A Turntable (aka Record Player), was also called gramophone and phonograph, is a device for playing music. Looking back to the historical background of musical devices for recording and playing sound, the turntable was the fourth discovery to come to usage. Its flourishing period was from the late 19th until the late 20th century, when the most utilized device for playing recorded sound was exactly the turntable. However, with the new technological discoveries in the field of music devices, turntables were hauled down from the throne and replaced with some of the new electrical findings with the same function such as DVD players, surrounding systems, i-pods, etc.
At the same time countless fans of the traditional record players have emerged to form a worldwide scene of enthusiasts who are still enjoying their good old vinyls with various vintage turntables. It is evident that the sound coming out of a record player is more natural, warmer, richer and more satisfying not only because a vinyl record mirrors the original sound's waveform (in contrast to digital sound where analog information is digitized thus not all information included) but also because listening via a record player is much more of an active affair (having to flip the record, dust it, bigger artwork etc).
Pioneer Vintage Turntables
One of the most reliable brands when it comes to buying turntables is of course Pioneer. Founded seventy years ago, Pioneer is still the leading brand in producing all kinds of music devices, and especially media players. The success of their products is owed to the constant innovations which customers are in continual pursuit for. Pioneer designs have a lot of features and controls that are top target to all customers.
There are three of the top best selling models of Vintage Pioneer turntables:
- PL-720,
- PL-61 and
- PL 990
Technics Vintage Turntables
Technics is part of the Panasonic brand that offers lots of electrical audio devices with high appeal. The first turntable product released by Technics was launched thirty years ago under the name SP-10 and shortly after the SL-110 which was targeted to the consumer market. One of the most popular record players is still the SL-1200 MK2 which was favored by numerous DJs and fans across the world. The SL-1200 MK2 model was accredited as a piece of modern history in the London Science Museum. There are many reasons why to choose a vintage turntable released by Technics, and some of them are:
- Huge percentage world wide usage (that speaks itself for the quality possessed)
- High reliability. Technics record players can last many years of heavy use without suffering any physical damage
- High specifications and superb sound quality
Dual Vintage Turntables
During the past century, Dual has made great contributions to the evolution and distribution of electronic music devices, especially with the introduction of the stereophonic sound and the discovery of the first cassette player with remote control high fidelity. It is a brand with long tradition, and one that is known for offering low priced but quality turntables.
Some models of popular vintage Dual turntables are:
- Dual 1019
- Dual 1219
- Dual 1229
- Dual 505
- Dual CS 606
- Dual 1237
- Dual CS 528
Sony Vintage Turntables
Sony is the company that changed the way the world listens to music by introducing the Walkman personal stereo in 1979. Sony is also famous for offering a great variety of turntables too. One of the most famous ones is the TTS-3000, since it is the first servo-controlled turntable produced in 1966. Other models of Sony well known vintage turntables are:
- Sony PS-X70
- Sony PS-X75
- Sony PS-2250
- Sony PS-5550
- Sony PS-8750
Kenwood Vintage Turntables
Kenwood is a corporation founded in 1946 that mainly produces home entertainment electric devices. Depending on the budget, Kenwood can deliver to each home the finest quality sound that corresponds to the price of the product, which is generally on low cost. It has produced many complex direct turntables which are divided into:
- Idler Drive Turntables: KP-4021, KP-5021, P-2000, PC-1200, PC-200, PC-350, PC-400;
- Belt Drive Turntables: KD-291R, KD-1033, KD-2033, KD-2044, KD-2055, KD-3033, KD-3055, KD-4033, KP-1022, KP-2021, KP-2022, KP-3021, KP-3022, P-110;
- Direct Drive Turntables: KD-2077, KD-500, KD-5033, KD-5066, KD-5070, KD-50F, KD-5100, KD-55, KD-550, KD-600, KD-650, KD-700, KD-750, KD-770, KD-850, KD-990, KP-5022, L-07D;
RCA Vintage Turntables
RCA or Radio Corporation of America used to be a company for electronics in the period of 1919 to 1986. In 1929 it was the largest manufacturer of phonographs and phonograph records, while in 1930 it began selling the first electronic turntable. It was a sudden hit at that time and its turntables are in general comprised from real wood construction with wood veneer. RCA made several models up to 1957 many of which have high collectible value. Some popular models of RCA turntables are:
- RCA 45EY3
- RCA 45EY15
- RCA 9Y511
- RCA 6EY3A
- RCA 8EY4FK
Marantz Vintage Turntables
Marantz is considered as a high-end to exotic brand, since it produces expensive and luxurious devices most people can not afford to buy. Such example is the Marantz TT-15SI- a dream come true for all analog purists. It is the first newly developed vinyl disc turntable in 20 years that has ultimate-quality components. On the other hand, classic Marantz devices from the 70’s are very collectible in the US. From the older editions, some of the most recognizable are:
- MRT 625 Belt Drive Turntable
- Marantz TT-170
- Marantz 6100
- Marantz 6300