Help out a n00b who needs a new TT

Vintage Asylum

Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

First post on the forum, have been reading through posts quite a bit, hope yall can help me out.

For years now I've been listening to my records on my pop's old MCS 6502 through a cheapo preamp I bought on eBay. It didn't sound great, but it did the job. I recently tried to take off the stylus/cartridge and one of the tonearm wires broke. I'm not that great with a soldering iron, so I decided it was time to step up my rig.

From what I've read, the 6502 is not as good as other MCS TTs such as the 6600 series. I was thinking about buying the Technics AT-LP120 new, but I'm an old school kind of guy and I think I'd prefer a used/vintage TT. I've found a few and would like some opinions. My budget is around $250, but considering the setup I came from I definitely don't need audiophile quality stuff.

Some of my options, from Craigslist and Ebay. All are in working order, cartridge listed if known:

Kenwood KP-3021 - ~$70 (CL) - I can't find much about this, except that the model no. is strange (most apparently start w/ KD). Can anyone tell me a similar model Kenwood to read up on, or offer opinions about this? Cartridge is unknown, is labeled 'N34' on the front.

Dual CS 505-1 - ~$100-175 (EBay) - Two available, neither tells cartridge type, looks like it could be original (has no brand or numbers indicated).

Technics SL-1500 - ~$225 (EBay) - Sonus 5 cartridge

Technics SL-D3 - ~$160-250 (EBay) - Two available, one has AT cartridge ($160), one has Shure SC35C cartridge ($250)

Pioneer - PL-560 - ~$250 (EBay) - Stanton Cartridge

Thanks for any help opinions you can provide!
Jason

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Topic - Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - blzbba 08:24:28 01/25/15 (11)

How Does $179 Brand New Grab You? - geezerrocket 10:45:12 01/26/15 (3)

RE: How Does $179 Brand New Grab You? - blzbba 07:16:22 01/29/15 (2)

RE: How Does $179 Brand New Grab You? - geezerrocket 11:32:10 01/29/15 (1)

RE: How Does $179 Brand New Grab You? - rickl 06:32:41 01/30/15 (0)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - DIY John 04:33:20 01/26/15 (1)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - Crazy Dave 10:14:07 01/26/15 (0)

I would go with the AT-LP120 as it is ready to go with NO extras to buy... - J. S. Bach 12:38:33 01/25/15 (0)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - sony6060 10:43:59 01/25/15 (0)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - Awe-d-o-file 09:15:33 01/25/15 (2)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - blzbba 09:53:43 01/25/15 (1)

RE: Help out a n00b who needs a new TT - Awe-d-o-file 10:02:32 01/25/15 (0)

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