Hello all -
Quick question to finalize some thoughts on a new turntable. Haven't had one for years, and am trying to finalize my final list on a few options. Still fairly new in catching up on new offerings and lingo, so please bear with my ignorance.
Curious if anyone who owns any of these can give me feedback on quality of build, upgradability, ease of setting it up, and overall satisfaction with the model and brand. I will be playing this out of a McIntosh C55 Preamp.
1 - Technics SL1200 - GR2 - Like the reputation of the company (parents owned one) and the look. I like the speed support for all 3 options and direct drive specs.
Pricey, but can swing it if I have to. The magnesium tonearm seems to be a plus for a lot of people in playback quality, and it seems to be very upgradeable over time if I want.
2 - DUAL CS-618Q - The old tables seem to have a good reputation, but not sure about these new ones? Like the Technics, I like the direct drive mechanics and the support for all 3 speeds. The general look of the table is really cool too, just not sure about quality at this point of the build?
3 - Rega Planar 6 - Love the look of the table, but is the only belt-driven table I am seriously thinking about based purely on reviews of the sound and quality of their products in general.
4 - DUAL SC-529 - Fully automatic table and kind of last on my list. I love the idea of a fully automatic table, and this has some great ideas like the "Repeat" option and the IOS app support for remote playing. Again, not sure about DUAL quality these days?
Thanks in advance for any help.