2022 was a great year for turntables with some excellent new affordable options from Pro-Ject, U-Turn Audio, Audio-Technica, Roksan, Fluance, NAD, and Technics. Having owned some very expensive decks in the past from Michell, Audiomeca, and Wilson-Benesch, I’m fully aware of the playback differences between $1,000 and almost $7,000 with a rather expensive Benz Micro MC at one point on the Michell Orbe SE.
A Michell Gyro SE is an aspirational product for me at this point; I am rather content with my restored Thorens TD-160 Super and TD-145 MKII from Vinyl Nirvana in New Hampshire.
Much to my wife’s dismay, I also own 3 other turntables that get a fair amount of listening time; an NAD C 588, Yamaha YP-701, and the Andover Audio SpinDeck Max.
Audiophile Entry-Level (Below $600)
Andover Audio SpinDeck Max Automatic Turntable ($599)
There is a lot of competition below $600 and I was fortunate this year to try many of them from Rega, Pro-Ject, Fluance, and Andover Audio. The level of performance that can be squeezed out of an entry-level deck is surprising, but for most people — they just want to set it up and listen.
I wasn’t really blown away by the SpinDeck but the SpinDeck Max is a completely different table that is manufactured in Germany for Andover. The automatic design just feels more substantial and it’s built to a much higher standard; which includes the tonearm and rather beefy platter.
The supplied Ortofon OM10 is fine but I swapped it out for a Grado Prestige Red3 which just sounds fuller and less bright in my office system. The SpinDeck Max is not a fancy deck but it comes across as slightly more authoritative sounding with excellent pace in most systems. It can also be tweaked with a cork platter from Analog Restorations and certainly benefits from some isolation. You might be surprised at what this deck can do with a better cartridge and phono preamplifier.
Where to buy: $599 at andoveraudio.com | Amazon
Audiophile Mid-Tier
Pro-Ject Debut PRO ($1,000)
Having spent two months with the Debut Pro which proved to be one of my favorite products of 2022, I’m more than confident to recommend it to anyone in the $1,000 range. Inflation has pushed everything higher but I’d still spend the extra money on this one.
I compared the Debut Pro to all 5 tables that I have at home and while I’m not in any hurry to swap it out for my Thorens TD-160 Super/Rega RB-303/Ortofon 2M Black setup, it certainly kept my attention for almost 60 days.
Pro-Ject has the ability to manufacture almost anything and the new tonearm and very inert platter elevate this table in a very substantial way; it sounds far more forceful and dynamic compared to the Debut EVO tables that lack some bottom end weight and presence in comparison.
The supplied Sumiko cartridge works well but swapping that out for the Sumiko Wellfleet or Blue Point No. 3 is a very worthwhile upgrade.
Read my review here or watch our video review here.
Where to buy: $999 at Amazon | Crutchfield | Turntable Lab
Audiophile High-End ($2,500+)
Pro-Ject X2 B ($1,799)
Does balanced really make a difference?
My experience suggests that it does if you have to contend with certain noise issues.
Almost 22 years ago, I invested in a very expensive turntable and felt that I had reached vinyl nirvana. I paid a professional $200 to properly install the cartridge, setup the table which had a finicky suspension system, and help me mount the turntable shelf to the wall.
My building at the time was a pre-war in downtown Toronto that needed an upgrade on the electrical front. Noisy to say the least.
No matter what I tried, my turntable setup always sounded noisy; ground loop issues, constant hiss, and it became a a source of depression (first world problems). Why bother spending almost $8,000 on such a system if it sounded terrible.
A local dealer suggested that I have my arm and table modified so that I could run a fully balanced rig; which also included upgrading to a balanced phono stage. I sold a few other items to facilitate the changes.
Extreme? Perhaps.
But when I listened to the same records that mattered to me — I was stunned by the differences in clarity, noise floor, and overall dynamics of the sound.
Does a balanced setup always sound better? Not necessarily and I’m not convinced that every manufacturer who markets “balanced” is really offering that.
The Pro-Ject X2 B offers both single-ended and balanced connection options, but you do need to use an MC cartridge for a balanced setup.
Is there a huge gap between the Debut PRO and the X2 B? Fair question.
If running the same MM cartridge like a Sumiko Wellfleet, I would still give the edge to the X2 B when it comes to impact and overall resolution, but the gap isn’t enormous.
However, when running a MC cartridge into one of the Pro-Ject balanced phono pre-amplifiers or something like the Moon by Simaudio 610LP — the gap between the two tables is rather enormous.
The clarity, bass impact, soundstage depth and width, and overall dynamics of the system totally changes.
The Pro-Ject X2 B goes from being a very good $1,799 turntable to a rather exceptional table that can compete with with some tables in the $2,500 to $3,000 range and I’ve heard enough $3,000 tables to know.
My rather long and in-depth review after Thanksgiving. Learn more here.
Related Reading
ORT
December 1, 2022 at 2:22 pm
Down to either the Fluance R85 in Bamboo or, oddly enough, the fully automatic Audio Technica AT-LP3XBT-WH and an pair of headphones for a family member.
Where did the Audio-Technica come from? Out of the Blueish.
It will allow me to give the ‘phones as a present by virtue of costing less than the RT85 but it is nowhere as loverly as the Fluance. Any thoughts appreciated.
ORT
ORT
April 24, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Update-A-Mundo!
I recently purchased three (!) Pro-Ject turntables. All manual and all gorgeous. Two Beatles ‘tables, the “Singles and the ’64” models and a
Pro-Ject X2 in walnut with that cool looking HUGE acrylic platter.
Sweeeeeeeeet!
ORT