Audiophile Turntable Newbie - What to buy as a gift?, [moved from Audio Hardware] Options

[musiclove]

Hi there all!

I am glad to have discovered this forum. I am a newbie at the audiophile game and want to buy my super audiophile boyfriend a turntable as a gift. I have done some initial research and have found brands such as Pro-Ject, Rega, and Pyle. I am not familiar with turntables and audio systems at all and want to make sure I am buying the right thing. I am looking for something with great sound quality (of course) and up to date technical capabilities - meaning I want him to be able to connect to his computer via USB and be able to hook up the turntable to his home audio system. I am having trouble understanding pre-amps etc. I also want it to be able to play all types of records - 78, 35, 45 etc. and my budget maxes at 400-450 US dollars. Please help - I need to be educated but dont want him to be underwhelmed when he opens the gift!

thank you all so much in advance. i really appreciate it.

[derty2]

If you are spending under a thousand dollars, there is only one definitive unbeatable choice...
Technics SL-1200 Mk-2 , from Ebay or your local second-hand market.

The mark-2 edition has extremely accurate full auto quartz locked speed control.
The ones produced for DJ's had a tempo adjusting slider on the top right.
The ones produced for Audiophiles had no slider.
The only thing a fanatic needs to do to turn the technics into an audiophile dream is to upgrade the tonearm and cartridge.
You cannnot lose if your friend doesn't want it; these turntables keep their value when re-sold.

Technics SL-1200 specifications:

CODE

Type.....................: manual turntable
Drive method.............: direct drive
Motor....................: brushless DC motor
Control method...........: servo (mk1), quartz (mk2)
Platter..................: 330mm 1.75kg (mk1), 332mm 2kg (mk2)
Speeds...................: 33.33 and 45rpm
Wow and flutter..........: 0.03% WRMS (mk1), 0.025% WRMS (mk2)
Rumble...................: -70dB (mk1), -78dB (mk2)
Dimensions...............: 453 x 366 x 180mm (mk1), 453 x 360 x 162mm (mk2)
Weight...................: 10kg (mk1), 12.5kg (mk2)

Tonearm:--
Type......................: universal
Effective length..........: 220mm (mk1), 230mm (mk2)
Overhang..................: 14mm (mk1), 15mm (mk2)
Effective mass............: 12g (mk2)
Stylus pressure range.....: 0 to 4g (mk1), 0 to 2.5g (mk2)

This post has been edited by derty2: Jun 16 2012, 12:21