elacs and Duals listed above (heavy arm, troubled cabling, over-complex record-changer-style mechanicals that can be seized-up by now).  For the right price (under $75), give a working unit a shot.  There’s also the Zero 100 (with an odd tangential arm), which is almost always not working properly, and never sounded great to begin with.  Any other models I’ve seen are going down to the plastic-80s-style of Hitachi, Toshiba, etc. or worse.  The company was revived in the late ‘90s and now makes excellent but very expensive tables like the 501.
-BIC: not great… except the model 1000 (which has enough mechanical complexity that it’s probably not worth it).  The model 960 and 980 are the same story, but if the price is right on any of them, and they are working perfectly, go for it.  These three are a notch below the 1970s Garrards, which makes sense since I believe that BIC was formed from Garrard’s U.S. distributor.
-NAD, Rotel: They have sold a several well-regarded rebadged turntables over the years, usually to match their other, excellent components.  The most recent NAD TT was the 533, which was really a Rega Planar 2 -- a great turntable!
-Realistic: they have sold umpteen rebadged turntables in the last 60 years.  Try to trust the belt-drive + counterweight + single-play test here, and THEN poke around online to find out which company REALLY made the unit you’re considering.  Their later direct-drive units seems to be "King of the 80s"-level, and their rim drive units were lower-end Garrards (excepting the Elacs, of course).  So many possible exceptions here, due to the large number of outside manufacturers they used.
-Optimus: starting in the late 80s, Radio Shack tried to make this their “hi-fi” brand, taking over some of the gear that would otherwise be Realistic.  So, their turntables (due to the era) are not good.
-MCS: the JCPenney house brand which occasionally would rebadge a mid-pack Technics unit.  Like Realistic, you’ll need to poke around online and cross reference the model number to find out what’s really lurking under the hood.  Many sellers automatically assume all MCS units are Technics.  Not so.
-Panasonic: weak for turntables, because they badged their best units as Technics.  Exception: there are a few odd wood-plinth units out there that look like rebadged, early Technics units.  Maybe they couldn’t make up their minds.  Look for an RP-xxxx model number, then cross-reference early (pre-1978) Technics photos.
-Technics: Basically, anything from before the mid-1980s is a good buy except changers.  The newer SL-BD20 and SL-BD22 were in production forever, but are weak: third-stringers worth under $50.  The linear-trackers and direct-drive units (SL-Q or SL-D) are nice, and often require a P-Mount; watch for speed controls that have gone haywire and drift.  The direct-drive pro units (SP-15, SP-25 and the SP-10 series) are phenomenal, expensive and sought after (there are also Panasonic-badged SP-10s out there).  That leaves the SL-Bxx (belt drive) and SL-1xxx (direct drive) series – all good EXCEPT the wretched plasticky SL-1900 (who knows what happened there). Technics was dormant from about 2002-15, and now makes very high-end turntables with model numbers similar to the classic models of the past -- but much newer technology.
-Lenco, Rek-O-Kut, EMT, Russco, Fairchild: Up till the 1980s (and maybe beyond), these companies all made professional turntables for radio stations and production houses around the world.  They are well-regarded, quite expensive, tough to find, but easy to maintain.  These reside in a whole other world from the consumer tables, and are usually rim drive.  If you find one, you should probably grab it!  They were offered like the Garrard 301/401: as motor-and-platter only.  Today, when I see them, they are usually outfitted with either their original arm (big, heavy, wooden-looking things), or expensive and esoteric newer arms, or a 1980s Audio-Technica arm (which are lightweight and sound good).
-Teac: famous for tape decks, so they didn’t make many turntables back in the day.  What I have seen is pretty middle-of-the-pack; maybe par with Gemini.  Recently, I’ve seen the Teac name on both Crosley-like garbage, and an attractive “TN” series (TN-300, TN-350), that looks like it would compete with the budget Pro-Ject offerings.  There’s also some nice 1970s “professional” units out there labelled “TEIC,” which was apparently a division of Teac.
-Acoustic Research (AR): “inventors” of the suspended-sub-chassis in the 1960s, the AR-XA, then XB then XB77.  It’s quasi-primitive looking but sounds great, although the arm can be a bit of a weak spot (due to the cabling and bearings).  Just double-check them before buying!  AR had several excellent, well-regarded units in the ‘80s (the EB101, ES1, ETL1).
-Linn: They made their name with the LP12 Sondek, introduced in 1972 -- basically a modernized version of the AR turntable.  It’s usually expensive, but there can be bargains sometimes.  However, this is the unit that kicked the tweaking craze into high-gear.  If you want to jump on the upgrade train forever, get one of these.  Lots of great info is out there online.
-Philips/PE: from the 70s, these often look interesting, sound decent, and are relatively cheap… but they ALWAYS seem to have some kind of malfunction with the buttons.
-TDK: they made a nice-looking, new, piano-gloss-black unit a few years ago (2009?) that was well-regarded.  Unfortunately, they timed it wrong and sold it at places like Urban Outfitters, and it disappeared.  I know nothing about it except AudioKarma users said it sounded good for the price (about $200 then).
-Empire: nice cartridges in the 70s, and some nice turntables as well.  Their best, and the most expensive today, was the model 598.  They also made a 298, 398 and 498, which are supposedly pretty good.  Their final model, the 698, was ironically not so great, but commands the biggest bucks (“because it’s 1 higher, right?!”).  A nice write up is here.
-Pioneer: If I never see another PL-518, I’ll be a happy person.  That is the garage sale, thrift store, CL special that never goes away, and is so incredibly lackluster.  Not a horrible unit, just a decent but unspectacular second-stringer.  Seems to pop-up EVERYWHERE.  The PL-41 is much better, and usually comes in an attractive wood plinth.   They are also defended to the death by nostalgic owners, but rightfully so.  Pioneer made dozens and dozens of models, all numbered in the same way, so it may just be easiest to look for a wood plinth: if it has that, it’s probably from the early-to-mid-70s, and therefore one of the better units.
-Marantz: When Saul Marantz ran the company in the 50s and 60s, they made legendary gear, but no turntables.  When Superscope took over, they made excellent gear, and added turntables.  When Superscope sold to Philips, everything went down the drain.  The 1970s was, as with most companies, their golden age for turntables.  The 6000 and 6100 series are decent, the 6200 and 6300 are best (with the 6270 and 6370 being very late entries, and a little more plasticky).  At one time, it seemed like model 6300s were everywhere!  I found one in the trash!  (This was 10 years ago).  Avoid the post-1980 (aka Philips) models… anything starting with TT.  However, in the last few years, Marantz started selling a rebadged Clearaudio unit (TT-S1); that one is nice but expensive.
-Thorens: Their TD-124 (and related) rim-drive series of the 1950s-60s is legendary, expensive and tough to find in plug-and-play mode (see Garrard 301/401 above).  Their later 1970s ‘tables were quite good – sometimes direct-drive – but parts can be expensive and, being European, they can be complex.  Tough to find for sale in good shape, too.  Thorens left the US market and came back several times, and I’ve heard only good things about their 1990s-present units (which, naturally, are expensive).
-Luxman, Sansui, Yamaha: I have little experience with these, but they have a good reputation.  Luxman=$$$, by the way
-Harman-Kardon: they made a nice linear-tracker (one of the first, and one of the good ones) in the early 70s, the ST7 (also sold as the Rabco ST-7… I believe there is an ST-4 and ST-6, too).  These are tough to find and probably a little too audiophilish for most people.  In the 80s, they made some nice, simple, affordable units: T-30, 40, 55 and 60.  The 60 was supposedly the best buy, and seems to be inexpensive but tough to find now.  There are many Harman Kardon compact stereos out there, too, from the 1970s… not a good idea (I see them with low-end Garrard, or lower-end BSR tables, paired with H/K’s otherwise-excellent electronics).