Turntables - Entry level

Turntables - Entry level

As the year closes to an end, maPlatine.com, specialist in the turntable market in France, is offering to show you the best turntables of 2014. Whether Pro-Ject, Rega and Thorens, Clearaudio or VPI, with this guide, you'll find your IDEAL turntable! And if you have an idea of the type of Hi-Fi cartridge you want, we can give you advice and set it up for you on your turntable.

So as to make sure that we deliver the best service to our customers, prior to shipment, a specialist technician will check, set up and test each turntable so that it arrives all ready to use.

In 2014, many famous brands were looking to generalise their products, feeding the market with turntables with unparalleled value for money. This selection of turntables will get you a ticket into the record realm for a very reasonable price (between €200 and €500)!

 

Pro-Ject turntables

From the early days, 25 years ago, Pro-Ject, the worldwide leader on the market, has been using the same principle: "making high quality Hi-Fi products available for everyone at the best price". The manufacturer aims to give those of you who want to buy Hi-Fi equipment access to audiophile products.

 

Pro-Ject Essential II manual turntable

As a follow-up to its Essential manual turntable that has been the manufacturer's entry level model in the past five years, Pro-Ject has launched the Essential II turntable, a commercial success from the word Go. It is a good alternative to competitor models within this price range in terms of quality. This turntable has improved in terms of precision and consistency with respect to its predecessor. A great achievement from the Austrian brand!

 

Pro-Ject Essential II Turntable

 

 

Pro-Ject Essential II Phono USB manual turntable

The Essential II USB turntable is Austrian manufacturer Pro-Ject's entry level USB model. With this turntable you can transfer your records to digital format thanks to the USB output that you can just plug into your computer. The analogue output must be connected to the AUX input of your amplifier. True to the brand, the Essential II USB turntable boasts excellent manufacturing quality for its price, as well as undeniable musical qualities. It comes with a dust cover. In regards to the sound, the precision and smoothness will delight music lovers on a low budget.

 

Pro-Ject Essential II phono USB Turntable

 

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon manual turntable

Pro-Ject also presents two upgrades to its famous Debut Carbon turntable. This turntable is available in eight different glossy finish variants ranging from traditional white and black as well as red, green, yellow, grey and blue. This year, the manufacturer surpassed itself and unveiled a new colour variant and you can now get the Debut Carbon turntable in purple! Another pleasant surprise in 2014: a limited edition is now available, including the Debut Carbon turntable, factory-fitted with Ortofon's high-performance 2M Red cartridge. A benchmark, backed up by the fact that the turntable won the EISA 'Best Product 2012 – 2013' award!

 

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable with Ortofon 2m red phono cartridge

 

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB manual turntable

This year, in a permanent concern for perfection, the Austrian manufacturer has unveiled an upgrade to its famous Debut Carbon Esprit turntable:  The Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable. Designed after the Debut Carbon, this turntable is enhanced by a beautiful acrylic platter and will be beautiful no matter which colour you opt for. But the major innovation is that it now features a built-in speed controller. With two small switches, you can now easily change over from 33 rpm and 45 rpm format without lifting the platter.

 

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable

 

 

Rega turntable

Rega, a British brand with international acclaim for the simplicity of its products, endeavours to guarantee an excellent musical quality. Its leitmotiv, 'Less is more', is mainly echoed in the minimalist design of its turntables (without affecting the musical performance). The manufacturer's flagship turntable, the Rega RP1, is a perfect illustration of this.

Rega RP1 Performance Pack turntable

The Rega RP1 turntable is one of the brand's flagship products and maPlatine.com has the Performance Pack variant available for a better sound quality. It comes with a dedicated kit: the RP1 Performance Pack. The Performance Pack offers several upgrades with respect to the basic RP1 turntable: a better quality Hi-Fi cartridge, the Rega Bias cartridge, a better platter mat and a modified belt. These changes completely transform the sound quality. The pack is available in the three standard RP1 finishes (Cool Grey, Titanium and White) and also with a 'Union Jack' finish. And its a maPlatine.com all-time favourite!

 

Rega RP1 turntable

 

Music Hall turntables

Founded in 1985, Music Hall offers high quality products with an excellent quality-to-price ratio. Initially exclusively aimed for the US market, the brand's products are currently marketed worldwide and are extremely successful, including in Europe. The unique and high performance products have gained a well-deserved worldwide reputation!

 

Music Hall MMF-2.2 turntable

The mmf-2.2 turntable is Music Hall's entry level product and has a number of advantages that make it a high quality turntable. It comes with the excellent Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, its suspended motor prevents the transmission of vibration to the turntable, and its aluminium tonearm allows for excellent tracking. The sound is vibrant and very authentic, and this high end record player is surprisingly dynamic from the opening bars. Also, with this turntable, maPlatine.com adds a complimentary leather platter mat, which significantly improves the listening quality relative to traditional felt mats.

 

Music Hall MMF-2.2 turntable